Everyone,

I would like to ask and receive feedback as to what to do to the following dilemma/ question....... here it is.....

" What is the logical next step for someone who has a rather big collection (5500+) cds and dvds, when that person tries to make a trade, and gets a return reply that the tradee doesn't see anything on your list that is of interest???" (and doesn't offer an alternative way to acquire the trade).

In the past two weeks, I have requested to make 3 trades with others and each time, have received the same response, that they see nothing , I guess meaning the trade is dead.

Understand, I'm looking for a positive answer to the question. I am not complaining about it. Is the logical step to offer to pay for them ??

If you have a good response, please, feel free to add your 2 cents.

Thanks,

Captspiffy ;)

Everyone,

I would like to ask and receive feedback as to what to do to the following dilemma/ question....... here it is.....

" What is the logical next step for someone who has a rather big collection (5500+) cds and dvds, when that person tries to make a trade, and gets a return reply that the tradee doesn't see anything on your list that is of interest???" (and doesn't offer an alternative way to acquire the trade).

In the past two weeks, I have requested to make 3 trades with others and each time, have received the same response, that they see nothing , I guess meaning the trade is dead.

Understand, I'm looking for a positive answer to the question. I am not bitching about it. Is the logical step to offer to pay for them ??

If you have a good response, please, feel free to add your 2 cents.

Thanks,

Captspiffy ;)


I will admit that has to be one of the most annoying things about being a tape trader. Especially if it something you really want from them. So the way i handled situations like that is offering to pay them for the item or asking that trader what it is they are looking for so I can see if I can find it from another trader and then let them know i have that show they been looking for and then the trade is set up.

When that happened to me once, I offered to pay for the shows I wanted & was able to get them that way. Another thing to consider is that these could be "reluctant" traders. I've run into them occasionally. They don't really want anything on my list, but I'm persistent. Rather than say no dice or agree & be nice about it, the negotiations are protracted & eventually, I give up. I figure if they are that reluctant & it takes that long to negotiate, the trade would most likely be a negative one. (shrug) This has happened to me at least four times & so far, I've ended up getting each of the shows I was seeking from someone else...

When that happened to me once, I offered to pay for the shows I wanted & was able to get them that way. Another thing to consider is that these could be "reluctant" traders. I've run into them occasionally. They don't really want anything on my list, but I'm persistent. Rather than agree & be nice about it, the negotiations are protracted & eventually, I give up. I figure if they are that reluctant & it takes that long to negotiate, the trade would most likely be a negative one. (shrug) This has happened to me four times & so far, I've ended up getting the shows from someone else...


Well some traders are just looking for a certain thing. Just like you see nothing off my list but if i was interested in something off your list you would have the right to turn me down.

i run into the same thing, even with my list

i combat that by haveing a few goodies that never see the light of day

if they have something that--to me--is graet

ill roll out the premium things and try that route

in most cases it works


i feel bad when i turn people down when they try to trade with me, but in most cases i have the item clearly listed on my have list, and many times two versions of the same set

i suggest first to do your homework before a trade offer is made

then make sure what you have to offer is as you claim it to be

then many times the stopper is that the other person doesnt realy know you

so try the ill send first routine--within reason of course

i have made a lot of trades where thats the difference between a yes and a no

then thers the last resorts, giving added disc, example you want 25 of a great thing, and you offer 40 of your things,,,,

or the last resort, some cash

reading can help as well

find out what they are seeking

everyone has something that they will jump in circles for

figure that out and its trade time

Inappropriate post

ask how much the show would be to buy.

its often the simplest and quickest solution. once you have the set, you can sell/trade it yourself to recurpiate the cost.

ku7uk


It's been times when a trader won;t sell either and I'm like damm!!!!!-lol It can be tough

Some traders only trade if they get something they want out of the trade, and some people don't have much left that they want. Some people have been at it so long, that the only way they'll provide material for someone else is if they get something they really want - anything less is a real intrusion into their life.

Some traders will dub material for a fee if asked (I won't). If they've been doing it a long time, the fee may be relatively high, simply because they've been doing it for a long time.

If you haven't already asked for the trader's want list, do. There might be something on their want list that you can help them get, and that may open the door for you. I'm not particularly keen on three-way trades, although on occasion I'll do them for a friend. But that may be a way to broker the trade you want.

