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Originally posted by coolio:
they've had 3+ yrs.. at this point, you really putting your money on tcg? they do not have the better business model.. they are a conglomerate of websites and is just the central focal point in terms of web based searching, that's all..

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Again, better business model. I fully agree that their tournament marketing is god-awful, but you said it yourself, they are the focal point for price searching. The fact that they pull a percentage off all transactions through their site means that there's literally no danger for them in terms of speculation, unlike SCG or CFB.

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Originally posted by Zeckk:
Again, better business model. I fully agree that their tournament marketing is god-awful, but you said it yourself, they are the focal point for price searching. The fact that they pull a percentage off all transactions through their site means that there's literally no danger for them in terms of speculation, unlike SCG or CFB.

With that said, I do agree that TCG making oodles of money doesn't necessarily translate into a successful circuit, but they are the most likely contender.

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they are FAR from the better business model..there is no consistency to customer service.. unlike the mass majority of the dinky lil sites that pool on tcg, starcity doesnt reneg on purchases due to a price shift

and once again, i must point out, scg has shifts due to their stock and ability to restock.. much like the other sites as well.. scg just looks to be at the forefront because they're the leader when it comes to sales, so their stock is likely depleted quicker, and they have opens every wkend.. they're the ones that notice the trends first on restocking issues from the buyside..

you people just dont get it.. all the sites on tcgplayer shift their prices when the trends gets to them.. it just takes scg to hit the marks first, and everyone else follows anyhow.. so there's actually fewer upsides to buying on tcgplayer since you dont have the stable customer service that scg provides

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edit: I dont see how you can argue tcg has the better business model, as it's not itself a store.. there's little recourse for buying thru tcg, as you're going thru them to buy from individual sites anyhow..
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Since it is obviously inconceivable that all religions can be right, the most reasonable conclusion is that they are all wrong.
-Christopher Hitchens

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Originally posted by coolio:
they are FAR from the better business model..there is no consistency to customer service.. unlike the mass majority of the dinky lil sites that pool on tcg, starcity doesnt reneg on purchases due to a price shift

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This all depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a vendor that has a ton of hard to get stuff, and you just want a one-stop shop, SCG is probably the best there is. If you're just trying to get the lowest price possible for easy-to-get stuff, they are far from the best.

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"Message to women worldwide: Girls....we're stupid. We don't like games. We don't know games. We can't read minds. Say it like you mean or STFU." -rockondon

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Originally posted by coolio:

you people just dont get it...

edit: I dont see how you can argue tcg has the better business model, as it's not itself a store.. there's little recourse for buying thru tcg, as you're going thru them to buy from individual sites anyhow..

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I'm beginning to think you don't get it. For the most part I agree with what you have said, but your friendship with SCG is really starting to show your bias.

As I said, yeah i agree with everything in terms of price fluctuation, I've never thought SCG was "too" much... just you know a store. I pay a premium for the reliability and availability of their stock.

Saying that, if we are arguing business model it's all about perspective. I'm not picking sides, but you can make very strong arguments for TCG being the better model. It just depends who you are.

TCG has cheaper prices like almost every time, but as far as the guys who run TCG vs SCG, you're talking about a different argument. I would bet that Star makes a lot more money, and their tournaments alone show that they do things better from a purely dollars earned stand point. They do so in spite of always being more expensive.

Their tournaments are BIG events, and TCG tourneys are like a store event that sometimes gets quasi big. The one Star event in Albany was a huge deal for people around here, and just about everybody I know that plays tournament Magic was there. The TCG Player events that happen in various locations are just like sort of a large FNM, but nothing like a huge event.

As coolio is trying to say, they are at the forefront of price trends and the stuff that makes you money.

I personally do not buy from Star, but they're making money hand over fist and will continue to do so. To me, without even looking at balance sheets they've gotta easily be beating TCG Player in profits. For those reasons they are a better business model.

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Originally posted by mcelraca:
I'm beginning to think you don't get it. For the most part I agree with what you have said, but your friendship with SCG is really starting to show your bias.

As I said, yeah i agree with everything in terms of price fluctuation, I've never thought SCG was "too" much... just you know a store. I pay a premium for the reliability and availability of their stock.

Saying that, if we are arguing business model it's all about perspective. I'm not picking sides, but you can make very strong arguments for TCG being the better model. It just depends who you are.

