So i think i came out on the low end of my trade. [Archive]

AmericanPirate

03/01/2010, 12:39

invisibo

03/01/2010, 12:41

The value of these figures are all socially constructed, but in reality have no true value other than the one you place on them.

anonym0use

03/01/2010, 12:42

I've knowingly traded under value of my figures to get something I wanted and was happy with. I think if you're happy, it was a good trade.

To add, what's done is done. I don't think it will do you any good to beat yourself up over what you "should" have done. If you're having regrets now I suggest just letting it go with the idea that maybe you shouldn't trade blind in the future.

FWIW: I always value face to face trading more than online - I don't have to worry about shipping mishaps and dishonesty is usually not an issue (or is easily detected if it is).

jackstar7

03/01/2010, 12:42

I think if you don't play Sinestro Corps all the time and do want to kill Donna Troys... you got a good deal.

saturnflight

03/01/2010, 12:43

I believe firmly in trading based on relative value, and moreso in person. I don't care about 'price differences' for figs in the same rarity (roughly REVCUR, USrLe, and then the redonkulous range), so long as I'm gaining a figure I care more about. My goal is that both of us end up happier with what we currently own than we were with what we previously owned.

normalview

03/01/2010, 12:43

Well this weekend i was clickin and a new guy to the store showed up. He was from fargo and just in town for the weekend. Well he traded me a robot surerman for one of my crisis sinestros i didnt have a computer handy so i couldnt look them up. After i got home i checked troll and toad and saw the Sinestro was about twice what robot supes was. So while im happy i got him i still think i could of got more.This is why i dont like trading blind. What do you all think.

I think if it was a character you wanted, and you traded a character you didn't want, then you game out a head.

If, instead, you trade primarily for material/financial gain, then you lost out.

While I don't like being taken advantage of, at the same time I don't really care to hold on to figures I will never use and will happily trade them for a character I will use that is technically "worth" less. To me, the fact that I will use it makes it worth more.

r2fu2

03/01/2010, 12:43

Did you get what you want?

If so cash values be damned!:sleep:

Seriously though I know everything boils down to cash value, but if you got what you want, and it is something you would use, you should not feel like you came out on the low end of the trade.

AmericanPirate

03/01/2010, 12:49

Well I got what i wanted and im happy with it. He just had another fig I wanted and if i would of known i could of got both.So Im not mad about it I just wish got more i guess.

charlesx

03/01/2010, 12:50

I echo the sentiments expressed in the posts above.

Definition of a good trade = both parties exchanged items that they each value and walked away feeling that they had gained for their collection.

That having been said, it never hurts to do your homework and find out what value your item has. Example - I traded my Zombie Hulk for a Crisis Earth-2 Superman. I doubt that I would have gone lower on the value of what I wanted for my chase.

songwriterz

03/01/2010, 12:52

Cash value is irrelevant unless you plan on selling it yourself. And then, you're going to have a hard time getting Troll & Toad prices on your own.

If you meant that you could have gotten more than just one figure in the trade then you probably have a good point. Still, be happy with what you have and just consider it a lesson learned. And by "learned" I mean, you aren't going to do the same thing again!

drfate98

03/01/2010, 12:55

I bet you see a lot more Sinestros out there than you do Robot Supermen. And it sounds like Sinestro was a dup anyway. Congratulations on getting a hard to find figure.

malakim2099

03/01/2010, 12:57

I bet you see a lot more Sinestros out there than you do Robot Supermen. And it sounds like Sinestro was a dup anyway. Congratulations on getting a hard to find figure.

Yeah, I think a Robot Superman is harder to find than Crisis Sinestro.

Also, how many figs did ############ have in stock? I know they can be a bit off on their figures if they don't have any in stock, just because the prices don't update then.

absolutvt69

03/01/2010, 13:00

You got a figure you needed, he got a figure he needed. It doesn't matter if they were 100% even as far as online prices go. Some of those prices vary drastically depending on what site you go to. Both figures are rare so it's not like you traded a Super Rare for a common or something. I wouldn't worry about it.

