Yu-Gi-Oh! has become a very hot commodity with collectors and collectable card game players alike. But with its popularity also brings high card prices and nigh-impossible to find cards. So what is an avid fan to do? Fear not; Here are a few tips for getting the cards you want for your deck or collection on the cheap, as well as a few pointers for those of you who wish to sell off the cards you have.

General Tips

Whether you're buying or selling cards, it's always good to keep a few things in mind:

1. Read the Magazine: Tabletop RPG and collector card gaming magazines such as InQuest or Scrye usually have a list of the current selling prices for individual Yu-Gi-Oh! card, while unofficial Yu-Gi-Oh! specific magazines such as Beckett and Pojo not only have those lists, but also has lists of the top ten most wanted cards out there. Using these lists as a baseline for pricing your cards to sell, or finding the best bargain is ideal. DON'T go by online shops for a baseline price, as they can fluxuate wildly, and with the magazine lists, those prices are usually rather accurate at giving a general price range for the cards.
2. Demand Protection: Whether it be buying or selling, always be prepared:
• Make sure that the cards you're buying or selling includes insurance with the shipping. Cards can get lost in the mail VERY easily, and while a little bit more expensive, they can save both buyer and seller some agony, in case they do turn up missing.
• Cards can also be damaged easily, so both sellers and buyers alike should demand that they be sent in hard top-loader sleeves, possibly even double-sleeved with a normal card protector, as well. These will prevent the cards from being bent or mangled en route, as well as some mild protection from the elements, should the package get left out in the rain by accident. Also make sure that the cards are sent in orange office envelopes, the ones with the clasped seals, or at the most extreme case, a padded envelope. Since they're made to be a bit more durable than normal letter envelopes, there's less risk of them being accidentally opened in transit and the cards falling out.
3. At Your Own Pace: NEVER let your desire for a card override your pocketbook; only bid what you can willingly and reasonably afford to pay for it. This also goes for sellers; don't overprice your cards, expecting a big pay off. Start the bidding at a reasonably low price, and let the buyers increase it at their own leisure. This may sound contradictory, but a lot of Yu-Gi-Oh! players and collectors do have the funds to spend to raise the price of a card up to satisfactory levels for both parties, so don't worry about being gypped out of your money.
4. Fake Endeavors: Be sure to verify that each card you're buying or selling is indeed the real deal, and not a cleverly-made forgery. If you're not sure, request a clear picture of both the front and back of the card (or packet, if you're buying booster packs), and compare them with copies of the same card/pack that you know is authentic. Signs of forgeries are:
• Differences in size and weight: Fakes are generally noticably bigger/smaller and thicker/thinner than their genuine counterparts. This is because counterfeits are usually printed in layers of shiny gloss, whereas genuine cards don't, being printed in a similar manner to regular casino-style playing cards. Some rarities (specifically, the Ultimate and Parallel Rares) seem like they're fake, but compare them to their authentic counterparts, and you should see the difference.
  
• Glaring misprints: Different than regular misprints, these can easily be spotted as fakes. Look for gross spelling and punctuation errors, cards printed in rarities that they never had in the set (like an Ultra Rare Sangan in Metal Raiders), different font for the name and/or flavor text (The exact font that real Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are printed in is unknown, so forgers try to get it as close as possible, though the font difference is still clearly visible), lack of a foil box at the corner and/or other markings on them (the back of a real Yu-Gi-Oh! card has the Konami label on the upper left corner on the back, as well as the Yu-Gi-Oh! label on the bottom right corner ; fakes don't usually have these), etc.
• Bad Packaging: If you're buying booster packs, take a look at the back (where the scanner bar code is); if the info on there is blurry, or looks or feels like it's 'tacked on' like a sticker, then it's probably fake.
• Bad Language: Authentic Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are printed in the following languages: English, Spanish, French, French-Canadian, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Japanese. Chinese cards (either made in China or printed in the Chinese language) are not authentic, so keep that in mind. There are also Asian-English cards that are authentic, but are nonetheless banned from tournaments (same as any other counterfeit card), so be warned when buying such cards.
  
5. Popularity Trumps Rarity: Any Yu-Gi-Oh! player or collector knows that there are a number of different rarities for the cards. If not, here's a quick list:
• Common: Common cards have no special quirks to them. No holofoil, no fancy lettering, just your standard card. They also come in three flavors (note that there is no visual way to determine if a Common is under any of the below rarities):
• Normal Common: Your standard common card, and the easiest to find.
• Short Print: As the name suggests, these common cards are printed in short supply, and while more common than the other rarities, they aren't as common as your typical commons.
• Super Short Print: Much rarer than the Short Print commons, but more rare than the other rarities.
• Rare: Rare cards are regular Common cards with their names printed in silver foil. These are the most common rarity of card to find next to Common cards.
• Super Rare: Super Rare cards have the card art printed in a holographic foil.
• Ultra Rare: Ultra Rare cards are a combination of Super and normal Rare cards, with foild lettering and holofoil art, except that the name is printed in gold foil instead of silver.
• Secret Rare: Secret Rares (also known as Promo Rares) are the same as the Ultra Rare cards, except that the foil on the name is holographic silver, while the holofoil art is polarized, giving a cross-hatched look to it.
• Ultimate Rare: Similar to the Ultra Rares, except that both the art, borders, and card 'buttons' (depicting the card type and, with monsters, their level) are embossed in a relief effect. These cards are generally reprints of Super and Ultra (and in the English game, normal Rare) cards of the recent sets, within those recent sets (meaning that you can sometimes get an Ultra Rare card and its Ultimate Rare counterpart in the same set). Be careful with these cards, as their unique printing also makes them thinner and flimsier than normal cards.
• Parallel Rare: Simply an Ultra Rare card with the same polarizing effect of a Secret Rare over the ENTIRE card. These cards are the trickiest to find, as they're only printed as certain promos, and their appearance can also be mistaken as being fake.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Buying

First off, for the buyers: there are two different types of buyers in the Yu-Gi-Oh! world - duelists and collectors. Each have their own means and motives for buying cards, so first and foremost, you need to determine which of these two buyers you intend to be, so as to maximize your chances of getting what you want or need.

