Recently traders have privately expressed with me some of their frustration with slooooooooooow traders, so I am wondering what everyone else thinks about the matter.

Here's my situation: I've been waiting on a trader since November, 2004. I haven't posted a bad trader post for a couple of reasons (the guy has a violent temper, manipulative, etc.). I'm not sure if I ever will post an official bad trader post, but if someone posts a trader check, I probably will.

It is frustrating waiting and waiting on a trade to be complete. When do you wash your hands and label them a bad trader publically? I'm not speaking to those that jump off the handle at the drop of a hat but to those that think before they speak. :D

:wave:

For me, it usually takes me months before I 'go off the deep end' with a trader. I'm a very mild tempered person, and will go out of my way to help my trading friends - but even that has limits.

I'll give you an example, I've been waiting on a trader (she's well known on this board and others) to complete her portion of the trade for about 3 months now. Initially, after the first month passed, I was a bit concerned, and the trader told me things were happening in her life, problems, etc. I understood, and figured I'd cut her some slack... well, that was over 2 months ago. Since then I've been getting "I'll have them out next week", "Oh, I'm running behind, I'll get them out priority on Monday", etc. Nothing in my hands as of yet. My stuff? Was in her hands in 3 days after we agreed on the trade. Do I now consider her a "Bad trader"? Wouldn't you?

I'm a firm believer that if you're delayed, or problems come up, communicate frequently - if you're committed to deliver something, you took the trade, then you take the responsibility to follow through with it and complete it. Making trades aren't madatory, no one holds a gun to your head. But if you can't do them, don't attempt them! If you know you're going to be too busy soon, don't start the trade now. Wait until you have the cycles. Common sense stuff.

I try to give benefit of the doubt whenever possible especially if someone I know. That being said, I am not a speed demon any longer, I am a CPA and have a 1 year old, so time is not what it once was. I do let people know up front I am forever behind. I diligently try with 2 -4 weeks to complete a trade depending on how big it is.

Tom D.

Three months does seem like too long of a time, but what bothers most about situations like this is lack of communication coupled with poor time management.

I had another situation when I first started trading with someone who was at that time considered to be reputable in the trading world. We had several trades over a period of time, trading approximately 50 slp videos, but I was only able to track 2 of his tapes in total. When I confronted him, he insisted that the problem was with my machines. (I kept trading with him hoping that the next set would work. Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment.)

I fell for it, figuring that since he was a trading veteran I was the dummy. And now, over a year later, it's finally come out that I was far from the only one who had problems with his stuff, and I wasn't the only trader afraid to speak up.

I often feel guilty because if I had spoken up sooner, would I have helped open the door for others to speak up, or would I have been black balled for speaking against a trading veteran? :confused:

I hate politics. Let's just do what's right and communicate when we have a problem. Above all, don't accept trades from others when you haven't made right on your current/past ones (a pet peeve of mine).

Off my soapbox...

Anything beyond a month bugs me. After 2 months, I send an email once a month and ask when they will ship my dvds. Some well-known traders tend to have a lot of problems and I can deal with that, until I find out they are selling and burning dvds and getting those shipped out while my stuff has been put on hold. I've hit trading "burn-out" because of bad trades. New traders are sending multi-session dvds, corrupt dvds, and committing to too many trades at one time, which takes them forever to get my side shipped and then I get garbage. Recently, I've received a stack of dvds without sleeves sliding around in an envelope. I've also received recycled, dirty sleeves with other show titles written on them. One "well-known-respected-trader" sent dvds in sleeves with labels from software half ripped off, dirty, worn out, and/or with other show titles written on them.

I don't set up trades if I can't get their dvds mailed within one-two weeks and then I tell the trader up front that it will "be next week until I can send their dvds." It gives them the option of setting up the trade or waiting until I'm ready to burn their dvds. I never commit myself beyond 2 weeks and even that bugs me until I've mailed everything.

