By Tony Guo
Ethics of trading is not the most popular thing to discuss when your friends are all sharks. But after a heated debate which included one of the largest traders in Houston and a store owner, we came to the general consensus that the ethical standards are dependent on where you trade. The following are opinions.
Ebay
We all agreed that on Ebay the price is the price. Meaning, if you snag a collection for far less than it is worth, it is ethically fine. Just because your auction did not sell for as much as it was worth does not mean you were sharked. Ebay allows you to create your own market. If you didn't do as well as you hoped, try advertising. But do not blame the buyer since the nature of ebay is to bid the lowest you can to win.
MOTL
Not everyone in our group uses MOTL. I had the most experience. On MOTL trade references mean everything. The website is 95% sharks, dealers, and "good deal" hunters. Starting on MOTL means paying a premium. On MOTL, because everyone is a shark, no one is a shark. I like to test my negotiating and bargaining skills on MOTL from time to time.
Trade in Real Life
I split this into three categories: Trading to your store; Trading to an experienced trader; Trading to a newer trader.
Trading to your store:
My experience trading to stores is unique. I lived in the same apartment complex as the owner of Groovy Geckos. Graham was a close friend of mine. I sold him my entire collection for 30-40% of what it was worth. And I do not regret it. He helped me get back into the game during a difficult time. After Groovy Gekcos became Phoenix Games, I was a well respected trader known throughout the region. I helped the store make rent by buying excess supplies (at a discount) and moving it on MOTL or online. I didn't make money, but it felt good to help the store. A month after I left, Phoenix Games bankrupted and closed its doors.
My current store situation is if they need a card from my binder (because they have a buyer or because they need to stock legacy) I trade it to them for typically 80% of what it is worth. It actually is less than 80% when you when you compare buylist. I recently traded a Jace for 35 loleth trolls. I have a great relationship with Josh, the magic guy. In the end, I am happy to trade legacy for standard if it helps my store.
Trading to experienced traders
Here I can be very harsh. While I condone sharking, I will be honest, I do it once in a blue moon when I'm not feeling particularly friendly. I have a great memory for card values as well as an above average knack for speculating. Sometimes I will stock up on a certain card. Right not it is wurmcoil engine and Vraska. The one thing I enjoy above all else is a smart trader. I like comparing wits.
Trading with new players
Just this week I helped several new players complete their land sets for a fraction of the value. One new player needed two sulfur falls (sitting at 8). I couldn't find anything (a common occurrence with newer traders since sharks have already taken everything of value) so I took a Chandra and a Garruk which are my favorite planeswalkers. Another new player needed a few blood crypts to complete his play set. Again not finding anything, and this time (I only had 4 bloodcrypts) there really wasn't anything, I asked him to buy me popeye's chicken. I do not mind gifting cards to new players, because they remember. And when they evolve as players, they may shark everyone else, but they won't shark me.
Youtube
My experience on youtube is mixed. I don't like that there are no admins to control trading and make sure bad traders are banned and do not create a new account. I try not to trade with anyone who I haven't PMed excessively before. I also do not post confirmation videos and ask the other person also not post a video. Since I use tracking, confirmation videos add no value. The bigger point is that some of the trades I do may look bad.... I speculate a lot. By the time I get my half of the trade, the card may have already jumped. On youtube, everything seems to be in present time. And one of the most ignoring things is people analyzing trades. Although it doesn't happen often, given the speculating nature of my channel, it looks extremely bad. Essentially, I am telling people what cards to speculate on, and then asking them to trade them to me. If I traded then speculated, it would look even worst. Luckily most people in my current store do not know I have a blog and youtube. But on youtube, its hard not to notice.
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