Intro:
These are the Universal Trade Rules. If you wish to trade on TCGPlayer you MUST follow them. If you decide to not follow them, you will be banned from trading or from the site as a whole. These rules are a new combination of VS, Yugioh, and Naruto/Pokemon/everything else I and the Trade Staff run. Some things have changed, most have not. Its up to you to re-learn the changes. Mike Lopez, Seraphon, and the Yugioh Trade Moderator's helped me compile them to be the best and safest around.
Preface
If you want to trade on this site, you will follow these rules. It’s as simple as that. The Moderator and Administration staff reserves the right to prohibit any user from trading for any violation of these rules, or for any other reason we feel necessary. Trading on this site is not a right, it is a privilege.
These rules are in place to protect the users of this site. Trading cards are somewhat valuable and growing in value every day, and some people invest quite a bit of money into this hobby. The last thing we want is for someone to be a victim of theft because they didn’t follow our rules.
Ripping is an ever-increasing problem. We will take steps to minimize the risk of online trading, but in the end, most of the responsibility lies on you. If a trade sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. If the person you're trading with refuses to use a middleman, or they refuse to trade unless you send at the same time, that should be an immediate red light. We want to protect you, but you have to let us. We can't hand-deliver this cards to your door, and we can't go to a ripper's door and get your cards back.
If you follow our rules, We will do all in my power to get your stuff back.
I. Trade Rules
1.
The “House Rule” Rule
First and most importantly - our rules trump your rules in every situation. By all means, feel free to add your own rules to your trade threads, such as “I will not send overseas” or “Leave a link or don’t ask me to check your list”. Simple things like that are never problems. You cannot, however, post a rule in your trade thread that contradicts a rule posted here. If you do, you will be asked to change it. If you don’t comply, your thread will be closed or deleted.
2.
Leaving References.
You are REQUIRED to leave a reference now. In the past bad user's have not recieved negatives as traders are trying to be nice, or some traders do not possitive ref for a trade. This is required to protect traders and get you more refs to avoid scams.
3.
Trade Thread Requirements
There are certain things we require all trade threads to have. These are in place for various reasons, but most of all, it shows us that you've read the rules and are taking measures to keep completely updated on the current trade rules.
1. You must have at least 10 Trading Card haves to start a list. Ten wants are optional, but recommended. You are required to have ten card wants before you list anything but TRADING CARDS as wants. This includes: Video Games, Cell Phones, Gift Cards, ect. Any thread with less than 10 haves will be closed or deleted. If you list other things besides Trading cards as wants of haves, you must still be looking/trading up trading cards, if not you will not be permitted to trade.
2. Current trades. We strongly advise you edit into your thread your current trades in order to keep the other traders informed of your cards availability.
If your thread doesn't have these required contents, we'll try to make sure that you know they need to be there.
4.
Trade Tracking Thread -
Yugioh Only
All trades conducted on this site must be reported on the Trade Tracking Thread. You must state in your post:
Quote:
-Trader 1
-Date Sent
-Date Received
-Trade Material SENT
-Delivery Confirmation Number OR Middleman
-Trader 2
-Date Sent
-Date Received
-Trade Material SENT
-Delivery Confirmation Number OR Middleman
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If you receive a reference for a trade that is not reported on the Tracker thread, that reference will be deleted and a ref scamming punishment will be handed out.
5.
Buying and Selling - New Rule
Selling or Buying cards on this site is not supported or protected. No Moderator will handle money, even for middleman trades. All that can be exchanged are stamps and cards. The reason for this is simple, money deals normally can go wrong. We cannot stop purchases done via PM, but we can prevent you from getting a Moderator trade involving money and prevent you from getting a reference.
There is only one situation where you can get a ref or have a Mod trade when money is involved, and that is if you are a subscriber to TCGPlayer. (Information of subscriptions are here -
http://www.tcgplayer.com/subscribe). If you wish to attain a ref, get a middleman trade, or be protected by our rules, you MUST SUBSCRIBE.
Now, even if you are selling, you MUST follow the reference rule as per who sends first or second. This is so you have some protection, which is better than none.
6.
Bumping your Thread
You are only allowed to bump your thread once every 24 hours. A bump is a double post to bring your trade list to the top of the Have/Want list.
7.
One at a Time
Each user is only allowed one active trading thread at a time, and may only start once new topic per week. The trade forums usually have higher traffic than any other section of the forums, and to keep the forums clean and orderly, this rule must be followed. If you are found to have more than one thread started within a seven-day period, all your trade threads will be either locked or deleted and you will be prohibited from starting a new thread for one week. It is not wise to break this prohibition.
8.
