Quick Answer
Australian TCG buylist prices vary significantly between stores for the same cards. Good Games, TCG Singles, Gameology, and Ronin Games all publish buylists but with different price structures. Comparing across stores before accepting any offer is important: the difference between the best and worst buylist price for a AU$50 card can be AU$10 to AU$20. The eBay or buylist quiz at /quizzes/ebay-or-buylist tells you which channel is right for your specific cards.
What a Buylist Is
A buylist is a list published by a TCG store showing which cards they want to buy and what they will pay for each one. Unlike selling directly to players via eBay, a buylist is a single transaction where the store buys your cards immediately at a stated price. The trade-off is speed and simplicity against a lower per-card return than the secondary market.
Australian Stores With Active Buylists
Good Games is the largest Australian TCG retail chain with stores in most major cities. Their buylist is accessible online and updated regularly. They buy across most major TCGs.
TCG Singles is an online-focused Australian retailer with a published buylist covering MTG, Pokemon, and other games. Often competitive on high-demand singles.
Gameology operates across Sydney and online with an active buylist for multiple games.
Ronin Games is an Australian retailer with buylist availability for key games.
All of these stores update their buylists regularly. Check the current list on their websites before sending cards, as buylist prices change with market conditions.
How to Compare Buylist Offers
For any card worth more than AU$20, check at least two stores before accepting. The process is:
- Check the current market value of the card at /cards/mtg or the relevant game hub
- Check buylist prices at two or three Australian stores
- Calculate the buylist percentage being offered (buylist price divided by market price)
- Compare that percentage across stores
A buylist offering 50 percent of market price for a AU$50 card gives you AU$25. A buylist offering 60 percent gives you AU$30. That AU$5 difference adds up across a collection of 20 to 30 valuable cards.
When Buylist Beats eBay
Buylists beat eBay when: the card is worth under AU$15 (eBay economics are poor at low price points), you are selling a large quantity of cards simultaneously, you want immediate payment without waiting for listings to sell, or the time cost of listing individually exceeds the return premium.
eBay beats buylists when: the card is worth AU$30 or more, the card has strong collector demand, or the buylist percentage is below 40 percent of market value.
Cash vs Store Credit
Most Australian stores offer better rates for store credit than cash. If you plan to spend the money at the same store, accepting store credit can increase your effective return by 20 to 30 percent compared to cash payout. Only take store credit if you will actually use it.
## How to Package and Send Cards to Buylists
Most Australian stores accepting buylist submissions have specific packaging requirements. Before sending, check the store's submission instructions on their website. General best practices:
Use penny sleeves for all cards. Place sleeved cards in a top loader or card saver for cards worth AU$10 or more. Bundle groups of cards with a rubber band outside the top loaders, not directly on card. Wrap the bundle in bubble wrap or foam, place in a padded envelope, and send via tracked Australia Post with signature on delivery for any submission worth AU$100 or more.
Never send cards without tracking for high-value submissions. The cost of tracked postage (AU$5 to AU$10) is trivial compared to the risk of an untracked package going missing.
For in-person buylist visits to Australian stores (preferred for large collections), call ahead to confirm the store's current buylist and buyer availability. Some stores schedule buylist appointments for large collections.
For collections spanning multiple games, run your high-value cards from each game through their respective store buylists. Good Games buys across most games but may offer better prices on MTG than Pokemon, or vice versa, depending on their current stock needs. TCG Singles may have better buylist prices for specific games at any given time. No single store is best for all games at all times. Comparing across stores takes 30 minutes of checking websites and produces better outcomes than defaulting to the nearest store. Verify current card values at /cards/mtg and other game hubs before any buylist submission.
The C3 Take
Buylists are an underused tool by Australian TCG sellers who default to eBay for everything. For cards worth AU$5 to AU$20, a well-priced buylist is often a better outcome than an eBay listing that sits unsold for three weeks before requiring relisting. Compare offers, know your market price, and use the right channel for each card.
What to Read Next
- Find your sell channel at /quizzes/ebay-or-buylist
- Check current prices before selling at /market
- See the full cost of eBay selling at /blog/real-cost-selling-cards-ebay-australia