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*I* dont get it? I'm the only person who've shown to have any idea whatsoever with regards to the increases, which the mass majority of you assume to just be aggressive hedges on whims by scg with no sound underlying reasoning just because you think they are screwing with the market..

I'm friends with a mass majority of the more reputable sites listed on tcg as well, and you know what? they're fine with scg taking the lead on adjusting the prices, simply because they dont get blamed, and get to quietly adjust and up their prices 2 days after.. but the less reputable members of tcg DO yank stock and reneg on orders.. so, sure.. you can try and go shop cheap, but whether it gets delivered in reality is a risk.

you are free to have your opinions, as ill informed as they are, you can call it bias all you want, but I'm way better informed, from multiple sources, and yes, scg among them, than you'll ever be.. I have a clue, you've not presented a hint of one besides wild, and uninformed assumptions

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__________________
Since it is obviously inconceivable that all religions can be right, the most reasonable conclusion is that they are all wrong.
-Christopher Hitchens

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Originally posted by Pail42:
Talking about which business model is better for the players is very different than talking about which business model is better for the company. Which perspective you're talking about is pretty important.

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Originally posted by kendawg13:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Pail42:
Talking about which business model is better for the players is very different than talking about which business model is better for the company. Which perspective you're talking about is pretty important.

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Originally posted by Pail42:
Talking about which business model is better for the players is very different than talking about which business model is better for the company. Which perspective you're talking about is pretty important.

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... except that's not what I'm referring to at all. Let me explain it this way -

SCG has to care about 3 things. Sales volume, profit margin, and customer service. They are a single store, and while they are the price setter on a large number of older format staples, they still have to adjust their profit margins so that they see enough sales volume to maintain a steady cash flow.

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Originally posted by Pail42:
Talking about which business model is better for the players is very different than talking about which business model is better for the company. Which perspective you're talking about is pretty important.

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... except that's not what I'm referring to at all. Let me explain it this way -

SCG has to care about 3 things. Sales volume, profit margin, and customer service. They are a single store, and while they are the price setter on a large number of older format staples, they still have to adjust their profit margins so that they see enough sales volume to maintain a steady cash flow.

1. TCG takes a percentage from 100s of stores/sellers. If one of these stores fails, TCG doesn't care cuz another 10 will replace it and TCG will keep getting their percentage. If SCG got hit by some fire or natural disaster or something, they would be screwed! Yes, they will collect insurance and rebuild, but during that time it is highly likely some other company will step up and take SCG's place.

2. SCG has a crapload of overhead costs. They pay lots of employees, run tournaments, have buildings, and all the other costs associated with having an actual store. TCG pays an accountant and a web designer (yes, this is an oversimplification, but that helps get my point across).

3. I think of SCG as similar to what Amazon was when Amazon started. A giant store that sells everything. What did Amazon end up doing? They allowed third party sellers on their site and Amazon took a percentage. No matter how good you are at predicting the market trends and keeping stock, someone will always be better. Amazon realized this and added the third party option. This way they still make money and can offer customers a larger selection at even better prices.

I think SCG is good for the game since they run tournaments, have a large stock, and are reliable, but overall if I was to own one store or the other, I would take TCG. Seems easier and far more resilient.

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Originally posted by Demilio:

It irks me that TCG collects sales tax because I am in NY and so are they even though they aren't actually selling the cards. Most of the time for big purchases, I'll just go to the vendor's website and avoid sales tax that way.

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This only works if the vendor you are buying from is from a different state than where you are from. In PA, buying from another online vendor from PA charges me 6%. Would you be double taxed if you are from NY, TCG is from NY, and the vendor selling on TCG is from NY?

Both of those cards they have large numbers of in stock & no doubt are taking the bottom line hit as they would have bought at the higher buylist price only to be forced to lower the sale price.

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Originally posted by KIP_NZ:
And more evidence that SCG is 100% market driven. Overnight they've dropped their prices on a number of cards, notability Stoneforge Mystic (35 -> 30) and True-Name Nemesis (50->40).

Both of those cards they have large numbers of in stock & no doubt are taking the bottom line hit as they would have bought at the higher buylist price only to be forced to lower the sale price.

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Originally posted by Vegas10:
Wait, you mean they didn't just arbitrarily lower the price, like when they raise them, get out of town...

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Lol

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Originally posted by Vegas10:
Wait, you mean they didn't just arbitrarily lower the price, like when they raise them, get out of town...

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