Collecting Tips

[ Buyers ] [ Sellers ] [ Traders ] [ Collectors ]

Buyers

1. Shop around! Get information and prices from a bunch of different lists and sites, this will help you save money.

2. Allow sellers to use you as a reference so that they can get more business. This only requires you to answer emails from others about your experience with a certain seller.

3. Know what you want before you email someone. There is nothing sellers hate more than having to look through all their cards because you only want the ones with a certain character or something. Learn about the different sets and such so that when you do email a seller you can tell them exactly what you are looking for.

4. Many sellers are individuals and not stores so they can ignore you if they choose to. They don't have to put up with people being rude or unagreeable. All buyers should remember this because sellers do talk to each other and if you get a bad reputation than everyone will know and you will be restricted in who you can buy from!

5. Don't go crazy over condition unless you really plan to spend the time and money required to get every card in perfect condition. With the age of some of these cards and so on, they are very hard to find in factory sealed mint condition. Not only will they be hard to find, they will cost a lot more. Many rare mint regular cards can cost up to $2.00 each or more. However this does not mean you have to settle for poor quality cards. Many collectors who want perfectly mint cards will sell off the cards that have the smallest problem with them. Scratches that you can't see unless you look at the card just right with a magnifying class might bother them, but it can save you a lot of time and money. Plus the card is still in near mint/excellent condition.

6. Always pay for Delivery Confirmation (its only like 50 cents). This will help insure that your items get to you safe and sound and that you can track what's being sent. On top of that, if you're using paypal, this is a MUST! If there is ever a problem with not getting something, Paypal will ask the shipper for a Delivery Confirmation code to prove they shipped the items (this is the ONLY thing Paypal will accept). By paying the small fee for confirmation you can be assured that you will be able to track your items and know who is responsible if there is a problem.

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Sellers

1. First and foremost, do not email others and say you have cards to sell them. This is rather rude as most people who buy cards do so only when they have the money, not when someone says "hey I know you need these cards so buy them from me." Remember it is not about you needing the money, it is about them having the money! *Note that this does not apply between friends as many make friends in the card community and will offer needed cards to a friend before they offer them to others. Giving friends a chance to get them first is always a nice gesture.*

2. In order to avoid doing number 1, get the message out about your site or your business by posting in forums and in groups dedicated to Sailor Moon cards or anime cards in general. Make others aware of the cards you have and give them a way to get in touch with you. By doing this, people can find you whenever they have money to buy something.

3. If for some insane reason you must do number 1, than don't just tell people you have cards they want. Tell them the prices and the shipping. Give them a little more than just "I have these cards you need, if you want them email me back." Just doing that can really turn a buyer off to you.

4. Keep your list of cards updated as much as possible. Even if you don't do any selling for months at a time, it is still very important to update the "last updated" date on your page or list so that others know that what their seeing is current. Many people will not even bother with pages or lists that say they have not been updated in several months or more.

5. Do NOT overprice your stuff because people will ask around and it will not sell. Remember, just because you need or want more money doesn't mean you can cheat us out of ours. Trying to do so will also land you on blacklists which will further ruin your sales.

6. ALWAYS include Delivery Confirmation in the price when using Paypal, no ifs ands or buts! Its only an extra 50 cents and will be a life saver if something should happen to the items you ship. When something goes wrong, to prove that the item was shipped, Paypal will ask for a Delivery Confirmation code and its the ONLY thing they will accept as proof. Having that code can and will save you from wrongful claims by scammers as well as insure that your items will not be "lost in the mail" as people will be able to track them.

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Traders

1. With most traders I have come across it is customary that when you have never traded with someone before to follow this rule of thumb: the person who asks for the trade sends their cards first and when they arrive, the other person sends out their cards. This is done to prevent the trader being asked to trade with someone new from being screwed over and to show that you are serious about the trade.

2. If you stay in the business of trading for awhile you are going to run into a bad trader, it is inevitable. They will try to screw you over in one or more ways and you should always take measures to stop them. Number 1 is a very good way to avoid a big trap of bad traders who start the trade. If you plan to start the trade then ASK FOR REFERENCES! If they won't give them to you or you can't get an answer from any of them than something is probably wrong.

3. Make friends! The trading community is best with friends as this opens opportunities to many things. Friends tend to mail cards at the same time. Friends also tend to offer needed cards to each other first and they will also offer more deals. It also offers the bonus of hearing about bad traders before they try and scam you.

4. Keep a list of all those you have traded with as references for others so they can find out what kind of trader you are. Having a more in depth list can help you as well. I keep a list of references that includes website url's and addresses so if I do trade with them again, things will move more quickly. However, when asking about using someone as a reference be sure to ask what THEIR preferences are. Ask how much information you can give out (just their email? their name?) and ask if that information can be given freely or only if asked for.

5. Don't be stingy with the way you package your cards for shipment. Toploaders, protective sleeves, and 9-slot protective sheets are and should be common place when mailing cards. These items are a part of the trade and you should be reimbursed for yours by the ones the other trader sends to you. I have over 100 toploaders and have never paid for any because I got them all in trades and I use them all the time.

6. Never ask the other person to do all the work! If they have a card site with the info, look it up yourself! Being lazy on your end will promote bad feedback between the other trader and their friends so in the end it can hurt you a lot.

7. Keep track of your inventory. Its never fun to have someone ask for something and you suddenly realize you don't have it. The easiest way is to keep track of your trades and update your list whenever one is completed.

8. Don't be stingy about what trades you make, especially if you only need a few cards left for your collection. Many people are not fortunate enough to have extensive collections and so still need a lot of cards, however you just make yourself look bad if you deny them a trade simply because you don't need any cards they have but have tons of cards they want. If someone can trade the same rarity (say PP14 reg for another PP14 reg) then what's the problem? Your not losing anything and it makes people like you more. And even if its not that clean cut, its not that hard to work out a good trade, just try.

9. Do not just randomly ask for trades, ask when you know what you want and who has it. Never do this: "anyone wanna trade?"

10. It is a nice gesture to include Delivery Confirmation when trading with people you know. It's only 50 cents and shows that you care.

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Collectors

1. Handle the cards as little as possible, this keeps the moisture and oil on your hands from getting on the cards.

2. Place the cards inside protective sheets as soon as possible. These will protect the cards from getting bent corners and will protect sticker cards from peeling off their backings among other things.

3. Keep the cards out of reach of pets, children, and the elements (smoke included). All of those things can damage cards and make them less valuable.

4. For fragile cards, like Kanebo Cel's and Floral Scent Lami's, keep them in sleeves at all times (even your extras) and handle them with great care. This might not keep them from getting damaged (as some are so fragile they are basically always damaged), but it will protect them longer than leaving them out would.

5. Don't brag. There is nothing people like less than someone who brags about what a great collection they have. This will also minimize your chances of getting the cards you need to finish sets because people don't like you.


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