Trading Your Cards by Mail

[KCRfan1]

This is a whole new territory for me and your valuable insights and experiences will help myself and others. What steps and precautions do you take when trading your cards with others and individuals you have not met? I am considering trading with a VERY reputable ebay dealer. So my biggest hurdle may have been cleared, his reputation appears to be excellent ( on ebay and per some of you on the board ). Other than dealer reputation, what else should I be aware of?

[sb1]

Once upon a time there was a thing before the internet............it was called trading thru the mail. If the person is a reputable Ebay seller why would he be any less honest thru the mail. I was recently sent a 4 figure card "on approval" a term stamp collectors are very familiar with. If I like it, I buy it, if not I return it. The party sending new me well as I did they, so it was an effortless scenario.

I would suggest giving it a whirl as you have vetted him via Ebay, in the old days many of the Ebay primary deals turned into very nice deals later on.

Deal with people either known to you or other collectors, reputable folks abound as do scoundrels. People here will quickly tell you the difference.

[vintagetoppsguy]

I just completed a large trade with TonyeTrade. I've purchased from him before, but I've never met him in person and this was our first trade. Given his reputation, I trusted him completely. I sent him my trade bait first and, once it arrived, he sent me his. Just make sure you ensure the package against loss or theft.

[cubsfan-budman]

I've traded modern cards extensively. Some expensive, some not. I've never had a bad experience. Most people are more concerned with their e-reputation than a few hundred (or even a few thousand) dollars.

[jimivintage]

I have belonged to Vintage Card Traders (VCT) for 11 years, Old Card Traders (OCT) for almost the same length, and Dugout Traders for a few years, too. Three great vintage trading groups where all members have earned their rights to be in those groups. We are a small community of baseball fans who love old cards. It's not EBAY, but it's something to check out. You can certainly PM me if you are interested. Mostly set collectors, but a few other type collectors, too.

Good luck!

Jimi

[Exhibitman]

Send it tracked and insured to cover an unfortunate loss. That's really about all you can do. I've had very good luck with collectors here; peer pressure works wonders for ensuring honest trades

[HaloFan]

I've done it a few times. Probably more with non-sports cards. Had some issues when I traded with a guy and his daughter from Canada where the postal system is very different. Took awhile for the package to reach them. He sent me some emails in a panic after not receiving them for a couple of weeks(if I remembered). I went to the post office to investigate and they assured me it would get there. Started developing a plan on how to compensate him(and his daughter) for his loss, but then he told me that the cards had arrived and was pleased with the trade.

Communication is important. The cards I received in the trade weren't as vital to me as it had been for him and his daughter. They were trying to complete a set and I think I was trading extras. I haven't done any trades with high dollar or rare cards, but nonetheless even cheap cards can be valuable in a trade, so you have to treat the transaction the same.

Craig H.

[Wite3]

I have been a member of an online trading card group for nearly 25 years now (OBC) and have rarely had a problem (maybe one or two in that entire time consisting of literally thousands of cards traded). Trust is key and knowing who you are trading with and their reputation is very important. Even before trading within this group, I trusted and traded with people via the mail (Gar Miller, Lew Lipsett, Frank Frisch come to mind) and the internet (Len Mederios, Solomon Cramer). It was all about trust and reputation. I try very hard to protect both and my end and make sure that I do the same for my trading partners.

A few things I do to ensure the trade is legit and goes smoothly.

Start off small. Do not send your $1,000 card to an unknown. Start with a smaller trade and you can work your way up.

Ask for references. Many traders who still trade through the mail have been around for awhile. Get ebay, auction house, and other trade references that you can check on.

Send to a physical address with del. confirmation at the very least, no PO boxes for me UNLESS I know the person and trust them completely.

Ask to get your end of the trade first. Many honest traders and even some dealers will send your item first for inspection...be prepared though...they might turn the tables and ask for your references.

Hope this helps...

Joshua

[RedlegsFan]

My friend, I got back into collecting a few years ago, and had no idea mail-email was a common way to trade. I was scared at first, and then realized its beauty. I, like Josh, and like Jimi, am with OBC and VCT. I cant ride my bicycle from Ohio and trade with someone in Missouri, or whatever. One day, I let a Berra go in a toploader with a stamp, and prayed that my $60 spent on my card wasn't ripped off. A week later, return fire from a VCT member. Whoa, I actually got the better end of the deal, that particular member, like 99.9% of all others in thosr groups, were and are very generous and honest. So, yes. Catdboard traders, collectors, and even dealers are very tight knit in some sort of brotherhood. That of which you can compare to a football or baseball team, or even military. Use common sense, but don't sweat it too much.

Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk 2

[pawpawdiv9]

Beckett does this stuff. I have done some trading..usually i sent first.
They all went well...some took longer, but thats what email/pm's are for.
BTW..these were for newer cards (90s +)
I seldom even visit there anymore since i found Net54...this place is much more cooler.

[EvilKing00]

Originally Posted by sb1

The party sending new me well as I did they, so it was an effortless scenario.

Its very rare (1st time ever) that I can correct someone's spelling or grammar.

"new" = Knew

lolol come on I had to

[murcerfan]

knewbie = someone thinking it a good idea to correct SB's spelling.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by pawpawdiv9

Beckett does this stuff. I have done some trading..usually i sent first.
They all went well...some took longer, but thats what email/pm's are for.
BTW..these were for newer cards (90s +)
I seldom even visit there anymore since i found Net54...this place is much more cooler.

I always assumed Scott knew how to spell so I overlooked that one.

I guess I just got hung up on Net54 being "more cooler".

I have to assume that this is an intermediary step to becoming "most cool"


As always, The 'Marm

[tschock]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

I have to assume that this is an intermediary step to becoming "most cool"

Slight correction... cool, more cooler, most coolest! (tongue in cheek)

[EvilKing00]

rolf come on man, no one here spells worse than I do