How a trade works
Everything happens on-platform, and every step leaves a verifiable mark. From first offer to final rating:
Find the card
Browse the trade floor (the Bazaar's live listings) or a trader's public Sell binder. Their public Collection is for showing off, not buying.
Propose the trade
The proposal shows a fair-value meter built on live prices, so lopsided offers are visible before anyone commits — and both traders' reputations are right there to read before you do.
Talk it through
Trade chat stays on-platform. That's your paper trail: if something goes wrong, the record exists.
Photo-verify condition
Scan the QR, shoot the cards from your phone. Both sides see real photos of the actual copies before anything ships.
Ship with tracking
Shipped trades require a tracking number that passes format + check-digit validation, so a made-up number won't fly. No tracking number, no completed trade — and always confirm the shipment on the carrier's own site too.
Confirm + rate
Both sides confirm completion, then rate each other. Only dual-confirmed trades count toward anyone's record.
§2 · THE TIERSReputation tiers
Your tier is your verified trade history, worn on your profile. It is earned one way: settled, dual-confirmed trades. There is no hard value cap on trades between accounts in good standing — the tier exists so you can size a trade to the trust in front of you. Read it before you commit, and start small with anyone whose history is thin.
One hard rail stays on for everyone: trades over $500 require front+back photos on every card — enforced when the trade is created, no exceptions. Shipping asks for a tracking number that passes format and check-digit validation; confirm it on the carrier's own site too. And accounts flagged for suspicious activity are placed under a trading restriction that limits them to $50 per side until it is reviewed — so a flagged account can't take anyone into deep water while a report is being looked at.
§3 · WHY THE BADGES MEAN SOMETHINGSignals you can't fake
Vouches on social media are free to invent. Bazaar signals aren't:
Trade like a veteran
- ✓Photograph everything. Run the photo-verify step every time, and shoot your own packing too: front, back, corners, the sealed package. Thirty seconds of photos ends most disputes before they start.
- ✓Keep the whole conversation on-platform. The moment a deal moves to DMs, your paper trail — and our ability to help — ends.
- ✓Ship protected, ship tracked. Penny sleeve + top loader + rigid mailer minimum. Tracking is required; add insurance when the value warrants it.
- ✓Grade condition honestly. The fair-value meter prices what you claim. A card sold as Near Mint (NM) that arrives Moderately Played (MP) costs you the rating that your next twenty trades depend on.
- ✓Check the whole profile, not just the stars. Tier, trade count, rating count, member-since, badge shelf: the full picture takes ten seconds to read.
- ✓Start small with new partners. Nothing forces this — it's the single best habit in trading. A $20 first trade tells you everything you need before the $500 one.
Red flags
- ✕"Let's finish this off-platform." Any push toward DMs, direct payment apps, or "just ship it, we don't need the steps": that's the whole scam playbook in one sentence.
- ✕Pressure to skip photo verification. "Trust me, it's mint" is exactly what the photo step exists to replace.
- ✕A deal that's too good. The fair-value meter flags lopsided trades on purpose. If someone's giving up obvious value, ask yourself why.
- ✕Fresh account, big ask. A day-old ROOKIE chasing your grail is the classic setup. Nothing stops you saying yes — that's exactly why you should say no, or counter with a small trade first.
- ✕Rush tactics. "Deal expires in an hour" is a pressure play. Real traders let you read the profile and think.
Something already gone wrong mid-trade? Stop confirming, keep everything in trade chat, and flag the trade from its page: the dual-confirm gate means nothing completes without you.