Sage Mantis Game Haven

They have a ton of bulk, but they are 25 cents a card and $1 for any holos. That's insane. Not only that, if you find something in the unsorted mountain of cards worth more and they catch it, they will charge you more for it despite you doing all the work to sort through their bulk that they paid bulk prices for and didn't even know they had. Go to House of Cars instead. Their bulk is 10 for $1 for anything you find in the bulk and they have a good amount. Your Hobby Place is also super cheaper bulk, but they don't have a huge amount to go through.

I visited Sage Mantis Game Haven & Collectibles and had a disappointing overall experience. Upon entering the store, I was not greeted or acknowledged by staff, and no assistance was offered during my visit. The layout also made it difficult to browse, as portions of the store were dimly lit and some areas appeared closed off to customers. In terms of pricing, I noticed several items listed significantly above typical market value. For example, items commonly priced around $5–$6 were marked at approximately $25. While pricing can vary by store, there was no visible explanation (such as grading, condition notes, or certification) to justify these differences. I also saw retro gaming items priced in the $200–$300 range that did not appear to include authentication or grading information, which made it difficult to assess their legitimacy or value. Overall, the experience felt confusing and lacking transparency in both customer service and pricing practices. I would recommend that future customers proceed with caution and be prepared to carefully evaluate pricing before purchasing.

In the distant, mysterious land of the East Coast US, there stands a store called Sage Mantis Game Haven. It seems with game stores you either get a good selection with insane prices or a bad selection with good prices, but this place was different from the others, for it had what few game stores dream of having; a bad selection with insane prices! The stuff on the shelves is basically what you'd find at a thrift mall or garage sale for a few bucks a pop, but instead, the majority of them are prices 2x market price or even above. I would initially excuse this for a local small business, but then it just gets to a point of ridiculousness, like a disgustingly poor quality reproduction case for Metroid Prime going for 50$, over twice the price of buying it in good condition, complete in its original case. The only real gems I found outside of the glass cabinets were We Love Katamari, Okami, Mario Kart Wii, and your standard classic FPSs, but they're all overpriced for their quality, which is subpar at the least. Also, all of the copies of Madden 08 are mysteriously missing, which is unfortunate as a certified Madden 08 non-owner. Well, if you really want good games or consoles, you'll have to look inside the glass cabinets, where you will promptly find what you're looking for... in its most expensive variant, at 2.5 times the price. I'd give this place 0 stars if I could, but since I have to justify the one star I've given it, the staff are genuinely nice and friendly, and this place is a physical store that you can enter and walk around in, so, kudos for existing. This is certainly one of the stores of all time.

My son wanted to sell some pokemon cards…this place was recommended. We took a completely full box in, and the person at the counter started going through them…. Raised his eyebrows and said “I can see you have some of value cards here”…. We dropped off and waited for a phone call, only to be offered $10 cash or $15 store credit…. For 1,000+ pokemon cards. We go to pick them up, and there’s very clearly MANY cards missing from the box. We asked to speak to the manager, who wasn’t there, and never showed up after we requested to speak to them. Very poor way of doing business.

These guys are really chill, they helped me find a rock band guitar for my PS5, and even went of their way to see if my PS1 turned on. There always super friendly. They are one of the best places in Fredericksburg. They even bring in cool customers like the guy that came in with a duck.