Last week, I concluded my article with a survey asking you, the readers, what you would like to see covered in this week’s article. I was amazed when the number of votes topped three hundred earlier this week. In addition to the overwhelming number of votes, I was also happy to see a number of comments, varying from questions to comments on last week’s content. After tallying the results, it would seem there is a demand to know how to start as a new trader, everything from how to approach the floor to valuing a trade. Even though the other topics were not chosen to be discussed this week, I will be covering all of the topics listed last week in future articles.

Before you can approach your first trade, whether it be at your local shop or at a major event, there are a great number of things you must understand and prepare for. The first and most obvious is organizing your trade stock in some manner; while each person may have his or her own way of doing this, there are some standard rules that should apply to everyone.

• Try to avoid boxes. Though it is far easier to throw a pile of cards in a box and call it good, you will find much more success in trades if you invest in a binder to place, at the very least, your higher-end rares in. I do keep a number of boxes containing everything from rares to chase commons and uncommons handy; however, most people will not take the time to look through them, so I keep anything of value in binders. If someone is looking for a bulk rare or a few commons and uncommons to complete their decks, I will let them look through the boxes, but most people have little to no interest; in the end, this will save you a lot of time and headaches.
• Organize your binders. This doesn’t have to be perfectly organized by set or anything too in depth, but having your Standard rares separated from older Commander and Legacy stock can speed up your trades, allowing for more of them. I have a far larger stock than most that requires multiple binders, which allows me to even further organize my wares, but when you are first starting, just sort by format, then color. I currently have the Box to Extended binder organized by color; however, as the number of cards grows, I will separate the collection into multiple binders.
• Know what you have. You don’t need to memorize every card you have at all times, but having a general idea of your high-dollar items can streamline the process. When someone is walking around at major events asking for a particular card, it is beneficial to know if you actually have it in your binder, both netting you potential trades and saving you time if you don’t.

These are just some of the basic keys to preparing yourself for trades. In the future, I will be covering more in-depth examples of how exactly to display your binders to attract attention to particular cards and detract the eye from others.

So now that you have a binder or two put together, where do you go from here? Well, that depends on the type of trade atmosphere at the event you are planning on attending. There is a major difference between trading at your local shop or with some friends and trading at a major event such as a Grand Prix or Pro Tour Qualifier. All events are similar in some ways, but learning how to adjust your trade game to be on top of the curve can keep your profits up and your losses to a minimum. One of the key factors to any event is keeping your prices up-to-date. With the ever-changing world of financial Magic, this can seem daunting, but you should at least have a good idea of what the cards in your binder are worth. If you are not sure on a price when in a trade, feel free to look it up; anyone who objects is likely trying to take you for a ride and is not someone you should be trading with anyway. Although your phone can be a great tool, try not to use it as a crutch. If you need to use it every once in a while, that is fine; however, if you are looking up every price because you were too lazy to do your homework, you are just wasting your and the other trader’s valuable time. On the other hand, if you feel a price that someone is giving you may be off, never be afraid to double-check. There is a fine line you have to walk between appearing knowledgeable and at the same time knowing when you just aren’t sure and having the humility to look it up.

Having done your research and prepared your trade stock, it is finally time to hit the floor feeling confident with this new-found knowledge. When you first start trading, it can be difficult to see what type of player or trader someone else is until you are interacting with them. The more face-to-face you get with each type of group, the easier you will find it to pick up on their style before you ever crack open a binder. Knowing what type of trader you are dealing with can be the largest component to whether you and your trade partner end up happy while you still make a solid profit. Learning who will value certain cards lower or higher depending on trade style can streamline your trades and is something best learned directly on the floor. Being a successful floor-trader or even just a new player looking to trade into a collection can take a great deal of homework; you must learn what key cards to look out for, everything from the Legacy staple to the obscure Commander bomb.

Pitting the markets against each other can prove to be a useful tool when attempting to value trade. What this means is using the competitive Standard and Legacy players to acquire Commander and casual cards, while at the same time using those markets to acquire competitive staples to continue the cycle. This is especially useful when you first start trading; learning how to acquire cards that have little to no play value to your trade partner usually means you can get them at a good discount. A great thing to remember when value-trading is that you don’t “need” anything, meaning you are truly trading not for particular cards, but instead for good deals. When someone tells me he needs something, I understand that to mean that he has few other options and has come to me because he knows I have, or can acquire, the cards in question. This in turn allows you to play off the opposite market in order to get those cards in exchange for cards he may need. This cycle is never-ending, and the deeper you get into the trade game, the more requests you will have. This is the long-term goal of any trader, but since we are covering how to get started in the trade world this week, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Now that the theory is in place, we can move on to the actual trades themselves. This may seem like a lot of work for something that can seem so simple, but believe me, the time you will invest in this is nothing compared to the profits you stand to make. Approaching a trade for the first few times can be nerve-wracking. You have checked your bases and still aren’t positive you’re ready, but you jump in anyway. The best way to approach a group of players is to break the ice through conversation and introduce yourself. You’re not a robot, and the friendlier you are, the more likely you are to have repeat business. I see many people on the trade floor attempting to bully others into what they want out of a trade; although this can be a useful tactic if you are a total soulless vampire, some of us have a conscience and want trades to be enjoyable for both parties. Talking about certain cards or decks in the current metagame can be a great way to ease your stress, create a friendly atmosphere, and in turn foster a better trade. The more you trade, the better you will become at evaluating a trade, while at the same time being able to carry on a conversation without losing your values. One of the most important things I hope everyone can walk away from this article with is: BE A NICE PERSON! No one wants to deal with a jerk. We are, after all, playing a game. Remember to be courteous; your reputation is probably the most important thing on the trade floor, and nothing will ruin that more rapidly than forcing trades your partners don’t want.

I know I didn’t cover any particular trade examples this week in the Box to Extended. However, I feel that some of these articles already run long enough without adding trades in that really have nothing to do with that week’s topic. Currently, there is no way to view what is contained within the collection, so I can imagine that an article with no updates might be frustrating. However, if you decide I should include at least a few trades each week, I can do that from here on out. As I stated in the beginning of this series, these are first and foremost articles on trading, with the Box to Extended acting as a side project and medium to show examples within the article. On the plus side of things, I have finally finished the list of cards I currently have “locked in.” These cards are unlikely to be traded, but do show the progression of the project, which will be updated weekly. I will also be releasing a second spreadsheet that will contain a list of all cards currently for trade; this list will allow everyone to make trade offers through both Google+ and MOTL.

Next week, I will be continuing with the topic of new traders, covering what I left out this week and going further in depth on certain aspects which I find important. In addition to the topics I missed this week, I will also be discussing how to salvage a bad trade. I find one of the hardest skills in this business is knowing when to walk away. Knowing how to do so politely and while at the same time keeping from losing value can be an extremely hard skill to pick up. I hope you enjoyed this week’s article. As always, please leave any comments or questions you may have below.

Ryan Bushard

@CryppleCommand