Ronin Games AZ

If I could sum up this store in one word, it would be “inconsistent.” While the store itself is typically clean and cozy, it is the customer service that ruins the entire experience. I’ve gone into the store more than a dozen times after discovering it at a nearby card show, and every time I go in, it’s a gamble. Surprisingly, as a younger female customer, it’s only when the male employees are there that I have a decent experience. The owner is kind, welcoming, respectful, and knowledgeable, and I almost always have a great conversation with him when he’s there. However, when he’s not, the female employees are an absolute nightmare. They pretend to be kind and respectful when he’s there, but the second he’s gone I’m met with eye rolls, sighs, and negative comments about my knowledge as a collector, especially by the shorter, older woman with short black hair. She seems very “gate-keepy” of the shop and hobby, and is extremely rude to anyone except regulars (and despite me coming in more than a handful of times a month, her demeanor to me hasn’t changed). It’s always an inconvenience to ask her to price cards I’m trading/selling, or even do something as simple as grab a box off the shelf or a card from the case. On top of extremely poor customer service, it seems like every time I double-check the market value of a card compared to the sticker price, it almost always is overpriced. They often have dates written on the backs of the sleeves to say when the card was last pride-checked, and I’ve seen it be a month or more on some cards, leading to extremely inaccurate prices. When I went in today, in fact, the card I looked at was dated as being price-checked on August 18th, and the market was already $15 below their sticker price, not to mention they had it priced at near-mint despite it being bent. When I told them this, it was clear it was an inconvenience to them, and she even told me that the clear damage wasn’t enough to be considered even lightly played. On top of this, their trade and buying percentages are absolutely barbaric. The woman I’ve talked about says she trades at 65%, but funnily enough I always get closer to 80% when the actual owner is there; I wonder if he knows how manipulative and neglectful her sales approach is. Overall, I wouldn’t waste your time or money coming to this store just to be treated as an inconvenience and scammed out of money. Take it from someone who’s been there a dozen or more times and has finally decided it’s a lost cause: you can find bigger, better card shows in the valley that won’t treat you as less-than the second you walk in the door. I love supporting small businesses in Arizona, but unfortunately believe they won’t last long with some of their employees dragging the business into the dirt.

Ronin Games has an awesome logo and makes a great first impression from a branding standpoint, but unfortunately the customer service didn't live up to it. The first employee we interacted with seemed irritated from the moment we walked in. Nearly every conversation started with a sigh or a complaint, and it felt like helping customers was an inconvenience. It made the experience uncomfortable and unwelcoming. Another employee we spoke with later was polite and professional, and I appreciate her attitude. Unfortunately, by that point the overall experience had already been soured. What was most disappointing were a few comments from the first employee that came across as sexist toward men. Regardless of who your customers are, everyone deserves to be treated with the same level of respect. Everyone who walks through the door should feel welcome and respected. The store itself also had a strong odor that smelled like urine throughout our visit, which only added to the negative experience. I genuinely wanted to like this shop because it has a lot of potential, but customer service and the overall environment are just as important as the products on the shelves. I hope management addresses these issues, because a cleaner, friendlier, and more respectful atmosphere would go a long way.

I love this place so much! Preston and everyone else that works here is so friendly, always willing to do what’s best for you and makes coming here worth the drive from wherever. The locals are fun to play with and talk to at any event they host. The prices on singles, product and trades are VERY reasonable and if it’s different than what you know it to be they own up to the mistake! Again, I love coming here and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Cozy trading card and hobby shop. I was looking for a place that would give me a fair return for my vintage Pokemon card collection, and after calling around to a couple different places in the valley this was the only one that seemed interested in taking what were apparently some very rare 90's and early 2000's cards off my hands, including my Japanese cards, which other shops weren't interested in since they "don't move quickly". Doing business with these guys was an absolute pleasure. They know their stuff and have a genuine passion for collecting. Communication was top tier. They carry lots of cards for different franchises (Magic: The Gathering, One Piece, Gundam), there's a comfy area to play games, and even a little corner with some claw games as well as snacks and drinks. Highly recommended.

A friend of mine recommended this place, as I recently got into collecting Pokemon cards. And wow, what a super cool store! My husband and I met Bethany, who was very friendly and helped me with any questions I had. We then met Preston, who helped my husband with any Magic The Gathering pack related questions. Both of them were so helpful, knowledgeable and kind. The store had a Funko Pop Event, so the parking lot and store were filled with people for the event but Bethany and Preston were super patient and gave each customer the light of day with any help needed. My husband purchased a few MtG packs, and I got a few single Pokemon cards along with a few Pokemon packs … and well? Immediately pulled these two bangers while in the car, still in the parking lot. My husband and I ran back into the store to buy sleeves, showed Bethany my first pull (the Mega Lucario) who congratulated me, informed me of their own grading program for future use and helped us purchase quality sleeves. Definitely love this place and will be returning soon! Thank you Bethany and Preston!