What you might want to ask is if you don't have anything that they want, and they're not interested in a trade with you for the material, could they suggest someone else who might have it who might be interested in a trade with you. Ask if they could direct you to the web site of such a trader, rather than ask for that person's e-mail address (which would be a violation of their privacy if they haven't chosen to post their list).

Odds are if one person has it, someone else may as well. Why don't you post your wants, and provide a link to your have list here or on another forum you frequent? Someone may have what you're looking for, but isn't going to offer it if they don't know what you might be able to offer in exchange.

My collection has been growing for 28 years, and I have a lot of stuff that is rare as far as I know. It's not uncommon for people to be unable to find something in that list that they are willing to trade for. The flipside is that I've been relatively pummelled with disc requests for shows that I haven't put on disc, or have no plans to put on disc because the show has been released commercially, so I ended up removing the link to my full library list and I only offer it if I really want to trade with someone and nothing on my currently-available list interests them. But even the big list has not been enough with some traders. It happens.

my 2 cents worth

i get a lot of emails from people who have only partial sets
and me, i only take partial sets if it is something really rare or i really want it, like i got an email today "have The Jeffersons, 90% of the eps" and that is a no deal to me

also, i get lots of emails from people who want to swap me copies of retail sets, or copies or retail movies, which i do not want

also, i get people who want to trade me copies of new movies, still in theatres, but i have found 95% of the time the quality is awful and not worth the time

and a final thought, No matter how many times people ask me, I STILL DO NOT WANT A SET OF THE SMURFS
ha ha

thanks :eek:

With my collection, it is an everyday occurrence that I have to reluctantly turn people down because I can't find anything on their list and/or I have only so much money to finance trading, etc.

There are plenty of people that do sell for reasonable fees, but the fact of the matter is that the more you trade, the larger your collection, the more options you will have.

Redwhine recently offered to specially copy a series for me which was on my want list, and I gladly took her up on it. If all else fails and you're willing to acquire a series more slowly, that might be a good option for you.

Another option is to offer blanks in trade, which is as near to selling as I would ever get. Some refuse to trade for blanks, but if the offer is too good to refuse, you might be surprised.

Mike,

It also helps a LOT to have your listing on-line somewhere, so that people can stumble upon your have list. :D

From what I've read at your website, you request interested people to email you for a listing, but you'll have a lot more folks looking at your list if it's more out in the open. :)

You wouldn't need to necessarily have your shows listed on a private website. Even if it you had a listing here in a post it would help when someone uses the search option months down the road.

Mike,

It also helps a LOT to have your listing on-line somewhere, so that people can stumble upon your have have list. :D

From what I've read at your website, you request interested people to email you for a listing, but a lot of folks are curious and would much rather shop privately. :)

You wouldn't need to necessarily have your shows listed on a private website. Even if it you had a listing here in a post it would help when someone uses the search option months down the road.


very good point

im far more apt to want something , if i see it on a list

the web site that many of us use is free for the most part

they hit me like $ 6 a month because of amount and useage

but its free for most people

and also very simple to use

try freewebs.com

I know that I've had much better luck when I post on Usenet and such for something when I include "I have much to trade - my list is at ..." than if I just ask if someone has something I'm looking for. The fact I'm well-known on one forum or among a group doesn't mean anyone knows me on the next one, so it's important to let folks know I don't expect something for nothing and that I do have something to offer in trade.

That, of course, doesn't resolve your issue with this one trader. I'd suggest backing off from him/her, and looking for the material elsewhere. In fact, why don't you post in this thread what you're looking for - you never know, someone here might have it or might have seen it on someone else's list, and you could make a solid connection!

Web-sites do bring in Sales, but they also attract a lot of unwanted attension. (Some goverment sources).
While I personally never had that problem (due most likely to the disclaimer i had as a first page), I have known a few traders who were bought down by trading standards because they found their web-sites.

I closed down my web-site a few weeks ago for many reasons. Primarily because I have such a great collection of shows, and its simply not worth the risk of losing them all, just to help a stranger across the planet obtain one small set.

Out of what must have been 100 e-mails a week, i only got one or two orders. Most buyers wanted so much babysitting it simply wasant worth it. I got twenty e-mails in one hour from one trader asking why i wasant responding. The reason was that i was having my tea, but he wanted an immediete responce and filled up my inbox because he could'nt wait a few minutes. And all he wanted was one dvd!
You might say that this was a rare situation, but it was not. It quite often took twenty e-mails before any order would be made.

