From: Xorg@cup.portal.com (Peter Ted Szymonik) Subject: Wargame Auctions - Game Rating Suggestions Date: Sat, 4 Dec 93 20:57:20 PST I'm posting a copy of this here for general interest. These guidelines were recently posted in the auction topic of the GEnie Games RT. Enjoy! GUIDELINES FOR AUCTION POSTS: ----------------------------- The following game condition rating scale is suggested for when offering items for sale in the topic: MINT: A game in like-new condition, unpunched and never played. The game's box may show very light wear from storage only. No rips, tears, or stains of any kind on any component. The game's original packaging must be complete and intact, this includes the original coversheet for flatbox games. NEAR-MINT: Only one type of game fits this description, a game that would be in MINT condition, except that the game was prepared for play, and less than 50% of the counters are punched. (Perhaps one small intro scenario was played, for example.) EXCELLENT: A game that would be MINT, except that it has been played a one or two times. Some minor wear is allowed, but no major rips, tears, or stains on any of the components. No edits, writing, or coloring anywhere on the rules or map. Must be complete and the original packaging must be in excellent condition. Games that have been extremely well cared for, even though they may have been played a few times. VERY GOOD: The next step down from excellent, games in this category have been played a few times, but were still taken care of. Minor rips, tears, or stains are allowed. The game shows signs of wear, but nothing that adversely affects gameplay (i.e. the edges of the may be worn, but definitely no damage to the map area itself.) Counters and the gamebox may also show signs of wear. Minor dents on the gamebox or minor cracks on flatbox are allowed. Games in this condition are "gamer's" copies that have obviously been played a few times. GOOD: Valuable only for gaming purposes, little or no collector value. Rips, tears, or stains allowed and the game's packaging may be well worn. Some counters or other components may be missing, but the game still contains everything needed to play the game (i.e. a couple substitute counters, a xeroxed copy of the rules, etc.) A game you wouldn't mind tossing in the back of your car. FAIR: No collector value at all, played hundreds of times, pieces missing, box is trashed. Enough may be missing to prevent the game from being played. A game you wouldn't mind throwing across the room. POOR: You wonder how a game could have ever gotten into this condition. Mere shards of the original game remain, lots of missing components, box is in tatters. A game you wouldn't mind letting your dog play with. There will always be exceptions to these guidelines. For instance, how to rate a game that is in excellent condition all around, but whose rules have been highlighted? Rate the game as excellent, but CLEARLY note the imperfection in the game description. IMPORTANT: ALL games in MINT-VERY GOOD condition MUST be complete and contain all the original components, including the box. Exceptions MUST be clearly noted in the game description. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: ---------------------- FLATBOXES: SPI's plastic flatboxes are notorious for falling apart and cracking. In general, no special mention of *minor* cracks of the flatbox top need to be made. A good test is to shake the box side-to-side, if the top falls off, it deserves special mention. The bottoms of SPI's flatbox trays can also become unglued. This is a simple fix, just carefully re-glue the bottom, or wrap a few large rubber bands around the entire box. DO NOT staple the bottom back onto tray!! The staples will damage other flatboxes when stacked. MAPS: There are many methods people use to make maps lie flat. By far the best method is to buy a cheap sheet of plexiglass and put on top of the mapboard. Another is to pin the maps down onto some corkboard. The worst thing to do is to tape the maps down. The tape will stick to the map and tear it when you try to pull the tape off. Maps with small pinholes can be listed as mint or excellent, those with stuck tape can not. COUNTERS: Most better gamers use Xacto knives to get counters out of a countersheet. Some people also go an extra step and use a nail-clipper to clip the edges off the counters. Both methods are fine. However, if the counters were pulled out of the countersheet and a number of them are ripped or damaged, the game can no longer be listed as mint or excellent. Because most gamers do careful punch or cut out counters, most counters will be in excellent condition. RULES &: These two components are the first to show signs of CHARTS wear and abuse. Charts are altered, rules are highlighted, and coffee and beer mug stains are evident. In these cases, the game can no longer be listed as mint or excellent. Most careful gamers will make copies of the original rules and charts and work off the copies rather than the originals. MAGAZINES: Magazine ratings follow the same guidelines regarding condition, but special attention should be placed on any special inserts the magazine may have. Some magazines had mini-games or scenario sheets inside them. Be very careful to note whether or not those inserts or games still exist when selling magazines. Again, these are only guidelines. The greatest difficulty is that there are people who buy out-of-print wargames to play them, and then there are people who buy out-of-print wargames to collect them. This leads to problems when the gamer sells the collector an "excellent" condition wargame that has actually been played numerous times and qualifies only as very-good or good in the collector's eyes. Potential problems can be eliminated through communication. If everyone follows the guidelines above and the two parties communicate, there is no reason for mis-understandings to exist. Above all else, if there is any doubt as to a game's condition, ASK! Another way to avoid problems is to follow the topic. If you repeatedly see someone offering games to happy customers, its a safe bet you'll have no problem dealing with that person. If you see someone offering games that you've never seen in the RT before, ask for recommendations from other members before sending any money. GENIE: ----- It is, has been, and always be GEnie Games RT policy not get involved in any transaction between two members of RT in any way, shape, or form. The