How do I list and price German Magic: The Gathering cards?

What is different about a German card

• The language is part of the item. A German copy listed as English counts as not as described. Buyers filter by language on Cardmarket and look for it in eBay titles.
• The name differs. Lightning Bolt is Blitzschlag in German, Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration is Geheimnisstöberer // Insekten-Scheußlichkeit. Set names stay in English in NeoSatoshi.
• The language is on the card. Since the 2014 frame it stands next to the set code, for example FDN • DE. Older cards have no language code; there it is the printed text that tells you.
• There are fewer printings. Not every printing of a card exists in German. Lightning Bolt has far fewer German printings than English ones, which makes the choice of the printing shorter.
• The price needs a second look. The usual price sources do not separate English from German, see below.

Pricing German copies

• Cardmarket (EUR): the price data is per printing and the same for every language. Compare it with the German offers on the product page for valuable cards; Cardmarket lets you filter offers by language.
• TCGplayer (USD): a US reference that does not tell you what a German copy is worth in Europe.
• eBay: Load eBay prices looks for listings of the same printing in German first. With fewer than 3 of them, English copies of the printing count too, and the tooltip says so, because German and English copies usually sell at about the same price. With too few of those as well there is no median, only the count, and eBay.com shows as a marked reference that is never used as a price. These are asking prices, not sold prices.
• There is no fixed discount or premium for German copies. Depending on the card a German copy can trade below or above an English one, so do not apply a flat percentage.

How NeoSatoshi handles German cards

1. Choose Magic: The Gathering under Card game and upload one card per photo or scan. You do not choose a language at upload: it is read from the card, per card.
2. NeoSatoshi identifies the card from its German text. The printing comes from the set code and number where the card has them, compared only with the printings of this card that exist in German. Without one, the row shows Printing unknown and has no price until you pick in step 2.
3. Show all printings of this card in step 2 also lists the printings in the language of your copy.
4. Check the Language column. It offers English and German for Magic. If a card was read as English and is German, change it there. The name does not change with it, so search the card again with the manual search, which finds English and German names, then pick the printing.
5. Choose the listing name under Card name language: Localized (own language) keeps the German name, Always English uses the English one. This applies to the table and to the eBay and Shopify exports.
6. Use your own photo if the image matters. The reference image is the card in its language; where no German image exists it is the English printing's.

German or English name in the listing?

• German name suits buyers who search in German, for example on eBay.de.
• English name suits buyers who search for the card by its English name, which many Magic players do, also in Germany.
• Either way, keep the language of the card visible, so nobody takes a German copy for an English one.

What each channel gets

• eBay (Direct Listing and CSV). The title holds the name in your chosen language, set code, set name, number and the language, for example Magic: The Gathering Blitzschlag GN3 Game Night: Free-for-All #83 with a German flag from the built-in template. The language item specific says German. English and German copies have separate SKUs.
• Shopify (Direct Listing and CSV). One product per printing, with language, condition and finish as variants, so an English and a German copy of one printing share a product. The product title takes the name of the card that creates the product.
• Cardmarket through TCGPowerTools. The same Cardmarket product as the English printing, with the language column set to German.

For the whole workflow see how to sell Magic cards online and the Magic listing software page.

What about other languages?

NeoSatoshi serves English and German Magic cards only. French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and other cards give no card and use no card scan, also in a graded slab. Keep them out of the batch and list them by hand directly on the marketplace.

Common mistakes

• Listing a German card with an English stock image and no word about the language.
• Taking the Cardmarket price as the price of a German copy without looking at German offers on valuable cards.
• Changing the language in the table and expecting the name to follow.
• Picking an English-only printing for a German card, when the printing does not exist in German.

Frequently asked questions

Does NeoSatoshi recognise German Magic cards?

Yes. English and German are the two languages supported for Magic. The language is read from the card and can be changed per card.

Are German Magic cards worth less than English ones?

There is no general rule. It depends on the card and on who wants it. Check recent sales or German offers for the cards that matter.

Can I search for a card by its German name?

Yes. The manual search finds a card by its English or German name, not by set code or number. Pick the printing after that.

Why does a graded German card show an English name on the label?

The name on a slab label is English, also on a German card. In NeoSatoshi the row keeps its own language unless the label names another.