I discovered the MTGnews site and forums in 1998 and
became known as "the guy who could spot fake rumors". When the forums expanded, I was
encouraged to apply to be a Moderator of the Rumor Mill. Soon thereafter I was chosen to
be a Global Moderator, and after a while the owner left me in charge.
Around that time I also started selling off extra cards from my collection on eBay, as
well as doing a lot of trading in the forums. During the Odyssey, Onslaught, and Mirrodin
blocks I started buying a few boxes of cards, then a case, and then several cases. I was
collecting a set of everything, and selling the extras. I still sell some older singles
but I focus mainly on the most recent sets. Aside from administrator on MTGnews, I was
known for being a source of new card rumors.
On New Years Day 2005, the MTGnews staff resigned, and I chose to migrate to the exciting
new site and forum called MTGsalvation. I
continued to discuss rumours about new sets with other members of the community, in the
capacity of a volunteer moderator. While I spent time talking about Magic news and rumours,
I continued to sell Magic singles on eBay. Conveniently, this allowed me more time at home
with my growing family!
But in late January 2005, eBay announced massive fee hikes for sellers - some fees
doubling, some quadrupling! Aside from eBay going from taking almost 20% of my total sales
to more than 30% of my total sales, PayPal is raising their fees this year, and Canada
Post has just upped the price of postage - again! Raising my S/H fees and cutting more
corners on my customers didn't feel like the right move, but the prospect of losing my
card selling business was very real. I decided to build my own website from the ground up!
By selling cards directly, I can use a system that always works properly and
doesn't cost me hundreds per month to operate. This lets me charge less for the same cards.
It also allows me to provide free shipping!
I'm a 31 year old guy living in the Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada. In my "day job" I'm a nurse, specializing in psychiatry. I started playing Magic: the Gathering back in 1996 and I've been hooked ever since!
|
