Trading tips and etiquette

[ASweetHeart]

Tips

• Ask for a valid email address from traders, this helps if you need to report this member as a bad trade to lists such as garnetts bad trader list.

• Check feedback of the person you are trading with. It is ok to ask for feedback from other sites via pm, but not ok to post links to outside sites in the public forum. remember, having an itrader rating does not mean the member is a trading member at HCW.

• Trade with trading members only. Trading members will have user rank of trader or trader in training under their member name.

• If doing a large trade with a new member it is perfectly ok to ask to hold your end until you receive their end. But if you are going to hold, you MUST disclose this to the trader.

• Put your HCW name in or at least on the envelope so that the recipient knows who its from. You can use trade slips to make it easy: HCW_Trade_Slips.pdf

• Keep a record of your trades (Name, address, HCW screen name, what you sent, what they are suppose to send, date you mailed your end, date you received their end and if you left FB. I use excel to do this for me).

• You can put the other members name in the envie so if it is returned to you for any reason you know who it was going to.

Etiquette

• Be considerate of other traders!! If another member contacts you about a possible trade, please try and respond to them in a timely manner. It's no fun to miss out on potential trades because you are holding coupons waiting for someone to respond!!

• Please remember that unlimited posting does not mean you can post for the same iso or trade offer over and over to keep your posts at the top of the forum.

• The same goes for bumping. Do not bump posts more than 3 times in 24 hours including the OP. It is considered bumping when the op periodically adds to his or her op with updates periodically throughout the day vs. editing the op.

• Help keep our trading froums clean!! Once a trade has been made and coupons are no longer needed, please update the title of your post to either "traded" or "delete" so a mod can remove the post.

• Leave feedback in a timely manner. Feedback can be left for raok's, trains and all trades. It is not required but is appreciated.

• Backing out of a trade once the terms have been agreed to is poor trade etiquette.

Please feel free to add any trading tips to this thread. The OP will be updated as needed.

[tacatcon]

Originally Posted by marz73 How long is customary to wait on a response PM when trading? Say you have PM'ed trader #1 with an offer how long should you wait to see if they will accept it? A few hours? A day? Especially when you need the coupons quickly and have received more than one response from other traders? I am never sure how long I should wait when I have received more than one response to a trade request. What is the considerate amount of time without being too late to get the coupons everyone needs?

To me, if you're the one initiating the trade, you should give them 24-48 hours because not everyone is on every day. If you are really in a hurry because of a sale or expiring coupon, I would tell the person up front, hey I need to make a quick trade so I am going to take the offer that gets back to me first. That way it's up front.

[bugface711]

bumping this up. OP has been updated to add in all tips! thank you to everyone who included a tip or bit of trade etiquette

[Abbybob]

Mods, please move this if I didn't post it in the correct place :)

Recently, two of my locals stores (Vons and Albertsons) refused to accept coupons I had received in a train because they had a mark on them from a highlighter marker (dark purple). I was told that is how many stores mark coupons as accepted before they are mailed in for reimbursement and that they would not take them, on the off chance they had already been redeemed and scooped out of the cashiers drawer. I was told by two store managers (one at vons, the other at albie's)

I live in CA, so not all places may be like this and some stores may take them.

Please, my fellow couponers, don't mark coupons across the front with a marker- mark the back or dog ear them.

[Lurkergirl]

Hmm good to know .I have not had that happen to me .I have had staples in some that were sent to me .I have a hard time getting staples out without tearing them .

[tacatcon]

oooh never would have known that! I certainly don't mark my coupons with a highlighter, can't imagine the point in doing that? I hope you let the person you received them from know.

Sorry that happened to you!

[Abbybob]

Tacatcon-

I was told that a lot of traders do it, so they know that the Q has already been passed around a train.

[tacatcon]

Really? I have never seen that on any of the trains I've been on but I guess that makes sense in a way.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention!