Improvements, Growing Pains, and Small Wins

Running an online TCG shop is a strange mix of excitement, problem solving, and patience. Every day brings a new challenge, a new idea, and if I’m lucky a new sale. Lately, I’ve been deep in the trenches working on improvements to the website, especially around something that matters a lot more than people realize: search and filtering.

Right now, I’m still struggling to find a search tool that does exactly what I want. Most of the prebuilt Shopify filters are either too limited or too clunky for a card‑heavy store. Pokémon and MTG singles need precision set, rarity, condition, price, type, color, holo pattern, and more. I want customers to be able to slice through the catalog effortlessly, not dig through pages hoping to find the card they want.

So I’m seriously considering custom building my own search and filter system. It’s more work, but it might be the only way to get the clean, fast, intuitive experience I’m aiming for. If I’m going to build a shop I’m proud of, the foundation needs to be solid.

I won’t sugarcoat it sales have been slow. That’s the reality of starting a new business from scratch. But the good news is that things are starting to pick up, little by little. Today we sold two Pokémon cards, and while that might seem small, it’s a sign of momentum. Every sale is proof that the brand is growing, the listings are being seen, and the work is paying off.

And honestly, it feels good. It’s exciting to see progress, even if it’s gradual. This is the early stage where every order matters, every improvement matters, and every customer interaction helps shape what First Draw TCG will become.

Thanks for joining my ted talk.

- Erik