Owlman

03/01/2010, 13:04

I've traded pieces for less than they were worth if I was getting what I wanted. So long as you come out of the trade with something you wanted and you didn't get hosed, it's all good. Superman Robot for Sinestro isn't bad; someone convinced me to trade him my first ever super-rare, Hulkbuster, for Green Scar. I have a new Hulkbuster now, but it still annoys me.

ccs

03/01/2010, 13:21

Well, you got something you wanted and he got something he wanted (plus maybe a "great" story to tell back home about what a great deal he got - wich is worth exactly squat btw).

So I'd say you're even.

----------------
But wasn't that robot Superman one of those Wizard exclusives? I seem to remember there being a figure that you could only get by subscribing to that magazine.
If so, you could've concievably come out ahead in the deal financialy regardless of what the figs are currently selling for.
How?
You open a Sinestro out of a booster. Figure only "cost" you about $2.50 +/-.
He had to pony up for an entire magazine subscription (much more than $2.50!), pay shipping IIRC, and deal with Wizard (something that never worked out well for me).
So, as long as you got more than $2.50 worth out of the trade, YOU WIN! :)

Ignatz_Mouse

03/01/2010, 13:26

This is why I'm glad I can check eBay from my phone.

2 Gun Kid

03/01/2010, 13:28

Ignatz_Mouse

03/01/2010, 13:31

I look up values all the time. I'm a collector, and I don't want to give up something for a lot less than it's worth and miss the opportunity to get a *couple* of things I want instead.

The last time I didn't I ended up making a trade I would rather not have, as I traded away something that cost me more than I expected to replace.

longinux

03/01/2010, 13:36

Yeah. You got shafted. All the guys that tell you its what value you put on it makes the difference are just protecting their own egos. You got screwed. I made the same mistake and traded a few newer le's to a guy that had a ton of stuff. I picked out some stuff that I wanted including a vet ultron. I got home and realized it was th wrong ultron, and that all the le's I got off the guy weren't worth dick. The guy got about 40$ of "theoretical cash" to my 10$.

normalview

03/01/2010, 13:42

krusticlese

03/01/2010, 13:43

Intrinsic or perceived value be damned, I say.

A secondary market exists and can be checked for the current cash value. I firmly believe in always offering close to, if not more than the value of the figures I want to acquire in a trade. It's far more fair of a system than determining how much it is worth in trade value if someone *really* likes a figure and overvalues the piece based on said feelings or playability. Both are far too subjective to account for in a trade, IMO.

I'm a fan of looking at the last 10 completed listings on e-Bay (or whatever is available) and getting an average current cost.

I'd feel like a huge ###### if I weaseled a Sinestro from someone (close to $50.00 current value) for a figure that averages $20.00.

Again, just my opinion, but I've found it to be the fairest method for both parties and my piece of mind. I'd hate to have a former trading partner feel like they got duped.

elfholme

03/01/2010, 13:59

I think if it was a character you wanted, and you traded a character you didn't want, then you game out a head.

If, instead, you trade primarily for material/financial gain, then you lost out.

While I don't like being taken advantage of, at the same time I don't really care to hold on to figures I will never use and will happily trade them for a character I will use that is technically "worth" less. To me, the fact that I will use it makes it worth more.

QFT.

I recently traded my HoT Odin (i'll never use him) for two SRs I was lacking - Mephisto and Lobo. I'm more likely to use either of the SRs I traded for. I have no idea if I came out "behind" money-wise (I suspect I did, as Odin is a highly-sought SR from the most recent set), but I traded a figure I'll never use for two I will. And I love the Lobo sculpt (even though I'm not a huge fan of the character). I almost asked for Lobo and Volstagg (he had about a dozen different SRs/Us in his trade bag), but a) I already have a Volstagg (and forgot my brother didn't have him :( ), and b) I figured Volstagg had more value for him, so he'd be able to get more figures he was looking for if he kept him. I like trades where both sides are happy. :)

krusticlese

03/01/2010, 14:03

I think your trolling. Nobody looks up value before trading.

