If you’re here for a CardTrader Zero review, you’re probably trying to solve one of two problems:
- “How do i buy a pile of singles from a bunch of sellers without paying shipping twelve times?”
- “How do i get a deck into my hands fast, even if it’s just for testing?”
CardTrader Zero mostly solves problem #1. MTGPrint mostly solves problem #2 (but in paper form). And if what you actually want is clean, ready-to-sleeve printed proxies shipped to your door, I’m going to say it plainly: we recommend PrintMTG.com over MTGPrint for that job.
CardTrader Zero review: what it is (and why people use it)
CardTrader is a marketplace for singles and sealed product. CardTrader Zero is their “combine everything” option.
The core idea is simple: you can buy from multiple participating sellers and pay for one final shipment instead of a bunch of separate ones. Sellers ship your items to CardTrader’s hub, CardTrader checks what arrives, and you request a shipment to your address when you’re ready.
Here’s the “how it works” version you can actually picture:
- You add items that are eligible for Zero (they’re marked in the CardTrader UI).
- At checkout, you’ll see no shipping cost for the seller-to-hub part.
- Sellers send cards to CardTrader’s warehouse.
- CardTrader does an item-by-item check.
- When your stuff is marked ready, you request the final shipment to you.
If you’ve ever tried to finish a list where the last 37 cards are spread across 14 storefronts, this feels like somebody finally admitted how we actually shop.
CardTrader Zero review: the parts i genuinely like
Combined shipping without spreadsheet gymnastics
This is the big win. You stop playing “optimize shipping” and start just buying the cards you want.
Warehouse quality checks (and the “automatic repurchase” safety net)
CardTrader says Zero orders get checked item by item when they arrive. If something’s wrong (wrong language, condition, printing, foil vs nonfoil, and so on), they describe an automatic repurchase system that replaces the item without charging you extra. If they can’t replace it, it gets refunded.
That matters because marketplace shopping always has some amount of “hope this arrives exactly as listed.”
It’s built for big, annoying lists
Cube updates. Commander staples refresh. Rebuilding after you sold half a binder in a moment of weakness. Zero is clearly designed for “i need a lot of stuff.”
You can ship when you want (mostly)
You don’t have to request shipping the moment the first envelope hits the warehouse. You can wait for more items to arrive, then ship once. And if you’re impatient, you can request partial shipping, but then you’re paying shipping more than once, so the whole point starts to evaporate.
CardTrader Zero review: what can be annoying (because it’s not magic)
CardTrader Zero is great, but it has a specific vibe: “this will save you money, but it might cost you time.”
A few realistic downsides:
- Waiting on sellers. You’re still relying on sellers to ship their Zero orders on time.
- It’s a hub-and-spoke system. Stuff goes to CardTrader first, then to you. That adds a step.
- The hub is in Italy. CardTrader states their Zero warehouses are located in Italy, and they also describe US/Canada items routing through an American warehouse before heading to Europe. That’s efficient for consolidation, but it’s still extra movement.
- Customs can still exist. CardTrader notes you pay one shipment from their hub to you, and shipping outside Europe can be subject to customs costs (borne by the buyer). So yes, it helps, but it doesn’t turn international shipping into a fairy tale.
- You can’t always “split the pile” exactly how you want. Once you request shipping, everything available ships together.
If you’re the kind of person who gets stressed when an order is “in progress” for a while, this is worth knowing up front.
MTGPrint review: what it is (and what it’s trying to be)
MTGPrint (mtgprint.net) is a separate thing from CardTrader Zero, even though CardTrader is involved.
MTGPrint is basically: paste a decklist (it asks for Magic Arena format), click print, download a PDF with cards lined up, print it, cut it out. It’s positioned as a free service for making proxy decks fast.
So this is not a “ship me cards” service. It’s a “get a printable sheet right now” tool.
MTGPrint review: what it does well
It’s fast, and the price is right
Free is a strong feature. Especially when you just need to test if a list is fun before you buy anything.
The PDF workflow is simple
Deck in, PDF out. If you’re printing at home, that’s the whole game.
