Working with dealers is a crucial step to becoming a savvy trader. While many traders on the floor view the dealers at an event as an opposing party, it's best to work with the dealers rather than to trying to "pull one over" on them. Many players fail to realize that dealers are, in fact, human, and rather than avoiding interactions with them, players should embrace the opportunity presented. There are a few strategies that will help you get the most for your money and a few pieces of etiquette that'll make the whole endeavor go more smoothly.

The number-one mistake that a floor trader makes at the dealer table? Taking the first offer. That's usually a bad business move in general, but when you're selling at a large event, there's a non-zero chance that your first offer won't be your best. You're shopping the cards around the room, so why bother taking the first offer? Your first round of dealing should mainly be information-gathering.

When gathering information, I prefer to ask permission to get a few buy/sell prices, and I jot these down in a notebook with the card name and dealer name. This way, I can see who's buying what at a glance. You obviously can't do this with every card, but know the staples of the format and any fringe oddities you may notice. Don't be rude and grill them on their entire buy list, and be polite. I am always honest that I'm mostly shopping my cards to the high bidder. Considering they're in the same business, they fully understand. Once you have a good idea of whose prices are set where, you can start selling.

Starting too late is the second deadly sin of floor trading. If your goal is to cash out, not just trade, you'll want to do your dealing early in the weekend. I aim to be one of the first people on-site, since players are not caught up in the main event yet and are much more likely to be seeking out cards to finish decks. Dealer buy prices will be the highest, and little intraday inefficiencies haven't been spotted by sharks yet. Get to the event as early as physically possible. I like to start early so that I can feel good about taking an early break for dinner.

Starting early on the Saturday of the event is also important. The hour before the main event starts is prime trading time. These are the times when you manage to get $4 cash for Kitchen Finks from dealers. People who failed to plan ahead are desperate, and the dealers' buy prices all reflect this. You can get away with some pretty nice money by letting people raid your "useful uncommons" box.

No matter what time you arrive, there are some pieces of etiquette that'll help you along when you're trying to make a deal with another businessperson. I attend every event I possibly can, and I often find myself dealing with the same few people often. Thus, making sure they don't dread your presence is both friendly and good for business.

Leave Your Ugghs at Home

I asked a few dealers at Grand Prix Atlanta about the one thing they hate dealing with, and "ugghs" was a popular response. That wasn't their response; it was their answer. They really hate it when you grunt disapprovingly at every offer they make. If you're not prepared to hear lower-than-average offers on your cards, don't take them to a big dealer. They make their money by buying your stuff low and selling it high, so don't be "that guy." It's fine to decline an offer, or to interrogate them about why the price is so low, but sighing audibly is not the way to negotiate a better deal.

When negotiating price, don't play dumb. If you know the prices you need on cards, just be forthright about it. Another dealer said that he hated when people, when questioned on price, said, "I don't know." These people would then would counter his offer by saying, "I was thinking more like $X.00." You can't "not know" and then "know." That's BS. Don't insult the intelligence of the person across the table. You are both looking to make a deal here. If you know what you need on a card, just ask. If you want to hear his offer, say so. Don't play cagey games. There's nothing wrong with saying "I'd like to hear your offer first." Transparency goes a long way.

On a similar note, if the dealer has a printed buy list, use it! Many dealers offer this, and I've found that I routinely get better prices by using it. When selling a large order to a dealer who has a printed list handy, I'll ask if I can sit down and price out my stuff with the buy list so the dealer can process other sales waiting behind me. This doubles his buys-per-hour rate and helps me learn the buy list more quickly.

I will also tell the dealer that, if he's okay with it, I may bump up a few of the cards by a small amount to reflect what I'm looking for. He should let me know if the adjusted amounts are acceptable, but no worries if they're not. Don't be a jerk about this, but if you genuinely know you need $4 on ten of a $3.50 card, you should certainly ask. No reason to leave $5 on the table. Don't nickel-and-dime them on every card, but be assertive about getting your price when you genuinely need more than they're offering.

Once you're done pricing out your stuff, have the dealer total up the order. I often ask them to write down the number and hide it from me until I double-count. I've caught a few errors by doing this—on both sides of the transaction. Your ethics are your own, but I think it's wise to let the dealer know if he's calculated too much. An extra $20 is great, but the goodwill you'll foster with your trading partner is probably worth more than that. If there's a discrepancy, I will often just say "I came up with a different number. Let's count again." And I'll count it aloud with them, dollar by dollar. This extra five minutes is always worth it. Honest dealers make honest mistakes, and though I'd like to believe otherwise, dishonest dealers are not uncommon. I've seen dealers undercount stacks, price things incorrectly, and double-deal the piles when totaling your sale. As Ronald Reagan said, "Trust but verify."

The $10 Walk

Want to burn calories and make money? Play the Dealer Walk Game! Though rare, there are cases in which one dealer's buy price is set higher than another's sell price. The easiest way to locate such a lovely arbitrage opportunity? Look for unusually highly priced cards in display cases. Those will often be low in stock and have inflated buy prices. It is entirely possible to buy lunch with the money you make walking from Dealer A to Dealer B.

If you plan to do this dealer arbitrage, do it quietly. Most dealers don't like to think they're being "run," and will become wary of doing business with you. I consider it bad etiquette to mention it to dealers. I have done this quite a few times, and I never mention that another dealer's buy price was higher. I know some are tempted to try to look "smart" to the guy across the table, but I don't see the point in potentially angering a business partner. It makes him look bad, and stupid, and despite how dumb the dealer may be, it's never profitable to make someone look stupid when you're asking them for money.

When I'm scouring display cases, I'll look for the highly priced cards that seem too high and get some buy prices. Once I find a buy price I think I can make something on, I'll ask if that offer "stands for the day," and I say that I'll be back with some cards for them. I also find out how many they'll take, as they sometimes have a stock limit. With that info in hand, I hit the floor and start scouring binders for that card. In many cases, you can hit the other dealers and make a quick buck as well. I've seen dramatic cases where a card sold for $3 from one dealer and could be flipped for $5 to another. Not bad for five minutes' work!

Though often vilified and looked at as "the institution," dealers can infuse a trader with massive amounts of cash. Larger dealers often operate on tighter margins than small traders, but make up for it with massive volume. Thus, you can often find dealer buy prices that match up with some people's trade values. In this case, you are legitimately trading "for cash" without breaking the rules. Everyone along the chain of supply wins, too. Your trade partner gets what he needs on his cards, you get cash or a generous trade bonus, and the dealer restocks his online store at prices that will ensure he meets his inventory goals and budgets. Rather than avoiding dealers, a good trader should use dealer trade-ins as a tool to generate capital and build lasting relationships with potential long-term business partners.