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How to package and send cards:

Packing Cards:
When you are sending cards to someone it is best to either send them in a padded envelope or a regular envelope, but with the cards in a hard plastic card protector. If neither of these things are available to you, it is possible to place several note cards around the actual card you are sending. This ensures that the card being sent will not become damaged.

Sending by Certified Mail:
If it is a large or important trade, always send your cards by certified mail, which is offered by the US Postal Service at a reasonable price. Certified mail means that the person receiving the cards must sign for them or they cannot be delivered. The signed note card is then sent back to you with a signature and date of delivery. By sending cards by certified mail you are guaranteed to know that someone has gotten your cards. This is particularly useful incase someone wants to rip you off by saying that they never got your stuff. This way you have proof they got your cards.

Sending Through a Third Party:
If you have a rather large or expensive trade to complete, try sending it through a third party. Basically what this means is that you and the other trader will both send to a third person. Either a well-known, good trader with many references or a company like Safecards (NOTE: Safecards has temporarily shut down) will do. The third party checks to make sure that the cards are as promised. If the other party doesn't send, then you get your stuff back without being ripped. A great way to trade if you ask me.

Note Keeping:

It is a good idea to keep all of your trades organized. Try printing out emails or writing down the trade with all the involved info: name, email, phone #, cards, who sends when, etc. This will keep your trades from being mixed up or lost. Also, if someone decides to rip you off you can give them an email or call without trying to figure out where you put their information. I keep all of my trades in notebook and I have had minimal problems with mixups. I highly suggest you do the same, especially if you have a lot of trades going on at once.

References:

How to Get References:
Basically, a reference is someone you have successfully traded with in the past. At the end of almost all successful trades you should ask if you can use this person as a reference. Get their email address and their name. That way in future trades with others you will have some proof that you are a good trader.

Check References:
This is the most important tip I can give you, ALWAYS check references. The only trades that I have be ripped off are those that I did not ask for or check the refs given to me. Sometimes someone can be using multiple freemail accounts and make false refs. A freemail account is an email account given by Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo and so on. Anybody can make as many as these as they want. Since, these are so easy to make, it is a good idea to not except too many of them as refs. I have dealt with many unscrupulous traders that have used themselves as refs and the best thing to do in this situation is to ask them to send first or just call off the trade.

Bad Traders/Rippers:

What's a Bad Trader:
A bad trader is someone who sends cards late, without adequate protection, not in the promised condition, not the right edition, or not all the cards you asked for. They aren't quite rippers, but they sure aren't the model trader. Sometimes people make honest mistakes, but if you intentionally don't follow through with everything you were supposed to then you are a bad trader.

What's a Ripper:
A ripper is quite simply someone who promises to send cards, but does not.

Detecting Rippers:
It is quite easy to tell when you are dealing with a ripper. They will usually have a freemail account and will be in a rush to send. They will either try to rush you into sending first or rush a simul-send in which they have no intentions to send themselves. Usually, a ripper will agree to amazing deals that seem too good to be true and often they are. If you think you are dealing with a ripper simply call the trade off or ask that they send first.

Dealing with Rippers:
Be persistent with the person trying to rip you off. Email them often and ask for your original cards or the ones that they promised. If it doesn't look like they are going to send, inform them that mail fraud is a federal offense and that you will press charges. This usually scares the ripper into giving your cards back.

If it looks like you are dealing with a kid, send a letter by mail addressed to their residence. If a parent receives the letter, they will most likely get in big trouble and will have to send your cards back with an apology attached. I mean who wants to get in trouble with their parents, go to jail or get fined over a few cards?

You should also post them on the G.A.B. Bad Traders List, the MOTL Bad Traders List and any other list you can find currently on the internet. Make sure to post all information you have on them: email address, home address, name, phone number, etc. That way the chance is smaller that they will rip someone off again.

Again, It pays to be persistent with a ripper. Often they are kids that don't understand the seriousness of the crime they are committing. When you threaten to press charges or send a letter to their parents they will almost always give in.

View the legal code for mail fraud here: http://www.usps.gov/websites/depart/inspect/usc18/mailfr.htm

G.A.B. (Good traders Against Bad traders):

G.A.B. is a trading organization that has over 3000 members in its ranks. It is a great idea to join up with G.A.B. as soon as possible. A benefit of this organization is that they recheck all of your references and then put them up on a web site which can be accessed by all. In my opinion it is much easier to send someone a link to your refs than to send them all in an email. You also get to gain in rank as a member. The more checked out refs you have, the farther you gain in rank. This is a great thing, becuase you will be nearly certain that if the person you are trading with is a high ranked G.A.B. member ,the trade will be successful. Its not fool-proof, but it is better than nothing. Check out their homepage here: http://www.praetor.com/gab/.

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Page Updated Wed Nov 17, 1999 3:02am EST