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Best Practices ​

Recommended strategies for using LGS Ledger effectively.

Initial Setup ​

Before Your First Sync ​

  1. Set up metafields first

    • Required before any sync
    • Takes 30 seconds
    • One-time setup per store
    • Settings → Metafield Setup → Setup Metafields

  2. Configure pricing strategy

    • Research local competitors
    • Set realistic markup (1.2x-1.5x is common for LGS)
    • Configure minimum prices to cover costs
    • Settings → Pricing Configuration

  3. Start small

    • Test with 1-2 sets (50-100 products)
    • Verify pricing in Shopify Admin
    • Check product quality (images, descriptions)
    • Ensure metafields are populated

  4. Use preview mode

    • Click Preview before syncing
    • Review product titles and pricing
    • Verify variant setup
    • Confirm before proceeding

  5. Test mode for experimentation

    • Limit to 10-20 products
    • Test different pricing configs
    • Delete test products when done

Product Selection ​

Choosing Which Sets to Sync ​

For new stores (starting from scratch):

  • Focus on current Standard sets (high demand)
  • Add popular Commander sets (perennial sellers)
  • Include recent Modern sets (competitive play)
  • Skip older sets initially (can add later)

Example starting lineup:

  • Last 2 Standard sets (e.g., Bloomburrow, Duskmourn)
  • Recent Commander set (e.g., Commander Masters)
  • Popular eternal staples (e.g., Modern Horizons 2)

For established stores (expanding inventory):

  • Add new releases as they launch
  • Fill gaps in older formats (Legacy, Vintage)
  • Focus on sets with high-value chase cards
  • Consider seasonal demand (e.g., Commander during holidays)

Sets to Avoid ​

  • Digital-only sets (Arena/MTGO exclusive) - Already filtered out
  • Very old sets with limited data - Pricing may be unreliable
  • Promo sets - Often have data quality issues
  • Un-sets (unless you specifically sell them)

Pricing Strategy ​

Markup Guidelines ​

Standard LGS markup:

  • Common/Uncommon bulk: 1.2x (20%)
  • Playable rares/mythics: 1.3x-1.4x (30-40%)
  • High-demand staples: 1.5x (50%) or match TCGPlayer Mid

Budget online store:

  • All cards: 1.1x-1.2x (10-20%)
  • Compete on volume, not margin

Premium/specialized store:

  • Standard cards: 1.4x-1.5x (40-50%)
  • Hard-to-find or graded: 1.5x-2.0x+

Minimum Price Recommendations ​

Protect your margins:

  • Commons/Uncommons: $0.25-$0.50 (cover handling)
  • Rares: $0.50-$1.00 (baseline value)
  • Mythics: $1.00-$2.00 (premium floor)
  • Global minimum: $0.25 (payment processing threshold)

Why minimums matter:

  • Cover packaging and shipping costs
  • Avoid "worthless bulk" perception
  • Ensure profitability on low-value cards

Price Threshold Strategy ​

Set threshold to separate bulk from valuable cards:

  • Threshold at $1.00 (default):

    • Cards <$1.00 use minimum price
    • Cards >$1.00 get markup applied
    • Good for most stores

  • Higher threshold ($5.00):

    • More cards use flat minimums
    • Simpler pricing for bulk
    • Good for budget stores

  • Lower threshold ($0.50):

    • Apply markup to nearly everything
    • Good for premium stores

Condition Variants ​

When to enable:

  • You stock played/damaged cards
  • You buy collections and grade conditions
  • You want to offer budget options

When to disable:

  • You only sell Near Mint cards
  • You don't want variant complexity
  • Your store focuses on premium inventory

Multiplier recommendations:

  • Lightly Played (LP): 0.90x (10% off)
  • Moderately Played (MP): 0.75x (25% off)
  • Heavily Played (HP): 0.60x (40% off)
  • Damaged: 0.40x (60% off)

Match TCGPlayer or eBay standards for consistency.

Sync Best Practices ​

Before Every Sync ​

  1. ✅ Verify selected sets
  2. ✅ Check pricing configuration is current
  3. ✅ Confirm metafields are set up
  4. ✅ Review Shopify product limit (don't exceed plan)
  5. ✅ Use preview for large syncs

During Syncs ​

  1. Monitor progress

    • Watch real-time stats (created, updated, failed)
    • Note any errors early
    • Check ETA and plan accordingly

  2. Don't close the browser

    • Syncs run server-side but status may not update if you close tab
    • You can navigate away within the app

  3. Limit concurrent syncs

    • 2-3 max to avoid rate limits
    • Stagger large syncs

After Syncs ​

  1. Review results

    • Check created/updated counts
    • Investigate any failures
    • View a few products in Shopify to verify quality

  2. Verify in Shopify Admin

    • Confirm products appear
    • Check pricing
    • Verify metafields are populated
    • Ensure images loaded correctly

  3. Publish to sales channels

    • Products may default to draft
    • Bulk-publish to Online Store

  4. Update Sync History notes

    • Document any issues for future reference

Pricing Maintenance ​

Schedule Automated Price Updates ​

Recommended frequency:

  • High-volume stores: Daily (overnight)
  • Medium stores: Every 12 hours
  • Small stores: Daily or every 2-3 days

Best time to schedule:

  • 2-4 AM local time (low traffic)
  • After TCGPlayer data updates (4 AM UTC)
  • Avoid peak hours (12 PM-6 PM)

Setup:

  1. Settings → Sync Settings/Schedule
  2. Enable Automated Price Sync
  3. Choose Daily or Every 12 Hours
  4. Save

Manual Price Reviews ​

Weekly checks:

  • Review 5-10 random products
  • Compare prices to TCGPlayer Mid
  • Adjust markup if needed

Monthly reviews:

  • Evaluate overall pricing strategy
  • Check if minimums are still appropriate
  • Adjust for market trends

After major events:

  • Format bans/unbans
  • Tournament results (Pro Tour, Grand Prix)
  • New set releases

Multi-Store Best Practices ​

Organization ​

  1. Name stores clearly

    • Use descriptive names (e.g., "Downtown Location - NYC", "Budget Brand - Online")

  2. Document per-store configs

    • Keep notes on which store uses which pricing
    • Track why configs differ (e.g., Store A has higher rent, needs higher margin)

  3. Set a primary store

    • Use one store as your "main" for most operations
    • Test changes there first

Configuration Management ​

  1. Set up one store fully first

    • Perfect metafields, pricing, and syncs
    • Use as a template for other stores

  2. Replicate configs carefully

    • Manually copy pricing settings to other stores
    • Verify each store independently

  3. Test each store separately

    • Run test sync on each
    • Verify pricing and products
    • Check for store-specific issues

Scheduling ​

  1. Stagger price syncs

    • Don't schedule all stores at same time
    • Example: Store A at 2 AM, Store B at 3 AM, Store C at 4 AM
    • Reduces server load

  2. Prioritize by traffic

    • High-traffic stores get more frequent updates
    • Low-traffic stores can update less often

Data Quality ​

Verify Product Data ​

After syncing a new set:

  1. Open 5-10 random products in Shopify
  2. Check:
    • ✅ Title is correct
    • ✅ Images loaded
    • ✅ Metafields populated (rarity, mana cost, etc.)
    • ✅ Pricing looks reasonable
    • ✅ Variants exist (Normal/Foil)

If data quality is poor:

  • Report specific issues to support
  • Wait for data updates (new sets may have incomplete data)
  • Use Force Re-sync after data is fixed

Handling Missing Data ​

Missing prices:

  • Verify source (TCGPlayer vs. Card Kingdom)
  • Check if card is brand new (prices may not be available yet)
  • Set appropriate global minimum as fallback

Missing images:

  • MTGJSON may not have images for all cards
  • Report to support
  • Manually upload images in Shopify if critical

Customer Experience ​

Storefront Optimization ​

  1. Display metafields on product pages

    • Show rarity, mana cost, card type
    • Use visual mana symbols (integrate mana font or app)
    • Display set name and card number

  2. Create filtered collections

    • By set (auto-created by LGS Ledger)
    • By rarity (mythics, rares, etc.)
    • By color (Blue, Red, Green, etc.)
    • By card type (Creatures, Instants, etc.)

