Subject: Re: Net Trading [BEST OF THE NET]
Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 21:01:34 EDT
From: JonPKibble <JonPKibble@aol.com>
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

> Anyhow, the cards are gone and my interest in the game is waning for the
> time being.  I'm sure that I will trade again in the future, but I hope to
> God that I learn from my mistakes.  And I hope that you, happy reader, can
> learn something from them as well.

I traded on AOL for quite a bit during the last year or two, and I stopped
awhile back for various reasons, the most prevalent one being what you
discuss, the issue of honesty.

I have not ever traded on newsgroups or IRC, but only on AOL. Trading on AOL
is generally done through the 'reference' system and with good judgment, but
you are right, there is no such way that good judgment can be defined. It is
truly possible that someone can make 100 good trades then steal cards because
they can, because, hey, it is opportunity. I myself have not done such but
have heard of it happening quite often because of the reason you mention; and
it is quite believable. With little recourse available, it is tempting for
someone to rip an unsuspecting victim off.

Luckily, I myself have never been ripped, though since I swore right and left
I would never send first, I made fewer trades. However I still made quite a
few trades, but this is where another reason I stopped trading on AOL comes
into play. Half or more of the traders I made never went through. I would make
a deal, send out my address, and put the cards aside ready to send to the
person on receipt of their end of the deal. A couple weeks went by and I never
got their end of the deal, so I emailed them. They said they didn't want to do
the trade anymore, and didn't even email me. So even if you do not send first
you can still be annoyed, not as much as if you are ripped, but still to a
fair degree irritated.

I am now convinced there is only one safe way to trade online (AOL,
newsgroups, IRC, and all.) This may sound like an advertisement but it isn't,
it is just my opinion. Good and bad traders' lists, as well as references do
not mean anything. People can do whatever they want. Luckily everyone is not a
bad trader but it is nearly impossible to weed them out. After seeing ads for
"www.safecards.com" I checked out the site and was pleased with how they
organize the system. Both parties pay a nominal fee of a dollar or two
(depending on the value of the cards), send both ends of the trade to
Safecards, and get each others' cards. I have spoken to people who use
Safecards and they say it works. I can only think of one good reason that
people would not use Safecards other than not knowing about it; the reason
being that they are a ripper. (and Safecards was created to fight rippers!)

The moral of the story: trade online, but with caution.

Jon Prywes
http://kibble.base.org