Protect Yourself
Never post your address, IP address, or other personal information on this forum. Conduct all your negotiations via private messaging so that you have a record of the trade, and keep all information regarding to the trade until the deal is finished. It is recommended that you obtain a valid e-mail address from the person you are trading with and confirm it before sealing the trade. If a person is suspected of fraud, a moderator (and only a moderator) will post his/her name and address on the Bad Trader List so that people are aware of who to look out for.
9.
Mint or Not
If you have a card or cards on your list that are not in mint condition, you MUST state what condition the card is in on the list. I'm instating this to put an end to the "If you don't ask, I assume you don't care" rules on several members’ threads.
Here is a guide to help you with figuring out what the condition of your card is:
http://www.trollandtoad.com/cardconditionguide.php
II. iTrader
Our reference system is the “iTrader” system. This system works much like eBay’s reference system. When you complete a trade, you will be responsible for leaving a comment about the other person’s actions during the trade, and add (or subtract, depending on the situation) to that person’s trader rating. If everything goes smoothly in the trade, you would leave positive feedback which increases the user’s iTrader rating; and if something when wrong, you would leave neutral or negative feedback which does not change or decreases the user’s iTrader rating (respectively).
1.
iTrader Rating
The user with the lower iTrader rating will always, with very few exceptions, send their end of the trade first. You may not request a user with a higher iTrader rating to send his/her end of the trade first. If you are not comfortable sending your end of the trade, contact a Moderator so that we can set up a middleman trade.
BE SURE TO CHECK THE OTHER PERSON’S ITRADER RATINGS BEFORE YOU AGREE TO A TRADE. When we ban someone from trading, we give them a negative reference stating such.
a) Same iTrader Score – If both parties have the same amount of unique references, the person who has been a registered member of the forums for the least amount of time will be the one to send first.
b) Same iTrader w/ different amount of trades – If one person has 5 iTrader and has traded with one person three times, that still only counts as 5 unique references. When in doubt, go by the number, not the amount of trades you’ve made.
2.
Backing Out
Backing out is against out rules, and you will get a negative reference. If, for some reason, you feel unsafe, post in the trade resolution house within
24 HOURS of the confirmed trade to either get it changed to a middleman trade or get it cancled. If it is cancled, you will get a neutral, if not, you get a negative. No exceptions, we are being leinant.
3.
Negative Rating
You are not allowed to give a user a negative rating just because they give you a negative rating. Rate the trade on exactly how it was conducted every time, regardless of how the other person thought of the trade.
4.
Negative Rating and Sending First
You may not force users that have a negative reference to send first. There is an exception to this rule, of course. If a moderator has listed a user on the Caution List or Bad Trader List, then that user will send first until that user is removed from the list. You may refuse to trade with users with negative references, but you cannot force them to send first.
5.
Reference Scamming
Your iTrader rating is a record of your trustworthiness in sending cards through the mail to a stranger on TCGPlayer. Reference scamming is where you artificially boost your iTrade rating with a ref that doesn't count for the above.
Reference scamming can include;
- Making dummy accounts and giving refs through them to your main. This is so easy to spot, don't bother! Some people like to put on an act and 'arrange' a trade between the accounts. It's still quite obvious.
- Making a valid trade on another site, or over instant messenger, and then registering accounts here and reffing each other for that same trade.
- Making a trade in-person with someone you know, or meeting up at a store. iTrader is for mail trades only.
- Outright soliciting people over PM to exchange refs with you, without a trade being involved.
If you are caught reference scamming, it is likely that you will be banned. In order to give and receive a valid trader reference on this site, all negotiations must be done on this site (whether in the thread itself or via private messaging). Negotiations done on other messaging services such as AIM or MSN will not be valid proof of a trade done on this site.
6.
Simul-Send
A simul-send is when both parties send their respective trade ends simultaneously. This is highly discouraged.
I'm not going to say "don't simul-send", because I do it often. But I am going to say only do it at your own risk. The moderators are less likely to help you out of a situation when you put yourself at this type of risk.
III. The Bad Trader and Caution Lists
1.
Check the List
Check the "Bad Traders" thread before you initiate a trade to make sure you're not trading with a suspected or known “ripper” or “scammer”. Once a user is placed on this list, they cannot be taken off (except in extraordinary circumstances). If you do feel inclined to trade with someone on this list, the user that is on the “Bad Traders” list is required to send first, no exceptions, if that user is allowed to trade at all.
2.
Adding to the List
Only a moderator may add a user to the “Bad Trader” list, and we will require proof of the transgression. The following offenses can get you listed on this “Bad Trader” list, but remember that these aren’t the only offenses that can get a person listed.
