#COMMONCARDSMATTER
I have turned trades off again for the time being. I got way more trade requests than I was expecting (thank you all for them!), and cannot keep up along with my work. DM me if there is something you really want. I'm happy to work out a few trades here and there.
Collecting Interests:
Baseball -- Typically Topps flagship, Update, and Chrome annually, plus any other sets I feel like collecting. I'm trying to put a 1953 Topps set together. I also collect rookie cards of any and all star/superstar players. I have also recently started focusing on Japanese-born MLB players' rookie cards (both Japanese sets like BBM and American sets)
I also have PCs of Aaron Nola and Andre Lipcius. I'm always looking to add my my Nola collection! As for Lipcius, I am seeking to collect every card of his that has more than 5 copies in existence. See my wantlist for which ones I am missing. (It's not many!)
Beyond that, I know my wantlist is a bit narrow, but if you have some cool Phillies cards that I dont have, I might be willing to trade for those even if they aren't on my official wantlist. Message me and we can try to work something out. I'm always open to sending or receiving cash in trades if necessary.
My Non-Set Collecting Goals -- last updated in May, 2023
*Note: My goals are in no particular order, are very general, and have no real time frame for when I want them to be completed. Use these just as a general guide for what I collect.
Trading Rules:
Rule 1: Like for Like
Don't offer me 200 commons from 1988 Topps for a GU auto or something like that. It's not going to happen. If there is a card you really want and you don't have much off my wantlist, message me, and we can work something out.
Rule 2: Relatively Fair Deals
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep trades reasonably balanced. It is not that hard to do some research to determine the price of cards, please do it. I understand that you might just not have very much in your trade list that matches with my wantlist, but that is no excuse to offer 10 late '80s commons to me for a Fernando Tatis Jr. Topps rookie card (Yes, this happened). If you do not have enough cards to offer for what you want in return, contact me! I am happy to try and work something out with you. If worse comes to worse, I am always open to selling cards, or doing a partial trade with half cards and half cash. However, if you make a horrible offer with no explanation, that leaves me with a first impression of you that you either (a) are trying to swindle me or (b) did not bother to research the value of the involved cards and are clueless about their value. Neither of those are a good look on you, so don't do it.
I'm not saying trades offers have to be like within a dollar of each other or I'll be instantly offended -- just keep it reasonable. Depending on context, I don't necessarily mind trading $20 worth of cards for $10 in return if it's something I really want, just don't be ridiculous.
Rule 3: Overproduction era commons for current era commons
This is an extension of rule 1. Overproduction era cards can generally be had dirt cheap. That's not to say I won't trade for them if they are on my wantlist; however, I've found that most people are not looking for overproduction era cards in return (for obvious reasons). That is completely fine; however, supply and demand must take effect. I will have a much easier time trying to trade away 2023 Topps commons than 1989 Topps commons, right? Thus, it seems pretty logical that the '23 cards are worth more than the '89 cards. Therefore, I have a general rule of thumb in which I will trade 2 for 1 in favor of whoever is receiving the overproduction era commons.
Again, this is a very general rule of thumb, and there are exceptions, as always. Common sense rules the day.
Rule 4: Make trade worth price of postage
Another common sense rule. In general, why would I do a 1 for 1 commons trade for a 5 cent card when postage is 60-70 cents (PWE)? It makes no sense, right? I would recommend either increasing the value on both sides, or buying the card you want for 1/4-1/3 of the price of postage as part of a larger order on sportlots or COMC. Saves everyone money, time, and effort.
Rule 5: Condition
I'm not too big of a stickler for condition -- especially of older cards. The term I often use is "presentable." If these cards are going towards a set, especially an older set, I want the cards to be presentable. If I had to put a grade on the cards by era that I am willing to trade for, I'd go with this:
(Pre-1970): ALWAYS communicate condition. Condition matters so much for vintage cards that, even for commons, the condition must be communicated before accepting a trade.
1970-1985: VG or better
1986-1993: EX or better
1994-2005: EX-NM or better
2006-present: NM or better
Again, I am not a huge stickler though. If your cards don't fall within these approximate grades, let me know and we can probably still work something out.
Shipping Methods:
I have no preference in regards to PWE or bubble mailer, I am open to both, and have never had an issue with either, so long as the other party's packaging is good (don't just send cards PWE in only penny sleeves -- it won't work. Been there, done that.). When I ship cards out, my general rule of thumb is this:
- Bubble mailers will be used if any card involved in the trade exceeds $10 in value.
- Bubble mailer will be used if the total value of the cards being traded exceeds $20 in value.
- Bubble mailers will be used for any trade of more than 80 cards or so, no matter the value.
- Anything not meeting the above three criteria will be sent in 1-3 PWE(s) with a max of 27 cards per envelope. Cards will be placed into 9 page pocket at a max of 3 cards per pouch, folded over each other, and placed between thin pieces cardboard (typically cereal boxes or the like) taped together.
