❓Why don’t you just price everything at MSRP?

Answer:
MSRP doesn’t reflect actual market demand or volatility, especially in the trading card and collectibles space. The good news? We price over 35,000 items daily well below MSRP to offer the most competitive pricing possible while still supporting a Friendly Local Game Store model.

If you’re reading this, chances are it’s because one of the few products currently priced above MSRP caught your attention. We get it, it’s frustrating when that happens. But here's why it does:

These products are highly collectible, limited, and demand can spike instantly. When we price hot products at MSRP, they’re often instantly scooped up by resellers, not real players. That doesn’t serve the community.

Sometimes we sell at a loss (and no one complains when we do), sometimes we break even, and yes, sometimes pricing goes higher. But that pricing is driven by market demand, not arbitrary markups. We actively work to stay competitive on every item, every day.

Pricing to market helps us keep product in stock, get it into the hands of actual players, and ensure we can continue offering a safe, inclusive third space for everyone.

❓Why not just cut seals or mark product to stop resellers?

Answer:
We’ve tried. These policies created friction, ruined the gifting experience, and made customers uncomfortable. We got MORE complaints about doing this than we get complaints or suggestions to do it.

We believe in treating customers with trust, not suspicion, and focus instead on event-based access, limits, and fair allocation models.

❓Why did I see the same product cheaper somewhere else?

Answer:
Market prices vary constantly, by time, region, vendor, and volume. Sometimes we’re under, sometimes over, but we actively track pricing to stay competitive. We also take losses on slow sets, which offsets profits from hot ones. If you see a large pricing discrepancy, there are two reasons; you’re looking at scam/unreputable dealer, or we’ve made some kind of mistake on our side. If you’re curious about which it might be, feel free to use #create-ticket and ask.

❓How much profit are you making on these products?

Answer:
We maintain retail-standard margins in general. On high-demand sets, it may be 50–60%. On others, we sell near and occasionally below cost. All revenue goes back into wages, store operations, and event support, not executive bonuses. We have great benefits for our staff, and competitive wages. Our C-suite is pay-capped to avoid us falling into the standard trap many corporations do of having underpaid staff and overpaid executives.

❓Why not give members priority access or discounts?

Answer:
We do offer limited priority access, typically a small portion of our product allocation, and we do apply discretionary discounts from time to time. But it's important to understand what our Membership program is (and isn’t).

Membership was never designed to guarantee discounts or product value. It was created as a way for people to support our broader Mission: 

"...creating a safe, inclusive, and fun gaming space for EVERYONE"
 Learn more here: https://gamersguildaz.com/pages/code-of-conduct 

We’ve experimented with member-only pricing before, including wholesale pricing (cost + labor) during past iterations. Unfortunately, it proved logistically unsustainable and often created more problems than it solved, especially with high-demand products like Pokémon and One Piece.

So here’s where we’ve landed:

• • We reserve a portion (10%) of hot product at MSRP specifically for Organized Play participants
    
  • We gate quantity per customer when needed
    
  • We still work hard to offer competitive market pricing for the broader community
    
  • And we prioritize sustainability, fairness, and access above all
    

We do care deeply about our online members, especially those without a nearby FLGS. Whether you're local or remote, we want to be your home store and help you stay connected to the hobby.

Membership supports more than just pricing, it helps fund:

• • Competitive staff wages and capped executive pay
    
  • Clean, inclusive store environments and third-space infrastructure
    
  • Ongoing events, league programs, and community support
    
  • Product access strategies that prioritize players, not flippers
    
  • Many Membership perks including an extensive Members Library
    

We’re proud of what membership helps us build, and grateful to everyone who chooses to be part of that.

 

❓Why do locals get MSRP and I don’t?

Answer:
Locals don’t automatically get MSRP, and as mentioned elsewhere.

What we do offer is a reserved portion of product (typically around 10% of our allocation) at or near MSRP, specifically for players who actively participate in Organized Play (OP) at our physical store locations. This isn’t about geography, it’s about participation. Supporting in-store OP helps keep our communities stable, strong, and thriving.

We know not everyone has access to our locations. If you’re remote, please know:

• • We’re actively working towards expanding to major metro areas across the U.S.
    
  • We’re also exploring remote OP solutions to allow non-local players to engage and qualify for the same benefits
    

More info will come as those programs roll out, but our goal is to connect more players to meaningful play experiences and access opportunities, no matter where they are.

 

❓Don’t see the answer to your question? 

Answer: 
Please open a ticket in Discord using #create-ticket, or email us at customerservice@gamersguildaz.com, and ask us to consider adding a new question/answer to this FAQ.