New Member here. I have a question about the culture here at The Bench

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mortatort

Prospect
8
Joined
Jun 13, 2011
Messages
97
Location
Central Florida
Please tell me now if this site has the same culture as some of the other trading sites. By 'same culture' I mean extremely difficult to trade, people want big prices for their cards and want to offer peanuts for yours, etc.

I know sometimes trading is slow but if this place is anything like the other sites I've been on lately then I don't even want to waste my time.

Sorry for the sour attitude. I'm new to the hobby and really trying to have fun with it but the lack of friendly fair traders is turning me off pretty quick. And if there IS such a site where people trade even and fair please let me know where it is.

And no I don't want your 1991 no namer in trade for my '53 Mathews card :mad:
 
I can only speak for me. I enjoy this site much more than any other site I am a member of. I can also say I looked at your original post on this site, and saw some nice things that I would like to trade for. But I also saw your wants, and looked at what I had from Tribute, and it was only a Chipper Blue /199. And true to what you are saying, since I didn't have enough, I didn't respond as I didn't have enough to justify anything that I wanted from your pics.

And I am also one that is very specific on what I need, and hate to "lose" money sometimes on trades just to change the tradebait inventory. Like most, I would love to downsize my inventory.

But good luck and hopefully it works for you in some fashion, and welcome to The Bench, Tony.
 
If you are a Baseball card trader....This is by far the best place to be...I am a member on several boards....They are Minor League when it comes to Baseball....Don't worry about Members here, there is a BUNCH of great people here...but don't get me wrong you will run into some of those unrealistic traders, but they don't seem to last long here....Have a positve attitude and good luck on increasing your collection
 
I can only speak for me. I enjoy this site much more than any other site I am a member of. I can also say I looked at your original post on this site, and saw some nice things that I would like to trade for. But I also saw your wants, and looked at what I had from Tribute, and it was only a Chipper Blue /199. And true to what you are saying, since I didn't have enough, I didn't respond as I didn't have enough to justify anything that I wanted from your pics.

And I am also one that is very specific on what I need, and hate to "lose" money sometimes on trades just to change the tradebait inventory. Like most, I would love to downsize my inventory.

But good luck and hopefully it works for you in some fashion, and welcome to The Bench, Tony.

Thanks man.. I just thought I'd throw this question out there and see how folks responded. On some sites the members will flat out tell you it sucks but there are a few good folks.

Thanks for the look on my Tribute ad! And thanks for not offering a little for a lot :D :D :D

I'm collecting Braves(any era) and Deion Sanders mainly. I have a Falcons PC but I'm thinking about turning it over for more Braves. What do you collect? And what did you like in the Tribute lot, just out of curiosity?
 
As a trader with a Very Specific Wantlist, My trading has slowed down immensely. I have not looked at your wants or anything, but if they are really specific it isnt always "easy" to make trades.

Other than that Our site is clean, No Nonsense, and family friendly. Most trading sites can't say that.
 
You will find "The Bench" unique in that the 'benchies' are not only card traders but part of a community willing to assist members in any way possible.
Welcome.

Rich
 
You may also find you'll have a bit more success if you have more text based information rather than just scans. There are often 300+ threads posted or responded to in a 24 hour period so a post that fails to catch the eye will be often missed, but anyone looking for specifics in needs or trading will use the site's search function where it can show up weeks later.
 
Every site and SOME unreasonable people, just say 'pass' and move it. I have received more free and unexpected gifts in the mail than I have felt the urge to choak someone throught the monitor in 5 years, that's saying something.
This hobby is as fun as you make it.
 
You will like it here, as a collector I was a little hesitant as well when I first started. After the first week I felt at home. I have made many trades and friends here. You WILL run into some people just trying to trade high end stuff and nickel and dime you for exact sell value or more BV value but don't let it get to you.

The mentality it seems is if I collect it I trade for it. I don't care if I'm losing out on a few $$$ on the trade. The card is worth it to me.

