What Is a Buylist? How MTG Buylists Work (and How to Get Paid More)

If you have typed "sell Magic cards" in Google, the term buylist has likely appeared. Every store that buys cards has one. Here's what a buylist is, how selling through one goes, and how to get top dollar for your cards.

What is a buylist?

A buylist shows which cards a shop's willing to take and what price they'll pay for them. Card Kingdom, Star City Games, ABU Games, and GameNerdz "buy" cards by paying from a buylist: a wholesale price below the card's likely resell price. A buylist works the other way around from a marketplace: you don't sit around for a buyer on eBay or TCGplayer, because the store already takes your card at its listed price right now.

How selling to a buylist works

1. Build your list. Check every card against the shop's buylist, or upload all of them together.
2. Pick how you’re paid. Most shops pay money or offer store credit. Store credit often pays 20–30% more than money, because the shop pays you with its own inventory.
3. Send the cards. Pack them safely with sleeves, cardboard, and a padded mailer, because scratches downgrade your payment.
4. They grade and pay. The cards get reviewed against your list, then payment goes through your chosen way, often in days.

What shops pay for

Shops want cards to resell: wanted staples, playable cards in active formats, and cards with steady demand. They usually offer near-mint rates, then drop the value for worn or damaged cards, and every store does it differently, which affects sellers more than they think.

Who pays the most?

No one store wins. CardRouter checked several buylists against a 5,604-card collection, and Card Kingdom offered the best price in roughly every other case, with 62% for cards carried by only a pair of shops. Otherwise, a different store paid more. The only way to be sure you get the most is to look at each buylist before selling.

Get the best price without checking every shop

CardRouter pulls prices from every buylist we track into a single search, letting you check the best price per card and your combined payout before deciding where to sell. Find today's best MTG buylist prices, or check which shops pay more.

FAQ

What does a buylist mean in TCGs?

In any trading card game, the same thing: a shop's standing promise to purchase cards at listed wholesale prices. Shops that take Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and One Piece cards use buylists just like MTG shops.

Does buylisting make sense?

If you need money now without listing, fees, or buyer emails, it does. Buylist pays wholesale, often far under retail, for guaranteed instant payment.

What makes buylist prices vary between shops?

Every store bases prices on its own inventory wants plus resale margins, updating on its own schedule. The price gap between shops on a single card usually runs 10–30%.