I'd say you have waited too long already. It's time we quit "protecting" these well-known traders as being "good traders" - because they aren't. I know "life" happens but some of these people are habitually slow and full of excuses. One trader kept me waiting for months while they were burning & selling a LOT of dvds on a daily basis. I don't mind waiting for those with a real life crisis to come through - but, when I hear they have put my trade on hold indefinitely because they are "swamped with sales" - it gets pretty annoying.

I'd say at the very least, if you don't want to "call them out" on the board, lets get them removed from the good trader list.

Anything beyond a month bugs me. After 2 months, I send an email once a month and ask when they will ship my dvds. Some well-known traders tend to have a lot of problems and I can deal with that, until I find out they are selling and burning dvds and getting those shipped out while my stuff has been put on hold. I've hit trading "burn-out" because of bad trades. New traders are sending multi-session dvds, corrupt dvds, and committing to too many trades at one time, which takes them forever to get my side shipped and then I get garbage. Recently, I've received a stack of dvds without sleeves sliding around in an envelope. I've also received recycled, dirty sleeves with other show titles written on them. One "well-known-respected-trader" sent dvds in sleeves with labels from software half ripped off, dirty, worn out, and/or with other show titles written on them.

I don't set up trades if I can't get their dvds mailed within one-two weeks and then I tell the trader up front that it will "be next week until I can send their dvds." It gives them the option of setting up the trade or waiting until I'm ready to burn their dvds. I never commit myself beyond 2 weeks and even that bugs me until I've mailed everything.

I'd say you have waited too long already. It's time we quit "protecting" these well-known traders as being "good traders" - because they aren't. I know "life" happens but some of these people are habitually slow and full of excuses. One trader kept me waiting for months while they were burning & selling a LOT of dvds on a daily basis. I don't mind waiting for those with a real life crisis to come through - but, when I hear they have put my trade on hold indefinitely because they are "swamped with sales" - it gets pretty annoying.

I'd say at the very least, if you don't want to "call them out" on the board, lets get them removed from the good trader list.
This week I received a trade from a newbie here on the board this week and couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the package the discs were not protected at all.
:( There were no DVD sleeves or anything else of that matter on them to keep them from getting damaged. They had some bubble wrap around the whole stack of 15 discs and taped. Isn't it common courtiousy to use at least something to protect the discs? I mean you can put 2 or 3 discs in some DVD sleeves and they not get damaged. I turn the burned sides up against each other so that they do not get scrathed from the DVD envelope, with the label side outward.

It is worth the couple of extra cents for the sleeves then for the receiver to get damaged discs and have to replace them because they will not play + pay postage to send them again. If they will even replace them at all.


Mel :)

Mel - I think I've traded with the same trader! I've recently received dvds packaged exactly as you did.

One of the discs I received wouldn't work and the trader replaced it promptly.

I suppose we should all work out all of the details of the trade up front - everything from clarifying brand of media (cheap garbage vs. acceptable media), packaging, and method of mailing (media, Priority, etc.) and then we won't be disappointed in the end. I seem to always forget to do this, though. I just take it for granted that people will give what they would like to receive. Unfortunately, this doesn't always seem to be the case;)

Hence, my temporary break from trading...I need a break!!!;)

Mel - I think I've traded with the same trader! I've recently received dvds packaged exactly as you did.

One of the discs I received wouldn't work and the trader replaced it promptly.

I suppose we should all work out all of the details of the trade up front - everything from clarifying brand of media (cheap garbage vs. acceptable media), packaging, and method of mailing (media, Priority, etc.) and then we won't be disappointed in the end. I seem to always forget to do this, though. I just take it for granted that people will give what they would like to receive. Unfortunately, this doesn't always seem to be the case;)

Hence, my temporary break from trading...I need a break!!!;)
I have not checked the discs I got so I better do it quickly so that they will replace mine

Mel

Placing discs back to back in a single envelope is not a good idea. Yes, the recorded surfaces do not rub against each other, but I've had far too many trades arrive where the ink used to label the disc has sealed the two discs together. Sleeves aren't so expensive that you can't put one to a sleeve, or buy sleeves that are designed to safely store a disc on either side.