Collectors collect the pieces for collecting, players play the game for playing, those who care more about the prices of pieces on a single market more then that of playing or collecting shouldnt do either.

OK, I'll bite. I'm a player, Judge, and a completest. I *always* look up the secondary market value before making a trade.

How do you make the assumption that players and collectors don't care about secondary market prices? Your comment makes absolutely no sense, so it seems like you were the one trolling. :cheeky:

Ignatz_Mouse

03/01/2010, 14:07

QFT.

I recently traded my HoT Odin (i'll never use him) for two SRs I was lacking - Mephisto and Lobo. I'm more likely to use either of the SRs I traded for. I have no idea if I came out "behind" money-wise (I suspect I did, as Odin is a highly-sought SR from the most recent set), but I traded a figure I'll never use for two I will. And I love the Lobo sculpt (even though I'm not a huge fan of the character). I almost asked for Lobo and Volstagg (he had about a dozen different SRs/Us in his trade bag), but a) I already have a Volstagg (and forgot my brother didn't have him :( ), and b) I figured Volstagg had more value for him, so he'd be able to get more figures he was looking for if he kept him. I like trades where both sides are happy. :)

You did OK-- both Lobo and Mephisto have held their value relatively well, playability be damned!

I argue for trading against market value in part because I see a lot of kids wanting to trade away the Le they just won or the SR they just pulled for a favorite character or some high-point (but not as valuable) piece without checking, and they could get *several* of the characters they want in trade. Sometimes people will see me trading with a kid insisting he take *more* of my figures for what we're trading.

I generally offer trades of equal or slightly-over value, becuase I want the other party to be pleased and not think later that I ripped them off-- because I want to trade with them again. but I do want to know what deal I'm actually making and if I'm being taken advantage of or not.

Surfer13

03/01/2010, 15:56

If you feel that you are being taken advantage of in a trade unless you are taking advantage of your trading partner, then don't trade unless you have all of the information that you want at your fingertips.

I am not aprticularly interested in trading a chase figure that I don't really care about to get some uncommon or rare that may have eluded me, but I figure if trade an SR or LE figure that I want less to someone for an SR or LE that I want more, then it was a fair trade.

Looking at Troll and Toad, Strikezone online, and EBay, I see that Troll and Toad lists Sinestro for twice what they have the Superman Robot listed, and Strikezone has Sinestro marked for even more than Troll and Toad, but Troll and Toad has no Superman robots or Sinestros in stock, and Strikezone and EBay turn up nothing as far as Superman robots go.
In fact, looking at Strikezone's buy list shows me that they don't want to buy any Crisis Sinestros but are willing to give people money for Superman Robots, so which is worth more now?

Thorgrin

03/01/2010, 16:40

You might have been able to ask for more, but to be honest, I don't think you came out all that bad. Sure Sinestro is around $40-50 on ebay (completed auctions) and Robot Superman is around $25-$28, but sometimes having that hand to hand trade is worth it. No fuss, no muss, no worry about the figures being lost in the mail or if one side or the other doesn't send their part of the bargain. Besides, think of it this way. You would have to "sell" your Sinestro to Troll and Toad (or whatever it's called) right? If you do, you know you aren't going to get full value. At best, you might get half value because they're a business and have to make a profit. You then turn around and purchase said Robot Superman for roughly the same price, especially after you pay for shipping. The only way you could come out ahead money wise is if you do Ebay. If your rating isn't too high, then you may not get the full value either, then there are the fees of listing and paypal, flipside, you have to hope there is an auction for the figure you want (which currently there isn't from what I can tell) and then you have to tack on $3-4 for shipping, so again, your cost comes pretty close.

