Bartertown.com

Hello! New to here and I was just wondering if anyone had any advice for me on how to be a good barter towner guy . What are some of the unwritten rules of good traders. What to look out for. How to know if a guy is legit or just out to take my stuff.

Thanks!

Gee.. unwritten rules.

1. If it seems like it is too good to be true (Eldar army for $45!) .. it probably is..
2. As a new member, you can expect to be asked to complete your side of the deal first. To mitigate possible scamming, try to deal only with those folks who have, say, 50+ as a Reference Number (in the parenthesis under their ID). Click on it.. any Negative References will show up in Red.. also read what their trade partners say. Some folks give good references, couched in ambiguous language.
3. Be Polite and Have Good Grammar. Be clear in what you offer and ask for. If there are ANY questions, get them out of the way, up front. Also, a lot of folks place good stock on traders returning PMs.. take that in mind.
4. If there are ANY questions you have that might be site-rule specific.. send a PM to a Staffer. (Red - Admin level, Dk Green - Moderators, Lt Green - Watchmen).
5. Participate! We have odd contests, some minor discussions, etc.. make a presence on the board and people will recognize your name and that may influence future trades.

lastly.. Read the Bad Trader, Backout, and Hall of Shame areas to familiarize yourself with situations that have come up in the past and people who have achieved truly staggering levels of d-baggery.

-Porkuslime

Great thank you!

Never click on a link that MagickalMemories posts.

We try to codify as many "official" rules of the site as possible in the rules forum. Every so often I'll get a question from someone that goes something like this: "So-and-so says that it's a site rule that I have to send him models before he pays because I've got a lower rating. Is that true?"
Strict answer is No, not a site rule. Could be a negotiating tactic though.

Anyway, feel free to ask whatever questions you have. Inevitably, you'll get an answer.

Linrandir wrote:Never click on a link that MagickalMemories posts.

Not fair. Poor form, sir.
You know that I haven't done that (in the forums) in a long time.


Eric

Welcome to Bartertown winterking!

Porkuslime, Linrandir, MM - they won't lead you astray and you can follow their advice with confidence.

I am going to add on to their advice with a few points. If you're interested in something someone else posted, be sure to read their post thoroughly before PM'ing them with questions. In and of itself, it's not a big deal to ask a question that is already answered in the post; however, if their items are "hot" and in demand, then they may get many, many PMs. In that case, then it becomes very helpful if you've already read their post.

I will add on to Porkuslime's suggestion of good grammar as this just happened to me today. The title of my post said: PP (50% OFF), GW, MISC. A trader seemed to think that all of my items were 50% off, when -in fact- it is just the Privateer Press models (note the comma after the parenthesis). I responded *kindly* and he replied with the corrected amount (his initial 50% off was... well, quite under 50%) and still seemed to think they were 50% off after I PM'd and clearly noted the comma and that they were not 50% off! Read the post thoroughly, and read the PMs thoroughly.

Finally, if you want to "low ball" folks - maybe you'll get a good deal, but you're more likely to get a "bad" reputation as well. Especially if the post says something like "50% off." In my opinion, it's appropriate to ask if that's flexible, but I wouldn't just shoot out a 75% off offer in a PM.

I love bartertown's reference system... it doesn't mess around! Remember a good ref = +2, a neutral = +1, and a negative = -10!! That's right, this aint no "feebay" (Bartertown member's endearing term for eBay) you mess up here and... BAM!!, the entire row is red so you can't miss it when checking someone's references. Having said that, please consult, consider, and take caution before you leave a negative ref.

We love it here because we get to trade our "dust collectors" for new stuff, make great friends, get a good deal on stuff, have good conversation, and maybe even get some commissioned painting and/or terrain done.

Sorry for the novel! Again, welcome to Bartertown!

Best,
Rik

Thank you every one for your imput! I agree on the grammar thing, say what you mean and mean what you say! How do you handle a language problem? Granted the vast majority of cases here are from North America but English proficiency is subject to great variation even on our great continent.

