A couple of WHY questions...FRUSTRATING

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greatdadx2

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This part of the hobby is getting to be very frustrating and now I have to say something....I would love to call out the people that are doing these things, but the thread would get shut down, so I will forgo the calling out

Number 1:
Why do you start a thread and not answer back the people that have spent the time to list a bunch of cards for you...then you also will not answer PMs regarding said thread? Especially these people that have done many many trades and know exactly how long it takes to list a bunch of cards, and then to be just ignored, your integrity is shall we say NOT GOOD


Number 2:
Why do people continue to send PWE trades in envelopes that are going to go through the machine, this is something that needs to stop, I have lost a few trades due to damage because of people not sending NON MACHINE PWE or sending TOO many cards in a PWE.
Here is the latest (luckily this is only the 2017 Topps Rediscover Topps):
 

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This part of the hobby is getting to be very frustrating and now I have to say something....I would love to call out the people that are doing these things, but the thread would get shut down, so I will forgo the calling out

Number 1:
Why do you start a thread and not answer back the people that have spent the time to list a bunch of cards for you...then you also will not answer PMs regarding said thread? Especially the people that have done many many trades and know exactly how long it takes to list a bunch of cards, and then to be just ignored, your integrity is shall we say NOT GOOD


Number 2:
Why do people continue to send PWE trades in envelopes that are going to go through the machine, this is something that needs to stop, I have lost a few trades due to damage because of people not sending NON MACHINE PWE or sending TOO many cards in a PWE.
Here is the latest (luckily this is only the 2017 Topps Rediscover Topps):
Number 1:
I have been meaning to post something like this for a few weeks now, and what stops me is calling other bench members out. Trade etiquette has to be first and foremost put into the front of our minds when were dealing with people. Why would you be on this website if you're not going to respond to messages? A simple "no thank you" or trade dickering to finalize a deal is all you have to do, or move on. But when I see that your online and making deals with other bench members I have to question your morality...if you have trade pages and want lists and someone takes the time to go through them and has something you need, I dont understand this "response"; No thanks Im not interested? If you even get a response...So then why do you have those want lists up then? Frustrating and disappointing especially with veteran traders on the bench, like they are too good for you...no one is higher or better than anyone here, stay humble...Thanks Josh

Number 2: I've learned to place the cards in between thin cardboard...the stuff you would recycle (cereal boxes) cut it down to size...light enough and less bulky for PWE still...

Thanks for the post @greatdadx2...I back you up on these issues
 
Number 2: I've learned to place the cards in between thin cardboard...the stuff you would recycle (cereal boxes) cut it down to size...light enough and less bulky for PWE still...

Thanks for the post @greatdadx2...I back you up on these issues

I do the same thing, but I have an over abundance of file folders that I cut up and put the cards in between, but I still send NON MACHINE PWE...actually just put this one together for SCC76 (BTW It will be in the mail tomorrow morning Stanley ;):
 

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Point of interest! Sending cards and writing non Machineable on them will not keep them from going thru the machine. Paying the I think 20 some odd cents extra for the PO will. I get some cards that say non, but don't have the PO stamp or the butterfly stamp which is supposed to indicate Non Machinable.
 
Point of interest! Sending cards and writing non Machineable on them will not keep them from going thru the machine. Paying the I think 20 some odd cents extra for the PO will. I get some cards that say non, but don't have the PO stamp or the butterfly stamp which is supposed to indicate Non Machinable.

That is what the printed out "stamp" from the self service machine is for the non machine, and yes it is an extra 20 or so cents for it (so hopefully it is indicated somewhere in their process of envelopes and packages) I try to avoid going into the PO like COVID-19 (don't want to deal with either one), and writing what I do write just reinforces the fact that I paid for this envelope to go that route and also reinforces that the Postal worker should take a little extra care in the delivery process of the package/envelope...but if you know something different Jerry, please let me know....I'll go and buy a bunch of those Butterfly stamps, as I have used them before, so I know what you are talking about...appreciate the info
Thanks,
Robert
 
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That is what the printed out "stamp" from the self service machine is for the non machine, and yes it is an extra 20 or so cents for it (so hopefully it is indicated somewhere in their process of envelopes and packages) I try to avoid going into the PO like COVID-19 (don't want to deal with either one), and writing what I do write just reinforces the fact that I paid for this envelope to go that route and also reinforces that the Postal worker should take a little extra care in the delivery process of the package/envelope...but if you know something different Jerry, please let me know....I'll go and buy a bunch of those Butterfly stamps, as I have used them before, so I know what you are talking about...appreciate the info
Thanks,
Robert
I feel your pain, this hobby can be expensive and people just need to pay the few cents extra. I had a run in a 2 week period where I had 14 postage dues. I hate the flimsy top loaders and they double stack cards and they always get creased when ran through the machine.
 
