Bartertown.com

Hello.

I've been with bartertown for some time but have never done "business".

I plan to trade/buy from another member but I don't know how things are handled.
I would like to know before I do business so I don't seem like a complete idiot.

P.S. I am an active ebay member so my integrity is not an issue; are exchanges/sales handled much like ebay here?

Can someone PM me with the answer or post here for all newbies to read.

Well, R.J., it's kinda like this.

You arrange your trade. You decide who is getting what in exchange for what.
When the subject of the actual exchange comes up, it can go smoothly or rough. It all depends on the traders.

As a general rule, the person with the lower rating is expected to ship first. When the other trader receives the package, they go through it & make sure they got what they expected. Then, they ship their stuff to the other party.

Unfortunately, your ebay rating doesn't mean that much here. This isn't ebay and nothing that ebay does can affect your rating here.... and, until ebay buys Bartertown, the opposite is true, as well.

You can expect to ship first if it is an established trader.

As far as what kind of shipping options you choose... to each his own.

Personally, I prefer to ship via first class/parcel post with delivery confirmation.
I always send with it and I insist that packages coming to me use it, unless the trade partner is willing to assume all liabilities if I claim to have never received the box.

Some people prefer priority, others insist on insurance.

Some will not ship first, regardless of ratings.
Since these people usuallt end up being like Death Weasel, Justin Barnard or Jason Ticknor, I suggest staying away from them.

Hope this helps.
Eric

RJ,
All good advice from MagickalMemories. I would add a few additional thoughts:

Use Common Sense - if the Deal sounds or feels "off", rethink the Deal. No dishonour in backing out during negotiations or requesting more information.

Use courtesy and expect it in return. Lack of common courtesy is a bad sign in my book.

Communications - keep your Dealing partner Informed. Be accurate and timely. Expect the same in return.

Just a few thoughts on the subject.
By the bye, welcome to active Dealing and Good Luck.

Wayne

I have two simple principles to keep in mind:


1. Before going into a deal, always assume you're going to be ripped off. While it isn't advised that you treat your fellow trader with disrespect (even if he does rip you off), if you keep the frame of mind that he's going to rip you off, you won't be surprised when he does.

2. Before going into a deal, always make sure you have enough information to pin your opponent to the wall with. This means having a working phone number (i.e. actually calling the phone number the person supplies you with before the trade), a valid address, an email address, all email/pm correspondences saved, receipts, et cetera. Also have his local Police Department numbers handy.

Although I agree with Insidious 2en note I’m not sure to always go into a trade with the thought your going to get ripped off is a good way to look at it... Things happen and people do get ripped off... I know sid you have had it rough a few times.. but all of us do... Go into the trade knowing its a possibility but not a fact.

If a deal seems to good to be true.. well it probably is... Also I’ve gotten pretty good about picking out the guys who are bad seeds by watching their posts...

The best thing to do is go by feeling... if it feels bad to you.. don’t do it...

Also expect delays... People have lives...

I guess I should have been more clear on that statement.

I think Horace illustrated what I'm saying well when he said "A wise man in time of peace prepares for war."

In that, I mean be prepared for the worst. That's also why I stated to never treat your fellow trader with disrespect, even if he has ripped you off.

Wow.
First, let me say, "WOW!"

Sid's still pretty miffed over the whole skrewing thing, huh? Sid, I think it soured you.

Understandable, of course... I'm just harASSing you, Sid.

I AM in full force agree ment with Sid's second note.
IN a trade, I always get them to acknowledge the fine details so that I can nail their butts, if anything should happen.
Of course, the amount of info I gather starts at "x" and increases disproportionately with the number of references they have. The higher the rating, the less I worry about "nailing" them.

Then, there are the obvious exceptions.
Sid has a far lower rating than me. Even before his elevation to Modhood, though, I'd have been willing to do I simultaneous ship with him, as we've formed some sort of bond or something. I trust him.
The same can be said for other traders I've actually dealt with, too. You get to know people and you discover who you can trust.

Eric

On the issue of trust, I agree. Relationships start to form here once you've been around long enough.

And someone like Dark Soul I don't worry about either simply because I don't think they'd risk marring their 196 feedback account with a petty trade gone bad.

Its nice to know someone trusts me.. you don’t know how many people worry that I’m going to rip them off... and i just don’t get it... I’ve been here 5 years... and have several hundred trades (allot with the same people) and people still ask me why I want them to ship first when they have 0 feedback and they are worried... that i may run off with their 20.00 figure...
Or if a figure is delayed or lost in shipping... I’ve even shipped limited edition figures that have gotten lost... and when they didn’t show up... I shipped a second figure... Then I get S**t cuz the first one was lost.. and I’m the one out the money... I actually got a Neutral feedback on that one... What ever...
Although i do have to say.. i may have a high rating.. but I’ve also had the lowest with a -978 when some idiot decided to flame my account

Hmm....wondered if we scared RJ off yet?
Wayne

just remember a few things tho,
like the others said "too good to be true, probly is"

USPS with delivery confirmation and Insured works well for peace of mind.

EBay rating, dot expect that to get you anywhere here.

and with a "0" rating, or any low rating, expect to ship first for a while.

Steve

I'd think an eBay rating means something. Email that person through their account to ensure that they are really who they say they are. However, if they hose you over, you can't give them a bad reference on their eBay account.

TrademasterAdam ( with an eBay rating of 6 )

well good for ebay, thats why ebay has thier references section, for them, and bartertown has ITL.

ITL rating dont mean anything to anyone on ebay, so why should i give a rats hind end when someone with a very low ITL rating wants me to consider thier supposedly ebay rating?

they are still shipping first if they want to complete the trade.

like someone else allready said, this is a trading area (primarily) and most people on ebay are either one or the other, buyers or sellers.

not the same thing there either.

Steve