We have all been there. There are a few cards you need for a set and you dont want to sit and post on the feed for an hour to get a terrible offer that never goes anywhere. So, that only leaves a few options, and one of them is Blind Trading. Im going to do my best to put together what I do, with the hopes that it might help avoid getting blocked or 1 starred on the feedback.

What is Blind Trading?

This refers to loading the main card sheet via the icon on the bottom right, clicking on a card, and then clicking the trade button below the picture. This brings up a trade initiation screen that allows you to trade for a card without going user to user in the article or fan feed.

Most trade offers that are initiated user to user allow you to see the collections of the people you are trading with. If you go on the fan feed, and bring up a user profile to trade with, you can see all of their cards. This isnt the case with Blind Trading, hence the name.

When to Use Blind Trading

There are very specific times to use this feature, and times when I would advise against it. Certain cards are just not primed for blind trades, and misusing the feature can land you on people’s ignore list or getting a lot of one star ratings.

If you need a base card to complete a set, or build up a roster, blind trading is almost the best way to get what you need. If you need a higher count insert, this feature is also great. Things that are relatively lower in value are prime for this type of interaction.

If a card is brand new, and you want to jump on the first few people that have pulled the card, also a good time to use blind trades. Unlike the above situation, this is less effective than finding someone who is advertising the card on the feed. However, if no one is advertising the card for trade, sometimes you need to resort to desperate measures.

When NOT to Use Blind Trading

There are a lot of cards I would highly advise against blind trades. Age, prestige of the set, and card count are the most important factors, but its more than that.

If the card has been out for a while and doesnt have a count over 50, I probably wouldnt try to get it via blind trade unless you have a very large collection with lots to offer. Ill speak more about etiquette later in the post, but over-payment is almost expected in these situations, and most new(er) users dont have the goods to make that happen on a card below 50.

Marathon designation is also a factor, as is set prestige. Trying to execute a blind trade on a insanely rare card or tough marathon set piece is akin to hitting for the cycle in baseball. Blind trading is an art, and for cards of that nature, you need to be Michelangelo to make it work. There are just too many factors playing against a blind trade, especially because you have to find someone willing to even entertain offers.

Picking Your 5 Targets

With each blind trade, you can only choose 5 people in which to make the offer. It is ESSENTIAL that you choose wisely, or you could get burned very easily.

My favorite blind trade target is someone with a 65-75 collection score and at least 300 trader ratings. The quality of the ratings doesnt matter all that much to me, I just want to hit someone I know within reason isnt a dead account.

I also try to avoid high collection scores on set pieces, because there are reasons why this person might not be willing to trade the card. As a higher collection score, they likely need the card for the set, and are less likely to give it up without drastic over-payment. The lower the collection score with high trade counts, the more likely the person is to not have the whole set. They may have just hit the card as a lucky break.

For base cards, the higher score guys might be a good target. If they have a higher collection score, they likely have opened enough packs to have tons of dupes.

If you want to take a shot at a new trader, its not a bad idea if you have the time to send all the trades. Just be prepared that they will have much less of a chance to be around and accept, counter or decline your offer. Most of the time, the offers will sit forever.

When blind trading for a super rare card, its almost better to write down owner names and initiate trades via adding them to your friends on the home screen and catering the offer to them. Sending them over-payments of cards they already have or dont collect, is less likely to work, than a much better catered offer.

Etiquette

Ahh yes, this is the one part that most people never understand. If you read one section of the post, I hope you read this one.

To start, because Blind Trades arent solicited, be courteous and be nice. You are basically intruding into their existence on the apps, and you should act like you are a guest that is showing up uninvited to a party. That means leaving a note with your trade, explaining the situation, thanking them for consideration, and not using shorthand in your text. Write out your stuff the right way, without looking like you are a 12 year old sending a text to your bros.

Next, if you are the person initiating the blind trade on something other than base, I would highly suggest making an offer that is overpaying for the value of the card you are looking to acquire. Mainly, pay the person for the intrusion, and give them a reason to even look at your trade.

This is why blind trading should be used only in circumstances that you cant overcome. If you are unsure of value, explain that in your message. If you are okay with counters, say that. Do what you can to show them you mean business.

At the very least, every blind trade should include a note saying so. You dont want someone to look at your trade and wonder what the hell you were thinking offering them 7 cards that they have for one that they only have a single of. It might save you from getting blocked or 1 starred. I usually can grasp a bad trade offer better if the person says it is blind.

NOTE: Keep track of the people you are offering trades to, in case you want to send more than 5 offers at a time. DO NOT send the same offer to the same person 8 times in a row. Let them respond to your original offer before submitting a new one.

Lastly, when you bring up the last screen to select the users in which to offer the card, your friends will be at the top. Dont blind trade your friends, actually go and trade user to user. Thats why they are your friends!

Ill finish by saying that trading is one of the most difficult concepts in the game. If you screw up a few times, its not the end of the world. Just try to educate yourself as best as possible around the reasons you werent successful. Sending a few base for a great card wont get you far, but at least you will get not to do that again.

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New User Tips is a running series on Digital Card Central – If there are any other questions you have about the nuance of the game, please do not hesitate to tweet me @SCUncensored or through a same card trade with a message in the game. 

If you have ideas for future New User Tips – please let me know!