Currently, I'm in the middle of such a trade.

How do you handle a language problem?

I handle it with patience and politeness. After the initial discussion of what each has to trade, etc. I then try to weed out all the language "filler" and ask for clear, exact, bulleted lists, and links and pics can only help.
"You are sending:
-....
-....
-....

I am sending:
~....
~....
~...."

With purchases, if using the costly PayPal, be sure to clarify if you will or will not accept credit card payments via paypal because they'll charge you a hefty fee.

Again, welcome to Bartertown

winterking wrote:Thank you every one for your imput! I agree on the grammar thing, say what you mean and mean what you say! How do you handle a language problem? Granted the vast majority of cases here are from North America but English proficiency is subject to great variation even on our great continent.

Sumo's idea is good.

What it comes down to is that NO "good" trader will EVER be bothered by you reiterating the deal to ensure clarity.
If you include a list of trade items in EVERY PM, nobody decent will mind.
Maybe they'll get annoyed after the 8th or 9th time you send it, but they will understand why you're doing it. LOL

If ANY trader uses any ambiguous language, always ask for clarification until it's received.

"I'll send you all my CSM for your Rhino."
"How many is that?"
"It's about 20 to 25."
"Can you do a count, please?"
"I counted them. There are 18."
"Are they complete?"
"I got them in a trade, and I'm sending you everything I have."
"So, then, they ARE complete?"
"The guy I got them from said he was sending enough to build them all completely."
"Can you please count and ensure I will be receiving everything I need?"
"Looks like I only have 17 heads. I have 18 of everything else."

This king of thing happens EVERY DAY.

Eric


Eric

LOL @ MM -So true... so true. (When is that new .gif coming?!?!?!!!!!????!!!?!?!?!?!?!?)

@ winterking... here are a few more tips I thought of... but please understand that my wife and newborn left for her home town in Ohio today (I'm to catch up a week from today); therefore, I have consumed large amounts of adult beverage. That said, there may be some incoherent information here, or repeated information

== Sometimes folks misread something like 30% OFF retail for 30% OF retail - noting that extra 'F' it's a big difference, but an honest mistake.

== If you offer items at "50% off" you'll get at least one dubber that says, "how much?" I politely offer them a link to the website and say, "divide the total by 2, or cut it in half." I avoid dealing with folks like this because if they're not willing or able to do the math on the website you've provided... there is a good chance they're not a good trader.

== You'll get people that take your $50 retail item @ 50% off and say, "Ok, so $20 for your item and you're paying shipping right?" Don't fall for that. See previous post about "low-ballers" **ok, that may not "technically" be a "low ball" offer, but it smells like scam/greed to me!

== "Retail" means the price offered by the manufacturer. Some folks, innocently, think retail means the prices on thewarstore, miniaturesmarket, or similar sites. These sites, although wonderful, are not a reliable source for "retail" because the prices can vary based on their stock, availability, demand, or even who's doing the distributing!

== When I sell stuff the buyer pays shipping, when I'm trading we pay our own shipping.

== Always include a DC# (delivery confirmation number). The value of "back side coverage" is way beyond the actual cost of Delivery Confirmation!

== When you make a mistake with your trades (and you will because you're human & it's just a matter of time), handle it with class!! Read through some of my references; I think you'll be able to spot where I screwed up! But I will take a few bucks out of my pocket to make it right for the person that I "screwed up" on. In the end, you've created a confidence with folks and, despite your screw up, they will gladly trade with you again because you're a dude (or chick, respectively) that handles your "ooops" with class!! and it all goes towards that yummy "good" reference score in the long run!!

Ok, since the wife is gone, I can partake of a class A tobacco product without the danger of wife aggro

I hope that this little novel offers some assistance in some capacity, and I look forward to trading with you Mr.winterking!

Best regards,
Rik

Two things:

- Be up front with locations. Your's and the person you may be trading with.

- Before agreeing to a deal, check the shipping cost. Lots of trades have gone sour because someone realizes how much they have to pay on shipping.