If you had told me the business would last this long when we first started, I would have laughed. I previously worked in finance and became a director at a food delivery startup in South Korea and never thought I'd leave - but Mystery MTG became my passion. I've given up a healthy salary and bonuses for minimum wage and 13 hour work days, but I have no regret.  I miss the sense of excitement and "newness" to our initial crates, and even though our current crates are leagues above, the craziness following every single crate drop was incredible to witness. 

I'm excited to prove to our community members they're right for choosing us as their one-stop shop for all things Magic the Gathering. Whether it's an incredible reward system, deals no one else can beat, or simply a place to call home - I want to make sure you love being a part of our family. We haven't always gotten it right, but we're closer now than ever. 

Since starting the business, every year has introduced major changes. Whether it was a new line of crates, a new website layout, or a brick & mortar, we've continously attempted to improve. 

However, 2024 will have a VERY strong focus on our shipping and logistics department. We've put dozens of other line items on hold while we get this figured out. For many businesses, this is a big money dump and a stressful problem to deal with - and we're definitely not immune. Large surges in volume can sometimes cripple our warehouse, so we've drastically increased the team and are in negotiations to double our warehouse space. It's been financially difficult to attempt to expand with low margins, but we're aiming to become great at shipping so you feel comfortable buying from us instead of competitiors. Getting same day shipping nailed is something we aren't wiling to give up on. 

Our DnD themed cafe, and shop expansion, are both pending a market review. While we have an incredibly strong community, we have some VERY tough competition surrounding our shop - a large investment into the playspace without an increase  in revenue, or a bump in profit margin, would almost certainly mean the destruction of MCG. We have never received an investment, and refuse to fall into debt. This means we operate much more cautiously and can only expand when we are able to do so confidently. 

We sell Magic the Gathering. We love Magic the Gathering. We play Magic the Gathering. While the margins across the board shrink, we are unwilling to pivot into other more profitable TCGs for the money. That's the exciting part. We'd like to leverage our assets and expertise into becoming larger event hosters for MTG, and eventually a partner in competitive Magic. Even if the money isn't great, being able to become a larger community participant within MTG is priceless. 

On the toilet, in the shower, in my backyard, in my sleep - I be crackin packs. 

UMA, 2XM, MH2 Collectors, MM2, MH1, etc...can't stop won't stop. 

Gravity exists in every market. When vintage boxes went from $300 to $5000, and certain packs went from $20 to $150, we knew we were at the top. We made moves to ensure we'd be safe during the drop, and that's why we're still here. 

People are often confused by this - aren't you sitting on A LOT of vintage product? When starting this business, we got lucky. We were sitting on a mountain of appreciating Magic product and singles, and continued to purchase it like crazy as the market ramped up. Our volume was insane, and we had to constantly re-purchase product to stay in stock. In 2021, when prices were through the roof, we made the decision to liquidate a decent sized portion of our vintage product and reserved list singles and partner with a larger company and distributor to ensure we'd be able to get product on demand at a fair rate when needed, without having to buy in bulk. Now that the market has fallen, we remain fairly strong and have begun to purchase collections again. 

I'm not a prophet, and I don't know where the market is going. However, I can tell you the market for TCGs continues to grow and Magic the Gathering is a big part of that. It remains open to market manipulation, and highs and lows will always come. You'll never be able to time it, and when you finally think you've had enough and sell part of your collection - you'll probably see things bounce back. Be greedy when others are fearful.