Australia-first · free to trade · paid capacity

Build a calmer place for collectors to swap cards.

TCG Draw is a binder-first, card-for-card marketplace. Every new member gets 30 saved card slots. TCG Draw earns revenue when collectors expand their saved capacity to 300 or 5,000 slots.

Read the strategy

30 free slots6 photos + description / slotEmail + mobile registrationCard-for-card tradesPaid capacity expansions

PROTECTED TRADE ROOMEMAIL VERIFIED

30 slots ready to startExpand only when your binder needs more room.

FREE

30free saved card slots

6photos plus one description per slot

300Collector slots for $5 / month

5,000Vault slots for $15 / month

AU → worldstart locally, expand by trust and support

01 · Product thesis

Win on trust, not on operational noise.

Collectors already have places to browse cards. TCG Draw adds a structured way to describe a card, make a card-for-card offer, keep the conversation attached to the trade, and follow tracked delivery to confirmation.

Recommended wedge

Launch an 18+ collector network with photo-rich binders, email verification and a required mobile contact number, structured offers, scoped chat, tracked delivery, and paid collection-capacity expansions. Keep the core marketplace free.

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Structured offers

Each offer names the cards on both sides, condition notes, shipping responsibilities, and the exact trade state.

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Tracked delivery

Both members submit tracking, and the delivery record stays attached to the offer instead of disappearing into chat.

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Capacity subscriptions

Start with 30 free slots. Paid plans increase saved capacity without changing the core trade experience.

02 · Audience

Start with a narrow, high-trust network.

A marketplace needs both sides of the match. Start with active Australian hobby communities and prove that verified members can complete useful trades without leaving the platform.

Collector with a binder

Find exact cards without chasing direct messages. Clear photos, condition notes, and response history build trust.

Selective seller

Know who is serious before spending packaging time. Verification, completed trades, and scoped chat help.

New collector

Learn what is worth trading and avoid unsafe off-platform arrangements through plain-language rules and education.

Growing binder

Use the free 30 slots first, then expand to 300 or 5,000 when the collection needs more room.

03 · Member journey

Design the whole ritual, not just the upload form.

Every step should reduce uncertainty while giving members a clear choice about what to share. The trade room should be easy to use, with member responsibility made clear.

1 · Create accountEmail, mobile, country, email code

2 · Verify identityPhoto ID when required

3 · Build binderUp to six photos per slot

4 · Make offerSelect cards and add a note

5 · Ship safelyBoth sides submit tracking

6 · ConfirmInspection and review

Card record

One slot equals one saved card record with up to six photos, one description, a language, and an optional AUD reference asking price. Suggested photo order: front, back, corners, surface, edge, and serial or proof.

slot = 1 card + up to 6 photos + 1 description + language + optional reference price

Offer note

Keep negotiation inside the offer. A short note should describe condition, shipping order, packaging, and any context the other member needs.

I offer: [Card A] + [Card B]
I receive: [Card C]
Shipping: both members upload tracking

04 · Offers & delivery

Keep the important details in one place.

A trade should have a locked offer version, a scoped conversation, a delivery record, and a clear resolution path.

DraftCards and note are still editable.

AcceptedBoth sides agree to the locked cards.

ShippedBoth members submit tracking.

DeliveredCarrier event opens inspection.

ConfirmedRecipient checks the cards.

Risk	Response	Member experience
Wrong or damaged card	Preserve photos, tracking, and messages; open a case.	Explain the evidence and resolution process.
Lost parcel	Open a carrier claim and pause the trade deadline.	Show the next steps and expected review date.
Contact sharing	Allowed in the private trade chat; members share at their own risk.	Show the risk notice and provide report/block tools.
Image abuse	Scan, quarantine, remove, and investigate.	Offer a clean re-upload path when safe.

Important

TCG Draw supports card-for-card trades and paid collection-capacity subscriptions only.

05 · Slots & plans

Make the quota promise precise.

A slot is a product unit, not just a listing toggle. Define it before enabling paid plans so support, storage, and billing behave predictably.

Recommended definition

One slot = one saved card record with up to six photos and one description. A pending or accepted trade reserves the slot. Archived cards count until deleted or moved to a separately priced archive plan.

Plan	Card slots	Price	Best fit	Guardrail
Starter	30	$0 / month	New member, first binder, casual trades.	Image size, upload rate, and fair-use limits.
Collector	300	$5 / month	Regular collector or small seller.	Renewal reminder and cancel-anytime path.
Vault	5,000	$15 / month	Large binder, shop, or serious collector.	Storage metering and abuse controls.

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Storage reality

5,000 slots can mean up to 30,000 images. Measure originals, derivatives, backups, and bandwidth before promising scale.