NucGhost

03/01/2010, 17:19

Did you get a figure you want?

Did you give up a figure you don't use?

Was the guy you traded with a nice enough guy?

Last question added because I double the value of my figures in my mind when dealing with a few choice people at my venue. I would never give an even trade to a guy who is known to rip people off in trade value of figs because they just don't know better when he does.

Other times, I will knowingly rip myself off to get trades that I absolutely must have. Time's I've done this have been most recently with a Chase Thor Frog AND Thor and Loki duo for a Chase Thorbuster, and further back, about $150 worth of Uniques, LE's, and high end Vets for the original Fin Fang Foom when he came out and was valued around $100. When you have to have a figure, money be damned. If money's your big issue, then have an auction for all of the figures you don't use and then use that money to buy the figures you want to play and collect.

Immortal_Raven

03/01/2010, 17:45

Monetary value has something to do with it for me. If I have a Volstagg that sells for around $30 right now and someone offers me a $10 Mephisto, I won't do it. I'd sell Volstagg on ebay and buy Mephi and pocket the extra $20.(These are hypothetical values) This is my personal methodology and other people do it differently.

That said I do try to be close in monetary/rarity value on a trade. It all depends what you want though and what's available. That robot sounds like a hard piece to find, so I'd say you got good value out of it. If you can look at yourself in the mirror without regretting it, then you did well.

I have a coworker who won't buy a house right now because he's afraid interest rates will go lower and he won't get the absolute best monetary deal. He's so worked up about it that he won't enjoy the house regardless of when he gets it. You paid because you wanted it and it made you happy. So be happy. Don't worry. Hakuna Matata.

-Immortal_Raven

phantalien

03/01/2010, 18:18

invisibo

03/01/2010, 21:44

Also--had I known Sinestro would've gone up in value, I would've bought more when crisis was out and they were only ~$20.

psycho69

03/02/2010, 03:24

there aren't any superman robots online because i have them all. lol.

actually i find that keeping up with average prices (realms & ebay), never T&T or strikezone. is very helpful. i try not to make a bad trade either way, and if it is lopsided one way usually i am the one giving up extra. i find trading to be one of the most fun parts of collecting. and i want to make it fun for others. there are plenty of players who will give up higher end figs for lower end figs, i just try to have them take more if they want. mostly they are very appreciative, even surprised. and they get more of what they wanted.

brojase

03/02/2010, 09:12

I have a confession to make- I'm a secondary market value checker when it comes to trades. That's why I don't like making trades in person (one of the reasons I'm glad that I don't play at a venue). I don't begrudge those that don't, because people value things differently. It does make it difficult at times to trade across these two perspectives though.

It makes the most sense to me- because even though this is a collectible game, the value of most pieces deteriorates, so if it's a piece that you want to trade, you want to make sure you can get the most for it that you can. My Son of Darkseid Superman is worth much less now than he was when I first bought him (funny aside about that piece...I bought him, sold him to my brother who then sold him to his venue downstate, that I bought from off of e-bay and then traded to my brother again before acquiring him in another trade...this all happened over the course of a few years, so it wasn't like I'm that impulsive :) )

Because of our capitalist inclinations, I think that most people search for the best bang for their buck- it's why I think most initial trade offers (including ones that I make, in the interest of full disclosure) are usually to some degree a little bit lopsided. Even on the Realms- once in a while I'll get an offer that is (in my view) even, or maybe even in my favor, but most of the time it's (again, in my view) not in my favor.

Now there is definitely room for give and take, and many people are really good about negotiating down to something that both sides agree to. I feel like I want to maximize the value of my pieces in trades- because if it's something that I really really want, I'll just buy it anyways.

