Negative Super Traders Rating

It's a good thing the Super Traders group doesn't have a feedback system in place.  Wait.  We don't, right?

Because if we did... it wouldn't be pretty for me.  It's not because I rip people off.  I'm like a Lannister... I always pay my debts.  It's the fact that I'm slower than molasses when it comes to making it down to the post office and shipping things out.

Sometimes it's pure laziness.  Other times... I don't have the inventory and need to pick things up on COMC.  But the biggest reason is time... or lack thereof.

That's why today I figured I'd share my thoughts on trading and let you decided whether or not I'm a suitable trading partner for you.


#1:  I very rarely send first.  It has nothing to do with a lack of trust.  It's that I'm always playing catch up with other blogger packages and never actually get ahead of the pack.

For example... The Junior Junkie recently sent me a package that included some Oakland A's cards for my collection:

This was sort of a "tag... you're it" package, because now I owe him cards.  By the way... TJ... that custom card is awesome!


#2:  99% of my trades are partially blind trades.

Once upon a time, I traded heavily on the forums.  Both parties would agree on specific cards to send, then ship around the same time.  These days... I rarely complete these kinds of trades, because my tradelists are very outdated and I don't foresee me updating them in the near future.

What's a blind trade?  Well... it's when two collectors send random cards to each other blindly.  However... since I'm rarely the guy who ships first... I end up seeing what the person sent first.

Isn't that cheating?  Well... kind of.  But the good news is I'll never, ever send less value than what they sent.

Two weeks ago, PATP sent me a generous PWE filled with some goodies:

And in return... I shipped out some Texas Rangers for him and made sure the trade was balanced at the very least.

Why can't you just send at the same time?  Well... that leads us to #3.


#3:  I typically make it down to the post office about four to five times a year, which means that my turnaround time is terrible.

Wow.  After rereading #'s 1 through 3... I pretty much sound like the worst trader around... hence the negative Super Traders rating.

Normally this alone would be incentive for me to make a chance.  However... continuously building packages and taking trips to the post office... while managing the blog, being a teacher, and trying to maintain somewhat of a personal life only adds stress to my life.  And that's when collecting becomes more of a job than a source of entertainment.  Not sure if I'm prepared to take on another job.

I completely understand that this post could hinder future trading with many of you... but I've gotten to know quite a few of you over the years and the least I could do is keep it real.

With that being said... I was on Spring Break this past week and was able to build a bunch of packages for fellow bloggers and collectors:  Mr. Hoyle, Cardboard Clubhouse, Woody, Infield Fly Rule, Oddball Card Collector, Baseball Card Breakdown, JBF, Junior Junkie, Night Owl, Off Hiatus, Too Many Verlanders, Cooperstown Exit 3:16, Play at the Plate, GCRL, and Highly Subjective & Completely Arbitrary.

I apologize that I kept a few of you waiting a few months and thank you for your patience.

JediJeff... I have a PWE that I'll ship out sometime this week.

Well... that's it.  Tomorrow I'm back in the classroom... which means that if you decide to send me any packages... chances are you'll have to wait until June or July before I can return the favor.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!