I won't commit to a trade I can't perform within the month. A lot of my trades in the past two years have been for series I have on tape (Beta or VHS, some dating back to 1978), which take time to convert to disc. In recent months, I've pretty much had to refuse to do those types of trades any longer, and I'm working on a new list that's just my stuff available on disc. The fact that far too many traders - new and old - think that it's a simple matter to just slap a show on disc from tape and put it out there is discouraging. I don't have the equipment (or money to buy same) to do customized menus and such, but when I put something on disc, I want the best quality I can produce.

When evaluating the time it takes to do a trade, it's important to consider the level of effort to do the trade - is it duplicating discs? I agree - those shouldn't take ages to accomplish. Is it recording a show off the air? If so, have you agreed to incremental trades, or will you have to wait until the show has aired completely? Is it doing conversions? Do you find you need to replace an episode because your reception was bad that night, and you have to trade someone else to get it? Different types of production will take different times to finish.

I am not sure how most store their dvds, but I do not use Paper Sleeeves. What I do use these for is to mail trades, put 2 dvds in the sleeve and it works great.

Who cares if they are recycled or have writing? they are not a good storage solution anyhow in my opinion, but they certainly work for the mail.

To me, common courtesy is to package the dvds properly (or tapes), make sure they work when sent and send them within the agreed upon time frame.


Trading is supposed to be fun, yet lately all I read is complaints.

SO, to be up front, if you approach me for a trade, I would love to trade with you, I try to trade with anyone who asks and I accept just about anything I don't have. HOWEVER, this is NOT my real job, I have regular trading partners who will take precedent over new trades (because they are ongoing), I make the discs as fast as I can, I do give prompt updates, BUT it may take me a month.


While on the subject, I think QUALITY is another topic. If you are getting VHS to dvd transfers of a show from the 1970s, etc. DO NOT expect modern dvd quality, it just can't happen. What can happen is decent copies that are enjoyable on most tv's. I know on HD Widescreens in the 50 plus inches some tapes will look distorted, if I knew how to fix it, I would as I do have one of those wonderful new tvs!

Example, Sanford Arms, I now have exactly 4 versions of all 4 episodes (16 different tries), I have 2 sets that are decent viewing, but have flaws, especially the pilot episode. Now, unfortunately, that is the way it is, I can't make them better, but they are probably better than what you will find elsewhere considering the best set came from a non internet trader and the next best was from a relatively inactive trader. SO, point is if you want some shows, you have to take what you get. Other shows, it's different. IE if I had a Get Smart set that I knew was available elsewhere in better quality, I would send you there, I wouldn't trade you an inferior set.

Off the box,

Tom

i have noticed that my attitude toward trading has changed quite a bit in the last 6 months or so.the thought of churning out tape after tape for someone really gets too me now,i seem to have lost the enjoyment that comes from it.
the first set of tapes i ever packaged up i sent to jen, from memory i think i sent them quite promtly and spent some effort on really doing them right.the next package i sent her took a lot longer and i didn't even bother to label the tapes properly i was just glad to see them off :( .
my health had been pretty bad at that time and everything seemed like a real chore ,now that i am almost 100% i still haven't got the enthusiasm for it that i used to have :confused: :confused: .
when i decided to offer up things on my trade list i was only ever going to do one trade at a time but even that seems too much!!
i still haven't lost the enthusiasm to help people out though that is why i can't seem to give it up.because i know how hard it is to find someone with something your after and pull the deal off.
because i am taking longer with trades i have even more patience with others than i used to have.i received 55 episodes of rhoda from nanny fine, from the start i said i was happy to wait as long as six months for them they came in 4 months and it didn't really worry me at all.she stated that she was a slow trader from the start so i knew what i was getting into.
if anybody out there knows of a way that i can give copies of my shows to people with out actually having to make the copies myself and the method is still safe and secure i would be grateful to hear it :wave:

Placing discs back to back in a single envelope is not a good idea. Yes, the recorded surfaces do not rub against each other, but I've had far too many trades arrive where the ink used to label the disc has sealed the two discs together. Sleeves aren't so expensive that you can't put one to a sleeve, or buy sleeves that are designed to safely store a disc on either side.

