Trading Tips

Please excuse the lack of organization and the bad apperance... we don't have time to put this together yet, but we will soon. So in the meantime, here's a list of various tips we have gathered...

AVOIDING BAD TRADES -WHAT WORKED FOR ME

If posters to your website use even a LITTLE common sense they can avoid most rip offs on the net. These are some of the principles I trade by -

1. Do not trade if you have ANY doubts about the integrity of the other party. There are too many good traders on the net to stick your neck out dealing with possible bad traders. I frown on those who can't spell or those who curse excessively on the net. I don't like jargon or too much haggling. And if I better hurry up and make the deal..... then I don't think so. References are nice, but not alwas conclusive. As you gain experience trading, you tend to develop a good set of warning beacons that work for you in spotting potentially bed situations. Each of us are different and learn by our experiences, both good and bad.

2. If you think the deal is too good to be true, or that you are getting a REALLY good deal you're probably not and it probably isn't. If you're trading for a good Type I in exchange for some type II crap rares, you probably will never see your gem materialize. If you think someone is being a sucker in any deal you make, be sure to take a close look at yourself in the mirror before you mail the cards. The best deals are fair to both sides.

3. Both parties get at most two chances to present their best deal. The one who doesn't have a card needed to make the deal, would offer one choice from a list of 3 to five cards. If no interest or no decent counteroffer then it's time to say thanks and good luck trading elsewhere. If someone says that they can do better, then by all means let them. If you think you are giving up too much you probably are. IF EITHER PARTY IN THE TRANSACTION DOESN'T FEEL LIKE THEY ARE TREATED FAIRLY OR GETTING WHAT THEY NEED, THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO RATIONALIZE BEING A RIPPER, OR SENDING SLOW, OR MAKING EXCUSES, ETC. THIS INCLUDES YOU.

4. Pick a value that you would feel pain on losing. (It's annoying to lose a bunch of uncommons. It's really annoying to lose a hammer. It's beyond horrible to lose a Juzam or Lotus. It's just plain stupid to lose a set of power 9) Choose your pain level, and for whatever it is, insist on the following -
-> send to an address or office - NEVER A P.O. BOX. Offices of large companies are best since the package has a chance of being logged in.
-> get a phone number. If price is an issue, rates are cheapest on Saturday. If the value of the cards you are sending is over your pain threshhold, then CALL the person. You can sometimes get a sense of the person you are dealing with over the phone, and you can also review and verify the details of the trade. If you don't feel comfortable, then cancel. If you can't afford to phone overseas, then at least know you are taking a risk. Also, if you are getting a phone number or address that is at a college dorm, try to get a home phone number just in case (VERY tough). This is especially true right before school is out for the year.
-> send by priority mail (3 bucks - 3 days). Priority mail is handled better than regular mail. They also provide a free cardboard mini-box to hold your cards (was designed for videocassettes). If you are really worried, then send insured and/or express mail. Registered mail takes forever and proves nothing beyond the fact that you sent an envelope. If money is an issue, at least send your cards in a padded envelope and bring it in to the post office to be hand cancelled. Otherwise your cards go through the dreaded sorting machines (worse than jangling automatons, ritual of the machine is nicer on your cards).
-> These are small prices to pay to avoid being cheated out of great cards.

5. Be VERY careful in any deal involving type I for type II.

6. Look through and "haves and wants" lists for the same cards in both directions. Either you are dealing with a very confused puppy or a trader who suffers from the "my cards are worth more than yours" syndrome. In either case, you may get jerked around a lot before getting anywhere. Also be cautious where the "wants" are all good cards and the "haves" are all junk rares, or worse yet, uncommons. Same principal.

7. Simulsend is the same as sending first to a ripper. A ripper won't send period. So simulsend doesn't help if #1 is violated.

8. If the email address is invalid FOR ANY REASON, or the name is not the same as on the account, do not pursue the deal. If you must, insist the other party send first. If there was a complaint you saw against another party, disclose this to the party and insist that they send first. If in either case they refuse, sleep very well that night.

9. Always specify the condition of your cards and the condition of the cards you expect to receive. Make sure that the cards you are getting match your expectations and make sure that you trader knows your expectations.

10. When a trade is final I always send an email that describes my cards and their condition, my address, the trader's cards and condition and their address, and request confirmation before deal is concluded. This is almost a written contract, as much as these things can exist on the net.

11. If the deal goes bad, always be courteous. Email first, and if that doesn't work, then phone. If you want the name of a parent, phone information and give them the address you got and ask for a last name. They will say "I have a Daddy Jones at that address. Dou you want the number?", or something like that. Say "yes" and be sure the number matches. If a minor is involved, parents can either be a help or a hinderance. Never accuse at first, especially to a parent. Parents always like to think their kids are little angels, even when they are obviously not. They are also far more likely to know when their kid is lying than you can ever be. In any event, if you don't get the cooperation of the parent, the family probably doesn't have any ethics and the deal is probably toasted. Move on. If the trader is teenager or adult, you can be more forceful, though your instincts will tell you whether you can pursue this or not. Learn from your mistakes, and if you are sure you were ripped, email your own reference list with the details.

12. Trading is an art not a science. You can do only so much against a sociopath like the guy who ripped off $700 in cards, but if you follow the above your odds of avoiding a ripoff improve dramatically. Happy trading!

Beware of Hotmail, Rocketmail, Mailcity, Mailmasher, and other web-based e-mail accounts. References from these users don't mean much. If you're trading with someone from these addresses, be extremely careful. So far, 80% of bad traders have originated from these free web-based e-mail accounts.

When trading, request the person's phone number. You may even want to call them up if you're doing a very big deal...

If the trader has a P.O. Box, require that they send first. It's difficult to track them down if they're using a P.O. Box...

Print out, or copy down, the ad. That way, you'll have their e-mail address if ever your hard drive crashes... and, you'll have their IP address for us to trace if anything ever goes bad.

Their e-mail address prefix should be similar to their IP address. If not, inquire why. For example, ([email protected]) IP address should end with someISP.com.

Plenty of other tips can be found on here.

If you have any tips that you would like to share, e-mail them to me at g***j@a***o.com

Posted by Pålädìñ on September 06, 1997 at 12:45:46:

It's sad, but a lot of people don't use common sense while trading. Here's a few tips:
#1 If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If someone offers you 3 dual lands for your Shivan, then they are probably NOT stupid, they are just a rip.
#2 If someone has both a free e-mail account and a PO Box, don't trade with them. It will be VERY hard to trace them.
#3 Ask people to send first (that is if they have less refs than you. If they have more refs than you, don't be a whiny little loser and ask that they send this first. I'm sure that every good traders peeve is when some little schmuck with 2 refs asks you to simulsend)
#4 If it's a big deal, use certified mail. This prevents you losing a lot. Use this only on important deals cause I believe this is expensive (like $1 or more)
#5 If someone rips you off, use WhoWhere or People Find to get their real address and phone #. What you do with this info is up to you. I recomend you call their parents and tell them what their kid is doing. You could also contact their ISP, but they will probably just get an AOL account or something. Also, if you want to get them busted file a complaint for mail fraud. This is a federal offense, so they WILL get in trouble.

Hope this helps!
-Pålädìñ