The 2 Best Magic: The Gathering Trading Sites

Bazaar Trader | Illustration by Matt Cavotta

One of the greatest joys of playing Magic is building a collection. You start with nothing, maybe a couple of boosters the friend who got you interested in the game gave you or a preconstructed Commander deck. Then suddenly, a few Set Boosters and a couple of drafts later, your binder is teeming with cardboard.

Not all of it’s valuable, and some of it’s unplayable, but it’s all yours, often coated with memories. One of the most cost-effective ways to grow your collection is by trading directly with other players, exchanging cards you don’t want in favor of the spells you’ll play. But what are the best places to trade online?

What Are Magic Trading Sites?

Bazaar Trademage | Illustration by Christopher Moeller

Magic trading sites are websites built to aid players in trading cards with one another, usually allowing them to strike deals on the cards traded before shipping them to each other. They can also allow players to sell cards, but the trading feature makes them unique compared to sites like TCGplayer.

The goal is generally to enable peer-to-peer trading among players. The sites function as an intermediary, introducing players interested in trades to one another on a convenient platform they wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

Sadly this is an underexplored tool for Magic and with the shutting down of PucaTrade in 2021 there are only a few remaining options.

#2. Deckbox

Deckbox is a pretty simple site that offers plenty of features for trading cards. Once you’ve got an account, it’s easy to compose multiple decks to track what you want and why. You can upload your collection inventory to have a digital way to manage your collection. Once you’re ready to get trading, all you need to do is update your trade list and wish list.

When adding cards to your wish and trade lists, the site gives you options to set. You can choose the MTG set, condition, treatment, and price of cards you’re looking for or allow the quick add options to set defaults for you. Adding cards to your trade list automatically adds those cards to your inventory.

Once you have your trade and wish lists, the trading opportunities page shows you users with the cards you’re looking for and the price they’re willing to pay. It has a variety of criteria you can set to ensure you only see users with high ratings, for example. If you can’t find sellers, you can relax those criteria to see more users.

#1. Cardsphere

Cardsphere quickly became the website for Magic players to trade or sell cards with one another. They were in trouble of closing this previous year, but a timely deal with EDHREC kept them open and aiding the Magic community.

Trading cards via Cardsphere is simple. All you need to do is upload a list of cards you have and cards you want, and the site works to connect you with players who have similar packages of cards they want to give up/receive. There are plenty of settings to use that allow you to upload all the information about the cards you’re sending and want, including condition, printing, and price.

Users store a balance, either by sending cards to members of the community or directly adding funds to their account via Paypal, which is used when trading between players. The site has detailed pricing indexes and information on the percentage of the index price people are actually paying, all of which help ensure you get a good deal.

Cardsphere has become a trusted site used by plenty of community members. The flexibility of being able to trade or purchase cards (and sell the ones you don’t want) gives you a lot of control over how you’re adding cards to your collection. Backed by great reviews, community trust, and solid customer support, it’s certainly the best place to trade your cards.

Wrap Up

Trade Secrets | Illustration by Ron Spears

Trading cards are a ton of fun. It doesn’t just grow your collection but can foster a sense of community among participants as you learn more about each other’s preferences and playstyles based on the cards you’re willing to part with and the ones you want to get. Online trading sites help expand this community well beyond the confines of your LGS.

What’s your favorite trading story? Do you like shopping for Magic cards online, or do you prefer to do it in person? Let me know in the comments or in the Draftsim Discord!

Stay safe, and keep thrifty!