Alex began selling Magic: The Gathering cards at the onset of the pandemic, but his connection to the game dates back much further. He started playing Magic in 1994 with Revised Edition, and then after a long hiatus, he rediscovered his love for the TCG in 2016 around the release of Kaladesh. His collection gradually became massive, with the value only growing. At the same time, he was dealing with a variety of debilitating medical conditions, leading to a hefty amount of medical bills. Unfortunately, those medical bills accumulated to a value comparable to his Magic: The Gathering collection.

TCGplayer’s Expansive Database Helps Launch The Business 
In an effort to pay off the bills, Alex turned to TCGplayer to sell his Magic cards, as the value of his collection was too significant to ignore. This was the official start to his TCG business, Strict Graders. 

He was already familiar with online selling –– he previously had a lot of experience on eBay, to subsidize his hobby of collecting expensive video games from pawn shops. That being said, he was immediately surprised at how easy it was to list his cards on TCGplayer, compared to his previous experience listing Nintendo video games on eBay. He attributes this ease to the extensive catalog (300,000 unique items and 40+ product lines) and the TCGplayer Conditioning Guide. 


Leveling Up With A Dedicated Growth Advisor 
Alex started making a lot of sales, and quickly. As his business grew, he soon realized he needed help managing the workload, overwhelmed by the volume of orders he had to fulfill. It was at this point that he was selected as a prime candidate for TCGplayer’s Growth Acceleration Program (GAP), a program designed to empower sellers to unlock their full potential and boost their sales. GAP provides a dedicated growth advisor, tools and resources, and customized sales strategies at no cost, which was the exact assistance Alex needed to level up his business. 

For Alex, GAP was invaluable. It helped him streamline his operations and set him on a path to achieving his goal of generating enough sales volume to become a Direct by TCGplayer seller. 

How TCGplayer's Fulfillment Service Revolutionized Strict Graders
Direct by TCGplayer is a fulfillment service that TCGplayer offers to sellers. As part of this program, sellers list their cards, while TCGplayer takes care of the fulfillment, verification, shipping, and customer service. The goal is to not only help sellers save time, but to also increase order volume. For Alex, it did just that.


Before joining Direct, Alex described his operation as "caveman style." While he has a good understanding of the market, the process was time-consuming. Direct not only improved his efficiency but also enhanced his margins and opened up new sourcing opportunities.

Inventory and Pricing Tools Designed To Streamline Workflows
The Growth Acceleration Program didn't just help Alex join Direct; it also led him to sign up for Pro by TCGplayer, a suite of tools designed to optimize sellers’ operations. To save time, Alex utilizes MassPrice, a batch pricing tool that can schedule price updates based on TCGplayer’s industry-leading price data.

He also uses Quicklist, collectible card scanning software powered by intelligent image recognition, to quickly scan his cards and list them to the Marketplace. These tools, in combination with Direct, have been instrumental in helping Alex manage his inventory, pricing, and fulfillment, letting him focus on what he loves most: making customers happy. This dedication is reflected in his 100% positive feedback over his entire seller lifetime. 

Navigating Challenges and Building a Successful Business
Reflecting on how he got to where he is today as a successful online seller, Alex shared a personal story. “I was a drunk for many years. I haven’t had a single drink for 9 years. My wife and I still rent… We don’t own our own house. We still have a good amount of credit card debt, and you know, eventually we’ll fix those problems, and we’ll buy our own place, but all the extra money I have right now is going into paying off trouble that I created for myself many years ago." 

TCGplayer is proud to be a part of Alex's success story and journey as a trading card game business. Our goal is to provide sellers like Alex with a platform to reach customers from all around the world, further supporting the TCG community of buyers and sellers while helping people like Alex make a living doing what they love. 


Through his journey, Alex has identified integrity and customer satisfaction as the most important aspects of running his business. "One of my favorite things to say is, ‘You only get one integrity. Mine’s not for sale at any price I’ve seen yet.’" In his free time, Alex is teaching his mom how to play commander. 

If you're interested, you can check out Alex's Tatyova and Rielle commander decks that he built for his mom and wife.

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About Seller Stories
Seller Stories is a program dedicated to spotlighting the driving forces behind the trading card game industry: sellers like you. Interested in being featured? Share your story with us.