I feel your pain, this hobby can be expensive and people just need to pay the few cents extra. I hate the flimsy top loaders and they double stack cards and they always get creased when ran through the machine.

Cards going to peoples collections should never be going through a machine in the first place, to me that is common sense and being courteous towards your collection ....for an extra 20 or 30 cents they wouldn't have to go through like that...Doing it any other way is the cheap and lazy way to do things
 
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So your #1. I have got tired of wasting my time as well. So where as before I would go pull all the cards and price them and so for the person to either never respond or say they have none of my wants. Now I just put out a fealer and say I can help them do they have any of my wants. So at this point I just waste 2 minutes typing compared to an hour pulling cards and pricing. I might do a few less trades this way but I'm saving a lot more time.
 
Number 1:
Why do you start a thread and not answer back the people that have spent the time to list a bunch of cards for you...then you also will not answer PMs regarding said thread? Especially these people that have done many many trades and know exactly how long it takes to list a bunch of cards, and then to be just ignored, your integrity is shall we say NOT GOOD


Number 2:
Why do people continue to send PWE trades in envelopes that are going to go through the machine, this is something that needs to stop, I have lost a few trades due to damage because of people not sending NON MACHINE PWE or sending TOO many cards in a PWE.
Here is the latest (luckily this is only the 2017 Topps Rediscover Topps):
Number 1: I'm sometimes guilty of this. A lot of times I'm so busy that I forget things that I have going on. I'll never stand anyone up, intentionally, but my delays are sometimes long enough that I'm sure it feels that way! That said, usually if someone will shoot me a PM, I'll be able to reply pretty quickly to give an update as to where I'm at.

Number 2: Before joining The Bench, it's been over 25 years since I'd mailed a card in a PWE. Up until several weeks ago, I didn't even know there was a non-machinable stamp. I thought just writing non-machinable on the envelope was all people were doing. That said, spending an extra $.20 is most certainly the move from now on, at least for me.

Glad you brought this thread up. I think these are two of the most commonly reported issues.
 
Number 1: I'm sometimes guilty of this. A lot of times I'm so busy that I forget things that I have going on. I'll never stand anyone up, intentionally, but my delays are sometimes long enough that I'm sure it feels that way! That said, usually if someone will shoot me a PM, I'll be able to reply pretty quickly to give an update as to where I'm at.

Number 2: Before joining The Bench, it's been over 25 years since I'd mailed a card in a PWE. Up until several weeks ago, I didn't even know there was a non-machinable stamp. I thought just writing non-machinable on the envelope was all people were doing. That said, spending an extra $.20 is most certainly the move from now on, at least for me.

Glad you brought this thread up. I think these are two of the most commonly reported issues.


Absolutely appreciate and respect your honesty on number 1....we all get busy and lose track of things in life and even more so in the hobby.....But when it comes to the ones that are on here while you are trying to communicate to them, whether it be responding to their thread or PMing them, while they actively on at the same time and you get NO response, in my opinion is 100% wrong and disrespectful....I would NEVER do this to anybody....so in the meantime I have yet to hear from the people that are the "culprits" nor have they "Liked" the original post on this thread....would love to hear why they do this and hear out their justification...I have currently have 4 threads from 4 different members that fall into this situation....Honestly there was one thread that I pretty much knew I was going to get screwed and this was after sending them a PM before I even putting together a list for them....and I knew because they did this to me before, a SO-CALLED "MVP" with over 1,000 trades
Fool me once shame on you....Fool me twice shame on me
 
Time to revisit #1 again....have another three threads that I responded to on Friday and Saturday, one of them twice and one of them a brand new thread that I was the first to respond to right after it was posted. Then sent a PM to a fourth person on a possible trade...and even though all four of these people have been on since....NO RESPONSE
 