[QUOTE=debwalsh]When evaluating the time it takes to do a trade, it's important to consider the level of effort to do the trade - is it duplicating discs? I agree - those shouldn't take ages to accomplish. Is it recording a show off the air? If so, have you agreed to incremental trades, or will you have to wait until the show has aired completely? Is it doing conversions? Do you find you need to replace an episode because your reception was bad that night, and you have to trade someone else to get it? Different types of production will take different times to finish.

Counterpoint: I have never had a problem with 2 discs stored in the same envelope no matter which way they are facing, it is fairly tight and if put in a package correctly, there should be NO movement.

POINT: This is a great point and folks should realize just how long it takes to do vhs to dvd conversion trades. It is not fast at all. Great point again.

Tom D.

Tom,

I think for most of the trades we're talking about, they're straight duplications (dvd/dvd, tape/tape). I think if its known its a tape>dvd conversion, the receiver is going to expect some longer times. Its the basic duplication trade, and in my case dvd duplication trades, that shouldn't take almost 3 months.

If I'm contacted for a trade about something I really reallywant-Example:Checking In from 1981, then i don;t want to wait at all. I want the trade to happen right away especially if it's a show i been looking for years.

It is worth the couple of extra cents for the sleeves then for the receiver to get damaged discs and have to replace them because they will not play + pay postage to send them again. If they will even replace them at all.


Mel

Funny you should say that Mel after the 4 dvds in one sleeve from the trade I had gotten from you. I'm not mad but I was lucky the discs weren't damaged. Another thing I want to ask traders is when people use printable discs and they face the printables together. I had a hard time getting the discs apart. So far only two traders have done that to me.

It is worth the couple of extra cents for the sleeves then for the receiver to get damaged discs and have to replace them because they will not play + pay postage to send them again. If they will even replace them at all.


Mel

Funny you should say that Mel after the 4 dvds in one sleeve from the trade I had gotten from you. I'm not mad but I was lucky the discs weren't damaged. Another thing I want to ask traders is when people use printable discs and they face the printables together. I had a hard time getting the discs apart. So far only two traders have done that to me.
I was down to the last few sleeves and did not have anymore and since our trade already took way to long because of the problem of getting the defective Gomer Pyle set, the person not responding to my emails about replacing them and was having that trouble plus you threatened to put me on the bad traders list because of the amount of time it was taking and it was really out of my hands. Yes I was the one that did say okay to trading you the set even though I did not have it yet. I wanted to get them out to you asap so I put several in each one then to risk any damage. What would have you done after being threatened to be listed as a bad trader when you were fairly new on this board? You would have done the same thing I did and put them in what sleeves you had. If you had done that no one on here would trade with me anymore. I am really sorry about having to so use very few sleeves but I just wanted to get our trade over with with no more interruptions.

Try getting a package like nannyfan and I when we did not get any at all. I would rather have a few in one then not at all. I normally only put 2 in each sleeve. I put the 2 burned sides together and the label sides outwards to keep them from getting scratched by the sleeve. Why do people put the burned side outward in them? When you try to get them out of the sleeve you end up having to touch the burned side to get them out. I have gotten a lot of trades by what you call trading veterans with several discs in 1 sleeve. I used to only put 1 discs in each sleeve but I thought it was appropriate since other well known traders was putting in mulitiples (there was more than 2 discs in each sleeve). If asked in a trade and that is what you prefer you can ask for 1 disc per sleeve. I have been requested this and have done so.

I did however even though I had just stocked up on sleeves send the person that did not bother to protect the discs they sent me and put mine several in one sleeve. I even debated not sending them at all because how they did me.

By the way I am mailing out The Beatles cartoon disc #8 that I owe you. It will be out in the mail tomorrow and will email you the DC Tracking #. I do hope that we can trade more in the future.


