The Best Places to Buy Bulk MTG Cards

Last updated on February 29, 2024

Spellbook Vendor | Illustration by Scott Murphy

Cracking booster packs is one of the most thrilling experiences as a Magic player. It’s exciting to pull a big-hit rare or mythic card, but then there are times you might have what many players like to call dud packs full of draft chaff.

Most Magic booster packs in general contain bulk cards, but bulk can be put to good use! Some new players don’t mind purchasing bulk cards from personal sellers on different platforms. Purchasing bulk for the right price might be a great place to start for new players learning about the many different cards and overall mechanics of the game.

What Is Bulk?

Black Market Connections | Illustration by Lixin Yin

Bulk cards are cards that have little to no monetary value, usually commons and uncommons. Most of them are cheaper cards that are priced at $0.10 or less due to their lack of general playability.

You might also define bulk cards as extra copies of cards in your collection that you’re not using for whatever reason. Think of all the extra basic lands, the extra Dawn Charm copies you pulled from Commander Legends, or the many commons, uncommons, rares, and mythics that don’t see as much gameplay as the staples in various formats.

What Is a Fair Price for MTG Bulk?

A fair price that many players would prefer to pay for bulk cards would be about $5 or less per 1,000 cards. Especially since many of these bulk cards don’t see as much game play as the higher echelon Magic staples like Rhystic Study and Dockside Extortionist. They aren’t as highly sought after and therefore don’t hold as much value.

Of course, this rate would be based on the types of cards contained in the collection of bulk and what the seller deems as a fair price based on the condition of the cards.

#8. Estate Sales

First and foremost, rest in peace to all of the Magic players who have passed on. It’s worth it to check out estate sales to see if the late individual was a Magic player. You can maybe get a great deal buying the individual’s whole collection of bulk Magic cards at once. Maybe you can discuss a negotiation with the head of the estate sale if you’re interested in buying the late person’s decks and high-value rares and mythics.

One Reddit user posting on the MTG Finance feed found a binder of alphabetized cards from Revised for $50 from an estate sale in 2014. However, you this is sort of a one-in-a-million find and you should adjust your expectations.

#7. Affiliate Links

Support your favorite MTG content creators by purchasing bulk MTG cards and other Magic products from their affiliate links. If you don’t have a local game store (LGS) located closer to you, one of the other best ways you can purchase MTG bulk cards while supporting the trading card community is via affiliate links.

Go to your favorite content creator’s social media profile, whether on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, and find their list of affiliate links. From there, you can purchase the bulk MTG cards you need for your collection and/or decks while some of the proceeds of your purchase will support your favorite content creator and their ability to continue making great content.

#6. Swap Meets or Flea Markets

Flea markets and swap meets are full of treasure troves at affordable prices. You never know what you could find if you visit either one and find a Magic trading card seller. Some veteran players like to pass off the love of Magic to those in their community at an affordable price while also cleaning out their cabinets of unused cards.

If you find a trustworthy trading card seller at your local flea market or weekly community swap meet, flip through their bulk MTG cards to see if they’re worth the purchase in your opinion. You and the seller could eventually build a relationship where they can become your go-to resource for cost-efficient bulk MTG cards.

#5. Garage Sales

Ah, don’t we all have that daydream of finding Power 9 at some garage sale? While that's almost certainly never going to happen, garage sales can be a great place to find old collections or bulk with hidden treasures sprinkled inside.

You can get some commons and uncommons even cheaper than their market value by purchasing from a garage sale than, say, TCGplayer because you’ll be purchasing bulk boxes from a personal seller rather than singles at various prices.

#4. Card Kingdom

Card Kingdom’s minimum price for bulk MTG cards went from 25 cents each to 35 cents each in 2022 and skyrocketed to 49 cents minimum in May 2023. This marks a big shift in the bulk market as one of the most reputable and reliable online sellers increasing their prices can have ripple effects throughout the online marketplace.

If you’re only interested in purchasing bulk from Card Kingdom, you can still score 72 cards priced at 49 cents each to get the $35 free shipping deal. Plus, it comes neatly packaged in one shipment rather than separate ones and you receive a custom token to possibly add to one of your decks!

