Google calls Q5 a ‘distinct, high-value shopping season,’ and their data is fascinating which is why I wanted to talk about it. But the magic here goes way beyond Google ads. Game stores can use this Q5 behavior across their entire business — events, email, merchandising, community building, all of it.

So this episode is all about how the psychology of Q5 works… and how you can tap into it in ways your competitors probably won’t.

Check out the Game Store Mastermind https://www.skool.com/lgs-success-mastermind-6743/about

Book a strategy call for your game store https://manaversesaga.com/mma

 Today we're tackling one of the biggest weekends of the year, black Friday, small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. It is three days, four days technically of pure intensity.

Everyone is running promos, customers are hunting for deals, and the whole retail ecosystem usually kicks into overdrive. If you don't have a plan, it is going to feel like chaos. But if you do it right, if you go in with a strategy this weekend. Can generate a massive surge of momentum for the rest of the holiday season, along with a ton of sales and revenue for your store.

Of course. So in this episode, we're gonna talk about how to build your BFCM strategy. We're gonna go over how to design smart promotions that drive sales without gutting your margins. How to build anticipation leading up to Black Friday. So customers think of you first instead of your competitors. How to leverage small business Saturday to deepen community ties, how to gamify your store.

And make the weekend fun for your customers. How to use this weekend for content creation. And finally, what to do Tuesday morning to lock in those long term gains.

Want to knock Q4 out of the park but not sure where to start? Book a consultation call and we'll create a custom marketing plan for your game store that you can use immediately. Head to https://manaversesaga.com/mma to get on the schedule today!

Q4 is make-or-break for local game stores — but without a plan, the holiday rush can feel like chaos. In this episode of the Manaverse Podcast, I walk you through a simple Holiday Game Plan to help your store maximize sales, get in front of more customers, and stay sane this season.

You’ll learn:

• Why Q4 is the most important quarter for your store
• A quick “holiday audit” to focus your efforts
• The 3 pillars every successful game store holiday plan needs

In this episode of the Manaverse Podcast, we delve into the significant changes in shipping to the US from the rest of the world due to the removal of the de minimis exemption. David Finn, the owner of Giga-Bites Tabletop Gaming Cafe and Bridge Distribution breaks down why this change might actually be good for US and global businesses and strategies for adapting to the new rules.

Discover how this policy shift is reshaping global trade in the games business and how you can shift your operation to thrive in the new environment.

Get in touch with David Finn

[email protected]

Sign up for SortSwift and use code MANAVERSE at checkout get your TCG singles business online while saving 5%!

https://www.sortswift.com/?ref=manaverse

Ready to take your store's visibility and growth to the next level? Visit manaversesaga.com/mma for a free 30-minute strategy session where we'll review your current marketing approach and show you exactly what's possible with some expert guidance.

Cardmill—a compact, cost-effective card sorting device designed for everyday players and collectors of trading card games. Get a behind the scenes look at the CardMill and how Jonathan Domanus is working to make professional and efficient card sorters affordable and accessible to TCG collectors and stores around the world.

Designed for Players

The CardMill is the only automated trading card game scanner and sorter on the market, priced for the everyday collector and player.

Automated Scanning

The CardMill can scan and sort batches of 300 cards at a time, hands-free! It moves, scans, and sorts all on its own.

Fast Sorting

Settings to sort cards alphabetically, by set/type/color and more! The CardMill auto-sorts your collection so you can find what you need when you need it.

Intelligent Identification

This AI-model learns and grows with your collection. The CardMill scanner identifies cards by name, set, foil, you name it!

Digital Dashboard

Scanning is just the beginning. Use CardMill's digital library to organize, filter, track price trends and add your inventory to your favorite collection tracker!

Track Collection Value

Integrated with up-to-date TCGPlayer pricing, you'll always have the latest prices of your inventory at-a-glance.

Find out more about CardMill by going to https://cardmill.com/manaversesaga and sign up to get notified when the Kickstarter campaign goes live on July 22nd.

Mikah, the founder of SortSwift and MTech Cave, comes onto the Manaverse Podcast to talk about his journey from running a phone repair shop to building cutting-edge tools for the collectible card game industry.

Mikah shares how his business evolved from selling Magic: The Gathering singles to creating a Kickstarter for card drawers that raised over $150K, eventually leading to the development of his own card sorting machine—one of the first new production machines in over 20 years.

Get started with SortSwift today - https://manaversesaga.com/sortswift

But hardware is just part of the picture.

SortSwift also offers an integrated software suite for game stores and at-home sellers that includes:

• Inventory management
• Auto-pricing via TCGPlayer
• Buylist management
• Shopify and marketplace integrations
• Chaos-style organization (bin-level card tracking)
• POS and customer kiosk systems
• CSV tools and fuzzy match imports
• Plans for a vetted seller marketplace and fulfillment network

If you're tired of dealing with legacy systems like BinderPOS that aren't performing as promised and want something more responsive, modular, and affordable, you should take a look at SortSwift. Many game stores are already switching, and growth is accelerating.