Useful print options (without getting too nerdy)
MTGPrint includes options like crop marks, skipping basic lands, and adding a “playtest” watermark. It also calls out common printing gotchas like paper size mismatches (A4 vs Letter) and making sure you’re printing at 100% scale.
That sounds small, but it’s the difference between “this worked” and “why are all my cards tiny.”
MTGPrint review: limitations you will feel immediately
Let’s be honest about what MTGPrint is: it’s paper proxies.
That’s fine. Paper proxies are a legitimate way to playtest. But they come with built-in downsides:
- Cutting takes time. You will become very familiar with scissors, a paper trimmer, or both.
- Print quality depends on your printer. Inkjet settings, toner density, paper choice, alignment… it’s all on you.
- Paper doesn’t shuffle like a card. Most people end up sleeving paper in front of a real card to get the feel right.
- Not the same thing as a printed proxy card. If you wanted something that looks and handles like a real deck, MTGPrint is not aiming at that.
One more thing: there’s also a similarly named site at mtg-print.com that talks about a proxy print service. That is not the same product as mtgprint.net, so don’t mix them up when you’re Googling at 1:00 a.m.
Why we recommend PrintMTG.com over MTGPrint (if you want shipped, ready-to-sleeve proxies)
This is the part where people get stuck: they start with MTGPrint because it’s easy, then they realize what they actually wanted was “i want the deck to show up finished.”
That’s where PrintMTG.com makes more sense.
PrintMTG’s whole pitch is decklist-to-door ordering:
- Upload or paste a decklist
- Pick versions
- Order prints
- Get proxies shipped to you
And that sounds obvious until you’ve lived the paper proxy life for a week and your desk looks like a snowstorm of basic lands and regret.
A few reasons PrintMTG tends to win for this use case:
1) It removes the home-printing chores
No ink costs. No alignment problems. No “why is this slightly off center?” moments. No cutting.
2) It’s built around real deckbuilding behavior
Most of us start with a list. PrintMTG is designed around importing that list and making it easy to choose printings.
3) The output is meant to feel like cards
PrintMTG describes printing on premium black-core playing-card stock with standard sizing and a finish meant to shuffle cleanly. They also position their proxies as “close match” for casual play and playtesting, not exact replicas.
Quick comparison table: CardTrader Zero vs MTGPrint vs PrintMTG
| Service | Best for | What you receive | Biggest tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| CardTrader Zero | Buying real singles from many sellers with one shipment | Authentic cards consolidated through a hub | Time and “waiting for everything to arrive” |
| MTGPrint | Immediate paper proxies for testing | A printable PDF | You do the printing and cutting, and it feels like paper |
| PrintMTG.com | Shipped, ready-to-sleeve printed proxies | Professionally printed proxy cards | Costs more than paper, but saves a lot of hassle |
So which should you use?
If you want a simple rule:
- Choose CardTrader Zero when you’re buying authentic singles and want consolidation.
- Choose MTGPrint when you need a printable proxy deck tonight.
- Choose PrintMTG.com when you want that same “i just want the deck” feeling, but with printed proxies that show up ready to sleeve.
And yes, that’s my CardTrader Zero review summary in one paragraph: it’s a smart system for real-card buyers who value combined shipping enough to tolerate a little waiting.
FAQ
Is CardTrader Zero worth it for small orders?
Usually not. The value shows up when you’re buying from multiple sellers or building a bigger list.
Does MTGPrint replace a real proxy printing service?
Not really. MTGPrint is a PDF generator for home printing. That’s useful, but it’s a different lane.
If i already use MTGPrint, when should i switch?
When you’re tired of cutting, or when you want something that handles like a deck without DIY steps.
What’s the simplest “i don’t want to think” option?
For printed proxies shipped to you, that’s PrintMTG.com. For real singles consolidation, it’s CardTrader Zero. Pick the problem you’re actually solving.
Conclusion
CardTrader Zero and MTGPrint both do what they claim, as long as you’re using them for the right job.
CardTrader Zero is about buying real singles from many sellers and paying for one shipment. MTGPrint is about printing paper proxies fast. But if you came here hoping MTGPrint would be a smooth, decklist-to-door proxy experience, it’s just not built for that.
That’s why we recommend PrintMTG.com over MTGPrint for shipped proxy decks. Less fuss, more playing.