#3. TCGplayer

TCGplayer actually has a bulk lot option in their search! You can filter by game and see plenty of listings for various quantities at great prices. Anything from 50 cards for $0.20 to 1000 cards for $10. Of course, there's no guarantee as to what you'll get, nor are there any pictures available in most cases, but rolling the dice is the best part about bulk!

#2. Facebook Marketplace

Price-wise, Facebook Marketplace is a great venue to find bulk MTG cards because you can negotiate with the sellers based on the condition and overall price points of the cards contained in the bulk purchase. Plus, one MTG player’s trash is another MTG player’s treasure in this instance. In other words, what a seller may not want to keep in their collection anymore can benefit your collection and how you upgrade your decks.

I remember when my boyfriend purchased some MTG bulk cards last year from a Facebook Marketplace seller. He got two cases (about 3,000 to 4,000 cards each) of bulk commons and uncommons for $40 per case. He saw the value in this purchase because it had great cards suitable for budget decks.

That worked out to be about $11.42 per 1,000 bulk cards in this transaction. While that rate is much higher than the purchase price of MTG bulk cards at an LGS, purchasing bulk from a Facebook Marketplace seller can become a more personable experience.

#1. Your Local Game Store (LGS)

Your LGS is the central hub of the trading card game community in your area. They probably sell bulk cards, rares, and mythics as close to the TCGplayer, Card Kingdom, or other trading card website market price as possible. Plus, there’s the fun of meeting and mingling with new players while participating in prerelease events or different game nights for Modern, Standard, and Commander formats.

Of course, bulk MTG cards will sometimes be priced a little higher when purchasing singles so that your LGS can make some money in the process. Of course, that’s what they’re in business to do!

Be advised that bulk cards under $1 may be priced to the nearest half dollar for the LGS to make a profit. For example, at the time of writing, a copy of Heroes' Podium from Dominaria United Commander has a market price of 28 cents, which an LGS may price around 50 cents to make a profit. Despite this, you’re supporting your LGS so they can continue to stay in business.

Is Buying Bulk MTG Cards Worth It?

How useful bulk will be for you depends on what type of player you are and the reason for your purchase. Younger Magic players that are looking to get further into the game and want a higher quantity of cards could benefit from a bulk purchase. Maybe you’re a budget player and don’t mind playing more casually, so bulk cards would be worth the purchase to get your decks built at an affordable price.

There’s also the allure of finding a more expensive common or uncommon in the bulk you purchase. I’d always recommend price-checking any bulk you’re trying to sell, but not everyone does that, so it’s possible for valuable cards to slip through the cracks. Maybe you could be lucky enough to find common cards from older sets with a higher price tag, like a random Wei Strike Force or a card that just recently spiked in price.

Bonus: Where To Sell Bulk

Do you have so much MTG bulk that you can literally fill a swimming pool? We know the feeling! So here’s a bonus overview on where you can sell your MTG bulk cards easily!

Many local game stores will take non-foil commons and uncommons for about $2 to $5 per 1,000 cards. You can get a few cents per foil common or uncommon and close to 10 cents per foil rare or mythic. Take a look at this Star City Games list of bulk MTG card values to get a better idea of different categories of bulk cards and what they’re worth to trading card websites and local game stores.

Your local game store will give you money on the spot, and trading card websites will have representatives to go through your collection and grade your cards in a week or less before giving you an offer. Getting an interested buyer when selling your bulk cards at a flea market, garage sale, or on Facebook marketplace could take more time, but you could enjoy getting more money out of the experience in contrast to the lower offers at a local LGS or trading card website.

Bear in mind if you’re trying to convert your bulk into more Magic cards, you can usually opt for store credit instead of cash, often at an increased rate.

To Buy Bulk or Not To Buy Bulk? That Is the Question!

Night Market Lookout | Illustration by Nils Hamm

Whether you think buying bulk MTG cards is worth it or not is up to you! Purchasing bulk is most beneficial for new players looking to obtain an instant collection or players that want to make budget decks with new cards they may have never seen before.

You can hop into a discussion about bulk cards with like-minded players on the Draftsim Discord. Check out the Draftsim blog for more content that you can use as inspiration on what to do with the bulk cards you may have already.

Until next time, bulk up those collections!

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