Mel :)
www.freewebs.com/melstradelist

Tom,

I think for most of the trades we're talking about, they're straight duplications (dvd/dvd, tape/tape). I think if its known its a tape>dvd conversion, the receiver is going to expect some longer times. Its the basic duplication trade, and in my case dvd duplication trades, that shouldn't take almost 3 months.


Padre,
Absolutely agree unless the person told you up front they were 3months behind!!!! But yes your point is well taken, that is way too long.

Tom

...I put the 2 burned sides together and the label sides outwards to keep them from getting scratched by the sleeve. Why do people put the burned side outward in them? When you try to get them out of the sleeve you end up having to touch the burned side to get them out.
If you put two burned sides together you risk damaging the data side of the discs, which is far worse that the top.

As far as sleeves go... I have never bought one and I never will. Yes, I'm cheap. :lol:

I either recycle (I scratch out titles and write the new ones down) or make pockets out of a plain piece of paper, as many traders do:

Take a piece of paper and fold both sides from top to bottom 1 1/2". Then fold in half. You now will have a very cheap sleeve that will hold two discs comfortably. Costs me 2/10ths of a cent each, and most of us have those around.

Take a piece of paper and fold both sides from top to bottom 1 1/2". Then fold in half. You now will have a very cheap sleeve that will hold two discs comfortably. Costs me 2/10ths of a cent each, and most of us have those around.


Jen I have gotten discs like this and Have had no problem with homemade sleeves just what ever it takes. I didn't know you could lose data putting those sides together. Where did you hear that from? I would like to read up on that.

My point was you should not just stack the discs up then put bubble wrap around them then tape it. A little paper can really help keep from breaking. I was told that this newbie does not believe in sleeves. So asking him or just letting him know that it needs to be done isn't going to help.

Mel :)

Take a piece of paper and fold both sides from top to bottom 1 1/2". Then fold in half. You now will have a very cheap sleeve that will hold two discs comfortably. Costs me 2/10ths of a cent each, and most of us have those around.


Jen I have gotten discs like this and Have had no problem with homemade sleeves just what ever it takes. I didn't know you could lose data putting those sides together. Where did you hear that from? I would like to read up on that.

My point was you should not just stack the discs up then put bubble wrap around them then tape it. A little paper can really help keep from breaking. I was told that this newbie does not believe in sleeves. So asking him or just letting him know that it needs to be done isn't going to help.

Mel :)



I prefer to have DVD's mailed to me in a case. I don;t like that homemade sleeve thing. Too risky.

I prefer to have DVD's mailed to me in a case. I don;t like that homemade sleeve thing. Too risky.
So you do obviously agree that they should be at least mailed in something and not in anything? I have had shipped tons of dics in sleeves and nothing has ever been damaged in the mail. I use good quality bubble envelopes and even use 2 if that is what it takes and then tape them together.


Mel

I agree with you, Mel. Though I have to admit that for relatives who are getting freebies from me, I stack them together, wrap Saran Wrap around them, and surround them with a few wraps of newspaper. They know nothing about tape trading ethics, and so far they haven't had a problem.

Most tape traders would find it hard to fathom that it is not unusual for DVD traders to ship a wad of 50 DVDs to each other in one package. Using plastic cases is unrealistic unless you're sending one or two discs at a time.

I agree with you, Mel. Though I have to admit that for relatives who are getting freebies from me, I stack them together, wrap Saran Wrap around them, and surround them with a few wraps of newspaper. They know nothing about tape trading ethics, and so far they haven't had a problem.

Most tape traders would find it hard to fathom that it is not unusual for DVD traders to ship a wad of 50 DVDs to each other in one package. Using plastic cases is unrealistic unless you're sending one or two discs at a time.
Also to add to that Jen I am not as experienced as some and I only started shipping more than 1 disc to a sleeve after I was shipping that way and I started getting all of everyone elses and they had more then 1 disc. So I thought that if they were doing it this way then it was appropriate and exceptable. I have had only 1 trader request that I only put 1 disc in each sleeve so I now now anytime that I trade with them to do it this way. That is there preference. I have not had any other problems or comments about it except the one above.

