Off-Topic Forum

In case you aren't familiar with this slice of absurdity it stands for random act of kindness

Kindness should be a constant and not some random act, this is horrible terminology,

The top quality folks here at TCDB use PIF , paying it forward when you are able to is a much better representation.

Too much of this great hobby has taken a beating from the hooligans who have attempted and will soon fail their takeover.

Hang in there fellow hobbyists better days and prices are ahead.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275955700050?hash=item40403dd152:g:x2MAAOSwhQJhEEK9&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0F4nigeP1gAEayebbqf2nShcv93vW5OJDm0nL5sD73uMvOwimqZ21zDp26nY6%2BtzoaTDI44%2F4Hi6gyMvjeScHuMxqmjXPHuSqIQ3kObVLwawJiJyFAWh%2BYBgQLGgGK%2FMFcDQEIwSuqouK3wKD40gphNuSqYsYFQAzg9CKHlpT8v%2F%2Bsk9Nhx29VCGUJpCLiCiG2EQcvCWQAFbaUeI4GVUAkzU71mO1ceTbWA2nQxDmQZYP1Cm3lrg%2FUYdRLfbBwIrno0U9DtEe%2B41DUhPITGSFkE%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR4TtieyKYw

I see what you're saying from the senders point of view. As a receiver of unexpected care packages from fellow youtubers, it really is a RAK.

Anything listed as "rare" shouldn't have 2 identical items show up as suggestions on ebay.

That aside, to your main point of RAK and PIF, the community on this website have been more than kind.  I don't see many here who look to "win" with every trade which makes trading very easy and enjoyable for most of us.

To that point of acts of kindness related to this hobby, I want to give a huge shout out to a local dealer in New Hampshire.  Mike, who runs the website www.lotofcards.com has recently started up Thursday night card shows in Nashua, NH once a month.  At last night's show he offered up a huge table full of cards that kids could pick from and fill up 500 count boxes for free.  What a great way to introduce new members to the community.  And I didn't realize until I had gotten home, on the schedule of upcoming shows he handed out as I walked in, it included a "coupon" that allows anyone with a copy of the schedule to get $10 in free cards from his table at each of his upcoming shows in 2024.  With more and more card shows charging money to just walk in, how awesome is it that a dealer will have, not only a show with free entry, but also give you $10 in credit for his table just for walking in the door with his schedule in your hand or to give 500 count boxes of free cards to kids for Christmas?  That's how you get a new generation hooked and to get them to keep coming back.

There is a different between being kind and an act of Random act of kindness.

If I send out free cards to member A all the time it is out of kindness of my heart. (like you with your prices).   The random part comes in when I send the cards to someone that I have never dealt with before and has nothing that I need.  

I'm sure there are many members here that has never gotten any PIF cards.   To them it is random but to the members that send out a lot of PIF cards or add extra cards in their trades.  (and there are many here.)   Yes, it is normal for them, just trying to be kind and helpful.   Yes there a lot of kind and helpful members here and I'm sure they are doing a lot of kind acts outside of the world of card collecting.

As far as the card on E-Bay you see it all the time nothing to see there.     

I think PIF means more now that it ever has. When I started trading cards online, in 2008 sending a bubble mailer with tracking was around $2. 

Almost everything was sent by bubble mailer. Now I think 95% of trades, for me at least,  are pwe. My point is that it's more expensive to send extras, which makes receiving them more special. 

I don't know if this helps this topic or not. It was the first thought that entered my mind. 

Thanks, Frank 

All positive interaction and thoughts are interesting, It would be nice to just be able to make it a constant, like i still hope for a lottery win to enrich others with cards and not even have to charge for shipping , because while we own the cards and they've been paid for , we don't yet own the post office.

I understand the general idea of RAK, and that due to available funds it cant be a(n) AAK always act kind , I'm going to keep working on it and procrastinating myself to D--th. Money sucks 

Have a great weekend everybody!

I love this idea. I wish there was something like it in Milwaukee where I’m staying (to help out my elderly mother). I might even be able to supply the cards for the kids, though it’s a lotta red and ble Donruss, yellow and silver Fleer and leaf stuff of ball players 20-30 years in the past. I love sitting thru stuff and buy piles at thrift stores, eBay boxes, repacks, garage sales etc. I wish there was something like a meetup, to swap cards and tall tales more so than dealer tables, around Milwaukee.  During the summer I thought about placing little packets in all the local little library boxes in folks yards with an invitation to meet at the park or coffee shop once a week but I decided that plan was a little too close to creepy guy in the ratty old conversion van w a half finished unicorn scene painted on the side up to no good. I don’t have kids but I wonder if any of the kids are gonna want these “hugely valuable “ collections once we end up at that great card show in the sky. Randy