-Stealing Cards (cards being sent to you, but not sending cards back; also referred to as “ripping”)
-Sending fake cards
-Providing a fake address
-Reference scamming (leaving refs when no trading has occurred)
-“Impostering” (posing as another user that has a good reputation)
-Refusing to send first though you have fewer references
-Repeatedly violating the Complete Trading Rules (what you’re reading now)
IV. Q&A
1.
What are “Rippers”?
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Brad Pironciak
I don't think anyone goes in depth enough into rippers on this site.
Rippers, as we all know, are people that make deals for cards, and don't send their end. To tell you the truth, this is easy enough to avoid. Yes, online trading can be risky, but there are ways to keep yourself at as minimal a risk as possible.
Some tips:
Watch out for users with no/low refs that request simul-sends, or for you to send first. You'd think this would be common sense, but 0 ref users are still having people simul-send with them.
You're a low ref user, and are scared about sending first. Well, this is where the great thing called Delivery Confirmation comes in. With this useful tool, you can be assured you know that your package has arrived.
You're a user with 0 refs, but how can be assured that the user with 5 refs you have to send first to can be trusted? Well the truth is you can't. If you are scared, the best idea is to trade with users with 20 refs and over. Most of the time, a ripper will only bother to get to 5 or 10 refs before they start ripping people, at getting to say 30 or 40 takes WAY too much effort.
"How can you know that the 20+ ref user or even YOU Brad can be trusted?" Well, the truth is you can't, but I assure you that trading with high reference users carries a much smaller risk of being ripped off.
If you see that a user only has one copy of a card on their list, and they seem to have agreed to a deal involving that card with 2 people, watch out. This is an almost SURE sign that they are ripping, or at the least, very unorganized.
Watch out someone who tries to pressure you into sending first or not sending delivery confirmation with phrases like, "Cmon, why would I rip you when I do other things on the site?" Sure, sometimes this can just be an honest user stating their case, but you may want to take caution.
"Wow, what a great deal" Be careful for this one, as a deal that seems too good to be true, usually IS. I'm not going to trade you my cyber dragon for your summoned skull. Watch out for these deals.
An extra safety precaution can be to get a person’s e-mail address. Sure, this isn't the most effective method, but if a ripper is banned from the site, then you have no means of contacting them without an e-mail. In some cases, you may even want to get a phone number.
I have noticed that some people can't notice rippers unless they explicitly admit to ripping them out of cards, so WATCH FOR CLUES. I don't care if someone with 500 refs is repeatedly asking, and very pushy to make sure you've sent out as quickly as possible. BE SUSPICOUS! Some people just want their cards, some people are trying to make you hurry up and send before suspicion arises about their trading status.
CHECK THE BAD TRADER THREAD. Many times, a site user will become suspicious over a trader, and that is the place to get a heads up, before you might be the next rip victim. I've noticed that several times, people will keep trading with someone, even though most people know they are a ripper, because they FAILED to check the bad trader thread.
TRADE AT YOUR OWN RISK. If a user has received a negative reference in the past, trade knowing that you are at an even HIGHER risk to be ripped. You have no one to blame but yourself if someone is an obvious ripper, and you fall prey to them due to not following a few simple, but highly important tips.
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2.
What is Reference Scamming, and how do I spot it?
Quote:
Look out for new users with references from other new users. This may be an example of a ref scam.
What is ref-scamming? That's where you either a) make up multiple accounts in order to give references to one account to increase your trader rating, or b) have your friends give you references for trades you made without TCGplayer being involved, or that don't exist at all. In either case, if you are caught ref-scamming, you can be pretty sure the site moderators will ban you.
Some basic trading tips
How often do the users of this message board see this?
Haves:
30 Janky Rares
Wants:
Crazy Money Rares
I want money cards, and so do you, and so does the next guy in these forums. So what? Don't kill yourself on the slim chance of getting these cards. Broaden your horizons. How about a trade list that includes some good cards that may not necessarily be what EVERYONE wants.
Yes, these are still good cards, but you are 100% more likely to get some responses with people actually having what you want this way.
---The Rule of Thumb
This is quick and simple. "An item is only worth as much as someone will pay for it."
Just remember that. Sure, Cyber End Dragon skyrockets in many price guides, but who is really going to pay the type of prices they have listed?
A good representation of how much someone will pay for an item is eBay, plain and simple. There is no price guide that will tell you better, because simply, they do not have anyone actually BUYING from them.
---A universal rule about money rares
Money rares in this game change all the time, so for now they are going to be known as:
X Card
Y Card
Z Card
I think a good rule about the "high ends" is to have at least one of the "high end" cards in your HAVES list if you have two or more of the others in your WANTS list.
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3.
I’ve been ripped off, what do I do?
Quote:
This seems to be a big question on the boards as of late.
So you got ripped off, what do you do now?