I think if you have had a problem or did not like how they were shipped that you should just send the other person a little email then to name them in a posting and make a comment about it. Unless you have traded with them seneral times already and they ship like this all the time or you have already let them know you did not like discs shipped in that manner. I and nannyfan both traded with a newbie that we did not like how they shipped to us but neither one mentioned their name out of courtiousy and respect. How do other people feel about commenting like this about you? Would you feel attacked or degraded as a trader? I am just curious.

Mel

How do other people feel about commenting like this about you? Would you feel attacked or degraded as a trader? I am just curious.
Mel
No one likes criticism, even if it's constructive criticism. In the trading world, most take pride in how they turn out their work, so it's a touchy subject. When I was a newbie I took trading ethical criticism all right, because I wanted to learn by my mistakes, but the old cliche "the truth in love" is the best way to go about correcting someone. There's a right way and a wrong way to point out someone's mistakes.

I cannot imagine where it would be appropriate for someone to comment on something like this publically and mention my name if my mistake was done in ignorance. Most people have a very good memory for insults. It may be that someone spouting off doesn't think that the person they're talking about has anything they'd want to trade for anyway, but someday they may.

There are a few people on this board that I would never ever trade with simply because of the way I've seen them treat others.

In every aspect of life, if you're mean to people, you will reap that meanness somewhere along the road. Speaking from experience, that's no fun. But by the same token, if you treat others respectfully, you will reap that as well.

Who cares if they are recycled or have writing? they are not a good storage solution anyhow in my opinion, but they certainly work for the mail. Tom


I care :wave: only because I'm some what of a neat freak and like to keep my dvds in clean evelopes with either the name of the show the dvd contains on that sleeve - or a blank sleeve.

I use paper sleeves to store my dvds and they work great for me. Recycled sleeves are ok - but, I think if a trader plans on sending dvds to another trader, that is a detail that should be mentioned. Usually, what I do is save the recycled sleeves I get from other traders and then I return the same to them on our next trade. I used to always use new sleeves, but - after receiving so many used sleeves from other traders - I figure if they find them acceptable to send to me - they won't mind getting them back. It isn't worth complaining about on the forums. I choose to save my battles for the bad traders :lol:

hello from now on anybody that will trade with me i am going to buy some dvd case that hold 15 to 20 the kind you have in a car i can get them for about 1.00 each the dvd i send will go into that case then buble wrap while the dvd are in the case and then package them safe and ship prioty mail.i promise you will never get another dvd like that ever again k now when it come to big trades i will ship them in a dvd spool very protect and put insurace on the item i doing this with my next trade beacuse that way i know they will be safe thanks to everybody for giving me a chance and hellping me get some thing i could'nt have gotten with out all you your help if any dvd don't work i will replace them at my exp and send them out asap prioty mail dc i hope this will be a cool idea thank alot for your time curtis aka wolf11

I remove discs from the sleeve when I finally get around to opening the package. I will admit to being extremely challenged in that area - it may be weeks or even months before I open a package from another trader. The reason I really loathe 2 discs to a sleeve is a recent trade I had where it took me over half an hour to just remove the discs (about 20) from sleeves because a) the sleeves were so tight and I was getting fingerprints on the burned side trying to pull them out that I finallly ended up having to rip them away and b) the ink the person had used to label the discs hadn't been dry when he put the discs into the sleeves, and the discs were stuck together. I don't know about you, but it makes me nervous to have to flex a disc to separate it from another - the fact that DVDs are already more than one layer stuck together worries me in that I'm afraid I'll separate the wrong layers and ruin the DVDs just trying to extricate them.

When I take discs out of sleeves, I put them into dual slim cases. I found a wonderful dealer on eBay (ComShopUSA) who sells them for $2.50/100 - that's right, only $2.50 for 100 cases - plus $19.99 FedEx shipping.