Time to revisit #1 again....have another three threads that I responded to on Friday and Saturday, one of them twice and one of them a brand new thread that I was the first to respond to right after it was posted. Then sent a PM to a fourth person on a possible trade...and even though all four of these people have been on since....NO RESPONSE
I heard you brother! I just bite my tongue ....wait a second my tongue is gone! : ) Even just a post with I'm busy and I will get back to in a few days as a common courtesy would be nice. Best regards, David
 
Number 1: I'm sometimes guilty of this. A lot of times I'm so busy that I forget things that I have going on. I'll never stand anyone up, intentionally, but my delays are sometimes long enough that I'm sure it feels that way! That said, usually if someone will shoot me a PM, I'll be able to reply pretty quickly to give an update as to where I'm at.
I have been guilty of this at times as well. I have been known to drop off the planet for a month in the past. Just know that it is just life throwing some curves at me and it is never personal.
 
I normally reply the same day I get a response. There have been some exceptions lately, so please bear with me. Thanks. Dave
 
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My problems with the whole trading thing is a lot of people don't have tradelists which makes trading inconvenient for both parties. If you have lists/Flickr people can read/look at what you have. I might not have anything specific in mind I'm trading for at the time so I like to have a veriety of stuff to look at. I took the time to make a list of traders,set needs,players/teams I collect and a full Flickr to look at all of which can be seen at a moments notice via links I provided. The other thing that makes trading extremely hard for me is it seems everyone values their cards in different ways, to me, the true value of a card is what someone will pay for it so I do the logical thing and take an average of recent sales on ebay (buy it now not auction) and that,to me, is the true value of a card Beckett is just absolute nonsense so if you can't get trades done the other alternative is to sell them so that's basically what I do. Lastly is I already have a value set for any card I want to buy/trade for before I ask about a card because if you already know you can get the card for a cheaper price than what the person you're trading with asks for your going to go the cheaper route which anybody would do but when you try explaining that to people they get bent out of shape so I guess I pick and choose my battles wisely while being on this site.
 
I appreciate your post, but I have to respond:
1) I am a dad, I own my own business, I have 4 kids, 2 of which play competitive baseball between 1 and 7 days a week I'm not home until after 10pm. So sometimes it takes me a week to 10 days to get back to people. Other collectors get frustrated I get it. But this is not a job its a hobby. Another issue is I post a response saying I have cards x,x,x,x,x, and then I don't get notified that the person responded and I don't remember to subscribe to the thread and then I eventually can't find the thread or I forget about the thread.

2) nothing.
 
Another issue is I post a response saying I have cards x,x,x,x,x, and then I don't get notified that the person responded and I don't remember to subscribe to the thread and then I eventually can't find the thread or I forget about the thread.
You can change this in your preferences.

Look for the option "Automatically watch content you interact with…". That will automatically "subscribe" you to any thread that you comment on, and send you a notification (and optionally an email) when there is a reply.
 
Mike,

Thank you for that. I just checked and I have that clicked, but I don't always recieve a response.

Very Helpful response.

Thanks
Bill
 
I just checked and I have that clicked, but I don't always recieve a response.
The way the system is set up is so that it won't send you a notification, or email, for every single reply. You'll get one when the first person replies. Then you won't get any more notifications until after you've looked at the thread again. That way, if it's a hot topic, that is receiving a reply every minute or so you're not bombarded with notifications, or emails, from the same thread every minute. That saves you the annoyance, and our server from having to toss out that many emails.
 
I appreciate your post, but I have to respond:
1) I am a dad, I own my own business, I have 4 kids, 2 of which play competitive baseball between 1 and 7 days a week I'm not home until after 10pm. So sometimes it takes me a week to 10 days to get back to people. Other collectors get frustrated I get it. But this is not a job its a hobby. Another issue is I post a response saying I have cards x,x,x,x,x, and then I don't get notified that the person responded and I don't remember to subscribe to the thread and then I eventually can't find the thread or I forget about the thread.

2) nothing.
Agree with you 100%.....if you read #1 again. ...I'm talking about the people who never respond back to a thread they started and never answer PM on said thread.....
 
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