Buy/Sell/Trade Forum

I found some cards on eBay, hobby packs from 96-97, you might know about them from my ebay pfffttt thread. I contacted the seller about shipping first and was very polite by saying before I make an offer how much would shipping be to my address. He replied that it would be 15-17 Cdn. So I replied ok and then simply asked if I could ask if $3/pack was a fair offer. He replied about no money talk via email and I sincerely apologized and said I would simply Make an Offer. He replied one last time and said no hard feelings and was just keeping us from being blacklisted. Then he finishes off his message with ............ "If you had something listed for $5 and was offered $3 would you take it?" So I am a tad confused by this but regardless I go and make an offer on all 15 available packs at $3 per ...... instantly declined ............. ok lets try $3.50 ......... again instantly declined. I deleted all evidence of the packs and went on my merry way. What is the point of "Make an Offer" when it auto-declines. So now to my defense before any questions come my way. Would you ever buy single packs off eBay from a hobby box at full price .... not me. Sealed with proper plastic hobby boxes for me preferably. I do buy single packs but they had better be priced right. The same seller is asking $85 Cdn for a sealed box of 18 packs. $4.73/pack so he is actually charging more for something that could have been opened and resealed, who knows what. Off topic a bit but just wanted to say how being polite is not just how it is given but how it is recieved as well. I thought I was polite and he obviously did not. Sorry for the rant.

The thing that gets me is when I offer a trade and I'm declined. No problem. I ask why politely, since I'm attempting to move forward. When I'm told lopsided then I ask the other person to counter. Twice I got that response, I'm more than willing to negotiate. But no reply. If it was me, I'd at least reply back with a message. Maybe it's just me. 

Rusty I am very sorry that I insulted you . I was trying to be polite to you I guess that next time I get a decline I will just delete it instead of trying to be freindly and write something stupid like it didnt hurt to try . I am not here to rip anyone off or scam anyone just to have fun add to my collection and lighten my lode of extra cards . I like to believe I'm a honest person and if a offer comes off as trying to take advantage of you once again I'm sorry Thanks for the time John Balestracci   

And this is why we have forums....open and honest discusion. Intent can be lost in electronic communication. As many here have stated, most of us are honest people seeking to add to our collection and help others add to theirs. It is the rare dishonest person out there that make honest people doubt each other. Thanks for responding belijr.....I have to believe that if you were really the type to try to scam people you wouldn't have taken the time to post. 

Great discussion 

John, I see much of me in you. You made me an offer for some vintage commons on your want list for modern cards on mine. It's taken me about a year of trading and buying to get both my own collection and trade bait to include vintage. I'd say about a fifth of my collection came from trades with most of those who've posted on this topic. Most were very gracious in their dealings with me. There had to be communication and a spirit of negotiation and understanding. I recall my thrill of buying my first vintage card that I posted a list on my profile. No sooner had I done that that some sent me a few cards to continue adding to my collection. Soon enough I was trading vintage for vintage, too. 

Along those lines some also were willing to trade vintage to me if I sent as many as 10:1 or more in modern cards. I was okay with that, but it all happened with straightforward communication. There were a couple times where I insulted the member with my offer despite my communication, but my experience overall has been great because I believe most understand the joy of collecting. 

So just keep at it with openness and learn your trade partners idiosyncrasies. This group keeps me sane! LOL

I hope we can connect on a deal sometime soon. 

Thanks for the apology.  I would suggest not only to you but to all others who propose trades that when you do, before hitting send consider whether you would (honestly) accept the trade if the other guy proposed it to you.  If the answer is a resounding "No", then you probably should not send it or, as some have suggested, include a message asking what it would take to get the cards you want. Not including a message with just the hope that you can dupe someone is not how to build a good reputation.

By the way, you aren't the only one who does this; I received another today for about the same value difference in different eras.  Declined. It's funny how I never receive offers of a vintage card of a HOF in trade for a few of my 1980s cards.

This has been a great and productive discussion. I don't trade much, so perhaps my views don't carry a lot of weight. The few trades I've made, I think I've offered even value, because I'm really not in it for the thrill of the trade. Like many, I'm just trying to expand my collection and get rid of doubles. That said, some people really like to see how well they can do in a trade. Trading cards are the closest they come to being a general manager of a team. And, like general managers, they walk the line between insulting potential trade partners and being able to pull off Ernie Brolio for Lou Brock. It's part of the enjoyment for them. I know that as a kid, I tried to get the highest value out of every trade I made and relished "ripping people off." I'm not a kid anymore, but I can understand the mindset. I'm not saying that it's great to go around making ridiculous offers, but I'm also not sure it's worth getting too offended by someone seeing what they can get. I can see myself saying "Well, it was worth a shot" flippantly after making an offer that seemed a little too good to be true.

On eBay, I once offered $100 for a card with an asking price of $140. Insulting? I dunno, maybe. Where's the line? $70? $90? $110? Anyway, he declined. Three months later, I offered the $100 again. Accepted. People have different views about what's valuable and some of it is pretty subjective. You'd have to offer me a boatload of good stuff to get my only 1953 Topps Satchel Paige card. But if I had three of them, I'd drop my price by about 50%.

Not to pull rank or anything, but a large part of my job is to be the mediator in various cases with much more at stake than a few trading cards. One of the more important elements of that work is to convince both sides that the other side is negotiating in good faith and not presenting an "insulting" offer. It can be difficult, but it's actually pretty rare that someone makes an offer as a slap in the face. They make offers that they honestly (perhaps mistakenly) think are legitimate, and obviously in their own interest to a great extent. That's how the "game' is played. And my job is to make sure people understand that and don't walk out. It's not that different from trading here, except here people can walk out with far fewer consequences, which makes this much easier. In the end, If you don't like a trade, just don't accept it. If you're truly offended, never trade with that person. End of story. Everyone moves on.

I guess I'm just recommending that folks focus on keeping the site and the trading and the collecting fun and give people the benefit of the doubt.

Peace.

v3

I have found that an e-mail before a transaction notification is sent has been very helpful in clearing up any issues. Just a quick, "hey, I want to get this card (or these cards) from you, hope we can work out a deal." Gives the other party a chance to look at the other other person's FS/FT list. And no surprises.

Very interesting discussion. I for one do not do value for value, I keep it real, but I don't sit down with a calculator and Beckett to see if the trade is a $1 off. I like supply and demand, if I need or want cards that you have I'm willing to swing a deal even if the values don't match. Chances are I don't get the needed or wanted cards if I have to pay on eBay, Sportlots etc., so if I see 5 vintage commons, I'll give you 100 cards worth more to complete the deal. That's just my thinking. Happy collecting, ~BOB~