Buying for the Duelist

Buying cards as a duelist is fairly straight-forward, as you have a set amount of certain cards in mind to buy. Getting those cards, however, is no simple task. Here's some hints on how to make things easier:

1. Reprints Are Your Friend: Reprints of earlier cards are very common and easy to find; they pop up in Structure and Starter decks, promotional sets, and even their own reprint sets (see Dark Beginnings 1&2 and Dark Revelation Vol. 1&2). Because they're easier to find and get a hold of than their earlier incarnations, it's easier to find what you need at an affordable price. They may not be as shiny as their previous incarnations, but as a duelist, they should work just as well.
2. Get Specific: While some duelists say that it's better to buy a box of a set to get what you need, the chances of getting that Ultra Rare that you really want is rather slim. Instead, focus on just what you need or want, and avoid buying in bulk. Make up a list of those cards on your wish list and keep updating them as more sets and promos come along. That way, you'll know exactly what to zone in on, and how much you'll be expecting to pay for it. AT ALL COSTS AVOID BUYING GRAB BAGS! Like booster boxes, they generally will have a random assortment of cards that may or may not contain what you need or want, and as specific as a duelist's want list can get, that's not a good thing.
3. Don't Buy in Bulk: Along the lines of the above, only buy what you need. Buying multiples of a certain card that you need at a discount may seem like a good idea, but decks change, and the cards that you bought in threes just might be limited or even banned during the next few months, leaving you with a bunch of cards that you can't use and most likely can't sell. Only buy in multiples if your deck absolutely needs it and/or if you have multiple decks that share that card.

Buying for the Collector

Buying cards as a collector is more complicated, as there are many ways to collect Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. The standard collecting is a straight all-set collection, acquiring all the cards of a certain set or every set ever made, though there can be other variations of collecting, like themed collecting (acquiring all of the Machine-Type monsters and support cards, for example). Regardless, these tips should help you in your quest:

1. Which Edition?: Yu-Gi-Oh! cards come in two editions: 1st Edition (the first release of the cards) and Unlimited Edition (all other releases). There's also a Limited Edition for Promotional cards. You can tell which is which by looking for a tiny script between the card art and flavor/effect text stating which edition it is (), as well as looking at the tiny holofoil square at the bottom righthand side of the card (the one that fluxuates between the words Yu-Gi-Oh! and the card game's signature Eye symbol, depending on how you tilt it in the light ) - the square is gold in 1st and Limited Editions, and silver in Unlimited Editions. Besides that, there are very little visible distinction between the editions, so unless you are demanding 1st Edition for all cards in your collection, either editions should suit you fine.
2. Box Deal: Unlike with duelist buyers, for collectors, buying boxes is ideal for getting the cards one needs, as most likely, they're a completist collector and - as such - would benefit from buying boxes of the sets they need. It's still not a good idea to buy grab bags, as those cards are usually from multiple random sets, making it impossible to anticipate what you'll actually get.
3. Fading Nostalgia: With many collectors, the earlier sets are highly valued, because they aren't printed, anymore, in their original form. Because of their scarcity, they can be very expensive, so keep your eye on the sellers that do have cards from these sets for sale (especially if they're selling full, unopened boxes or packs); they are a treasured commodity and should be treated as such.
4. Misprint Bonanza: Sometimes cards are misprinted, and while they're usually not worth a whole lot, they are a rather unique addition to one's collection. Make sure you verify that it IS a misprint, and not a fake, before you buy.
   

Selling Yu-Gi-Oh Cards

As a seller, there's a couple things to keep in mind for a successful sale:

1. No Offloading Zone: Don't use your auctions to offload all of the cards that you don't want; be selective in your sales, and add in a bit of variety with them. If you must do a mass card sale (aka grab bag), don't just fill it with a bunch of Commons and one or two of the other rarities; they won't be as appealing to buyers as a balanced and varied mix of rarities would be.
2. Protect Your Assets: Store your merchandise properly before and during a sale, up until you are ready to mail it to the winning buyer. Commons are usually okay stacked neatly in specialized boxes with a lid (like the yearly tins that come out, or carrying cases), while the other rarities need to be placed in a binder in card-holder pages. Organize them in a way that is comfortable for you, so you can get to them quickly when you need to take pictures for your auction or when you send them out, instead of having to search through your collection for them. And make sure that the pictures of your cards are clear and concise; that way, you can show exactly what kind of condition it's in, as well as showing the buyers exactly what kind of rarity and edition it is, and not have to worry about being accused of hiding any possible defects.

In Closing

Following these suggestions should give both buyers and sellers alike the most bang out of the auction. Have fun, be well, and good luck.