same basic GEnie rules and regulations that apply to the rest of the network apply to this topic. The "For Sale" and "Auction" topics are offered solely for our member's enjoyment. Any and all transactions are to be done solely in private e-mail. The people involved in the transaction should understand that they are ENTIRELY responsible for consequences of their actions. MONEY: ----- A lot of people have misconceptions about dealing through the mail. Due to new Federal check clearing procedures, out-of-state checks are now normally cleared within 3-4 days. If your bank takes longer than that to clear an out-of-state check, something is wrong with your bank. Knowingly sending a bad check through the mail, across state lines, is a Federal offense. This means a disgruntled buyer can (and probably will) file a complaint with the United States Postal Service and the FBI. These agencies *will* investigate, and the offending party can be prosecuted, levied a hefty fine, or even jailed. Money orders are NOT a cash equivalent no matter what anyone tells you. A stop payment can be placed on a money order just as it can on a check. The only real advantage to paying by money order is that the recipient can cash it immediately. The big disadvantage is that money orders cost money and the buyer has to go to the bank to get one - a major hassle. NEVER, EVER, SEND MONEY THROUGH THE MAIL. I've had baseball cards stolen out of envelopes in my mail, imagine how long a few greenbacks would last. Bottom line is that this all boils down to mutual trust and honesty. I can happily report that all the years I have been trading games, and out of the hundreds of people I have personally dealt with, only one transaction has ever gone bad, and even that was resolved after a stop-payment on a $500 money order got the guy's attention :-) If a large sum of money is involved, spent a few extra dollars to FedEx or Express mail to the check to the person. They will get paid faster and you will have a receipt for the mailing. Better yet, buy a Postal Money Order for even more proof of payment. In such cases, ask the person sending the games to ship UPS BLUE or RED for even more insurance - and ask for the airbill number to track the package and to verify that the games were shipped as promised. SHIPPING & PACKAGING: -------------------- I give due credit to Roger Eastep for all that follows. Ever since I bought my first game from Roger, I have followed his guidelines for packaging wargames. Carefully inspect the game for any damage or problems you may have missed the first time around. Secure the game's counter box lids with removable tape, or a place a heavy computer magazine in the tray. For flatboxes, securely wrap the whole flatbox with rubber bands to keep the lid on. Wrap all games in separate plastic garbage bags and seal them with a twist-tie. This protects the games from the weather if the package is left outside your door, and it keeps all the pieces inside the bag should the counters fall out. Place games in a box large enough to have at least two inches of padding between the games and the box. Wrap games securely with newspaper or recycled stryo-chips (many of you have the ones I sent you in previous trades :-) ) Game boxes are often damaged when the UPS people toss packages on top of each other, and unless the games are cushioned, they will be damaged. Last step before closing the box is to include a postcard with the buyer's name and address, in case the box is damaged during shipment. Securely tape every edge of the box and clearly write your name and address and that of the buyer on the top. Be careful to completely black out any previous shipping codes written on the sides of the box. UPS codes look like this: 161 : 12 -------- 32 : 07 These mean something, namely, if you don't black these out, the package could end up back at the home of the person who originally sent the game :-) Most of this may seem like common sense, but the horror stories are out there. All it takes is a little time and effort to make sure that the games arrive in the same condition you sent it in. NEVER EVER send a game wrapped in nothing but brown shopping bag paper. This is asking for trouble and 99% of the time the game will arrive completely beat up, resulting in a very angry buyer. Magazines are best sent in padded mailers available at any office supply or drug store. To keep Mr. Postman from bending them, clearly label them "DO NOT BEND", then surround the magazine with heavy cardboard (I also use old thick computer magazines for the same effect, also helps clear out my basement :-) ) Most important, be considerate. Treat the people sending you money the same way you would want to be treated. Don't cash the check and then wait two weeks to send the game. If you know a check is coming, have the game all packed up and ready to go BEFORE it arrives. Pack it up and leave it un-addressed, noting the buyer's name in pen ink on a corner of the box. When the check arrives, all you have to do is address the package. If the check never shows, the game is already packed up for the next person who wants to buy it. If you're selling a large number of games and expect that it will take a few days to ship them all, let the buyer know the check arrived and give them a realistic shipping date. Also let them know how it's coming (UPS or Postal Service.) PROBLEMS?: --------- The key is to communicate and to be flexible. If the buyer isn't happy, find out why. If the concern is legitimate, offer a solution. There is never a need for hostility or stone-walling, 99% of all problems can be resolved by talking and offering potential solutions. If a game is missing a chart, offer to copy one for the buyer, or at to find some one who can. If you bought a game that was in worse condition than you thought it would be, tell the seller, and be prepared to accept something to make up for it. In the worst case, both parties should be prepared to ship the items and money back to each other, but again, only as a last resort or if the condition was definitely not what it was claimed to be. It goes without saying that "I didn't like the game once I got it" or "It's not the game I thought it was" are NOT legitimate reasons for asking for a refund! THE END: ------- 99.8% of the transactions that have happened as a result of this topic have led to happy buyers and sellers. These guidelines are designed to bring that figure as close to 100% as possible.