But as many have already said, at the end of the day, no matter how you value your figures, what really matters is if you are happier with the figure that you have than you were with the figure you gave up.

charlesx

03/02/2010, 09:45

Really?!? you are getting completely screwed on that deal :p

plus you know that if you need anything I can help out

LOL!! You crack me up. BTW, I am bringing the Zombie Hulk with me to the Mega Game on Sunday. See you there!

naeblis501

03/02/2010, 11:07

Azrael0626

03/02/2010, 14:38

It is o.k. to take average figure prices into account for certain trades, but don't nickel and dime people. I generally don't like throwing figure prices at people unless they do it first which annoys the hell out of me to no end. I recently had a guy send me a message offering some nons and cards I need for my second sets. All he wanted from my list was 2 Superman Robots and 2 convention exclusive LEs. I said I really didn't want to trade those for nons and cards and then he started quoting prices from Troll & Toad which made me want to say no thanks, but I tried to work something out. Needless to say, even though I had about 12 nons he needed he didn't want to trade because he wanted one of the LEs without trading another LE for it. No big deal.

Another guy had a chase I needed. I offered him another chase for it. Well, he wanted a SR in addition to the chase because according to him his chase was "worth more." That really wasn't the case because they were about equal in value, but I asked him to add some nons I needed to even it out a little. He wouldn't even budge. I left it alone and came back to him a couple of weeks later and he still thought it was too much. Now my chase figure is going for $10 to $20 more than his which I showed him and all of a sudden he is o.k. with trading a chase for a chase only. I could ask him to now add a SR or something on his end to make up the difference, but as far as I am concerned they are equal in trade.

Bottom line is that if you both got a figure you wanted at relatively the same rarity level, then it is an even trade. Even at different rarity levels, if you both walked away with something you really wanted, then you should consider it a good trade and be happy. I can't stand when people start price quoting from online stores and other sites while trying to work out a trade. The prices vary from place to place and from week to week and it makes me not even want to trade with that person. If I have three veteran figures you want, then offer three veteran figures I need. If you want a SR, then offer a SR. Yes, some go for a little more than others, but at least keep it somewhere in the same ball park. No, I'm not going to trade my KC GL for another unique or nons just because they are on my Wants list, but you have to be reasonable. And yes, I have received offers like that on many occasions.

phantalien

03/02/2010, 20:09

Yes, some go for a little more than others, but at least keep it somewhere in the same ball park. No, I'm not going to trade my KC GL for another unique or nons just because they are on my Wants list, but you have to be reasonable. And yes, I have received offers like that on many occasions.

HA I was probably one of those people at one point. Az is very nice with his put downs in fact he made sure to slip into some loafers when he was kicking me :p

Truthfully. There is so much to be said about value and trading. For instance Detective Comics #27 just sold for over a million dollars. If I remember the stuff that is in the CBG then that is over double what was paid last year. Most of the time value is related to what some bozo would pay for it. Heck I have been a bozo and overpaid on some things and will freely admit it.

If I was in your shoes I would not have made the deal for many reasons. Sinestro is pretty hard to find compared to the robots. I can play Sinestro more in tournaments. I do not have to wait for a home game or unrestricted even to play the robot. I would be happier to build a team with Sinestro on it. I like Sinestro as a character better than Superman Robot.

Value-wise. Sinestro was used to be that $20 SR when it first came out but it went up once we got more Sinestro corps members. Understandable. Supes Robot seemed to be lingering from 20-30 depending on availability and how much people would buy them for. I never thought that the robot was all that special for the points. Why its value was so much? Too many people got suckered into buying a subscription of toyfair magazine for 20 or 25. I also think that they might have been sold individually at some point for around $6, I am not very positive on that assumption.

I hope you are happy with your Superman Robot, happiness does count a lot, and it is something that money cannot buy.

Azrael0626

03/02/2010, 21:52

HA I was probably one of those people at one point. Az is very nice with his put downs in fact he made sure to slip into some loafers when he was kicking me :p

Not really sure what you mean by that, but I do recall that my last response to one of your offers was something along of the line of a no thanks because I did not think that it was a very fair offer. I also do not recall if it was for KC GL or not, but if so, then you were only one of many to send a not so fair offer. I wasn't trying to single any one person in particular out either. I have received many bad offers over the years. It almost got to the point where I stopped posting my list, but for every five bad offers I might get a decent one.

