by Thomas Traplin | Dec 10, 2025 | Podcasts
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,... 
by Thomas Traplin | Oct 20, 2025 | Podcasts
In the continuation of our holiday series on the podcast (check out the first episode right here), 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... 
by Thomas Traplin | Oct 7, 2025 | Articles
Every game store owner knows the feeling: you’ve poured your savings into inventory, fought through permits and construction delays, opened your doors at last… and then realized that getting people through those doors is a whole different challenge and a different... 
by Thomas Traplin | Oct 3, 2025 | Podcasts
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... 
by Thomas Traplin | Oct 3, 2025 | Podcasts
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... 
by Thomas Traplin | Aug 14, 2025 | Articles
If you’ve ever faced a mountain of unsorted Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, Lorcana, or other trading card game (TCG) cards and thought, “There has to be a better way…”, but you’re not ready to drop $10,000 on a massive sorting machine — the solution is here.... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jul 8, 2025 | Podcasts
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... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jun 13, 2025 | Podcasts
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:... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jun 7, 2025 | Podcasts
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... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jun 4, 2025 | Podcasts
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...