...The reason I really loathe 2 discs to a sleeve is a recent trade I had where it took me over half an hour to just remove the discs (about 20) from sleeves because a) the sleeves were so tight and I was getting fingerprints on the burned side trying to pull them out that I finallly ended up having to rip them away and b) the ink the person had used to label the discs hadn't been dry when he put the discs into the sleeves, and the discs were stuck together...
If this happens again, maybe you could try separating them with a piece of dental floss. Wedge it between the two discs and slide back and forth. Just an idea.

Good general tips for mailing pretty much anything:
You can buy 100 paper sleeves ($5), 100 unpadded mailing envelopes ($10), a whole roll of bubbles ($10)... all for $25. For cardboard supports, cut up a cereal box. You can also re-use boxes, spindles, envelopes, and paper sleeves, as long as they are still clean and in good condition. USPS gives away free priority mail boxes and envelopes, for using priority mail.

Dental floss ... cool. I'd never thought of that. Thanks!

i had the same thing maild to me just like they did,but i didnt get mad or go off on any one because i think its best to try to tell the person what they did worng,and if they change there ways, then great and if not then thats someone u leave alone,when u are a rookie at trading and the first trade u make,if you are shipped something that away you will think hey its ok for me to do it or think thats the way it was done,i had a talk with the person yall are talking about and he really didnt know no better.after i told him he said he was changing right away and said all dvd will be shiped out in dvd cases or cd case...i will be trading with him again and will update yall on the trade..by talking to the person and trading with him he seams to be a very honest person ,,even thou i sent more disk to him than i suppose to,what did he do,emailed me right away and told me,come to find out my child had stuck some of my hard copies in there,what did he do,mailed them back to me the next day with a tracking #..so many can say what they want but ill stand behind him a 100%,just like i will mel,a very good trader,done did a few trades with him and no problems..but to bring it up there is some on here that think they is god,that there stuff is the best around,and theres one on here (no name)she thinks here sh@t dont stinks,shes rude,if things dont go her way she just want email u back or anything,you cant even get through talking how things can work for u and her to trade..i might be new to this site but im not new to the game,,,i been doing dvds and trading for 6 years..and to tell the truth a computer burnt dvd is not as good as a stand alone dvd burner,bad disk will not get by a good stand alone.but a computer it will..one thing my dad always told me"boy if u loose every thing u got,dont ever loose your word,your word is all that a man have" and i live by that..and some of us should to.one thing i hate is get treated like a child or a theaft,and i have ran in to some on here like that(her).all im saying is we should help and be 1 on here,not trying to find the next person weakness and try to help them.ill help anyone on here that i can,i m open for a email anytime.it seems like we spend most our time trying to make people out as scammers than trying to give them a chance.sorry for taking up so much space on here but i felt like i had to get it off my chest,and all that i have traded with on here thanks for the trades,and all the people i have met and helped me out,THANKS ALOT... :(

Have been reading some of the posts on the subject of trading and wait times and in certain respects am completely lost. If you go in a store and purchase from a catalog, you are going to ask certain questions and if not satisfied you are not going to buy. Why isn't the same done here. If some one has a item I would like to trade for I tell them I'm interested and give a list of what I have in exchange. If they respond in kind it means they are interested. First positive step. Now I ask,"How many disks, is it the full run and what is the quality" I hate sets or series with no menu's or commercials and will not trade for them, that's my hangup. If we get past that step and they tell me what they want and that's acceptable, I then state" I can mail to you on friday, when you be able to send." I now have a date agreed upon and a deal is made. The day I send I email the party and say " xyz is on the way, enjoy, Harvey"

If a person tells me one thing and does another, well I never deal with them again, I'm not going to get ulcers and cry over it.

As far as sleeves, I like Jennifer use paper sleeves take from copy machine paper. Have received hundreds of dvds from Jen and there has not been one bad disk. Do use a bubble wrap envelope.

