Something needs to change on this Sub. Every time a card is played on camera for the first time in a format or is unbanned or whatever, there's a new round of posts calling out online retailers for "cheating players" by canceling orders. Rather than type a new rant, here's my post from the most recent such thread:

"Just want to toss something out there that I rarely see posted on threads like this: Alot of card shops that sell online use a program called Crystal Commerce. It basically functions as a back end for your inventory allowing you to automatically list the cards your store has on tcg player, eBay, whatever.

It is used so widely because it is the only mainstream option avalible. The program itself is terrible. The interface is bad, and the inventory syncs, while very fast, are not instant due to the aggregate aspect of the software.

Due to these tiny disconnects in the process, if something causes a card to suddenly become a hot commodity, and there are HUNDREDS of people attempting to order the same cards from the same store (say, because there's is the cheapest on tcg at the time so it shows up first when sorted by price), yes, in fact, the card will over sale.

At the LGS I worked at we'd most often have the issue with cards we had high quantities of (usually yugioh cards getting unbanned) so I assume it has to with quantities checked at time of purchase.

My point is that these stores do often times legitimately over sale cards. Obviously, there are some unscrupulous people out there who will cancel orders. But given the harsh punishments TCG player imposes for doing so, most places that rely on tcg player as a main source of revenue would never do it.

So please, before you start reporting and lambasting on the Internet, consider if it's worth potentially ruining a local gaming store who quite likely did nothing wrong over $30"

If it wasn't clear, my main point is this: I don't believe that it should be OK to call out a game store on this Sub. I'm fairly sure Witch-Hunts are not allowed per reddit rules. This is undeniably that. I get that most players are ready to believe that all LGS are just staffed with devil people, but the fact is these posts can strongly harm these stores, often times when they are not at fault.

This has to stop.

Edit: Let's clarify some misconceptions, shall we?

1) Since a lot of people seem to be misunderstanding what I'm describing here, let me break it down:

Store X has 10 Emrakuls listed on TCG player and TCG player alone, listed at the lowest price. The card spikes, and in the space of about a minute 100 people attempt to order 4 from this store. What happens is TCG player checks with CC and says, "Yep, 10 in Stock, ship 4" for the first 5 orders. Now this store has sold 20 out of 10 Emrakuls, leaving their inventory at -10. They did not list more than they had, a glitch in the system caused 10 more to be generated out of thin air.

2) Most Local Gaming Stores operate on razor thin margins. I know when you order cards online it's very easy to imagine that you're just ordering from some SCG analog, but the fact is there are hundreds of tiny stores across the country that are only able to stay in business because of the ability to sell on TCG player allowing them to purchase cards in higher numbers safely and have inventory, both locally and online. This also leads into point 3:

3) While the reddit rules may only say no Witch-Hunts against PEOPLE, Local Gaming Stores are ran by people. When you post names of stores who refund your order due to overselling because you believe that they are lying in order to cheat you, consider this: if you are wrong, you are pointing the hive mind Internet crusade machine against a small locally owned card shops. You are not valiantly fighting against some major banking Giant, or Proctor Gamble like mega conglomerate, or even a Wal-Mart.

YOU ARE TURNING WHAT IS ARGUABLY ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL TOOLS AVAILABLE AGAINST A SMALL LOCAL BUSINESS.

What blows my minds is how incapable people seem to be of being human. Here's what happens if you.get what I assume is your goal by posting these threads:

The store shuts down. The store owner's life work is gone down the drain. Anyone employed by the store is now out of a job. The local community now no longer has a place to play the game.

I get the attitude, I've seen it a ton. Players that don't care about the community of this game. Players who will only step foot in an LGS if the EV is high enough. Players who only play this game as all means to an end, that end being proving they are the best at something.

All I am asking is for everyone to just be human. To consider the repercussions of these accusations.

Edit 2: I never mentioned to imply there aren't stores that refund orders despite having the cards in question in order to make more money. This definitely happens. And to be perfectly honest it is pretty scummy.

The problem is this: YOU HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING WHICH SENARIO IT IS.

To default to calling a store out on reddit is crazy. And for those of you saying that reddit blasting doesn't effect stores, let me remind you of that thread a few months back where a guy said his lgs had stiffed him on his Eternal Master pre-order. Within hours the stores Facebook page was flooded with negative reviews from people who had never even so much as been in the state.

Never underestimate the power of the Internet hivemind.