How to Buy Magic: The Gathering on Amazon

Magic: The Gathering is a recurring topic in the 421 universe. Buying and selling Magic products, too. And for good reason. It must be one of the activities I've spent the most time on in my life. With some gaps here and there, I've always had cards at home since I started playing back in the distant year 2000. But this article isn't about the game itself, but rather about an activity almost as important as the game: buying sealed products.

Anyone who wants to learn about how to sell Magic cards can read Luis Paz's incredibly thorough article on the subject. Oh, and as the title makes clear, here we'll talk not just about buying but specifically about buying through Amazon.US and how to get it delivered right to your doorstep without any issues.

Sealed Product and the Promise of Hitting It Big

First distinction: when we talk about "sealed product" we're referring to cards sold directly by Wizards of the Coast (or their resellers) that haven't been removed from their original packaging yet. While this might sound like a no-brainer, it has a couple of implications. I've probably said this a thousand times but I'll say it again: cards, no matter which ones or from what era, can only be obtained through sealed boosters, pre-constructed decks, or some special box product. And then they can be traded on the so-called "secondary market", made up of cards that have already been opened. If you want to save yourself the money it would take to crack X number of packs until you get all the cards you need, you can turn to the secondary market, which ranges from a friend or acquaintance you trade cards with to a massive international specialty store.

But the great trick of sealed product, and the reason Magic: The Gathering has existed for 32 years, is that it always holds the promise of a return greater than what you paid for it. In the case of new or current sets, this isn't very significant, since at best you can hope to break even on your investment (in fact, you should be pretty happy if you manage that). On the other hand, sealed product intended for collecting is a different story.

In the era we live in, a booster box of Urza's Saga (I remember paying 3.5 USD per booster pack back in 2000) sells for upwards of 5,000 dollars. Why so much? Well, let's take a look at the price list of what you could pull from an Urza's Saga booster. What you're really paying for is the possibility of opening those cards in mint condition. Since they're scarce goods with constant demand, the price tends to go up. So when someone buys a box, what they're really buying is the chance to pull the most expensive cards in that set.

But just as Urza's Saga existed 25 years ago, is there a chance something similar could happen with today's products? Well, that's a whole discussion in itself, and for that I recommend watching my favorite degenerate collector, the great Rudy from Alpha Investments. It's possible to find current products that, over time, develop some collectible value. But to collect them, first you have to buy them.

Buying Magic: The Gathering on Amazon.US

Since the relaxation of import regulations in Argentina under the new government, a new set of rules applies for importing goods through the platform. This directly benefits the purchase of sealed Magic: The Gathering products through Amazon. Right now, based on what's available in the store, sealed product includes the following items: Play Booster boxes and Collector Booster boxes, Starter Decks, Challenger Decks, and Commander Decks. If you're not sure what each one is, you can check here.

Administrative Requirements

The process isn't complicated at all, though it has its quirks, like everything else. But let's go over what the law says so we know what we can bring in. The limits were set by ARCA's General Resolution 5631/2025 for the system known as "Pequeños Envíos" (Small Shipments). These are shipments sent via courier services (UPS, DHL, FEDEX) where Correo Argentino is not involved.

• You can make five shipments per year, with a maximum of three identical items per shipment.
• No shipment can exceed 3,000 USD.
• Up to 400 USD is tax-free (anything above that threshold is taxed at 50%).
• Purchased goods cannot be used for resale.

Let's say none of our shipments exceed 400 USD, so we don't pay any excess fees. On the other hand, if one exceeds that amount, you pay half of the excess. For example, if you import something worth 1,000 USD, you subtract the 400 USD tax-free threshold, and on the remainder (600 USD) you pay half in taxes: 300 USD. That's why, to buy Magic: The Gathering while optimizing price over volume, the best approach is to place five orders per year that don't exceed 400 USD each. But that's up to you.

Additionally, you'll need a CUIL or CUIT (Argentine tax ID numbers) and a Level 3 Clave Fiscal (tax credentials), which involves verifying your tax address, electronic tax address, and submitting biometric data. Amazon requires this to process your orders.

How to Buy

Once you've handled the bureaucratic stuff, all that's left is to browse the platform looking for what's on sale. What I recommend -- because it's actually how I've bought -- is to use the official Magic: The Gathering store on Amazon. When something is sold directly by Amazon or an official store, it includes free shipping to Argentina.

As you can see in the image, there's the price, the "Free Shipping" badge because the product exceeds 100 USD (if it's less, they charge shipping), and it says the order and shipping are handled by Amazon.com. Be careful, though, because even within the official Magic: The Gathering account there are some items sold by other resellers, although in this case it works the same way.

There's also a section that says "importing fees." Even though the tax-free threshold system says no taxes are charged, these are extra charges related to customs duties, fees for warehouses where the products are stored once they arrive, and taxes. On that portion, which is usually around 30-40 USD depending on the product, once the package arrives at your door, Amazon refunds part of the amount. But don't get your hopes up too much: the most I've ever gotten back was 8 USD. A pittance.

Once you've selected the product, all that's left is to enter an international credit or debit card and provide an address to receive the order. Shipments usually take between two weeks and a month, depending on how many orders are ahead of yours. The first one I placed, early in the year, had an estimate of almost two months, but the most recent one estimated a three-week delay.

Something to keep in mind about the card: the order isn't charged immediately. In fact, the order is created, it says it's confirmed, but the charge takes a few weeks to go through. But once it does, the package arrives quickly. In other words, a big chunk of the waiting time happens before the order is even paid. Once the payment goes through and it ships, you just have to wait. At some point you'll get a notification in your ARCA inbox, but you don't have to do anything -- it's simply to let you know they're aware you ordered something. The day it arrives you need to be around, receive the package, sign some paperwork, and that's it -- you bought Magic: The Gathering online, from your home, and it arrived at your door. What more could you want?

Now, you're probably thinking: why go through all this trouble when you could just go to your local game store and buy the same thing right there? Well, considering that the average price of a Magic booster on Mercado Libre is around 15,000 Argentine pesos (and at stores it's always more expensive), by going through this whole process you'll be paying between 50% and 70% less per pack. And if you don't believe me, well, as the old internet adage goes: do your own research.