It took too much time and effort for such a small ammount and the risk was not worth it.

I also had problems keeping my web-site actrive, as my trade list was now 133 pages long. If crashed out on the servers. Seperating the pages didn't help, as the looker will still view every page in the site, still causing it to crash, and updating the site then was extremly time-consuming.

------------------------------------
i also discovered the ignorance of Americans. I don't want to insult the entire nation, i'm simply stating a fact that I am in the U.K. And even though I offered FREE airmail postage, and free PAYPAL use. I lost orders as soon as they discovered i'm British. When I changed my web-address to end in '.com' rather than the old '.co.uk', the number of orders I had trippled.

On that point, I find it iritaing to find its only the Americans who don't put the country on their address ('USA'). I've dealt with clients all over the world, and each one puts Germany, Brazil, Belgium etc., On their address, but the Americans just persume that their the centre of the planet, and all post will simply arrive to them! So they don't bother listing their country when they send their address.
This is the WORLD WIDE WEB!!! You need to list what country you live in, persuming you want a parcel to reach you.

------------------------------------------

Back on topic, as a elite trader, I often look at trade lists but see nothing of intrest, or more likely, no shows that I havent already got.

ku7uk

Hi Mike, I always figure I will find it from someone else. Someone I would have more in common with. And just for everyones info, Mike is a very good trader. We have had several good trades.

Well being one of the larger inventory holders on this site, I have run into that problem.
So sometimes I try to help out by getting blank media, or a gift card fo rmedia, to avoid shipping expense.,
Sometimes I ask them what progrmaming they have and check with Zap2it liek right now, I have METV which airs a lot of things people liek combisthebest wants (hehee)
Sometimes if there is a series out, and I feel liek indulging in a retial set, ill let them pick it up.
There isn't always a solution, but I try hard not to turn anyone down-

Sometimes I have come across people who want things I dont have, so I ask other traders I know do and set up a three way trade (sounds kinky ) lol.

But sometimes, you just gotta say darn and keep looking.

If you've gone through the direct trade route
the trade for DVD's and a kiss in the middle of the night
The I'll buy that for a dollar trade and even
the 3 way trade. There isn't much else you can do
unfortunately.

Well, I guess we could find out where they live, break
into the house and grab the dvd's that way. but man
I charge extra for that. Wait a sec did I say that outloud?

I know for me there are certain shows that I really really really
want (I'm talking put a towel on the chair if i even get a chance
at finding them) and can't seem to work out the final deal.

You never know, you might end up posting something up and
3 months down the road that person chimes in and says
"Hey, that looks good" and then your in.

But if that doesn't work, send me an e-mail about current
break in rates (j/k)

:crazy:

First, I agree with the advice that you should look for some rare items that most people won't have... and use that as currency to get more stuff on your want list. I have gotten incredible mileage from some sets by being the first person in a small trade group to have a set that no one else in the group has (e.g. Get Smart, Wild Wild West, Man from UNCLE, Mission Impossible, Early Edition).

Next, pay attention to the want lists of other traders, especially when more than one or two traders is looking for the same item(s).

Finally, it doesn't help that a very large portion of your have list is made up of poor resolution VCDs and AVI-DVDs, or retail dvd sets that anyone with a subscription to Netflix can easily acquire.

Yes, there I'd agree. If a trader sees a lot of crap on your list, that sets off warning bells. People who have been trading a long time and are down to a last few things to complete their collection are often quality nuts. And if they look over your list and see low-grade or ripped stuff, they're going to assume that quality is not a prime factor in your collection, and they may look no further.

You want to get good stuff, you have to offer good stuff, even if it means starting out with a small but solid collection.

when i first started

i took some avi, divx, vcd items

i was so excited to get some older things, but when i watched them, i learned very quickly that i needed to stay away from that type of thing

i seriously threw about 10 pounds of that stuff in the trash can,

im sure some people have some nice vcds, but from what i saw, i dont want to risk it, and i sure dont have the energy or time to convert any of that stuff to a dvd format

i have traded with mike several times, everytime he gets something new that i like--i am more than happy to add it to my stash

ill be the first to admit that it is difficult to find things to add to my collection, and i see the flustered pain he is refering to, i still get people who say that i dont have anything they can use---

that drives me to dig harder and spend more effort to assemble some things

i am working on several impossible projects to attract even more tough to get stuff

im working on the streets of san francisco set, police woman , and mannix, to try and improve my offereings for things i need