Using the SCS Buy/Sell/Trade forums can often be a friendlier alternative to the craziness of eBay, but there are a number of procedures we recommend to ensure things go smoothly.

While following these does not guarantee a perfect transaction, we feel that this is the best way to ensure the success in a trade. If you have any concerns about the trade, you always have the option of having a B/S/T Moderator act as a mediator in the trade. Email one of them for details (their email addresses are at the top of the forum page).

In addition to the help that you can receive from the other members and the moderators, we've created a step-by-step guide to a successful trade (or sale/buy) for you:

1. Look through the different threads in our Buy, Sell, Trade forums and find the item you want.
2. Check the feedback for the person offering the item on the board in the detailed feedback thread or the summarized feedback listing. You can also check their feedback on eBay, if applicable. If you can’t find any feedback for the member, ask them for some references and be sure to verify with those references that the trade went well.
3. Contact the person offering the item via email. Their email address should be available in their EZBoard Public Profile, just click on their name next to their post on the board. Make sure to tell them your member name in your email! If their email address is not in their profile, they are not supposed to be buying, selling or trading on our forums and we do not recommend dealing with them.
4. Exchange names, shipping addresses and telephone numbers with each other.
5. Verify the phone numbers by calling each other, get personal contact with your trading partner and "feel each other" out. Does something smell fishy? Now is the time to back out. You can accomplish step 6 over the phone or through more email.
6. Arrange the final terms of the trade with each other. Most importantly, you MUST be clear as to what item is being exchanged for what other item, and clear on the condition and completeness of the item if that is important to you.
   
   At this time you should decide who will ship their items first (based on feedback, etc.) or that both partners will ship at the same time.
   For sales transactions in which there is a question of appropriate feedback, it is VERY simple for a moderator to act as a go-between - here's how it works:
   • The member purchasing sends a money order to the moderator.
   • The seller confirms with the moderator that the money has arrived.
   • The seller ships the item.
   • The purchaser confirms that the item has arrived.
   • The moderator sends the money order to the seller, in an envelope pre-addressed and postage paid by the purchaser.


7. You should ship all items with tracking and/or insurance. This is essential. For sellers, if you did not use tracking, don't expect anyone to believe that you sent the package; for buyers, if you don't use it, don't expect anyone to believe that it didn't arrive.
8. Exchange tracking numbers for all packages. Many problems and fears about trades could be solved or prevented if more people used tracking and kept records of them. You should keep all the paperwork (receipt, insurance receipt, tracking slip) for an item until it has been confirmed arrived undamaged.
9. Verify that each item has shipped (you can use the tracking number and sites like USPS.com and UPS.com for this).
10. If there are any delays, problems or you have questions, contact your trading partner IMMEDIATELY. If you are not going to be available via email for an extended period of time, contact your trading partner. We cannot stress enough how important good communication is in a trade.
    If you have a concern, please react to it calmly. Starting a flame war via email or on the board will accomplish nothing, and possibly weaken your case. Your best course of action is to contact a B/S/T Moderator or board admin immediately if you feel the trade has gone bad.
11. After a successful trade, please be courteous and leave feedback for your partner in the board's feedback thread, as well as contacting them to let them know the item(s) arrived safely.

Best wishes and happy trades to you!