How I got scammed out of $3000 buying Magic cards

Couple tips if they havent been shared (i frequently purchase collections like this): 1. If you buy collections of this value get a jewelers loupe, and spot test multiple cards of ranging sets and values 2. Gather a set of older cards that are minimal value for comparison (IE: Tempest, Stronghold, Legends, The Dark, etc.) Its great to have a real comparison on hand for deals like this 3. Meet somewhere where you can validate the legitimacy of the cards. Well lit area, place to sit, set 30 minutes aside. The more knowledgeable you are,the less intrusive it seems as you can spread awareness/educate the seller as you go along, explain what you are checking and why, so its not awkward when you do identify a fake as you will have explained why you have taken that stance. Better luck next time. Its happened to all of us, hope that it works out better in the future!

This really sucks man. I remember getting scammed and stolen from in my early days as a kid first playing the game. Even people I used to go to FNM would regularly steal from my binders. I hate these people within the community, and that feeling of being deceived is awful. Took a while, a move, and a different LGS to get my confidence back. Sorry this happened to you man

If it wasn't for the way too rare cards in there I even would've given them the benefit of the doubt and believed that it might've been them who got scammed when they originally acquired the cards. That just goes to show how well executed this scam was. Really can't blame anyone for falling for it.

The foil stamp on fakes being raised up is a good tip, sorry you got scammed, hopefully future deals go better man.

This is why I always bring a loupe to any in person sale that I do. Just recently saved me from 3k on a fake mishras workshop. These fake card sellers always have stories about where they got the cards and how long theyve been playing and all that to try and legitimize themselves so that is also a red flag in of its self if they are trying too hard to make it seem real before or during the sale. I explicitly tell everyone before meetup that I will be bringing a loupe and doing multiple tests on the cards im picking up and some people still try to sell fakes to you and act dumb once you tell them the card is fake. Hell, they still try to legitimize the cards after telling them its fake, trying to say the inconsistencies must be printing errors lol. This is why you should never trust anybody until you can test the cards. Big lesson here is to buy a microscope or loupe and test all or most of any high value cards before proceeding. If they want you to bring cash then always leave it in the car hidden until you are sure. I usually tell them i do not bring cash before going and that we will go to the bank once everything checks out. And bring someone else if you can. If you cant then let people know where you are once you park and give them a timeframe of 10-20 minutes that if you do not call them in that amount of time, have them try to call you. If you do not answer then tell them beforehand to have police sent to the area of the sale. You can also just keep them on call with your phone in your pocket as well. its best to be safe as there are some crazy people out there who will do just about anything for a few grand and these tips will help you to buy with confidence.

I'm very sorry for you. This is terrible to happen to anybody and exactly why I push for the community to push BACK against all counterfeits. Proxies are not counterfeits.... Proxies are obviously not real. Counterfeits try to appear real.

Tough break man. I think we've all been through something like this at this point. The $3k loss will sting for a while, but don't let it deter you!

Really appreciate you sharing, Dave! This video probably hurt to make, but it’s an asset for the education of the honest magic players out there. Been enjoying lots of your videos lately! 👍 Happy new subscriber! 👍

Bless your optimism at the end. This video broke my heart, you seem like such a good dude and I hate that this sort of thing goes on in our community. Hopefully this was something you were able to bounce back from and only made you more resilient.

Thanks for sharing man. Wish you LOTS of luck on your next collection buy.

Really cool that you're able to look on the bright side on all the things you got that weren't fakes! Sucks that this happened to you >.<

Sorry for your loss Dave, thank you for the continued content. In my opinion you've flipped the bad carma from this jerk into good carma by making the community laugh & smile.

It takes a lot to share situations like this. Thank you and your character and how you process this is worth infinite mana

amazing how positive you remain in the face of this huge loss of money and trust, i absolutely respect how this whole ordeal didnt get you down enough to not see any upsides to it

Sorry to hear that happened bro. I just watched this after the 1st video. Thanks for sharing your experience to the community

Nice of you to post. Sorry that happened to you but appreciate you spreading the word. Cheers

Sorry for your lost dave, actually make me take another look at my recent purchases. hope you will get another chance for a break.

That's rough. Thanks for sharing! I purchased my first counterfeit card off of TCG player a few months ago. I was a little suspicious at first when I got the card and later, after a lot of research, I determined it was indeed a fake. Through the buyer protection program, I was able to get my money back. This prompted me to purchase a jeweler's loupe so whenever I purchase singles, I can hopefully identify a fake a bit easier.

The brown oval on the back is darker than the real card you put up. Typically with fakes the feel is noticeable too. Im so sorry this happened to you man. I own lots of expensive real cards and lots of proxies/fakes. The fakes are getting so good its harder and harder to tell. Buyers beware

Sorry to hear that, man! That's hella rough. Most people would've probably been fooled, too, if they were in your shoes. Some of these scammers are really good at what they're doing. Just goes to show that if you're not comfortable losing the money you're about to spend, always take precautions. Not only for MTG cards, but for any private deal you're making.