Safe Tips For Buying and Selling on Sportscardfreaks

dsizemore

Bench Warmer
Safe Tips for Buying:

Before buying from anyone for the first time be sure to check the sellers feedback (this site, other sites, Ebay,..etc.) and get some opinions from others on the site. I encourage every buyer to promote that insured shipping ($100 or more not $50) be included in the price. If it is negotiated this way then please include it in the agreement. If paying buy paypal always keep your paypal receipt where you can refer back to it if there are issues. I have a folder titled Ebay and Paypal that I put these in and once the deal is completed then I go and delete the e-mails. Also, in the special instructions box in the Pay-Pal payment transaction always include your address a second or third time to be sure the seller has your address correct. If you are paying by money order keep your receipt for the money order. You can refer to the seller of the money order and find out the date, time, and place the money order was cashed. I encourage these acts in your purchasing experiences here on Sportscardfreaks.


Safe Tips for Selling:

When selling one should include $100 worth of insured shipping in the price. $100 insured shipping makes the buyer sign for the package and you can take your receipt to the post office and assure the package is in their (the buyer) hands. As a seller the goods are your responsibility until they reach the buyers hands. If you are paid by Pay-Pal then you should keep a receipt of the payment reception notice and save it in the same folder (refer to the above paragraph on buying) and not delete it until you have confirmation the buyer has received their goods. Sometimes you receive payments from unconfirmed buyers and this is your sole discretion to ask them to send payment by money order or you can ask for Pay-Pal. If you are paid by money order keep the insurance receipt until you have confirmation that the buyer has received their goods. Check a buyers feedbacks (this site, other sites, Ebay, etc.) before selling to them. When mailing a package ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS mail in a padded bubble envelope. These practices will help you be a great seller.

These are some of the ****ods that I practice myself when buying and selling on the net. If you have any questions then you are welcome to contact Adam (Atrain2004), Steve (Snick103), or myself via PM here on Sportscardfreaks. Thank you for the long read and the best of luck in your experiences here at Sportscardfreaks.
 
Would just like to add that if a deal is too good to be true, it 99% of the time is. I have gotten burned this way and almost lost $80 worth of nice cards.

I'm talking about something like a person offers you three nice $30-40 autos maybe in your favor for a bunch of lower end game used and rookies. Anyone not looking to scam you would never do such a trade, so don't fall for it like I did.

Thanks,
Ryan
 
this goes for selling, and trading: always get a scan before u make the trade! This is so if they say the card was damaged you can PROVE it wasnt your fault.
 
sportsguyryan said:
Would just like to add that if a deal is too good to be true, it 99% of the time is. I have gotten burned this way and almost lost $80 worth of nice cards.

I'm talking about something like a person offers you three nice $30-40 autos maybe in your favor for a bunch of lower end game used and rookies. Anyone not looking to scam you would never do such a trade, so don't fall for it like I did.

Thanks,
Ryan

Good advice guys, but flawed and just a little overboard.

I guess myself and a few others fall into the 1% category. I, personally, do this quite often to help out younger collectors and others. In return, I have had other traders do this for me...........it's called trading up. Case in point, I just sent a younger collector somewhere in the neighborhood of 350.00 bv for some low end jersey and auto cards i needed for my pc. He got himself some pretty nice cards in the deal. In another deal i received a 60.00 bv gu for some low end gu and autos that he needed for his collection.
If the deal seems too good to be true, sometimes it is, if you feel unsure about a trade like this and you are on the higher end, just have the other guy send first and provide a verifiable tracking number.

As far as insuring a package for 100.00 value, keep in mind that if the stated item IS damaged, and an insurance claim is filed, you had better be able to prove that the 20.00 (example) in cards that you traded is worth 100.00 or you may face mail fraud charges. Making false statements to the postal service is a felony and punishable by hefty fines or even prison. You don't have to insure your package to a certain amount, just purchase signature delivery confirmation. A lot cheaper and works just as well. 99.9 times out of 100 your package will arrive unscathed with regular delivery confirmation. If you're using PayPal to buy something under 250.00, remember that all the seller needs to beat a claim against him is a tracking number.
 
BSC said:
Good advice guys, but flawed and just a little overboard.

