There are several different areas in which good etiquette is required during the course of a
trade. If people follow these (usually) unwritten rules, then all should and will go well with
the trade:
OFFERINING A TRADE
Be polite, simply send your list and what you want. Do not hassle the person for a trade,
it won't get you anywhere.
NEVER Lie, or withhold any information about the quality of a recording. If the recording
has 2 second gaps, is very generated, isn't complete, and you fail to tell the party with
which you are dealing you are eligible for the bad traders list. Honesty is the #1 key to
conducting a good trade.
Make sure to ask for a list of references if you haven't dealt with the trader before...
AND ACTUALLY CHECK THEM!
RECORDING THE MATERIAL
Do not use poor quality CD-Rs, Analog Cassettes, or VHS Video Cassettes. Some recommended
brands:
ANALOG CASSETTE: Maxell XLII 90 minute, TDK SA or TDK SAX 90 minute cassettes. Most
traders are fine with ANY Type II Cassette, but be sure to ask first. 60 minute cassettes
are discouraged because they are a pain for other traders to copy later. 100 minute cassettes
can be used when necessary.
CD-Rs: Verbatim, Sony, Imation, Maxell, TDK, Fuji... essentially anything "Name Brand"
usually means quality.
VHS VIDEO CASSETTE: Hands down... The best two types of tapes to use are Maxell HGX
Gold (Highest Quality) and Maxell HGX Silver (Slightly lesser quality). If you intend to use
ANYTHING else make sure to tell the trader. Also make sure you tell the
trader you want your videos sent on this brand video to ensure that you receive the highest
quality material.
When burning CDs NEVER burn anything other than DAO (Disc At Once).
When recording Analog Cassettes, NEVER use high speed dubbing or any form of noise
reduction. This will make the sound of the product significantly poorer.
When recording videos, ONLY record in SP mode. All other recording modes
will cause very significant generation loss. If you receive a VHS Video Cassette Tape that
has been recorded in any mode other than this make absolutely sure to tell any person to
whom you intend to trade the video, for the video may appear un-watchable after only two
copies.
PREPARING TO SEND
Before you actually send out make sure you send the trader an email with a list of what
you are sending him/her, what he/she is sending you, both addresses, and the date you choose
to send. This helps clarify the trade, and will come in handy if anything goes wrong - it is
basically a document summing up the trade.
Once you are preparing to send it is smart to set a date. The most common method for trading
is to send at the same time. Once a date is set you can proceed to package the material for sending.
SENDING
It is highly recommended to use a padded envelope. If you do not, then please attempt to
pad your package with something (bubble wrap, newspaper, foam peanuts, tissue, etc...
If you are in the US sending to the US it is best to send Priority Mail. If you are trading
with somebody for the first time it is a good idea to use delivery confirmation (it only costs
about 35cents extra and helps to ensure that you don't get ripped off). Similar advice applies
to the rest of the world.
If you are sending a package to another country ALWAYS send Air Mail. Sending surface mail
can take up to 3 months to reach it's destination, and you don't want that.
If sending something to another country make sure to mark "gift" on the customs form, and
keep the dollar value low, this will help avoid the interest of foreign postal workers.
The American Postal Service is actually very reliable. I have been trading for 5 years,
probably sent out hundreds of packages, and only 2 have ever been lost. That is indeed very good
odds, but this varies from country to counrty.
WHAT IF YOU DONT RECEIVE YOUR PACKAGE
This is a situation that every trader has had to deal with at one point or another, and it is a
hard one to deal with. If the person does rip you off one of three things will happen:
They will not respond to your emails: If this is the case keep on them. Send them emails
every single day and if your parcel doesn't arrive within a reasonable time then submit their
name to the Official LiveNirvana.Com BAD TRADERS List.
Upon completion of these tasks move on with your life. It happens to everyone, and uploading his
name to the Bad Traders List will ensure that he doesn't get anymore NIRVANA trades any time
soon.
They will respond to your email and string you along: If this is the case, set a date and
if they do not send by that date upload there name to the
Bad Traders List. That will usually
catalyze the sending process, and if it does not, move on. They are now branded bad traders
and you will go on to a successful trading career.
They will claim that the quality of your stuff is bad (or broken) and say they refuse to
send: If they claim the material is poor quality or broken ask them to send it back to you. If
they fail to send it back, list them as a
BAD TRADER. If you get a bad feeling
about the trade don't ever trade with them again.
If a trader claims that they never received your stuff... And you KNOW that
you never received their stuff, THEY ARE PROBABLY LYING. Unfortunately, the
Bad Traders List doesnt cover this.
Just curse under your breath and send using delivery confirmation next time. According to most
traders over 80% of all parcels arrive on time.
AFTER A SUCESSFUL TRADE
Once your trade is finished keep in touch with people you have traded with. The BEST
way to get a lot of shows is to find a small group of traders you are really comfortable with
and just trade repeatedly. It is also good to add the person to your reference list. (NOTE:
Some people elect not to keep such a list because it enables anyone trying to track people down
instant access to what is effectively your personal address book.)