General Forum

So long ago someone mentioned they copy paste the traders ID and name, address on the side in a word document because once a trade is complete,you can't see their address anymore for future contact. I started doing this also. Until recently I never really had alot of transactions going at once. Some are arriving with no ID of the trade. What to do? ohh search the word document for their return address name, BINGO , I got my trader ID'd.

I myself. have used a shipping label sheet and printed a nice little Tranaction thank you and my id name on it for putting in my transactions going out.

The way I do trades is that once the trade (or sell) is accepted, I write down the other person's address on a Post-It Note and I put the transaction # on the very bottom. That info is initially just for me to create and print the shipping label. But I put that Post-It Note inside of the package (on something with cards in it), just in case something happens to rip open the package during transit. USPS would still know where to send the contents.

Since I have a photographic memory, writing that info down tells me who a return package is from as long as I can place the name, city or state. I don't keep a lot of trades going on at once (and that's really hard to do for me), but it helps me keep up with everything. Some people don't consider things like you mention. I've received many packages over the years that didn't even have a person's name on the return address label. How do they expect you to know who it's from if they never include their name OR the username? Some people are just clueless until it happens to them.

I'm still not going even farther like you did to make a digital record of that stuff. If a PWE trade isn't worth my time to pull and pack, tracking people with a DOC is even less than worth my time. I'll stick to my method and it's been fantastic so far. I haven't had any confusion with what arrived in my mailbox.

I used to use Google Maps to track addresses and trades including PIFs. It's a bit of work, but it also allowed me to keep transactions linked on the map. This is the last one I used in 2020.

I don't keep the addresses on file, but I do have a map on Google Earth with all the cities I've traded with. It's just fun to see all the different places. I too have a photographic memory so I remember the username by the state/city the trade comes from.

Haha. Yes , I stole that idea also.. I map each address.

how do you map the addresses on google? Thats pretty cool

My memory is like my cards I have FS/FT.  I know I have them but just can not find then right now and it takes a little time to find.

Like the Google Map ideal but to much time involved for me.

I try to put every   ID, Name and address in a file that I have traded with plus a few more that I have cards for (like one and done cards)   A couple of years ago I could not find the file so I had to start over again.  

I use this file when I am sending out PIF cards.  So I do not keep sending to the some members and I can spread it around.  Most go out around Christmas.  I mark them and at the end of the year I start a new.    Surprising how many do not let you know they got the cards.  

I print off two copies of the transaction that includes cards and trader info (condensed down to usually 60% of normal size), cut both out and include one with the cards and keep the other.  It allows me to check off cards being sent so I'm not sending wrong cards and provides the trader with a way to know the trade info when they receive the envelope.....the copy I keep allows me to easily identify the trade and also is a quick visual reference to how many trades I have going without having to get online.

Don't get me wrong.....sometimes I get ahead of myself and seal the envelope before placing the copy of the transaction in the envelope and in that case I write the id on the envelope....if I forget that then hopefully the return address is enough to identify.

I like the google map idea....have thought about doing that, but for whatever reason haven't.  It's pretty neat to see all the places you've sent and received cards from.

You can either use Google Maps and label a pin for each location or if you're on a desktop you can use Google Earth, which is better for this sort of thing. If you use Google Chrome and open a new tab, you'll see your account icon with a menu disguised as 9 little squares. Click on the squares and scroll down to the Earth icon. I save my locations in a project called TCDB Trades so I can easily see just those....

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CJq81V46b9tEvGV96

What she said.