Costco is one of the largest supermarket chains in the US. As a result, a lot of people wonder whether Costco sells Magic: The Gathering cards and, if they do, how much they will cost.
Costco does sell Magic: The Gathering Cards. It probably will never have the same sort of selection that Walmart, or even your local trading card store does, but there will certainly be cards on offer here.
Let’s go into a bit of depth on this. This way, you can be sure that picking the cards up from Costco is a good idea for you.
Does Costco Sell Magic: The Gathering Cards?
Yes. Costco does sell Magic: The Gathering cards. It seems to be something that they will always have in stock.
While we probably wouldn’t go out of the way to head to Costco to pick up the trading cards, it is a great thing to add to your shopping cart when you are buying other stuff from the store.
To check the current price and availability of Magic the Gathering Booster Boxes, click here to view the selection on Amazon.
What Types of Packs/Boxes of Magic: The Gathering Does Costco Sell?
As with most things, Costco attempts to sell whatever it can get its hands on. This means that you will likely find the following on sale in the store:
- Booster packs (individually)
- Booster bundles
- Theme decks
- Challenge decks (when available)
- Commander decks (when available)
- Promo boxes
It doesn’t appear as if Costco will sell booster boxes. They may have them in rarely, although that it is likely to be when a set is reaching the end of its lifespan and the company wants to sell them as quickly as possible.
They will have the odd promo boxes in stock. However, it is very rare that Costco keeps a massive selection of them. They may get a couple of boxes in and not much more than that.
Do bear in mind that Costco is not a number 1 retailer for Magic: The Gathering cards. This means that they will not dedicate a huge amount of space in their store to MTG. Generally speaking, the bulk of the trading card space seems to be dedicated to Pokemon, which is actually a big seller in Costco stores.
How Much Do Magic: The Gathering Cards Cost at Costco?
It depends.
For the most part, the Magic: The Gathering cards are going to be sold at the RRP. This applies when a new box or set has been introduced. This is the same for most stores in the US, not just Costco. After all, companies don’t really reduce below RRP. Not unless they are selling booster boxes.
That being said, there are times when the price at Costco can be incredibly cheap. When Costco is looking to get rid of a set (normally when that set is about to leave standard), they will discount their prices drastically.
This means that you may find that the set ends up a good 60-80% off the standard retail price. However, we cannot stress enough just how rare this is. We also cannot stress enough just how quickly these discounted sets tend to sell out. Chances are you may not even be able to get your hands on them.
You must remember that you have to pay for a Costco membership too. This means that the price may not even work out cheaper than elsewhere, especially if you are planning on only purchasing trading cards from Costco.
Some people will keep hold of a Costco membership in the hope that they are able to take advantage of the major discounts that happen at the company from time to time. Still, we find that so rare that it probably isn’t worth holding onto a membership for that alone.
How Often Does Costco Restock Magic: The Gathering Cards?
This will be dependent on the store. As with most major stores, Costco will have external companies come in and restock their trading cards.
In most cases, the cards are going to be restocked just before the weekend. So, if you head to Costco and they are out of trading cards, then you may want to return on a Thursday or Friday. This is when they tend to go back into stock.
In terms of the time of the restock, this can be unpredictable. Most people report that the restocks will happen around the middle of the day, but this is going to vary based on the store.
Your best bet is to pay attention to your local Costco store. See when they tend to carry out their restocks. In most cases, the restock will be predictable. So, once you know when a store normally restocks, it will almost always restock at the same time and on the same day.
Is It Worth Buying Magic: The Gathering Cards From Costco?
As we mentioned before, it probably isn’t worth buying a Costco membership purely to take advantage of Magic: The Gathering cards. If you are going to purchase a membership, then you should get it because you want to buy other stuff from Costco.
The problem with Costco is that they do not really keep a huge number of sets in stock, and it is incredibly rare that they will discount their prices. This means that it is probably not worth going out of your way to go there to buy cards either.
Sure, have a look at the store to see whether they have cards in stock while you are there, but don’t make a special trip just to buy Pokemon cards from them. It rarely pans out.
Final Thoughts
Costco does sell Magic: The Gathering cards. They should keep most sets in stock, but it is unlikely that you will be able to buy booster boxes from there.
The price of cards will normally be the RRP. However, Costco has been known to offer huge discounts when a set is about to leave standard.
It probably isn’t worth going to Costco, or holding a Costco membership, purely to pick up cards, though. There are better stores out there.