Montasy Comics NYC — Local services in New York

I have almost never left a negative review for a small business like this because I usually try to have some empathy and give people/businesses the benefit of the doubt, but I feel compelled to warn other people from wasting their time and money on this place. As a lifelong collector and lover of trading cards, and someone who has been to many card shops in manhattan, the bronx, and queens, I can say with confidence that this is the very last shop I would ever recommend or consider visiting. Even though the rest of the reviews speak for themselves, I went against my better judgement and decided to give this place a try, so please don't make the same mistake I made!

I came in last night around 5pm, and not a single worker greeted or acknowledged me when I entered. A few of them weren't really helping anyone, but there were maybe 4 or 5 people browsing the counter and some type of tcg tournament happening in the back, so I figured I'd just browse until someone asked if I needed help. About 15 minutes went by before anyone asked if they could assist me, even though I made eye contact with several of them a few times. I asked for pricing on some sports cards (mostly shopping for xmas gifts for my nieces and nephews), and then took a look at a few pokemon slabs which I like to collect. My biggest complaint about this place is how absolutely egregious the pricing is. I understand that shops in nyc have to pay ridiculous costs just to operate and stay open, but most shops will still honor market price, i.e. they sell cards and sealed products based on tcgplayer prices or recently sold on ebay. Even a slight markup is fine, and something most collectors are willing to do in order to support local. However, every single item I looked at was marked up significantly (25-50% of market price), in a few cases almost twice what the actual price is. When I asked the gentleman who was helping me if they honored market price or if the prices were negotiable, he very bluntly and unashamedly responded "the prices in the case are what they are and we don't do market price. We have to pay for rent after all". He then passed me off to another coworker as I was looking at the slabs, who seemed incredibly turned off and bothered when I said I would pass on them. I ended up picking up a few basketball booster packs as a gift, and while I was still browsing the girl began checking me out at the register even though I was clearly still shopping. When I said I'd like to grab a few more items, she scoffed and begrudgingly came over to help pick up what I needed. At that point, I should have honestly just walked out, but I decided I had already wasted too much time and was here anyways so I may as well buy the two packs and one sealed box of football cards (all of which were gifts).

I had absolutely no intention of returning, but after I left I realized that I had mistakenly picked up a box of basketball cards and not football cards. I'm not sure if the girl who helped me accidently swapped them or not, but I'm going to assume it was my mistake and I just grabbed the wrong one. I went back this morning to see if I could swap it out, and when I walked in there was one girl behind the counter. I said "good morning how are ya?", to which she looked right at me and gave zero response. Incredibly rude, but I shrugged it off and asked if they could do a return or exchange for me. She simply said no, and when I pressed she said I had to speak to a manager. When I explained to the manager that it was an honest mistake and I needed it as a xmas gift, he said "sorry man, I know it makes no sense but that's the store policy, no exchanges". Again, I've been to many card shops and I understand not accepting returns on opened products, but it was literally a sealed $10 box of retail cards that I simply wanted to swap out with a different sport. Almost all other card shops would show good faith to their customers and make it happen, but not here.

I will absolutely never shop here ever again, and I hope you don't waste your time or money on this...

I've always enjoyed each and every visit to Montasy Comics. I felt inclined to leave this review because I noticed a few others leaving lower ratings and pointing out that there is a (slight) mark up on prices compared to what you can find online, but that's honestly the case for any comic book/ game store. The truth is that's how these stores stay in business, and I have rarely found an item that was anymore expensive than it is at any other game store in the city, and in the very few instances that I have it was never anything more than a few cents. Their prices are more than fair. In fact, I find that their prices (especially for MtG and TCG accessories) are better than many of the other stores I've visited, especially in Manhattan. Another thing to take into consideration when buying these products from a LGS like Montasy Comics is that it's convenient. I personally really enjoy being able to go and purchase a product that I'm eager to get my hands on without having to wait for a delivery after purchasing it online. Being able to add something to my collection in a matter of a few minutes rather than a few days will always be a bonus in my book.

If you're a fan of Magic: the Gathering check out their singles display case. They have some really cool stuff, and I'm willing to bet that something will catch your eye. They also have a really good variety of booster packs, and other products like commander precons, and even prerelease kits. My only complaint is that I didn't see any Dragon Shield sleeves, but that's not a big deal at all because they do still have a good variety of accessories. If that's my only complaint that I can think of I'd say that's pretty good overall. I was really excited about the latest set (Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty) and they had it available at an excellent price the second it was released too.

The customer service has always been very friendly and knowledgeable, and I really enjoy the overall atmosphere of the store. I'm not sure if they're allowing in store gameplay yet (they weren't the last time I was in ~ 2 weeks ago), but I'm very much looking forward to when they do. I'm really glad that this place exists. Good, trustworthy game stores like it are a pillar in the TCG and comic community, and I'm extremely grateful that we still have them in today's world because without them it would be so much harder to connect with other like-minded people who share my enthusiasm for my...

The Only Decent Trade Card Shop in the heart of Manhattan from Mid-Town to Washington Heights & they know it. The Prices here completely take advantage of that fact. Everything here is a 20-30% mark up from market value! When remarking how much fairer the other TCG shops prices are a former employee on multiple occasions would smirk and retort “Than go to those other stores.” Well, I do. Frequently. This shop is a running joke in the NYC TCG community for how it treats its tournament players. Why would anyone pay $7 per pack when other shops sell it for $5. Or $30 one piece double packs when stores sell for $15 or $50 Digimon gift boxes where everywhere else sells for $30! The money you save by going anywhere else literally means you buy more cards! That is, it for The Bad. Don’t get me started on how none of the employees know of their own websites space rental policy for board game enjoyers or DnD Groups. Which shows it falsely advertises itself as a hobby shop where people come to meet & play besides TCG Tournaments! Now we can finally talk about The Good. Weekly tournaments for all kinds of TCG’s like One Piece & Magic Pods. Having a wide variety of card games outside the big 3 with games like Digimon & DBZ. Including sports cards. But that’s where the positives end. They have a nice set up of singles & card binders. But only for the big 3. Silk Road gaming has packs for $2 that these people try to sell for $5 & They don’t even buy cards! In conclusion It’s a good Trading Shop store but the Manhattan Mark up is strong with this one. Would stop by once a day before or after work to at least get one pack to make my day. When I saw the prices continuously hike up it killed my loyalty. From $.50 to $1:50 increases by the day let alone weeks when they increase boxes by 30-100’s due to the online markets while other shops keep prices relatively to where they bought them at! It’s an insult to be taken advantage of like that. I still Highly recommend the many tournaments and events held weekly. the prize pools aren't bad, and the locals are great. TLDR (2025) Update The Best TCG shop from the heights to midtown, (China towns the best in NY for TCG) but the mark up is substantial. They have all the cards and board games you could want. Weekly tournaments are fun. New Employees are friendly & helpful. Good store set up....