Harvey

If a person tells me one thing and does another, well I never deal with them again, I'm not going to get ulcers and cry over it.
Ahhhhhhhhh... Harvey, my friend, if everyone had your character, there would never be any need for bad trader posts. :happyface :D :lol: :wave:

Look Ill be honest here... I am a fairly newbie trader... less than a year here.... BUT i have found that most people will be ok if u r honest with them... Ill do what most wont here... and ill ADMIT that i have screwed up in the past..... got way behind due to equipment going down, and i did what EVERY NEWBIE does--- I made up BS excuses and tried to stall--- which only ended up getting people ticked off at me...... and it took awhile to get back on good terms with people.....

so this is my advice for newbies---and all traders-- on trading times--- BE HONEST!!!
if you cant get it done for a month, TELL THEM UP FRONT. dont say a week, if you know itll be a month

and dont get in over your head.... i limit myself not, and if i cant handle it all in a reasonable time frame, then i turn down trades or sales and just
be honest, and say , I CANT DO IT RIGHT NOW,

its better to be upfront, people understand if you are honest, but if you try to stall and BS them, people get mad---
i know a lot of traders who have done the same thing, even some of the GOOD traders on the board--- but we all need to just be straight about it
and YES
stuff happens, people get sick, machines break, master copies have issues, and so on--- so if it happens, let people know, dont wait til they come hounding you about their stuff

and be honest enough to admit it, we all make mistakes, but when u do it takes time to get your rep back! :crazy:

I agree with most of what you say but you make it like honesty is a foreign word. Why must people be told it's better to be honest then not. We are supposed mature adults and want others to treat us as we would treat them. It doesn't seem to work in some cases as some feel it's easier to lie when you don't have to face the person. Either don't respond or make up a excuse like when the teacher asks "where is the homework"? The dog ate it. The good thing these types are few and far between and most are good people who aren't around to just take advantage. Make sure your first trade is small and if hurt, it really doesn't matter. By the way no excuse is acceptable. If my equipment broke down, I was ill, or whatever. I would ask a friend to help out and send the discs out for me but I will not leave anyone hanging. Rmember the best backup you can have is having friends with the same discs you have. Easy to get if a disc goes bad. Also ,try to become friendfs with those you trade with. Jen can tell you that she will always get a email on anything I get with something that might interest her. My comment is do you want? I'm not worried in what I can or will get back. Eventually we break even.

I have about 10 folks I trade with on a continual basis. My phone sytem allows me unlimited calls, local, long distance and Canada. Since I trade with two in Canada I speak just about daily to all of them. I made friends just not traders. So, good traders and feedbacks really don't affect me at all as I have specific wants and have dealt with I believe 3 folks on the board, two on a one time basis but I'm enjoying myself.

Harvey

Look Ill be honest here... I am a fairly newbie trader... less than a year here.... BUT i have found that most people will be ok if u r honest with them... Ill do what most wont here... and ill ADMIT that i have screwed up in the past..... got way behind due to equipment going down, and i did what EVERY NEWBIE does--- I made up BS excuses and tried to stall--- which only ended up getting people ticked off at me...... and it took awhile to get back on good terms with people.....




Please don't make generalizations like this! I'm fairly new here and I have never once made up "bs excuses". Life for everyone gets crazy at times and a for the most part, crazy times are unexected. Why ruin your rep with lies? Just be honest. Most people with understand.

I didnt mean all traders do that, just it seems that many people have made that mistake before, and not always on purpose, like u get behind, and hope to get caught up by friday so u say ill shoot to mail it on friday... when its highly unlikely that you can do that..... and sometimes it snowballs,
i was not knocking newbies, as im a newbie.... and most people are fairly honest and dont intend to stretch the truth, but sometimes maybe people trick themselves into thinking they can do the impossible

thanks, BY THE WAY ive had only good trades via this board, all my bad trades were done outside this board
:crazy:

and i did what EVERY NEWBIE does--- I made up BS excuses and tried to stall--- :

I just didn't like the bold EVERY

...Also ,try to become friendfs with those you trade with... This is the sort of attitude that keeps me going back to Harvey. He not only acquires shows but is a friend along the way. These are exactly my sentiments! Those that trade with intentions of only acquiring more and more shows will end up losing along the way.

Jen :wave: