General Forum

I'm curious what people's general trading approach is. Do you focus on trades to complete 1 set at a time or do you prefer a more random approach where maybe you just look at your trade match report and start grabbing people off their who have cards you want without focusing on any specific set?

Personally I have always tried to focus on trading to complete 1 or 2 sets at a time. But I'm thinking for the next little while I might just try randomly picking people from my trade matches and see what kind of deal I can pull together. Will likely mean that my focus sets will take longer to complete but I'll get more variety right now.

Right now I'm more focused on what I'm getting rid of than what I'm getting back, so I focus more on other people that are looking for commons and need commons I have so I can start clearing out all my old collection that no longer interests me. 

I'm all over the place with my approach.  Sometimes I focus on completing sets, sometimes it's the trade matching report, and sometimes I focus on cards I'm trying to get rid of....for instance I tend to buy a couple blasters of a set, work on completing and specific insert and put the rest up for trade.  I keep those cards in the blaster box until they are all gone.  Right now I'm trying to get rid of the few Bowman Platinum cards I have left so I can get rid of the box and it aint easy lol.  Switching up my approach to trades keeps things fresh.

Due to the fact my PC is narrow in focus in the world of card collecting even thou I need 1000s of cards.

  My  approcach is to messages eveyone (active for the last 30 days) that has a card or more for me. 

Only 38 matches (approx. 35 cards),  30 of them are for only one card for me. 

I give up set building close to 20 years ago.

For a while it was a lot like the others have posted where I was just trying to get cards to people that needed them. Even if there wasn't much that the other person had to send me via match, I combed through their trade list and found cards that looked interesting. However, after the random trades started filling up some team sets but left me a few short, I focused on those cards that were missing and made offers to try and get those sorted out. 

Ultimately, it seems that I like to get envelopes in the mail only to get envelopes back. If that means that random trades will get the cardboard moving, so be it!

I've figured out to only post a few sets to my want list so that any trades will go to filling those empty sets. I plan to change them up from time to time.

Get what's available when it's available. 

My main focus was 2015 and older to my Topps manufacture brands for my Packers.. but matches were beginning to be far and few. I really enjoy filling others lists.. So I basically started  collecting 2016 and newer just to have the fun of more trades and trips to the mailbox. I ve been getting more Donation cards, Packers, Brewers for my Fundraiser Binders I donate in with my trades. Thanks to all that have donated. I have 2 custom binders ready . If nothing is on my wantlist and they need cards. I ll trade for furture traders to others or for fundraising binder fillers and others get their collection increased.

donn

I'm building Texas Rangers team sets going back to when they were founded (1972).  Along the way I pick some of the big names and more unique cards.  Anything that's in my For Sale / Trade list is something I'm willing to part with even if it's in that list by mistake.  I had the Wander Franco RC that I moved into my For Sale / Trade list in a bulk move and forgot to pull that one out and someone made me an offer.  It was a good trade and a teachable moment for me!  I've since picked up another one though!  :)  

I'm still getting my PC entered in here...up to 21,000 cards right now.  Feel free to check out my trade list and make me an offer!

I'm with you. My collection is too large and I buy so much that I am continually organizing and logging. I feel so much better on what I am getting if I open up my for sale/trade but keep my wants focused.