Sign up for SortSwift today!

https://manaversesaga.com/sortswift

SortSwift quick hits:

• Over 2.2 million cards scanned
• Nearly $750K in customer sales processed
• 90+ active subscriptions and growing
• 21 sorting machines ordered, with more in production

In this episode of the Manaverse Podcast, Douglas Johnson (DJ) and I discuss the recent turmoil surrounding TCG Player and eBay. TCG Player recently announced the closure of it's Syracuse authentication center and the firing of 220 employees, right as the union was within weeks of finalizing a collective agreement.

We talk about TCG Player's history in dealing with its employees, what this means for sellers and buyers on the platform, and the ethics (or lack thereof) in running a multibillion dollar corporation.

Here's a short summary of the situation

In early 2023, the graders and authenticators at TCGplayer’s Syracuse Authentication Center voted to unionize under the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

On May 22, 2025, eBay announced it would close that Syracuse facility, affecting about 220 employees, and shift all authentication work to one of its logistics centers in Kentucky.

The closure came just days after union leadership and eBay management wrapped up their first contract negotiations—CWA says the timing is suspicious.

eBay’s official line is that consolidating in Kentucky “streamlines operations” and keeps costs down. Minimum wage and overhead in Kentucky are much lower than in upstate New York.

Workers and the union claim this move is a union-busting tactic—there are new unfair-labor-practice charges filed with the NLRB arguing eBay shut down a unionized site to avoid bargaining.

The Syracuse center was TCGplayer’s original headquarters and a key local employer—many of those 220 workers were specialized in grading card condition and verifying authenticity.

With the Syracuse center gone, sellers and collectors in the short term will likely face longer turnaround times for grading and authentication.

The CWA and local labor leaders have already staged rallies outside the shuttered building, started petitions, and enlisted state politicians to pressure eBay.

eBay acquired TCGplayer in 2022 for $295 million, aiming to double down on the booming trading-card market—this shutdown is the first major union battle under their umbrella.

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In this episode of the Manaverse podcast, we explore a variety of low-cost yet highly effective marketing strategies to help you increase the visibility and customer base of your friendly local game store. Inspired by a question from the Opening a Table Game Store Facebook group, we dive into 23 actionable tips, from optimizing your Google Business profile to running new player game nights and using attention grabbers to pull people into your store for the first time.

Most of these strategies won't cost you more than the time you put in, so if you're looking for ways to boost your reach and bring in new customers, emphasis on new, give this episode a listen and deploy them in your game store. Several of them you can accomplish in under 30 minutes!

Ready to take your store's visibility and growth to the next level? Visit manaversesaga.com/mma for a free 30-minute strategy session where we'll review your current marketing approach and show you exactly what's possible with some expert guidance.

In this episode of the Manaverse Podcast, we sit down with Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases and expert in small business PR, to dive deep into how local game stores can harness the power of press releases and media outreach to grow their customer base and boost their reputation.

Mickie shares why small businesses have exactly the kind of human stories that local journalists love, and how easy (and inexpensive!) it can be to start getting media attention. Whether you're brand new to PR or just looking for simple ways to build stronger community ties, this episode is packed with actionable strategies you can use right away.

• What a press release really is — and why most small stores don't need a fancy one
• How a simple email or phone call can open the door to local media coverage
• Why human interest stories are your secret PR weapon
• Tips for building your own “local journalist Rolodex”
• Easy, creative ideas to make your store’s events and customer stories media-friendly
• Why consistency in outreach pays off (even if it feels slow at first!)
• How PR can beat a $10,000 ad campaign for a fraction of the cost
• Real examples of how small businesses used PR to move the needle in a big way

• eReleases Website
• Free PR Masterclass by Mickie Kennedy: ereleases.com/plan

• LinkedIn
• eReleases

In this episode of the Manaverse Podcast, I’m joined once again by Kylie Prymus, the owner of Games Unlimited in Pittsburgh — one of the oldest game stores in the U.S. We dig into the current state of the board game industry, the tension between CCGs and board games, the role of retail, and the long-term viability of friendly local game stores.

We talk about:

Why board games might feel like they’re in trouble — but aren’t.

How Games Unlimited succeeds without Magic, Pokémon, or miniatures.

The downsides of Kickstarter exclusives and FOMO-driven content.

The difference between stocking games and selling games.

Why community and inclusion mean more than just packed event tables.

How to structure your store (physically and culturally) to appeal to casual customers, not just diehard hobbyists.

Let's talk about the future of local game stores, what it means to be board game-focused, and how to win without following the traditional FLGS model.