Well, first thing is make sure you truly got ripped off. Attempt to contact your trading partner any way possible. For this very reason I recommend that you get and VERIFY an email address on every trade you make with someone new.
Chances are, if you truly got ripped off, your trading partner won't bother to read a PM from you, or will have a full inbox. Get an e-mail address and/or phone number!
Also, make sure you've allowed a REASONABLE amount of time since the trade was finalized. There are many people who say "I traded with this guy a week ago, and haven't gotten his stuff yet!" Have some patience, as at times, the USPS can be slow. Wait 2 or more weeks before you even consider that you were ripped off. For international trades, even longer.
This is a reverse phone directory so that you can call the person if you need to:
http://www.reversephonedirectory.com/
http://www.whitepages.com
If you're sure you got ripped, leave a negative reference. That will get your partner's attention, unless of course they've fled the site.
Then, file mail fraud with the United States Post Office.
Here's the link:
http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud
Please note that this is only for the United States, for people in Canada you must contact the RCMP/mail-fraud division. In other countries, you’ll have to contact your local post office for more information.
I'm sorry that you got ripped off, really. It sucks. People like me can do as much as they can to stop rippers, but there is no way to stop every bad trader and ripper in the world.
Don't think that mail fraud is pointless, because even if you did not send with confirmation, if there are enough complaints against someone living at one address, it WILL be investigated, and a hefty fine may be instated on said party.
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4.
When is a trade official?
A trade is official when the following actions occur:
-The trade is confirmed by both participants
Both trade participants have agreed upon certain trade material.
Example:
Person A says "I'll trade you my non-mint Don Zaloog for your Goblin Attack Force".
Person B says "Okay".
-Addresses are exchanged by both participants
-It is confirmed which participant is sending first
Example:
Person A says "I have 12 refs, you have 8. You would be sending first."
Person B says "I'll send out tomorrow."
-The shipping options are discussed by both participants
Example:
Person A says "I have 12 refs, you have 8. You would be sending first."
Person B says "I'll send out tomorrow, and I’ll send with Delivery Confirmation."
Backing out of a trade after this point is highly discouraged. If you do so, be prepared to receive a neutral or negative trader rating, depending on the situation. If you get a negative reference for backing out of a trade and don’t agree with it, PM the trade details and your explanation to a moderator for review.
5.
How do I do a middleman trade?
Quote:
Moderator “Middle-Man” trades - Now, the site has always had these "Middle Man" trades, but I don't believe some of the new users know about them, so I'm starting a thread on it.
Let me just clarify how it works:
-User A and User B both decide to do a mod trade since they're new to the site or it's a high-value trade.
-User A + User B each send their end of the deals to the moderator.
-Once both ends have been received by the moderator, he/she sends the cards where they need to go. (User B's cards go to User A and vice versa.)
-If one end is received but not the other, that end is sent back to its original owner.
This thread is going to be a list of each moderator that will be available for these trades, and what they require as compensation. Remember:
-- An escrow trade must ALWAYS include postage. (No moderator is going to be paying your postage)
-- An escrow trade must ALWAYS include a note with what the deal was, and the address to send to.
-- If both parties want the deal sent either priority mail, delivery confirmation, or both, they must send cash so that the moderator can do so.
-- Refs are exchanged by all parties involved once a deal is completely finished.
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6.
How can I protect myself from Rippers?
We have been banning scammers and rippers alike left and right for the last few months. Because of the existence of highly sought after, extremely expensive cards, people are going to be tempted now more than ever to try to rip you off.
My suggestions?
1 - Get all the info about your trade partner; name, address, e-mail address, and phone number if possible.
2 - Don't be afraid to ask a moderator to be a middleman, especially if you're trading with a relatively new member with outrageous cards.
3 - If the trade seems too good to be true, it probably is.
4 - If you want advice about a certain member before you trade, ask a moderator. We know most of the good and bad traders on this site.
We want to make sure that you don't end up losing hundreds of dollars worth of cards in a bad trade. Work with us as much as you can, and protect your cards.
REMEMBER!!
We are not responsible for the trades you make. Common sense should dictate your actions. CHECK YOUR TRADING PARTNER'S references YOURSELF! GET AN E-MAIL ADDRESS when you trade so that you can contact that person outside of the board if need be. We do our best to make sure that our members don't get ripped off, but sometimes it's not enough, so make sure you protect yourself.
NEVER, under any circumstances, post your e-mail address or your home address on a public message board.
Don't trade something you can't afford to lose until you have built up a trust with your trading partner.
Finally, have fun and Happy Trading!
By the Moderators, LIGHTNINGBLITZ, Mike Lopez, Seraphon and the resident Trade Staff.
TCGPlayer Universal Trading Rules [Revised July 27th 2009]
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