In this guide, I’m going to help you understand everything about how customers behave in TCG Card Shop Simulator. From how much money they can spend to what makes them decide to buy something, I’ve got you covered. You’ll also find out how customers play games in your shop and what to do when those stinky customers show up.
Everything About Customers in TCG Card Shop Simulator
List of all the mechanics you need to know about customers in TCG Card Shop Simulator. If you follow these, you can easily make your shop successful.

How Much Can Customers Spend?
The first thing everyone wants to know is how much a customer can spend. Maybe you’ve pulled a rare card early and want to sell it for some quick cash. Well, the maximum amount a customer can spend depends on several factors:
- Your Shop Level.
- How many Shop Expansions you’ve unlocked.
- If you’ve unlocked Shop Lot B (and how many expansions you’ve unlocked for Shop B).
Here’s the formula for how much money a customer can have:
100 + (Shop Level * 100) + (Shop A Expansions * 250) + (Shop B Expansions * 400) + 500 (If Shop B is Unlocked)
Breaking this down:
- Start with $100.
- Add $100 for every Shop Level (e.g., $10,000 at Level 100).
- Add $250 for each Shop A Expansion unlocked (up to $5,000).
- If you’ve unlocked Shop B, add $500.
- Then, add $400 for each Shop B Expansion (up to $3,200).
The maximum a customer can have is $18,800. This amount will update every time you level up, place a play table, or get an expansion.
Bit of Randomness
But that’s not the end! There’s an extra layer of randomness to how much a customer can spend. Here’s how it works:
- A number between 0 and 1,000 is randomly generated.
- If it’s below 3 (0.3% chance), the customer will have between $300 and four times the max amount (up to $75,200).
- If it’s below 50 (5% chance), the customer will have between $40 and double the max amount (up to $37,600).
- If both checks fail, the customer will have between $20 and the max amount (up to $18,800).
So, the absolute maximum a customer can have is $75,200 if you’re lucky!
How Many Customers Can I Have?
The number of customers in your shop at one time depends on:
- Your Shop Level.
- How many Shop A Expansions you’ve unlocked.
- How many customers are currently playing at a table.
Here are the customer increases per Shop Level and Expansions:
Shop Level:
- Levels 1-2: +2 customers.
- Levels 3-5: +3 customers.
- Levels 6-9: +4 customers.
- Levels 10-14: +5 customers.
- Levels 15-20: +6 customers.
- Levels 21-27: +7 customers.
- Levels 28-35: +8 customers.
- Levels 36-44: +9 customers.
- Levels 45-54: +10 customers.
- Levels 55-65: +11 customers.
- Levels 66-77: +12 customers.
- Levels 78-90: +13 customers.
- Levels 91-100: +14 customers.
Shop A Expansions:
- 0 Expansions: +1 customer.
- 1-2 Expansions: +2 customers.
- 3-5 Expansions: +3 customers.
- 6-9 Expansions: +5 customers.
- 10-14 Expansions: +6 customers.
- 15-20 Expansions: +7 customers.
The final formula for the number of customers is:
1 + Shop Level Value + Shop A Expansion Value + Ceil(Num of Customers Playing / 2)
(Where “Ceil” means rounded up). However, there is a cap of 28 customers, no matter how high your Shop Level or how many Expansions you have.
What Makes a Customer Buy Something?
There are a few factors that influence whether a customer will buy something from your shop:
Target Item Some customers have a specific item in mind from their Target Buy Item List. The item must be something you can unlock at your current level. Even if you haven’t unlocked it yet, it can still appear on their list. A customer can have up to 6 items on their list, and their chances of spawning depend on your Shop Level:
- Levels 1-2: 5% chance of having a Target Item.
- Levels 3-4: 12% chance.
- Levels 5-9: 25% chance.
- Levels 10+: 40% chance.
Shelf Selection When a customer enters your shop, they will either go to a random shelf or head directly to the shelf with their target item (if available). If you don’t have the target item, they’ll pick a random shelf and say they can’t find it.
Customers going to a random shelf will have a 33% chance of checking out any cards you have displayed. This chance increases to 48% in the afternoon.
Customer Price Evaluation
When a customer reaches a shelf, they will evaluate the price of the item compared to its market price. The evaluation is based on the percentage difference between your Shelf Price and the Market Price:
- If the price is lower than the market price, the value will be negative.
- If the price is higher, the value will be positive.
For example:
- If a plushie has a Market Price of $10 and you set it to $9, the evaluation will be -10 (since it’s -10% off the Market Price).
- If you set the price to $15, the evaluation will be +50 (since it’s 50% higher).
Here are the percentages for each value:
- -20%: 100% chance of buying.
- -10%: 95% chance.
- 0%: 90% chance.
- +10%: 75% chance.
- +20%: 60% chance.
- +30%: 45% chance.
- +40%: 15% chance.
- +50%: 5% chance.
- +60%: 1% chance.
- Over +60%: 0% chance.
Customers will also check if they have enough money. If not, they’ll either check out or move to another shelf.
How Many Items Will Customers Buy?
A customer will first check how many items are available on the shelf. Then, they’ll randomly select a number between 0 and the available quantity (up to 14). If it’s a booster pack, they may buy more, but other items (like deodorants) are limited to 3 per customer.
When Will Customers Play?
Some customers may come in just to play a friendly game! The chance of this happening depends on the time of day:
- Morning: 18% chance.
- Afternoon: 33% chance.
- Evening: 63% chance.
- Night: 73% chance.
- If there’s a player already waiting at a table, add 25%.
If no one is waiting, the customer will sit alone and start a timer. After 5-30 seconds, if no one joins them, they’ll leave.
Stinky Customers
Sometimes, you’ll have smelly customers! The chance of a stinky customer spawning is:
2 + (0 < Shop Level / 2 < 15) %
At higher Shop Levels, up to 17% of customers can spawn as stinky. The number of stinky customers you can have at once is:
(Shop Level / 5) + 1
At Shop Level 100, you can have up to 21 smelly customers.
Stinky customers will bother others if they get too close. If a customer is within 3 units of a stinky one, they have a 15% chance of wanting to leave or immediately checking out.
Tips
Some random bits of info about customers:
- Some walk faster than others, with a random speed boost of up to 25%.
- About 10% of customers are chatty and will comment on their experience.
- If a customer fails to find their item after 1-5 tries, they will leave.
- Similarly, if they can’t pathfind to a shelf after 1-5 tries, they’ll leave too.
Hope this guide helps!