A Trader's Age

[steellegioncpt]

Traders,

I always wondered if you guys would consider a trader's age before making a trade.

for instance if your working a deal with someone about 13 or 14 years old... would you consider not trading with them just because of their age?

Now I know that I've had my fair share of success and disappointments with dealing with youngsters, but at the same time there are a few that are really good traders.

[Hypodermic]

If he's as young as 13, it's his first trade, and he has no credentioals form other forum members, i would seriously consider it Nothing personal

Now, if he's even younger, (11, 12) and he has been trading for the past year with no problems, then why not?

[TESLA]

Yes and no.

I simply ask for pictures. I've dealt with 20+ year old who have dealt me crappy models before so -- its all fair game.

I think times too - that majority younger lings aren't as experienced or knowledgeable of trading too - so i guess a precaution is fine as well..

Always ask for pics IMO.

No matter the age.


Few good traders - heh i've been trading since i was 12 =D

19 now though.

[steellegioncpt]

True, but there have been a few issues that i've ran into like a kids definition of NIB is different then mine for some reason lol

[Hypodermic]

NIB? What's that?

[CanadianCadian]

NIB= New In Box

[Hypodermic]

Ah, that Well, there shouldn't be any difference betwen that - new is if you never opened the box, mint condition shoudl be if you just removed the plastic wrapings
Strange, i'm one of the few persons who has a personal rule about second hand things - i will never pay more than 60% of the original price if the wrapings are gone, no matter how well the models were preserved

[ShortsonFire79]

Note to self, don't sell anything to Hypodermic. =-D
Usually, I don't find out traders' age until after we finish our deal. Just to see how good of a person they were. If they're 10, and we did great service, great! If they're 20, and we did great service, great!

And a lot of the time, it really depends too...if we're trading hundred dollar armies, or if its just a couple of bitz.

[Momento Mori]

I am a member on a Japanese Vinyl trading forum (for my Godzilla fix) and they won't actually allow you to start selling items until you have had at least a little 'board presence'. It's a tough area, I mean, for example, there are a couple of new members who have posted threads for selling stuff already. They may have 2 posts in total for their count, and the thread has no pictures. I know I am wary of sellers on Ebay like that (after learning a lesson or two), so maybe some loose perameters could be set, without it seeming like we're sticklers?

[Brother Hespithe]

My son has been trading since he was 11, and he (like me) usually gives more than the value requires for the trade. I've yet to see him NOT be able to trade with the locals at least.

But, I've also dealt with some pretty crappy personalities of all ages. No matter the age, if you cannot see the product personally, a pic is a must. If there are any doubts, the money must be witheld until the product is received. Chances are, though, that a simple phone conversation with the parents is all that is needed to ensure the young are handling their business appropriately.

I did a near US$1500.00 trade based off of a phone conversation to Iraq. No problems were had by either party, and before I received my portion, the serviceman already had US$900.00 in product sent (by me) to his home. A chat can tell you a lot about the person you're dealing with.

[Rhaalidor]

Personally, I've made 75 or so trades on the other guys' site, and my only 2 bad eggs were in their 30's and 40's. In this day of cell phones and digital cameras, it's much easier to seal a trade with good communication and pictorial documentation of goods in question. I started doing trades before there was an internet, and I had no problems then. A phone call (everybody has nationwide long distance nowadays) and a couple of digi-pix, and a trade should be really easy to setup. Age doesn't matter. Agree, mutally, to send via a traceable shipper, and let your trading partner know the tracking info, and as I said before, age doesn't really matter.

[Captain Anarchy]

i am now almost 16 and i have been tradeing for 4 years never a bad trade so its mainly jsut the person

[Terminatorinhell]

I've yet to make a trade....

[wulfe_luer]

I'm new here, but I've been in online trading like this for nearly 9 years now. Typically, I've noticed, the trader's age had little or no bearing on the deal and how it went down. I honestly would prefer that a trader that was doing high-value items be at least 18 for legal purposes, but I've only had two deals go bad involving minors. The first was in my first month, and it wasn't a no-send; the person obviously had no idea how to take care of cards and sent me a rare card that was in horrible condition. The second is still something of a mystery to me. We negotiated via email and I sent him his minis, and two days later, I got a phone call from a parent asking what was going on. I got the impression that I had stumbled upon a middle schooler that was having his trades handled at a friend's house and wasn't telling his folks for one reason or another. I'm still amazed the parents called and not the sherriff's office, under the circumstances.
This is TWO bad trades out of the THREE I've had since I started online trading. For these three I've had had somewhere near 200 trades (counting repeat trades) in CCGs, CMGs, and now 40k online. The point is that its not the age of the trader, it's how they handle themselves and the merchandise. As long as everything is running smooth, give it a shot.

[kungfuhustler]

I don't think I'll dal with a minor unless it's a local. Kids tend to do stupid things to mini's that are not always apparent in photographs. Also, mamma drama can ensue.

[Captain Anarchy]

I don't think I'll dal with a minor unless it's a local. Kids tend to do stupid things to mini's that are not always apparent in photographs. Also, mamma drama can ensue.

I dont know if i fall into this category but i must take offense to this blanket statement that kids mistreat their minis

[kungfuhustler]

It is a blanket statement and I mean no offense to the 20% of youngsters who know how to model/paint. But I have rarely seen a well assembled vehicle model owned by someone under the age of 18.

[Lord Commander Erus]

It is a blanket statement and I mean no offense to the 20% of youngsters who know how to model/paint. But I have rarely seen a well assembled vehicle model owned by someone under the age of 18.

Then you must not have a good sample audience. I've seen nothing to indicate skill goes with age. I've seen some Young Blood GD entries looks better, in my opinion, than Slayer Sword winners. And i've seen LGS kids who I was repelled by at first due to merely age produce a lovingly painted and well tended army.

In the end, Pete, it comes down to (I think) more of the mentality and personality of a person more so than age!

[Evicerator]

I've had many trades and tbh age never came up, I've only had 3 ebay hiccups (all of which were resolved) and 2 of them were international. International trades always cause me to sweat because of the time involved and the fact that the law will never be on your side if it goes sour. Top that with communication being limited unless you have deeeep pockets for international calls or flight plans.

In fact I think the only minor I have traded with (that I know of) was BBLoken. Went smooth as promised. So, I honestly think that it's just the person, if they're a douchebag personality, then I'm less likely to trade with them than I am to trade with someone who's a good core part of the community.