The VH Trade Site Forums Archives

[Scott Roberts]

Since I reposted the old bad trader list up, I thought a few of you might find this brief "bad trader FAQ" to be of interest.<P>As always, if you have any comments, suggestions, or "hell yeahs!", feel free to reply to this topic. ;)<P>------------------------------------------<P><B>Bad Traders - What they are and how to deal with them</B> <P>What is a bad trader? Obviously, it's someone who doesn't live up to his/her end of the bargain by not sending back CD's and/or tapes. <P>This is a very delicate topic. Even if it seems like you're getting screwed, proceed with caution when both attempting to contact the person and posting their info on this page. <P>Here's a few tips/guidelines to make sure you're "in the right" and to minimize bad trading (as suggested by the alt.music.bootlegs FAQ): <P><UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Get every detail of the trade worked out and agreed with before sending off any tapes. <BR><LI>Stay in e-mail contact at all points of the trade. <BR><LI>If you're not familiar with the person, only trade a few CD's/tapes with him/her, not several. <BR><LI>If possible, get other traders' opinions on the guy you want to do a deal with. <BR><LI>Be leery of traders with AOL addresses. AOL allows you to obtain five changeable identities, and this is a perfect way for scam artists to dupe tapes or CD-R's out of innocent traders. Don't get me wrong; there are a lot of trustworthy people with AOL addresses. Just trade "light" if you're unfamiliar with the person, until you get to know them. <BR></UL><BR>When should you suspect someone? <BR><UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Two weeks after the trade, simply e-mail the person and ask them what's going on. Many people have busy personal lives, so it's not uncommon that they may take two weeks (or longer). If you get no response after doing so, continue to e-mail him every two days until he/she writes back. Whatever you do, do not threaten or verbally abuse the person. Show patience and understanding. <BR><LI>If you're still waiting one month after the trade, e-mail the individual or even call him/her if you have their phone number. Inquire other traders about the questionable person (you can do this on mailing lists or the alt.music.bootlegs newsgroup). <BR><LI>If you're still waiting two months, and have gotten NO response, it's time to take action: <BR></UL><BR>1. E-mail the individual daily. Firmly ask them what's going on (but do not verbally abuse them). <BR>2. Post your predicament on mailing lists and newsgroups. You can warn others of the bad trader, give their name and all known e-mail addresses, but do not slander or verbally abuse them. <BR>3. Put your name and address on this page. <P>Chances are in the end, you won't be compensated for the recordings you lost. But you can warn others about the bad traders and (hopefully) diminish the their wrongdoings.

[Anonymous]

cool Scott thanks for the tips.