Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with “Magic: The Gathering Online” (MTGO). This post covers the trading of “Paper Magic” (MTG) through the mail trough the aid of an awesome website.

First off, I’m a married man, and for those of you who are also married or have found yourself in a new location or situation where you are unable to go into the physical world of other players and physically trade cards as much as you would like and still want to play with physical cards, I have some exciting news for you!

As time passed soon after I said my vows, I noticed that I haven’t had much time to myself to enjoy my hobby as much as I would have liked. The time I generally spent with other players was spent playing the game such as EDH (Commander), Cube, a dab of Legacy, and a Pre-release or two. Beyond some game play, time for trading cards was almost unheard of. I’m not saying any of this to “bash” marriage because I do enjoy it. I’m simply stating that life keeps us busy, more so than we would like at times. Once the realization hit me that I didn’t have the time to trade cards, I began looking into other means of doing so and I was very surprised with what I had found on a site called “PucaTrade“.

PucaTrade is a website that is devoted to helping the MTG community trade physical cards through the aid of their services. Before you make any assumptions, let me make this clear; they do not charge you to join or for their services. They do however offer you to “upgrade” your account if you feel it is necessary and, if you decide to do so, they will charge you a monthly fee or a fee once per year (cheaper in the long run) depending on what you choose but I will tell you more about that later in this post. Within the first few months on the cite, I received four NM (Near Mint) Force of Wills, a NM Karakas, NM Wasteland, and several other awesome cards.

So What Services Does PucaTrade Offer?:

Catalog Your Collection: You are able to list every card in your collection on the site and you are able to mark which cards you are willing to trade and the ones you are not.



You are able to list every card in your collection on the site and you are able to mark which cards you are willing to trade and the ones you are not. Choose Your Destinations: PucaTrade covers many countries all over the glob and you can choose which countries you are willing to ship (mail cards) to and you can choose which ones you are willing to receive cards from which is important due to the cost of shipping and, of course, the time it could take to receive a card from another side of the world.



PucaTrade covers many countries all over the glob and you can choose which countries you are willing to ship (mail cards) to and you can choose which ones you are willing to receive cards from which is important due to the cost of shipping and, of course, the time it could take to receive a card from another side of the world. Trading Trends: The site shows you what cards are traded most which can help you keep up with the times or what cards to keep an eye out on your collection to add to your list of cards you are willing to trade.



The site shows you what cards are traded most which can help you keep up with the times or what cards to keep an eye out on your collection to add to your list of cards you are willing to trade. Fair Card Prices: The website keeps up with the value of each of your cards.



The website keeps up with the value of each of your cards. Blogs/Articles: PucaTrade has news of all sorts, whether it’s budget Commander, Tiny Leader, and Standard lists, featured cards and combos, website updates, tips and tricks, etc.



PucaTrade has news of all sorts, whether it’s budget Commander, Tiny Leader, and Standard lists, featured cards and combos, website updates, tips and tricks, etc. Communication: You are able to communicate with users of the site as easily as you could on FaceBook.



You are able to communicate with users of the site as easily as you could on FaceBook. Well Structured Rules: I have been very impressed with the rules the site has and how well the users abide by them. I have had no issues that have not resolved, and they resolved easily. If you have any issues, the site offers admin help at the click of a button.



I have been very impressed with the rules the site has and how well the users abide by them. I have had no issues that have not resolved, and they resolved easily. If you have any issues, the site offers admin help at the click of a button. Point System: PucaTrade uses a point system instead of cash or “card for card” method. The unit of currency is called a PucaPoint. Each point is worth one cent. So, in other words, 500 PucaPoints equals $5 US. When you join the website, create an account with a profile picture, upload a list of your cards (or you can manually make your own list), and create a want list, PucaTrade gives you 400 PP (PucaPoints) for free ($4 US). You can also purchase PP by donating money to their site. Each dollar you spend is matched with PP (if you donate $5 to their site, they give you 500 PP).

PucaTrade uses a point system instead of cash or “card for card” method. The unit of currency is called a PucaPoint. Each point is worth one cent. So, in other words, 500 PucaPoints equals $5 US. When you join the website, create an account with a profile picture, upload a list of your cards (or you can manually make your own list), and create a want list, PucaTrade gives you 400 PP (PucaPoints) for free ($4 US). You can also purchase PP by donating money to their site. Each dollar you spend is matched with PP (if you donate $5 to their site, they give you 500 PP). Trade Cards: Trading cards on the site is awesome. To “trade”, you look at a list of wanted cards, which is matched to the cards you are willing to trade, and choose which cards to send. Once your decisions are made, you place the cards in a top-loader (hard plastic card protector) and place it in an envelope, then mail it off. Once the person you mailed cards to receives them, the confirm that they received the cards on the website, then you receive the points. Its really that simple. The trading system works very well, I’m still impressed with it to this day. Things to Keep in Mind Before Joining: before you squint your eyes or think that their are major drawbacks to the site, hear me out.

Trading cards on the site is awesome. To “trade”, you look at a list of wanted cards, which is matched to the cards you are willing to trade, and choose which cards to send. Once your decisions are made, you place the cards in a top-loader (hard plastic card protector) and place it in an envelope, then mail it off. Once the person you mailed cards to receives them, the confirm that they received the cards on the website, then you receive the points. Its really that simple. The trading system works very well, I’m still impressed with it to this day. You Need to Have Paid Membership to Receive Foil Cards: At first, I was really disappointed about having to pay to receive foils but after biting the bullet, I realized that the website has no other forms of drawing in money besides donations and their store (which sells: playmats, sleeves, and tokens). They have two forms of membership which are above their free membership. There’s a $5 per month membership (“Uncommon Membership”) and their $10 per month membership (“Rare Membership”). Each paid membership allows you to receive foils among other advantages. So giving them $5 per month really isn’t that big of a deal if foils are your thing; they definitely are my thing. If foils aren’t your thing, enjoy the free membership that PucaTrade offers!



At first, I was really disappointed about having to pay to receive foils but after biting the bullet, I realized that the website has no other forms of drawing in money besides donations and their store (which sells: playmats, sleeves, and tokens). They have two forms of membership which are above their free membership. There’s a $5 per month membership (“Uncommon Membership”) and their $10 per month membership (“Rare Membership”). Each paid membership allows you to receive foils among other advantages. So giving them $5 per month really isn’t that big of a deal if foils are your thing; they definitely are my thing. If foils aren’t your thing, enjoy the free membership that PucaTrade offers! NM/ENG Only: As for now, the website doesn’t offer any way for members to trade Slightly Played (SP), Moderately Played (MP), and Non-English cards… Yeah, that doesn’t sound great that the site doesn’t offer that but they have announced that they are working fixing that for those of us that want that as an option. However, I have received SP and foreign cards and was able to adjust the price accordingly, so with a little work, you are able to do so, so don’t let the “NM/ENG Only” thing slow you down. The reason they have that posted on the site is as a precaution so that users of the site don’t get taken advantaged of. Those of us who have been around the block can easily work deals out without the aid of the site.

Now that you know more about PucaTrade, I invite you to join and give it a try!

Happy PucaTrading! –Hanzelgravey