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Originally posted by jamestosetti:
I was asking around about the usage of the TCG mid price the other day. I assume people are referring to the median price. I find this to be rather inaccurate to say the least. Its like eliminating grading categories and lumping card conditions into one. Its like trading cards like some buy hats (one size fits all). The median price is the mid price of every card available regardless of condition, so it carries no real weight.

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I concur. Most people don't take that into consideration.

I would always look at condition first of cards and then take into account what is available on TCG in that condition, before anyone does trading.

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Originally posted by jamestosetti:
I was asking around about the usage of the TCG mid price the other day. I assume people are referring to the median price. I find this to be rather inaccurate to say the least. Its like eliminating grading categories and lumping card conditions into one. Its like trading cards like some buy hats (one size fits all). The median price is the mid price of every card available regardless of condition, so it carries no real weight.

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Originally posted by jamestosetti:
Are these median prices for cards that have been sold, or are for sale? If these prices are for cards that are for sale I would find them less useful, but they would be important for identifying trends which is useful for various reasons.

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I find TCG is fairly inaccurate, because by my assumption, it seems to compile an average based on the ones for sale through their website. I can't tell if it is explicitly stated anywhere that it only accounts NM and LP condition cards (source?), but all I found was this:
https://help.tcgplayer.com/hc/en-us/articles/202512528-TCGplayer-Pricing-Data

You have to take a number of things into consideration, like how many are actually being sold close to the medium price line, and how much those sellers charge for shipping. If you live in Canada, for example, most sellers (U.S.-located) charge exorbitant shipping costs, because they won't ship internationally without tracking, or for whatever other reason(s). Can you only get 1 copy from each of 4 different sellers at a certain price, while every other seller who have any in stock list them for at least double that price?

In general, SCG prices are pretty solid, because they're huge, reliable, and actually have the stock to back it up. Remember, that just because a card is listed at $2 on SCG, it doesn't mean that's the price, if they have 0 in stock, while everyone else is selling it at $4 minimum. It's things like this that you have to check for.

As far as ebay, it's just plain crazy, and some people list auctions that last 1 day. With the tens of thousands of different Magic cards out there, plus the hundreds of thousands of MtG items up on ebay any given day, it's easy for cards to slip by unnoticed and close for dirt cheap; so completed listings aren't exactly accurate either. What price can you actually obtain a card for, factoring shipping, and outbidding other bidders? Clicking the tab "Buy it Now" in your search results (whether in current, or completed listings) gives you more realistic results.

It also all depends why you need prices to begin with.

If you just want a guide by which to conduct trades, SCG seems universally accepted, but check the quantities available, and consider how much you personally value cards over others.

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Originally posted by Cryptonight:

I find TCG is fairly inaccurate, because by my assumption, it seems to compile an average based on the ones for sale through their website. I can't tell if it is explicitly stated anywhere that it only accounts NM and LP condition cards (source?), but all I found was this:
https://help.tcgplayer.com/hc/en-us/articles/202512528-TCGplayer-Pricing-Data

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It even says in the article you posted that they do not use the average. They use the median. The reason they don't use the average is very simple. If they did, a seller could easily manipulate that by listing cards at stupid prices to raise the average. They cannot easily do this to raise the median.

Awhile back there was faux price spike on TCG for Bosium Strip. MTG Stocks listed it as spiked by like 100-200% and the price was something like $4-5. I can't remember the major details, but basically what had happened was all of the NM or LP cards were sold out except for a few. They were in the price range listed on Stocks, and TCG Mid showed that price as well.

There were at least 2 dozen copies of the card at MP, HP or Damaged that were much lower (between $1-2 or so), but they did not factor into the median price.

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Originally posted by It even says in the article you posted that they do not use the average. They use the median. The reason they don't use the average is very simple. If they did, a seller could easily manipulate that by listing cards at stupid prices to raise the average. They cannot easily do this to raise the median.:
[b][/b]

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Ah - thanks. I had misunderstood what they meant exactly, because they added: "median ... *and* (does that mean combined, or separately?) a Market Price that is determined by the recent selling prices of a given card."

If MP, HP, and Damaged cards mostly just sit there, it would make sense that they don't significantly impact the Median price, according to what they say.

However, if you're looking to sell for cash, you're not going to be able to sell at SCG prices here. They are overpriced on most things.

Normally I'm fine using SCG to determine card-for-card trading, except in situations where bulk rares and UC/C are being traded, as SG will way overvalue all these cards.

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Originally posted by Cryptonight:
Ah - thanks. I had misunderstood what they meant exactly, because they added: "median ... *and* (does that mean combined, or separately?) a Market Price that is determined by the recent selling prices of a given card."

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