Good trader etiquette

weedsrock2 · **weedsrock2**

I have looked and couldn't find a 'trading rules' thread on this board or Gleemax. I am surprised. I have been asked 'how do I trade on the forums' in PM's by two people in the last few weeks. If there is a post on this somewhere please let me know. In the meantime, I have put this together based on my responses. Feel free to post suggestions or corrections. Once we have it reasonably tight I will ask a mod to post it as a sticky.

Rules of etiquette for a good trader

1. Post the list of miniatures you have to trade and a list of what you want in a new thread in the 'Marketplace' forum. There are plenty of examples on the forum.

2. Make sure you keep the list up-to-date as you trade!

3. After you post someone will hopefully send you a PM with a trade proposal. "I will send you x,y, and z in return for your a, b, c." If it is an acceptable trade just reply that you agree and give them your name and address to mail it to you. They should then reply with confirmation and send you their name and address. Alternatively, you can send a PM to another member if you find something you want on their list and you have suitable pieces to trade that he wants.

4. As a general rule you can trust anyone on the board that is on the 'good trader' list or that has been posting on the board for a long time. The Wizards of the Coast Community 'good trader' list is also a good reference. If it is your first trade there are some people that will want to get your package before they send theirs to you. On the first trade that is not unreasonable, but make sure they are on the good traders list first.

5. Trades can be for one piece or a bunch of pieces. The general 'rule of value' is one rare = two uncommons = four commons. We have a nice board. Most people have been more likely to propose trades that are slightly in their own disfavor than otherwise in my experience.

It also helps to go to online stores like http://www.miniaturemarket.com and get an idea of the relative value of the minis. A Musashi is much more valuable than a California. So I tend to have two 'sub-classes' of 'below the average' and 'above the average' within each class. Generally I keep that in mind when I am proposing a trade. I try to propose a trade for equal (below average for a below average, above average for an above average), or better (I offer an above average for a below average I want). It also helps you know if you are getting a reasonable offer. However, what is valuable to you may not be valuable to someone else, so don't be surprised if there is some back-and-forth bartering. That is perfectly reasonable and the best way to determine the value between two traders.

6. A good protocol for shipping is to put your cards in a protective sleeve. Putting your mini's in a ziplock bag is also a good idea. Mailing in a small cardboard box is best. A padded envelope is okay for small ships, but it is not good for aircraft or large or detailed miniatures. Be sure to put adequate padding in the box so the minis don't rattle around (foam peanuts, paper). And please use proper shipping tape to seal the box.

In the U.S. for domestic trades most good traders will ship standard first class mail with delivery confirmation (there is a green DC form you fill out) from the post office. The DC is 50 cents at this writing. Send your trader a PM saying it has been mailed and give him the DC number from the green slip after you mail the package. That way he can track it on-line if he chooses. Delivery confirmation also protects you if it is lost in the mail. (Although I suspect it is much less likely to get lost with that DC sticker on the box.) DC is only available for U.S. domestic mail.

For international shipping you will be required to mail first-class airmail. Generally it is a good idea to trade for multiple miniatures to justify the cost of shipping for an international trade. Shipping between the U.S. and Canada is usually only a little more than domestic shipping. You will need to fill out a customs form. Put 'toys' for contents and a reasonable money value (but go low).

7. When the package arrives with everything as agreed send your trader a PM telling him it came and that you will give him a +1 on the "Good trader List". If something is missing or wrong send the trader a PM and explain the problem. It is likely an honest mistake. Don't give someone a bad trader report until you give him a chance to correct the problem.

8. Then go to the Good Trader list sticky thread at the top of the Marketplace forum and post a message that says: "Please give traderX a +1"

It all sounds more complicated than it is.

Extra tip. You usually only need a small box to ship these in. (Most people do use boxes). So keep the box your mini's arrive in and recycle it for your next trade. I also buy some singles on-line and I save those boxes too.
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weedsrock2 · **weedsrock2**

Defender390 found the following US Postal Service site on best practicies for mailing international packages.

http://www.usps.com/business/international/welcome.htm
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