  3. Enable search filters

    • Use Shopify search or filtering app
    • Allow filtering by metafields
    • Example: "Show me all Blue Mythics from Bloomburrow"

Product Descriptions ​

  • LGS Ledger provides card text in descriptions
  • Consider adding:
    • Store policies (condition, shipping)
    • Play recommendations
    • Combo suggestions for popular cards

Performance Optimization ​

For Large Catalogs (5,000+ products) ​

  1. Sync in batches

    • Don't sync all sets at once
    • Sync 5-10 sets at a time
    • Spread syncs over several days

  2. Schedule syncs during off-peak hours

    • 2-4 AM local time
    • Late night/early morning
    • Avoid business hours

  3. Monitor Shopify performance

    • Large catalogs may slow down Shopify Admin
    • Consider Shopify Plus for better performance

For Multiple Stores ​

  1. Don't sync all stores simultaneously

    • Stagger syncs by 30-60 minutes
    • Avoid server overload

  2. Optimize sync frequency

    • Not all stores need daily updates
    • Lower-traffic stores can update weekly

Security & Maintenance ​

Protect Your Store ​

  1. Never share API keys or tokens

    • LGS Ledger uses secure OAuth
    • No need to share credentials

  2. Review app permissions regularly

    • Shopify Admin → Settings → Apps
    • Verify LGS Ledger only has necessary permissions

  3. Keep Shopify and apps updated

    • Install updates promptly
    • Review changelogs for breaking changes

Regular Maintenance ​

Weekly:

  • Review Sync History for errors
  • Check automated price syncs ran successfully
  • Spot-check product pricing

Monthly:

  • Review overall pricing strategy
  • Evaluate sales data (what's selling, what's not)
  • Adjust selected sets (add new, remove dead stock)

Quarterly:

  • Deep dive into pricing config
  • Compare to competitor pricing
  • Adjust markup and minimums as needed

Common Pitfalls to Avoid ​

❌ Don't Do This ​

  1. Syncing without metafield setup

    • Results in sync failures
    • Products lack MTG-specific data

  2. Ignoring pricing configuration

    • Using default settings may not fit your strategy
    • Review and customize before first sync

  3. Not using preview mode

    • You might sync thousands of products with wrong pricing
    • Always preview large syncs

  4. Manually editing prices in Shopify

    • Re-syncs will overwrite your changes
    • Use pricing config instead

  5. Syncing too many sets at once

    • May hit product limits
    • Can overwhelm sync queue
    • Start small, scale up

  6. Forgetting to publish products

    • Products may default to draft
    • Customers won't see them

  7. Not monitoring Sync History

    • Errors go unnoticed
    • Failed products accumulate

  8. Scheduling price syncs during peak hours

    • May slow down storefront
    • Can hit rate limits

✅ Do This Instead ​

  1. Always set up metafields first
  2. Configure pricing before syncing
  3. Use preview and test mode
  4. Use pricing config for all pricing changes
  5. Sync in small batches initially
  6. Bulk-publish products after sync
  7. Review Sync History weekly
  8. Schedule price syncs overnight

Success Metrics ​

Track These KPIs ​

  1. Sync success rate

    • Target: 95%+ success (created + updated / total)
    • Monitor in Sync History

  2. Average sync time

    • Track duration for similar-sized syncs
    • Investigate if syncs slow down significantly

  3. Price update frequency

    • Ensure scheduled syncs run on time
    • Target: 100% of scheduled syncs complete

  4. Product catalog size

    • Track total products over time
    • Ensure you're within Shopify plan limits

  5. Failed products

    • Keep below 5% failure rate
    • Investigate recurring failures

Business Metrics ​

  1. Sales by set

    • Which sets sell best?
    • Adjust inventory accordingly

  2. Margin by product type

    • Are mythics profitable?
    • Adjust pricing config based on data

  3. Customer acquisition cost

    • Are automated syncs reducing labor costs?
    • Calculate ROI on LGS Ledger subscription

Continuous Improvement ​

Learn and Iterate ​

  1. A/B test pricing strategies

    • Try 1.3x markup for a month
    • Switch to 1.4x and compare sales
    • Find your sweet spot

  2. Experiment with condition variants

    • Enable for one store, compare to another
    • See if budget options drive more sales

  3. Review competitor pricing quarterly

    • Adjust your markup to stay competitive
    • Don't race to the bottom, but don't overprice

  4. Solicit customer feedback

    • Ask customers about pricing, selection, and experience
    • Adjust based on feedback

Need Help? ​

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