ABU Games

[kinda]

Are they credible? Anyone have a suggestion where to buy cards online?

[Malchar]

I'm pretty sure that I've used them about a year ago, and everything went well. I usually use www.findmagiccards.com, search for a card and it lists the prices for each retailer. For the most expensive cards, ebay usually has the best prices.

[ivanpei]

Abu is very trustworthy. They ship very quickly and they grade their cards very accurately. Their prices are on the high side but they stock alot of rare stuff and foils so if that's what you are looking for, its the best place. There are other big retainers that are very reliable too like starcitygames and trollandtoad.

[jandax]

how did you know he was looking for retainers?

[psu42]

ABU is a fine online retailer. I've used them probably 10+ times with no problems. They ship quick and card grading has never been a problem.

On a side note, they have gotten a lot more expensive in the past year or so. And I'm not just talking Legacy, but over the board. You used to be able to make some good trade ins and actually do well, now they are just really expensive imo.

[Arsenal]

how did you know he was looking for retainers?

He most likely meant to type "retailers" given the context of the sentence.

[DownSyndromeKarl]

Or he meant retainers. That word works in that context as well.

In any event, I used to hear great things about ABU, not much has changed except I keep hearing their prices are high.

Just as an aside; TrollAndToad is my go-to site. Their stock tends to be skimpy at times, but their prices are good and they ship fast. They take forever to process trades though.(by forever I mean ~a week)

[Arsenal]

trollandtoad, despite jumping on the SCG pricing train, is still my fave site. $.99 shipping w/ Tracking for all orders under 99 cards = incredible deal. The money I've saved on shipping alone (compared with the cheapest shipping option of competitiors) puts trollandtoad in front of all other e-retailers.

[socialite]

Troll&Toad has the worst grading of any online store and the way they package their shipping is a joke.

ABU is great and I have dealt with them many times; trading/selling/buying.

SCG and ABU grade pretty much the same but as with any online store their grading can be pretty swingy.

I've honestly had the best grading with CFB.

[Shimi]

Abu is very trustworthy. They ship very quickly and they grade their cards very accurately. Their prices are on the high side but they stock alot of rare stuff and foils so if that's what you are looking for, its the best place. There are other big retainers that are very reliable too like starcitygames and trollandtoad.

Completely agree.Bought 3 Infernal Tutors FOIL from them and taked 1 month to arrive(note that I live in BRAZIL).They were well packed and mint!

[Zlatzman]

Have ordered from them a total of 20 times over the years, experience always being positive. Safely packaged, grading is reliable and they have always shipped rather fast.

[mchainmail]

I've honestly had the best grading with CFB.

CFB tends to tell you stuff is shipped, and then not ship it for a week+. Really annoying.

[socialite]

CFB tends to tell you stuff is shipped, and then not ship it for a week+. Really annoying.

Never had that problem. Everyone's experiences are different I suppose.

[Arsenal]

Troll&Toad has the worst grading of any online store and the way they package their shipping is a joke.

ABU is great and I have dealt with them many times; trading/selling/buying.

SCG and ABU grade pretty much the same but as with any online store their grading can be pretty swingy.

I've honestly had the best grading with CFB.

Trollandtoad's grading is rather lax, I'll agree with you on that. I've never really been upset re: their shipping materials; a hard top loader inside a plastic sleeve that seals shut, inside of a cushioned bubble wrapper. They've tinkered with their shipping materials in the past couple years (they used to ship cards in sturdy cardboard boxes instead of bubble mailers, etc), so I suppose tastes will vary.

[everythingitouchdies]

Over the years I have sold and bought many times from ABU. I have moved away from them in the last year with my tastes moving to foreign singles that they dont market, but even though their prices tend to be high there are still some deals to be found. I always cross check anything I buy from them with other sites before purchasing. As far as a site buying cards from me, I have found them to consistently be the best for numerous years.

[Whippoorwill]

CFB tends to tell you stuff is shipped, and then not ship it for a week+. Really annoying.

The only time I've had that issue was with preordered Scars cards. Every other time they've shipped out the day of/after I got the notice.


