Opening a Trading Card (TCG) Shop in France: The Guide

Opening a card shop is not just about picking premises and ordering boosters. Between choosing a legal status, sourcing from distributors, and the rules around your till and buybacks, several things must be settled before your first sale. Here are the steps, in order, seen from behind the counter.

Legal status and registration

This is the first decision, and it shapes everything else. Several forms exist, each with its own tax and social implications:

• Micro-entreprise: the simplest to launch, but with revenue caps.
• Sole proprietorship (EI): standard regime, no revenue ceiling.
• EURL: single-shareholder limited company.
• SASU: single-shareholder simplified joint-stock company, often chosen for credibility and protection.

The right choice depends on your situation: expected volume, need to hire, personal taxation. Settle this with an accountant, not on a forum. Once the status is set, you register to obtain your SIRET number. Without a SIRET, you cannot invoice, open a business account, or get set up with distributors.

Premises and insurance

A TCG shop lives on foot traffic and tournaments. Location matters as much as rent. Before signing a commercial lease, look at the catchment area: nearby shops, accessibility, room for play tables. A card shop that runs Magic or Pokemon nights needs seating space, not just shelving.

Also consider professional liability insurance. It covers damage caused to third parties as part of your business. For a shop that welcomes the public and runs events, it is not optional.

Sourcing from distributors

This is the crux. Each publisher has its approved distribution network, and you must get in to buy at retailer prices:

• Pokemon: through TPCi and its approved distributors.
• Magic: through the WPN (Wizards Play Network).
• Other games (Yu-Gi-Oh!, Lorcana, One Piece) each have their own channels and terms.

What surprises newcomers: allocations. On major releases, you do not receive everything you order. The distributor allocates based on your history and profile. A new shop gets limited quantities on the most sought-after sets. Plan ahead: do not promise customers stock you are not sure to get.

Obligations: till, buybacks and VAT

Three obligations come up consistently in a card shop.

First, the till. Any point-of-sale software must be NF525 compliant (anti-VAT-fraud regulation). This is non-negotiable as soon as you process sales.

Next, buying back used cards. If you buy cards from private individuals, you must keep a police register, which tracks each used item received and its origin. And reselling those used cards falls under margin VAT: VAT is calculated on the difference between the sale price and the purchase price, not on the full sale price.

Finally, the VAT exemption (franchise en base). Below certain revenue thresholds, you may qualify and not charge VAT. The thresholds and conditions change over time: do not rely on a figure read somewhere, review it with your accountant based on your actual situation.

In summary

Opening a card shop in France follows a clear logic: status and SIRET, then premises and insurance, then getting set up with distributors, and finally the till and buyback obligations. Used-card buybacks and margin VAT are often underestimated, yet they shape your entire accounting. Software like Echo TCG, built for TCG shops, handles the NF525-compliant till, the police register and margin VAT in a single tool, which avoids juggling several systems day to day.

This article is informational and does not replace advice from an accountant or lawyer.