About Us

Level Merchant began in 2018 as a folding table at Sunday car boot sales south of Birmingham. Today it is a small online shop run by the same family. We asked our founder a few questions.

Our stall: arranging board games under a striped awning

Q1 How did Level Merchant start?: With a boot full of board games we had outgrown. In 2018 we took them to a Sunday car boot sale, sold out by eleven and spent the afternoon talking to people about their favourite games. We went back the next week with more, and somehow never stopped.
Q2 Why the name?: Because the best part of any game night is the moment someone “levels up” — learns a new game, beats their personal best, or finally wins against Grandad. We sell the boxes that make those moments happen.
Q3 What makes a game worth stocking?: It has to earn a place on our own kitchen table first. We play everything we can before we list it, and we time how long it takes to teach. If we cannot explain it in ten minutes to a tired family on a Friday, it needs to be very special to make the cut.
Q4 You sell pre-loved games too. How do you check them?: Every piece is counted against the rulebook, cards are counted twice, boxes are repaired where they need it, and anything worn is described in plain words. Our stockroom keeps a leaderboard for the fastest complete count — the record is a little under forty minutes for a very big box.
Q5 What happened in 2024?: We incorporated the business as THE TCG SHOP LTD, moved the stock into a proper storeroom in Hollywood, Birmingham, and opened this website so people outside the West Midlands could shop with us too.
Q6 What should a first-time customer expect?: A well-packed parcel, a friendly email if anything changes, and real people on the other end of the phone. If you are not sure which game to choose, write to us — helping you pick a present is our favourite part of the job.