Mr_Nobody

03/03/2010, 06:49

I don't see how you could offer trades without knowing the proper values of the pieces. I think some people may claim to not keep up with prices, with the motive of feigning innocence when they lowball other members on the realms. I would be ashamed to make some of the offers people have made to me. I don't make a trade offer unless I am sure the other guy will at least think it was fair. I use a system of determining my trades by evaluating how much trade value I assigned a piece, how much cash I paid, and or how in demand the piece appears to be.

I have no idea about the "proper value" of figs.
at all.
Im casually aware that chases are more valuable than regular figs (duh) and crisis was rarer and thus more valuable, but if your talking which specific fig is worth $5 more than which other fig, Im clueless.

I just couldn't be bothered hunting that information down.
the effort to pay off isn't worth it. So what if I end up trading a fig for something worth $10 less. I don't buy individual clix as a rule, and I get stuff because I want to play it.

Unless you're a completist, figs you are going to play is much more important than figs that have $ value. I'll casually trade for stuff just because I don't have it, but I hunt for trades on figs I'd intend to play.

I don't really understand the dollar matching issues. Its all about the game after all.

Immortal_Raven

03/03/2010, 10:48

The dollar matching issue arises in hindsight for a lot of people. It also arises when you think you could have gotten more. Take the Sinestro and Superman Robot. He could have sold the Sinestro for $45-50. Then bought a Robot for $25-30. Then you have $20 to spend on maybe a SR Hela or Kurse. Yes it takes awhile and waiting for a package in the mail is very stress-inducing, but $20 is not something to take lightly, especially in this economy.

I'll admit I've lowballed people on trade offers, sometimes due to ignorance of prices, sometimes due to simply not agreeing with current prices. I've started checking around before offering lately simply because I don't want to insult someone with a bad offer. And I have to restrain myself when rejecting an offer that I feel was insulting.

I like Azrael's point about trading apples to apples, or SRs to SRs. My issue arises when Origins and older sets seem to get discounted in the rarity arena. V AW Iron Man and V Captain America were super rares. It was listed on the old wizkids site. The Old REV levels do not automatically translate to Common/Uncommon/Rare. I don't know the exact structure, but it'd be handy if we had that on the new Wizkids site.

If you're happy in the end, that's great. But paying attention to prices now can save you a lot of misery and disappointment later.

-Immortal_Raven

Ultim8 Avenger

03/03/2010, 17:17

learn from it. besides, sinestro is over rated.

phantalien

03/03/2010, 17:21

Not really sure what you mean by that, but I do recall that my last response to one of your offers was something along of the line of a no thanks because I did not think that it was a very fair offer. I also do not recall if it was for KC GL or not, but if so, then you were only one of many to send a not so fair offer. I wasn't trying to single any one person in particular out either. I have received many bad offers over the years. It almost got to the point where I stopped posting my list, but for every five bad offers I might get a decent one.

Heh, I was just poking some fun at your expense. You were very nice and I was hoping for a miracle on ice, 80's style with that trade. I don't remember what the trade was for, it was not important.

sleeping_giant

03/12/2010, 22:41

Actually you should always check everywhere online and get a low price. If u use some prices or even averages it doesnt always show you a good currrent value. High for sinestro i seen was 70. Robot was 30. Thats much different then 35-25

Supes robot 25- troll and toad (sold out)

Sinestro- 35aprox- ebay

Supes is much harder to find so take that into consideration.

Dont get pressured into a trade. Its your piece and really they cant force you to trade no matter who says what.

I would have just sold What sounds like extra sinestro and bought a supes robot. But this was on the fly. Wasnt too bad for a blind trade. Be happy supes robot is harder to find. and dont give in unless its something you really want