METW Trading Rules for newbies (and veterans)

Trust:

Most traders you come in contact with are more than willing to trade on "trust." Trust means:
  • you will honestly send the cards you promised to trade the day you promised to send them.
  • Trust means that the cards you claim are Mint/ Near Mint don't have fingernail marks on the body of the card, and no wear and tear on the face. If your card has a pinkish tint (not uncommon in METW) you will advise your trading partner of this situation.
  • Trust is hard to earn - and once broken can NEVER be recovered.

    • God Rules:

    Everybody like to play GOD once in awhile. GOD rules are where you agree to a trade - but the other trader must send you their cards first. Once you receive said cards, you then release your cards to the other trader.
  • GOD Rules suck! Nobody likes them - but may be considered necessary if you have no trade references to give.

    • References:

    You should endeavor to keep track of all the successful trades you've had in the past. You'll want to record the Email address of those traders you've had successful trades with. When you submit a trade - you'll want to advise the other person that you have tons of references.
  • Don't take for granted that trade references are valid. The only sure way is to Email the references and ask if so and so is a reliable trader.
  • My list "Trader References," is compiled entirely from OTHER traders recommending their partners. In no way do I put up traders on this list who recommend themselves.


    • The Top Ten Traits that Make YOU a Truly Terrific Trader:

    Written by the most obnoxious trader on the Web - Steve Hess.

    Webmeister Note: Steve is certainly an expert on Internet trading - simply look at my Trade References page and see how many traders have recommended Steve as a good trader. Following are some solid tips that help you become a "world class" trader.

  • You write short but sensible trade offers via e-mail, and you always include your full name and snail-mail address when writing. You’re no Shakespeare, but your message is always clear.
  • You answer all your e-mail promptly, even those offers from persons obviously under the influence of mind-altering drugs or severe, untreatable stupidity. No cards lie dormant waiting for a reply from you: Your simple “yes” or “no” answer saves days, even weeks of frustration.
  • You are familiar with the quality and availability of your cards. You have a good idea what "mint condition" implies. You keep a simple system to tell you if a card of yours is available, involved in a pending trade, or unavailable, and you promptly share that information with anyone who solicits a trade from you. You never purposefully offer what you cannot deliver.
  • You send cards when you say you will. Your car, your mother, your roommate, your pit bull, and/or your other personalities do not act as black holes that capture all outgoing mail and send it into another universe.
  • Your cards are sent by the fastest reasonable route. First class mail and air mail for all those international deliveries are the best methods. Your trading partners never have to wonder if you’ve sent your cards via rowboat, the Pony Express, or by a carrier who believes that the shortest distance between New York and Chicago involves stopovers in Johannesburg and Seoul.
  • You protect your cards properly. The mails can be a cruel, cruel place, and you always use hard-sided packaging or hard plastic sleeves, combined with some form of soft padding inside, to send your cards. Sometimes you improvise with cardboard or even folded heavyweight paper, but your trade cards are respected at least as much as your play cards are.
  • You let your trading partners know when their cards have arrived. No one has to wait for you to tell them that the trade went just fine, and conversely, no one has to wonder if there were any problems. A simple e-mail on receipt of your partner’s cards is all it takes.
  • You always send references to Chris for the traders with whom you are happy. Anyone who follows the basic rules of trading etiquette, even new traders who’ve sent to you on trust, can count on you for a recommendation.
  • You update your lists of cards wanted and cards available regularly. Now that Chris has the search engine up and running, you know that it’s more important than ever to keep your lists accurate. You realize that the only thing more frustrating than a constant barrage of e-mail inquiring about the availability of a card you traded away six weeks ago is this: finding that one card you need via the search engine, only to learn that it was traded away seven weeks ago.
  • You always act as if you need the reference of the trader with whom you are dealing, and you look to be treated the same way. You know all about the Saurons* of this electronic frontier, and you have nothing but sneering disdain (Repeat after me: “BAH!”) for dishonesty, lying, and deception in card trading. You may be Hannibal the Cannibal in person, but you understand the bond of honor and faith that binds all good traders into a family.


    • *See BAD TRADERS for details if you are not familiar with this reprehensible toad.

    A few more thoughts - by Neil Kirby

  • Before you make an offer, stop and think how you'd feel to receive such an offer. If you'd have a problem with it then it probably sucks. This ain't much of a problem with rare-rare trades, but when you're putting together an offer involving (un) commons it might stop you from making an arse of yourself.
  • Remember the Scyre values are completely mythical and have no semblance to any reality that we may inhabit. Hence, you don't get hung up on "value" when trading. If you want it, that defines what it's worth.
  • If you make a trade and then pick up the card in a booster, you follow through with the trade. I've done this twice and it's a bore, but you've got to keep your word.
  • Don't trade with cards you don't have in your possession! This occurs when you're "waiting" for the card to arrive from another trade. The problem is:
    • you don't know if the card is going to show up,
    or if it will show up in Mint condition or not.