I guess myself and a few others fall into the 1% category. I, personally, do this quite often to help out younger collectors and others. In return, I have had other traders do this for me...........it's called trading up. Case in point, I just sent a younger collector somewhere in the neighborhood of 350.00 bv for some low end jersey and auto cards i needed for my pc. He got himself some pretty nice cards in the deal. In another deal i received a 60.00 bv gu for some low end gu and autos that he needed for his collection.
If the deal seems too good to be true, sometimes it is, if you feel unsure about a trade like this and you are on the higher end, just have the other guy send first and provide a verifiable tracking number.

As far as insuring a package for 100.00 value, keep in mind that if the stated item IS damaged, and an insurance claim is filed, you had better be able to prove that the 20.00 (example) in cards that you traded is worth 100.00 or you may face mail fraud charges. Making false statements to the postal service is a felony and punishable by hefty fines or even prison. You don't have to insure your package to a certain amount, just purchase signature delivery confirmation. A lot cheaper and works just as well. 99.9 times out of 100 your package will arrive unscathed with regular delivery confirmation. If you're using PayPal to buy something under 250.00, remember that all the seller needs to beat a claim against him is a tracking number.

For example, this was the deal that I got scammed on and we had to get the police involved in on The Bench.

2005/06 Upper Deck Hardcourt Dwight Howard Auto
2005/06 Upper Deck Hardcourt Andrew Bynum Auto
2005/06 Upper Deck Hardcourt Ben Gordon Hardcourt Materials


for

2006 Donruss Threads Chris Simms/Phil Simms Generations Dual Jersey /250
2006 Topps Chrome Leon Washington RC
2006/07 Topps Chrome Adam Morrison RC
2006/07 Upper Deck Hardcourt LeBron James Game Floor GF-14
2006/07 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Jordan Farmar Auto


Who would trade those NICE autos for a bunch of cheaper GU's / rookies? I would think you would want to trade the nice autos for comparable nice autos.
 
sportsguyryan said:
For example, this was the deal that I got scammed on and we had to get the police involved in on The Bench.

2005/06 Upper Deck Hardcourt Dwight Howard Auto
2005/06 Upper Deck Hardcourt Andrew Bynum Auto
2005/06 Upper Deck Hardcourt Ben Gordon Hardcourt Materials


for

2006 Donruss Threads Chris Simms/Phil Simms Generations Dual Jersey /250
2006 Topps Chrome Leon Washington RC
2006/07 Topps Chrome Adam Morrison RC
2006/07 Upper Deck Hardcourt LeBron James Game Floor GF-14
2006/07 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Jordan Farmar Auto


Who would trade those NICE autos for a bunch of cheaper GU's / rookies? I would think you would want to trade the nice autos for comparable nice autos.

In most instances, yes, you would think that one would want to trade for something comparable to what he was offering. However, the question here isn't if what was being offered is legitimate, but did you do enough to protect yourself from loss??
You have to ask yourself these questions each and every time you transact a trade or sale/purchase:
If there is a feedback system in place, does my trading partner have 100% positive feedback, and if so, how many trades has he done, and what are the feedback comments regarding those trades??
A flurry of recent trade activity from a newer member can sometimes be an attempt to establish good feedback to promote a false sense of security. Especially if that person is doing alot of low-end trades in a short span of time. Feedback comments are as important as the feedback rating itself, as they show things such as quick or delayed shipping etc...

Does my trading partner have an established reputation as a good trader and is he/she known for trading up or down in certain instances??
There are quite a few people who are generous enough and don't see dollar $ign$ in each and every card they have. Be sure to check out each trading partner's general reputation. Ask for references from other traders, check with site staff regarding that persons general trading reputation.

Do I feel comfortable enough with his reputation or know enough about my trading partner to send same time???
Is my trading partner willing to send first in an effort to show good faith and alleviate my fears???
Is there a verifiable tracking number or scan of a completed dc slip made available to me??
These 3 questions are self explanatory.

The bottom line comes down to protecting yourself in all instances. If you feel ANY uncertainty at all during the course of your trade discussions, then either cover your own butt or don't go through with the trade. It's always a 50/50 split on trust and reputation that show just how trustworthy a person can be. Always remember to trust your own instincts and gut feelings when it comes to trading or purchasing. Do your research, and cover your *** by all means available. :D
 
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