PucaTrade a good option?
Economics forum
Posted on July 23, 2015, 10:36 p.m. by IcyLightning
Thinking about trading cards to get some singles I need and clean up some of the duplicates I've amassed. Is Pucatrade a good option, or is there somewhere better? I don't think I can trade here yet, there's a time threshold limit for new members or something like (2 months I think I saw somewhere?) , but (aside from bias of where I'm asking this) is TappedOut a good place to organize trades?
brandontraps says... #3
Pucatrade is safer, but the prices can be off sometimes.
July 23, 2015 10:49 p.m.
Pucatrade is great. I've thus far finished two entire EDH decks using it for the very large majority of them and I'm almost done with a third. You can get basically anything you want, as opposed to two-way trading where things can get difficult.
July 23, 2015 11:01 p.m.
NoPantsParade says... #5
Yes, it's very dank. I built Jund off Pucatrade, minus Goyfs. Blood, sweat, and tears.
July 23, 2015 11:07 p.m.
IcyLightning says... #6
Slathalin I think the waiting is for Listing trades, I don't think you can make your trade binder appear to others or in card searches before a set time. There's nothing to prevent you from just going on the trade forums and asking for a specific card, but in my case, I'm more so looking to clear out cards and then based on that get cards I need.
brandontraps are the prices set arbitrarily? Is there no communication between parties on a trade?
July 23, 2015 11:08 p.m.
brandontraps says... #7
Pucatrade sets the price for cards. Sometimes the price is off. Like I've been waiting a month+ over a dispute for a $64 foil Bitterblossom, guy is in Italy. Only put stuff on your want list when you can monitor it or something wonky like that can happen. In the new version of the site you'll be able to set a ceiling for your wants I think.
July 23, 2015 11:19 p.m.
IcyLightning says... #8
brandontraps, wait want list? Are cards you want like automatically added to a cart when they become available or something? Or did you mean the have list, because I assume the cards you have are automatically traded and all you do is mail them out?
July 23, 2015 11:26 p.m.
You list your haves and wants. You get matched with people that want your haves and vice versa. Trading is one-way and confirmation occurs upon arrival of the cards. Generally, people are trustworthy. Communication between users is pretty smooth and you can basically always get an admin involved if there are issues.
July 23, 2015 11:35 p.m.
brandontraps says... #10
Cards you want are put on a list and when you have the points people can send them. So if you don't watch it you can end up paying more for a card for no good reason (or the card spiked). Foils also tend to be a few dollars more in general.
July 23, 2015 11:37 p.m.
IcyLightning says... #11
Alright thanks for clearing that up. Is there any way to hold people accountable for trading cards?
July 23, 2015 11:44 p.m.
NoPantsParade says... #12
They're very good about that if someone doesn't give you credit after two weeks, but I have yet to have issues. But you'll want tracking for higher value, obviously.
July 23, 2015 11:54 p.m.
IcyLightning says... #13
Yeah I don't plan on trading for goyfs or anything, so tracking is probably unnecessary. As long as the cards arrive and are in good condition, I'm happy.
July 24, 2015 12:03 a.m.
NoPantsParade says... #14
I normally do tracking on things higher than $40 or $50.
July 24, 2015 12:06 a.m.
WovenNebula says... #15
Most trades on here have been pretty good. Pucatrade is better for getting rid of small stuff and getting small stuff. The bigger stuff is very hard to get, but if your very devoted and have a lot of free time then Pucatrade will pay out.
July 24, 2015 2:08 a.m.
GeminiSpartanX says... #16
I personally think tappedout is a fine place to organize trades, especially now that they've added the trade-specific message boards once you start a trade to discuss details. I'm one of those weird ones that actually enjoys interpersonal communication when I trade. The Tappedout community is definitely better than joining facebook trading groups or anything like that according to my friends who use those.
July 24, 2015 7:37 a.m.
NoPantsParade says... #17
I think Pucatrade is well worth the effort. I've gotten about $1000 worth of cards on there, but it requires a lot of work. I do like the interpersonal communication of this site, but Pucatrade is more convenient. You don't have to wait around for someone to want what you have to get what you want. Plus you can easily control what you trade as opposed to having to trade eternal stuff for stuff you want.
July 24, 2015 8:18 a.m.
insertcleverid says... #18
Puca trade is great. I have had no serious issues and I've done hundreds of trades.
I think the admins are way better at resolving conflicts than ebay.
The pricing is typically fair to excellent. Their algorithm tends to smooth out spikes, but I do see the occasional weird thing. I just took down a foil uncommon that Puca had for 44 points but TCG had for $1.50
Not having control over when someone sends you something can be frustrating. I've had a few bulk rares on my want list for months, and I believe it is because most Pucatraders aren't going any deeper into their collection than they strictly need to. Standard, modern and spec targets trade real fast while everything else tends to Languish.
July 24, 2015 11:23 a.m. Edited.
"I think the admins are way better at resolving conflicts than ebay."
Duh, they're not dealing with real money. If a problem shows up and neither party is clearly at fault they'll just give both members the cards' value in points. Ebay is dealing with real currency and has a lot more hoops to jump through.
July 24, 2015 12:18 p.m.
NoPantsParade says... #20
I'm still sitting here waiting for one more Deathrite Shaman after two weeks. It does take a while to be sent staples since everyone wants them. If that's the case, offer a bounty for the card. I got Bobs in three days doing that.
July 24, 2015 12:51 p.m.
insertcleverid says... #21
What I meant was Pucatrade doesn't just default to the buyer's point of view like ebay does. That is a huge benefit to its users. And you're wrong about them 'just giv[ing] both members the cards' value in points.' They DO NOT automatically do that. Regardless of whether or not your definition of 'real money' encompasses digital currency like Puca points or you still think we're on the gold standard, I assure you the admins at pucatrade don't just give it away like kittens.
I didn't really feel like I needed to go into that level of detail, cuz, you know: Duh.
July 24, 2015 1:15 p.m. Edited.
IcyLightning says... #22
Aright thanks for all the feedback, I'll have to try out Pucatrader to get rid of some junk rares and mythics that I'm just never going to play. I'll have to try out TappedOut for the bigger stuff I figure once I've actually listed my collection her.
July 25, 2015 6:48 p.m.
Dangerous00Dave says... #23
You need wait no longer NoPantsParade. One Deathrite Shaman heading your way via puca.
Aelenium says... #2
I don't think there's a wait after you create an account. I signed up yesterday, and after a bit of work, i got a Haven of the Spirit Dragon. it has yet t arrive, but still. Anyway, it looks fine, and you get your money's (or in this case card's) worth.
July 23, 2015 10:45 p.m.