Welcome aboard,
Mike
 
The mentality it seems is if I collect it I trade for it. I don't care if I'm losing out on a few $$$ on the trade. The card is worth it to me.


I feel the same way. Just today I managed to eek out a trade at one of the trading sites that I'm growing tired of. I had agreed to a trade but had misunderstood one of the cards he wanted. Turns out that the trade was pretty lopsided in his direction(through no fault of his own) and since I wanted the card he was offering I decided to let it ride. That gives him a nice deal and I still get a card that I really want, everybody wins.
 
Hmmmm, good trading site or bad trading site? It all depends on the amount of effort you put into it. I had a bad experience right off the bat here at The Bench and like you, expressed my concerns. I recieved a private message from a trader (wish I could remember who it was) who talked me into giving it a second try. I am glad he did and glad I stayed.
What I have found, there are traders that are sticklers for that "even" trade by the book were it has to be penny for penny. Nothing wrong with that except it usually means I end up adding to "get the deal done". You will find traders that say "whatever you feel is fair". These deals get done quick and easy, no looking up prices, just a "my needs" for "your needs" trade. I love those!. Then there are the traders that when you have an even trade, they say "throw in that ...and you have a deal". That's when I say "see ya"! There is no piece of cardboard I "HAVE" to have that after agreeing to a trade, the other trader has to have that little "extra" over on you. If he had only asked from the beginning, we could have got a deal done.
My recommendations, start small, get to know who are the good traders, BE HONEST AND STRAIGHT FORWARD! If you don't like the way someone is handling a trade, be honest and tell them. Say "NO THANKS" to the trade. No hard feelings. This will earn your reputation as being an honest trader.

My biggest recommendation, stay away from buckets and list the year, make, player, number and team of the cards you are offering. Develope a web page. I, for one, can not tell this from a 1 inch by 1 inch blurry picture in photobucket so therefore I do not do buckets. My second biggest recommendation...answer ALL threads you are involved in. Saying NO Thanks is better than saying nothing at all.
Do all of these and you will have a happy experience here at "the Bench".

BTW, I collect Mets from 1986-now, my wantlist below, my haves are mostly regular issues and my lists are by numbers which mostly benefits the set builders here.
Good luck and most of all, remember, it is only old cardboard, have fun with it! Mike
 
The Bench is a GREAT site. I've added to my Braves PC more than I ever thought I could. I've got to agree with Mike, text based descriptions are great. I've closed many a bucket that I couldn't tell what the card was with these old eyes. There are many great traders on this site, enjoy!
 
This is my home for when it comes to trading...I trade on a few others, but BY FAR the most have been here. And the nicest people are here, bar none!

Tim
 
i love the bench and have been a member on other sites but was always turned off by them and rarely use them anymore. i see that you collect braves and falcons. i don't really have much as far as high book value cards, but i'd def like to trade if possible for an equal value or in your favor. just let me know your wants/needs and i'll do the same back. i think you'll find thats the case for most people here on the bench. i first was skeptical about trading online and such, but now that i've found the bench and am regularly on here trading, it has shown me that it can be fun and enjoyable and i think you'll feel the same. just take a look around and have fun! :)
 
I just came across this thread today. Out of 177 completed trades only 2 of them have gone bad for me. Which is a 98.87005% sucess rate. I bet most people would take that success rate in just about anything.

I see you have some trades already, keep it up!

Frank
 
This is a great site!! Very easy to get trades done and the traders are very friendly.
 
Similar to BrewerFan above I have only had 2 trades go bad in the past couple of years which is pretty solid considering I have complete 576 total trades. I think you will find this to be one of the better trading communities. I am apart of SCF and it is like pulling teeth to get trades completed. I am actually dealing with someone there who agreed to a blind base trade 100 cards for 100 cards. I am trying to simply get rid of all my non Cardinal base, inserts, etc. He sent me 100 cards, one of which was a cert auto, I returned 900 cards to him and he is complaining that I didn't send him nice enough cards and is planning on leaving me negative feedback.. needless to say I won't miss trading there.
 
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