Magic’s Hobbit booster box gets a modest Amazon preorder discount
Amazon has listed the Magic: The Gathering The Hobbit Play Booster Box at $199.70 ahead of its Aug. 14 release, according to Mashable.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
The Magic: The Gathering The Hobbit Play Booster Box has picked up a small preorder discount at Amazon, with Mashable reporting the 30-pack display at $199.70 as of July 16.
That price is $10 below the listed $209.70 price, a drop of about 5%, ahead of the expansion’s scheduled Aug. 14 release. The set marks another Magic: The Gathering trip to Middle-earth, this time through The Hobbit.
According to Mashable, the Amazon listing comes with a preorder price guarantee and is marked as final sale. That means buyers should check the terms before ordering, because the listing says the item cannot be returned, refunded, or replaced after purchase.
At Amazon’s reported preorder price, the box works out to about $6.66 per Play Booster before tax. The sealed display includes 30 Play Boosters plus one traditional foil Middle-earth Box Topper card, according to the product details cited by Mashable.
What comes in the box
The Hobbit Play Boosters are intended for drafting, Limited play, and deck-building, according to the listing details. Each booster includes 14 cards.
- One to three cards of rare or higher rarity
- Three to five uncommon cards
- Seven to nine common cards
- One land card
- One traditional foil card of any rarity
The Amazon deal is not the lowest price Mashable found across major card retailers. Walmart had the same Play Booster Box listed at $159.99, while TCGplayer’s lowest shipping-included listing was $160.99, according to Mashable’s price check.
Mashable reported that both the Walmart and TCGplayer prices were below the product’s $161.65 market price. The Walmart listing, however, was sold and shipped by third-party marketplace seller Cataclysm Games rather than Walmart itself.
Walmart’s listing was also marked non-returnable, according to Mashable, though it included free shipping and a preorder price guarantee. As with Amazon, that makes the fine print part of the deal for anyone planning to lock in a box before release day.
The Amazon preorder is pricier than those marketplace options, but Mashable’s report highlights the difference in seller setup and purchase terms. For collectors and players, the choice may come down to price, seller preference, and comfort with non-returnable preorders.
The set is scheduled to land Aug. 14, giving players nearly a month from Mashable’s July 16 price check to decide whether to preorder or wait for more movement before launch.
This story draws on original reporting from Mashable.