#Japan #Trading Cards #Tsukuba #POS System #Mycalinks

Simplifying Trading Card Shop Operations

The trading card industry is experiencing significant growth, with an increasing number of shops opening each year. However, the feedback from many shop owners highlights several serious challenges they face regularly.

Issues like daily price updates, inventory mismatches, buyback management difficulties, staff training challenges, and the complexity of existing POS systems are common grievances. These pain points are the very same ones I encountered when I started my own trading card shop.

The Disconnect with Traditional POS Systems

When I opened my card shop, I adopted a standard POS system that wasn't tailored to the needs of trading card shops. I soon realized that this generic system came with its own set of challenges:

1. Complex Card Registration: Adding new cards to the system was overly complicated and time-consuming.
2. Time-Consuming Price Changes: Adjusting prices as market values fluctuated took far too long.
3. Separation of Buyback and Sales: The disconnect between buyback and sales processes hindered efficiency.
4. Unable to Keep Pace with Speed: The POS didn't align with the fast-paced nature of a trading card shop where prices change frequently.

Despite the intention of making operations easier, the POS system ironically increased the workload.

Mycalinks: A Solution Built from Experience

While there were POS systems designed for trading card shops at the time, they still presented significant drawbacks:

• - High Costs: Many systems were prohibitively expensive.
• - Poor UX/UI: The user experience was not intuitive enough for new staff to quickly learn.
• - Staff Turnover: With a high ratio of part-time workers, the learning curve for new employees became a concern.

This ultimately led me to a simple conclusion: if a suitable solution didn’t exist, I should create one myself.

The development of MycalinksPOS began while I was still working on the shop floor. This hands-on approach allowed for real-time feedback on any usability issues, ensuring that improvements were implemented swiftly. Today, I still operate as a presence in my shop to stay connected with the challenges of running a trading card store.

Unique Challenges of Card Shops

Trading card shops face difficulties not encountered in other types of retail. Here are a few:
1. Rapid Price Fluctuations: Prices that were valid yesterday can be outdated today, challenging profitability.
2. Abundance of Card Types: With numerous types of the same character, like Pikachu, registering and managing inventory becomes prone to errors.
3. High Training Costs: Ensuring that staff understand the products is a daunting task, often leading to mistakes.

Many card shops still resort to Excel spreadsheets for inventory, but I was determined to find a better way.

MycalinksPOS Features for Efficient Management

To tackle these challenges, MycalinksPOS incorporated the following features:

• - A comprehensive database of over 20 categories of card data.
• - Integration with an app for seamless product management.
• - Visual representation of buyback prices, selling prices, and price fluctuations, eliminating the extensive input process.

Now, staff can manage inventory effortlessly by simply searching and selecting cards, significantly reducing mistakes—especially for new employees.

Features Tailored for Card Shops

MycalinksPOS effectively streamlines card shop processes:

• - Instant Creation of Buyback POPs: Generate buyback promotional material reflecting current prices with just one click, simplifying in-store promotions and online presence.
• - Easy Management of Sealed Packs: Track the contents and sales of sealed packs within the system, preventing confusion over what was included.
• - Expanded EC Integration and Management: Based on continuous feedback from the field, we have also added features for eCommerce site integration, consignment management, and grading management.

The Birth of MycalinksMALL

Another significant development is MycalinksMALL. Many shop owners reported that simply having an eCommerce platform wasn’t sufficient to drive sales online. Thus, MycalinksMALL was born, designed to:

• - Integrate with our card management app, boasting over 200,000 members.
• - Allow for direct purchases within the app, linking back to retail sales.

By diversifying revenue sources beyond walk-in traffic, we aim to provide trading card shops with a stable income foundation.

As the challenges of running a card shop mount—price volatility, intricate inventory management, staffing issues, and inconsistent customer turnout—having a robust support system like Mycalinks is essential.

Our goal is for card shop owners to shift their focus away from revenue worries and concentrate on delivering exceptional experiences to their customers. This commitment to continuous improvement is the driving force behind Mycalinks, and we hope to be the backbone of your trading card shop journey.

We invite both new and existing shop owners to reach out and explore how Mycalinks can bolster your efforts in this dynamic market.

📩 Interested in learning more about Mycalinks?
Whether you want to improve operational efficiency, mitigate inventory worries, or develop alternative revenue streams, we’re here to help.
Feel free to reach out with any questions, and let’s begin a conversation today!