The very first thing I noticed about trading sections when I first starting frequenting Yu-Gi-Oh! forums was how disorganize and unruly the were. Disorganization breeds chaos, and most trade forums prove that with a great deal of transactions that can't be verified, making it an easy place for the so-called "rippers" to hide. In addition to the being difficult to control, they also proved to be a colossal mess, having to be pruned and locked incessantly by the forum admins. Way too much administration with little positive results for the user, in my experience.

Since becoming a moderator at City of Gamers, I've seen how beneficial a structured set of trade rules can be to both users and administrators. Since the Trading Guidelines at City of Gamers have proven themselves to  be the most practical and efficient rules I've seen (not to mention, the most elegant) we'll be instituting the same trade guidelines here as at CoG.

Now, I feel our CookieSlayers are of a good sort, and I would expect little trouble or problems from them. But to make this area more lucrative for you, I'm opening the trade forums to the public as well. This way, our regular non-Slayer members have a venue to trade and, as a result, create more trade opportunities for everyone. Since I will be opening this up to all forum members, I will be enforcing the same simple and efficient rules that we have at City of Gamers with the same strictness that I enforce them there. It is important to understand that I will be making no exceptions.

The rules below may be adjusted or modified at any time, at my discretion. Though I will be sure to announce any changes in policy. Neither The CookieSlayer Collective, nor its Administrators, nor its Moderators, nor Eon Press Presents accept any responsibility for trades you make with forum members or CookieSlayers. That transaction, whatever the outcome, is the sole responsibility of the parties involved and not the forum or its staff as a group or organization. We're simply providing a venue for you with the hopes that each one of you will use it responsibly and maturely. This include proper use of the Trader Rating System.

It is my sincere hope that you enjoy and use this section. Please follow the rules and show regard to your fellow players. Our Trading Policy Guidelines can be found in the links to right.

It is a minor Art and Science to properly devise a Trading Thread. The thread should be complete with your trade information, while easily usable for others.

The first requirement in setting up a Trading Thread is that it will include:

1. First Post: Your personal Rules of Trading.
2. Second Post: Your "Wants" list.
3. Third Post: Your "Haves" list.
4. Fourth Post: Your current Commerce listing. This is where you show what trades are currently going on and indicate what trades have been completed. This would be your references list as well.
   
   ADMIN NOTE: You MUST include post #4 when you FIRST create your thread, whether you have in-progress trades or not. You cannot add it in later. It is a point of fact, that no one has pending trades when they first start a trade thread here. Just create a fourth post that says something like (none) or (no trades at the moment) so that you can edit it later. This is your most important post, because this is where your trade history is chronicled.

Likewise, having some basic organization in your Trading Thread lists (for example, alphabetical) helps individuals easily search through your list. Having your "Haves" and "Wants" in the same Trading Thread allows for easy quick searches, and it also prevents clutter of the Community Forums.

We have provided an example of what a Trading Thread should look like when finished.

Here are some "Do Not's" for Trading Thread.

1. DO NOT USE ALL CAPS IN SUBJECT OR BODY OF THREAD!
2. Do NOT post "Was this a good trade?" threads in the Trading Threads. There is a general category setup just for this kind of discussion.
3. Do NOT use subject lines like, "I need XYZ ASAP right now!!!!!"
   • The proper subject line format is:
     • [your user name]'s Trade List: [TCG Name]; or,
     • [your user name]'s Sell List: [TCG Name]
   • This allows for users to sort the forum and browse by user name.
4. Do NOT use abbreviations for card names. Write them out in full.
5. Do NOT mix different TCG lists. You may mix and match TCG cards from different games for trading, of course, but only create one Trading Thread for each different TCG that you want to advertise in the Community Forums.
6. Do NOT create more than one Trading Thread for any single game without prior Moderator permission. Edit your own thread as necessary. You may modify your subject line with "" in order to show changes in your Trading Thread.

NOTE: A Trading Thread that violates these few simple points will be immediately deleted.

Many people have a rule if they have more references then you, you will send first. This is for obvious reasons. According to some observations, 99% of the discovered rippers have fewer than five (5) references, and had those who were ripped checked references they would not have been ripped.

Do not feel bothered by asking to see someone’s references, as these are probably the most valuable thing (next to the actual cards) in online trading.

If you follow the guidelines for proper Trading Thread format, then no one will have a problem in finding your references. They will also be able to contact people with whom you have traded, if they wish, in order to ensure that they felt you traded with them fairly.

Much of online trading is about an honor system. You treat people fairly and with honor, you will gain a trustworthy reputation. This makes for good and fair trades in the future.

In addition to this, Innovation Gaming Community Forums has instituted a Trader Ratings system. Every trade that is concluded is required to report that trade to the system. You will have to provide a Positive, Neutral or Negative feedback to the person with whom you traded. It is a two-way street. Make sure that you carefully make your choices with the system since there is no way to "take back" the rating that you give someone else.

Auctions may be held within the Insterstellar Trading section, but only by Moderator approval. Gaining Moderator approval is quite simple.

The requirements of an online auction are

1. You must decide if it is an auction for cards or money. You cannot do both. Bidders must offer one or the other for the card(s) that you place up for auction. This is to be determined first.
2. It must be for no longer than one week and no less than twenty-four (24) hours. All auctions will begin and end at 1200 GMT on the chosen dates.
3. The full auction details must be reported to the moderator within twenty-four (24) hours of the auction's end.
4. Both parties must report the shipping date and the receipt date to the Moderator once those events occur.

The guidelines for the Trading Forums still apply, but these are enforced because of the extremes that can occur during an auction event. While we make no guarantees over said events, we will monitor all auctions to ensure that any legalities that might come up are clearly understood and arbitration over extreme incidents is provided.

Auction Thread Format
Similar to the Trading Threads, threads for auctions will follow a specific format:

Subject Line:
[your user name]'s Auction: [2-3 Word Description], [Date Ending]

The body of the first post must include:
-----
Date Starting
Date Ending

Image of Auction Item (optional)
Description of Auction Item

Any other information seller feels necessary
-----

Any other questions may be directed to the moderators.

Successful auctions will also follow the same reporting requirements as any sale or trade of cards.

This is merely a sample of the Trading Thread format. We recommend that you follow this guideline in order to make things easier on everyone. Complete disregard for the Trading Thread format rules will be grounds for deletion.

Using the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG as the content for this example, here are the guidelines "in action".

Example Trade Thread