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Media pipeline

Keep originals private, strip unsafe metadata, generate optimized derivatives, scan uploads, and enforce per-slot limits.

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Downgrade behavior

Never delete paid-for data automatically. Let members browse, export, or delete before a lower quota takes effect.

06 · Safety & trust

Make normal trades easy and unusual trades observable.

A trustworthy product needs privacy, moderation, evidence, and a human review path. The interface should make the trade room easy to use while making member choice and responsibility clear.

Card chat platform only

Keep contact details out of public profiles. Members can share a phone number or email in the private trade chat when they choose. Each member is responsible for what they share and any off-platform arrangement; TCG Draw is not a party to those dealings.

Scoped chat

Attach each conversation to one offer. Allow contact details when members choose to share them, and provide report/block tools, rate limits, and abuse moderation. TCG Draw does not verify or endorse off-platform arrangements.

Identity data

Use a contracted identity provider when photo ID is required. Prefer a verification result over retaining raw document images.

Moderation queue

Triage reports, preserve evidence, restrict risky accounts, and record every moderator action in an audit trail.

07 · Technical build

Start modular, not clever.

A modular web application plus asynchronous jobs is enough to validate the workflow. Keep identity, media, shipping, moderation, and subscription billing behind replaceable interfaces.

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Web app

Next.js + TypeScript or an equivalent typed web stack. Public pages plus an authenticated app shell.

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Core data

PostgreSQL for users, cards, offers, trades, subscriptions, disputes, and audit events. A D1 database is enough for an initial registration pilot.

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Media

Private object storage, signed uploads, malware scanning, derivatives, backups, and lifecycle rules.

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Jobs

Queue image processing, email delivery, carrier updates, notifications, moderation, and subscription billing.

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Identity

Managed email verification with a required mobile contact field, plus a specialist ID/age provider when required.

Subscriptions

Server-side plans for 30, 300, and 5,000 slots with renewal, cancellation, and entitlement enforcement.

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Shipping

Carrier integrations and adapters for tracking, delivery, signature, and claims.

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Operations

Admin console, audit logs, case management, metrics, feature flags, backups, and incident response.

Core entities

User → Verification → Address → Subscription
Collection → Card → CardPhoto → TradeReservation
Offer → OfferVersion → OfferItem → Conversation → Message
Shipment → DeliveryEvent → Dispute → Resolution
AuditEvent · Report · ModerationAction

Non-negotiable rules

Server truth

Trade state and quota are calculated and authorized on the server. The client only displays signed results.

Immutable history

Accepted offers, tracking changes, verification status, moderator actions, and resolutions are append-only records.

Least privilege

Only the people and services that need an address, identity result, or evidence file can access it.

Idempotency

Jobs, retries, subscription events, and carrier events must be safe to replay.

08 · 90-day roadmap

Ship the risk-reducing slice first.

A smaller pilot that completes card swaps cleanly is more valuable than a feature-complete global marketplace with unclear rules.

01 · Days 0–14

Validate and choose partners

Interview collectors, test the offer language, clear the name and card wording, select identity and subscription providers, and draft terms.

02 · Days 15–42

Build the MVP

Implement email auth, 30/300/5,000 slot entitlements, six-photo media, search, binder, offers, chat, tracking, and disputes.

03 · Days 43–90

Run a supervised pilot

Invite a small Australia-first group, monitor support load, test lost parcels and disputes, and improve the highest-friction paths.

09 · Decisions before coding

Lock these answers before the product hard-codes them.

These defaults are a pragmatic starting point, not a substitute for professional advice.

Decision	Recommended default	Why	Owner
Initial market	Australia first, then one country at a time.	Reduces carrier, language, tax, privacy, and support variables.	Product + legal.
Minimum age	18+ for accounts, offers, and subscriptions.	Reduces contract and shipping complexity.	Legal.
Free capacity	30 saved card slots.	Lets a new member start without a subscription.	Product + operations.
Paid capacity	300 slots for $5/month; 5,000 for $15/month.	Simple expansion ladder tied to collection size.	Product + finance.
Trade type	Card-for-card only.	Keeps the first release focused and the rules understandable.	Product + trust.
Signup	Email verification plus a required mobile contact number.	Keeps account verification simple while giving members a direct contact route.	Product + privacy.
Storage	Private originals plus optimized derivatives.	Controls abuse while keeping public images fast.	Engineering + operations.

Reference

Useful official starting points.

business.gov.auAustralian business registrations and guidance.

OAIC privacy guidanceAustralian privacy principles and handling guidance.

Pokémon legal informationReference for rights-holder notices and commercial wording.

Supabase documentationExample reference for Postgres, private storage, and email authentication.

Legal note

“Pokémon”, character names, logos, card artwork, and related marks belong to their respective rights holders. Obtain trademark/IP advice before commercial use.