I sold Destined Rivals UNDER msrp. Here’s why.
I’m the crazy guy who charged $3.99 for Destined Rivals booster packs, with free shipping and no sales tax.
Every new set drops and instantly vanishes. Snatched up by flippers and bots. And I get it. There’s money to be made scalping. YouTubers flexing their profit margins. TCGplayer listings run wild.
Meanwhile, here I am like a budget samurai, slashing prices lower than MSRP and downing iced coffee like I’m not leaving hundreds of dollars on the table.
Let me explain why.
I’m Not Dumb. I’m Different.
I’m in business school. I have a digital marketing strategy background. I have enough caffeine to solo an MBA in one night. This isn't some accidental pricing oopsie. I’m not undercharging because I forgot to check TCGplayer.
I'm undercharging because I’m playing the long game.
Selling at MSRP right now is my weapon.
While everyone else is riding the high of inflated margins, I’m building trust.
A Real Unique Value Proposition (Yes, a boring marketing term)
Every business needs a reason why customers should pick them. Most sellers right now are just racing to the highest price possible. It’s a game of cardboard chicken.
This is my approach.
You want the new set?
You want it without going broke?
You want it from someone who won’t ghost you during the next Pokemon market crash?
That’s me.
Selling below MSRP isn’t just some charity move. It’s positioning. It’s a real value proposition.
It gives customers an actual reason to come back. And they do.
I’m building a TCG club.
This isn’t just a transaction. It’s a club. Every person who joins the Happy Tiger Gaming email list gets early access. They get honest pricing. They don’t get scalped. And they tell their friends.
These club members are long-term players in this business’s journey.
Because people want to be treated like humans. Not like desperate wallets attached to a PayPal login.
But don’t I lose money?
Short term? Yeah, I could definitely squeeze more juice out of every pack sold. But the long term? That’s where things get interesting.
When this market inevitably crashes, who do you think survives?
The scalper who built zero brand and offered zero value?
Or the guy who built trust and has a community that actually wants to stick around?
Markets get hot. Prices go wild. Then reality sets in. Only the businesses with trust and consistency weather the storm.
So yeah. I’m eating the short-term opportunity cost. I’m leaving the hype money on the table. But I’m also building something that scalpers can’t touch: a real brand with real fans.
TL;DR
Everyone else is scalping. I’m not.
I sell the latest Pokémon set at MSRP or less on purpose.
I’m a business student with a strategy.
Trust > short-term profit.
Happy Tiger Gaming is built on trust.
Join the club, get the deals, avoid the chaos.
And hey, if you’re one of those people paying $300 for a booster box right now… I’m not judging.
(Okay, maybe just a little.)
Catch you in the next drop. MSRP style.
– Jesse 🐯
Happy Tiger Gaming
Cards. Trust. Chaos. In that order.
