Bleecker Trading Upper West Side

Bleecker Trading Upper West Side is the smaller of two Manhattan card shops, at 185 W 80th St, and it stocks Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, the One Piece Card Game and sports cards. It suits collectors who want to trade on a weeknight, shop sealed boxes and singles, or sell higher-value cards to a store that buys them. The flagship is in the West Village, and this shop is the one on the Upper West Side.

What's on the shelves

The main business is trading cards, both sports and TCG products. Sealed boxes, singles and new releases are all on the floor, and boxes can be preordered ahead of a release. Services include item valuation, card grading, collection buyouts and use of a content studio for promotional purposes. The store's PSA submission service is currently paused because of PSA's longer processing times.

Selling cards to the store

The store buys cards with a market value of about $30 or more, with a preference for numbered, graded or autographed cards. In Pokémon, that means graded cards, vintage holos and modern chase cards. It does not buy entire collections or sports memorabilia. Payment is by PayPal or store credit, and cash is not offered in exchange for cards. Pricing is checked against CardLadder.

Trade nights and events

Trade nights run from 5 PM to 9 PM at the Upper West Side shop, with dates posted ahead of time. The store also hosts card shows, release parties, buy nights and kids days across its two locations. The most recent Upper West Side trade nights ran on October 7 and October 27, 5 PM to 9 PM.

Store policies and weekday deals

Most sales are final. Online orders can be picked up in store with a state-issued ID, and local Manhattan delivery is offered, but there is no general shipping. New customers get $10 in store credit after a first purchase, and every customer gets 1% of each purchase back as store credit, redeemable at either location or on online orders.

The weekday promotions follow a fixed rotation:

Birthday parties

The shop hosts birthday parties on Monday through Thursday, starting between 11 AM and 5 PM and lasting up to 2 hours. The space fee is $500 plus $50 per child, and each child's fee includes $35 in store credit toward cards or merchandise. Capacity is 10 total attendees; larger parties go to the West Village shop. A $250 deposit holds the date. Families can bring their own food, cake and drinks, but there is no refrigeration and no plates or utensils provided. Parties are semi-private with a reserved seating area while the store stays open, and exclusive private events can be arranged on weekdays.

Hours and getting there

The shop is at 185 W 80th St, at 80th and Amsterdam in the Upper West Side.

The local scene

Pacho Games is about 0.2 miles away and eeBoo Puzzles And Games about 0.3 miles. Puck the Comic Weekly, Z2 Comics and Jan's Hobby Shop are each a bit over a mile off. Card shows in the region include Project TCG EXPO at Queens College on October 31, SUPERCON: Queens on November 8, the New York Evolving TCG Show on November 14 and a Project TCG Pokemon card show at Queens College on November 15.