ABU is good, but as others mentioned, their prices are rather high. You can still find some good deals though. Picked up a Chains of Mephistopheles (sp) from them cheaper than any other site had it listed and it was in better condition than I expected.

[thranmonster]

trollandtoad, despite jumping on the SCG pricing train, is still my fave site. $.99 shipping w/ Tracking for all orders under 99 cards = incredible deal. The money I've saved on shipping alone (compared with the cheapest shipping option of competitiors) puts trollandtoad in front of all other e-retailers.

How'd you get .99 shipping? Promo code?

[Arsenal]

I believe that it's for USA shipping only; they used to offer the same deal for International shipping, but stopped recently. As long as your order is 99 cards or less and it's being shipped in the USA, they only charge $.99. This includes USPS Tracking #.

[kusumoto]

I'll happily give a plug for coolstuffinc.

They have a nice reward program and give a lot of buy one get four deals on little things that are nice. Stock doesn't compare to SCG, but who does?

[socialite]

Trollandtoad's grading is rather lax, I'll agree with you on that. I've never really been upset re: their shipping materials; a hard top loader inside a plastic sleeve that seals shut, inside of a cushioned bubble wrapper. They've tinkered with their shipping materials in the past couple years (they used to ship cards in sturdy cardboard boxes instead of bubble mailers, etc), so I suppose tastes will vary.

No offense but it has nothing to do with taste. Their shipping sucks period.

I've gotten damaged items from them before.

In addition my friend got this from them aprox 3 months ago.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g284/berkumps/IMG_6146_2.jpg

[Arsenal]

Hmm, that is pretty bad. I've only ordered singles and sealed booster boxes from them before and have never come across anything like that. I've also never received a damaged item from them before.

[the Thin White Duke]

ABU is great. I have been doing business with them for about 5 years and they have never let me down. Their prices are fair and their shipping is fast and reliable. I used them a lot when I lived in Mass. and since I've moved to Alaska (where shipping is sometimes a challenge) they have never disappointed me.

[anonymos]

I've ordered from ABU on and off since I started playing back in 1996. I think I've had a problem once. It was within the last year. I ordered some random EDH style card to tip over into free shipping. They gave me a japanese one instead. The only real gripe I have with them other than being on the high side of the price range is that they stopped sending out their score pads. They used to come with EVERY purchase.

They sell singles for MODO now too.

[Obfuscate Freely]

I have done business with ABU dozens of times, starting back when we were playing Vintage Restricted, and I can hardly recommend them enough. They ship very quickly (I can just about count on an order placed on Sunday to arrive in Virginia on Wednesday, with the standard shipping option), and their grading is more than fair (I order a lot of slightly played cards, but they often turn out to be close to NM).

I can also vouch for ABU's customer service. Once, in my years of dealing with them, they forgot a playset of commons in my order. Unfortunately, I needed those cards to finish my deck for a StarCity Open, so when the order arrived on the Wednesday before the tournament, I emailed ABU and asked if they could help. They promptly apologized, and overnighted the missing cards to me, so I could play them that weekend. Which is fucking awesome.

So yes, ABU is credible.

[dahcmai]

I ordered a ton of minty beta duals from them once and they all came in exactly as stated quick and well packaged. I also caught them with a weird price on foil thoughtseizes for extremely cheap compared to other places. I think I caught the price spike of those at just the perfect time and they hadn't raised the price to compensate yet. They honored it despite being like a $20 difference from what they were selling for at most places. That says something right there.

[Dark Ritual]

Their prices are too high for me generally. I've never ordered from them although I've considered it sometimes although I've heard good things and bad things about them.

Troll and toad I heard is the worst at grading card conditions. Like they say NM when in reality the card is played or something or another.

[Admiral_Arzar]

I've never had an issue with Channelfireball. However, by far my favorite site for buying cards is CARDKINGDOM. I've been buying stuff from them for ~7 years and never had any issues whatsoever. Their prices are often a bit high, but the shipping is extremely fast and well protected, every time.

[mchainmail]

Their prices are too high for me generally. I've never ordered from them although I've considered it sometimes although I've heard good things and bad things about them.

Troll and toad I heard is the worst at grading card conditions. Like they say NM when in reality the card is played or something or another.

That works both ways; they're easier to sell to than most as well.