The whole platform runs on member-to-member trust. Trust is built (slowly) by completed trades and lost (fast) by sloppy etiquette. Here's how the experienced traders in the community keep the wheels turning.
1. Respond within 48 hours
If somebody messages you about a card, even a quick "saw your offer, thinking about it" beats silence. Two days max. Otherwise the offerer assumes you're flaking and tells their friends.
2. Always describe condition honestly
"Near Mint" means truly near mint — no whitening, no surface scratches, sharp corners. If you have any doubt, drop a level. The trader who lists a card as Near Mint that's actually Lightly Played gets one bad rating before nobody trades with them again.
3. Ship within 7 days
Once a trade is agreed, ship within a week unless you've explicitly told the other party there's a delay. Toploaders + bubble mailer + tracking, every time. Skipping tracking on a $50+ trade is a recipe for he-said-she-said.
4. Confirm receipt
When the package arrives, send a quick "got it, thanks" message via the platform. This is what triggers the trade marked complete and unlocks the rating step. Both sides do this — it takes 10 seconds.
5. Leave a fair rating
Don't blast someone with a one-star because the card was Lightly Played and they listed it Near Mint. Message them first, give them a chance to make it right (refund, reship, partial). Reserve the harsh ratings for actual scammers, ghosters, or people who shipped a card in a paper envelope without protection.
The community polices itself. The members with high trust scores got there by following these rules. The ones who didn't aren't on the platform anymore.
Trade well, pirates.
