If I may add a quick idea to the way rippers dupe people. When I first started to trade online via MOTL I got ripped by a ripper using this idea.

1. Ripper searchs through to find a MOTL'er with a few refs (20+) that has been inactive for quite some time.

2. The ripper then uses any old e-mail addy and e-mails someone (in this case me) and say like you want to trade cards?

3. The ripper and you make a deal and when (or if) you ask why his/her e-mail is different to there MOTL one they say they don't like the idea of their e-mail being up for show to everyone.

4. The deal goes ahead and they give a link to the inactive MOTL users ref and from here on in it happens much the same as above.

The other thing that may go on is if the ripper is spree ripping (trying to get as many people as poss before a red light goes off) he/she will answer e-mail asking if the cards have arrived yet with "no not yet" for as long as poss as this gives them more time to try and get more people to put there cards in the post to them.

Once again I hope that we will one day live in a world free of Race, Gender and Ripper issues.

Just cut and paste his/her email addie into Memberlist search and if they do't match. They sure sound fishy..good example would dmfarmerslw imposter.

2 thumbs up

if the deals to good to be true, it most likely isn't true! I think i just avoided a rip, I told him i sorted out a third party trade at no cost to him...so far no word, funny that!

Also refs, anyone hear rember Helen, a freind of mine got done over by that (Add any number of colourfull and very descriptive words) and "it's" ref list was a total fakery, and so far no-ones caught the offender.

Also Sim-sending, I disagre with a policy i've heard mumbled about, thats the "sure we'll sim" policy. You agree to sim, but in fact make them send first. If you don't trust people enought to sim SAY SO. I think rippers will always be looking for the sim-send...sending first is out of the question for them.

hey, ever wonder if a ripper would post on these kind of articles to show their outrage about ripping so that they can secretly trick people to think that they are not rippers?

Furthermore, a person who writes this could be a ripper too, but thankfully, im not.

Of course, this could all be a hoax to get you to believe me.

however...
...

...

-yip_boy

kag1144@hotmail.com (PLEASE answer my Q's)

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If at first you don't succede, you probably stink.

I think the article is good, too. It's very hard to trade with people when you have 0 refs, and you almost always have to send first 'till you get at least 10 refs. 'Cause some people think you're a ripper, and other people won't trust you either, even member with lots of refs.

I just started trading 2 weeks ago here, and i've traded with 10 people so far, i sent the cards first for every trade. So far i haven't gotten any cards from any of them back, but that's understandable since i sent my cards a week or two ago so it takes a while to get to them and for them to send back, the problem however is trusting enough to do this, for your first 5, 10, 15 trades.

I wish it were easy but unfortunately it's not. Besides trading first with people with high refs, the only think i can suggest is try to trade low value stuff for your first 10-15 trades, like under $30 or $50. So, that way even if you do get ripped you won't lose too much, or people won't even rip you for that little. Also you can get a lot of refs so then you'll feel safer as well as people that trade with you will feel safer.

That's my input for now, i'm still waiting for cards from my 10 traders, in the next 2 weeks. Try to take it lightly and remember trading is for fun, not for money. If you want money go gamble at a casino.

Thanks!

p.s. If you sent first and they admit they got your cards but they won't give you a ref, then you probably got ripped. If i send first i expect people to give me the ref first since they got my cards already.

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http://classic.magictraders.com/ubb/Forum10/HTML/000266.html <--ALL NEW PEOPLE READ THIS SO WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, DOESN'T HAPPEN TO YOU.

I'd like to write it again with my own words, based here and there on your own column

to get back at your column : I believe it's rule #1: "if a deal's too good to be true, it probably is"

I recently made a deal that was too good to be true but I covered myself, fearing for rippers but not wanting to scare any potential goodwilling traders as well.
This was the deal :

his NM Moat, mint karakas and nm Tolaria (all english BB) for my :

2x Tainted Isle
2x Tainted Field
2x Crusading Knight
2x Temporal Adept
1x Mahamoti Djinn (Revised)
2x Traumatize
2x Pianna
1x Skycloud Expanse
1x Mossfire Valley
1x Guided Passage

It was an offer I possibly couldn't refuse ! I needed those legends for my Legends collection. but in fact the deal was obviously heavily in my favor..
I asked him for any refs.
he had only one ref at that point, he said.
I said I only want to do first trading, for I can offer 20 refs on yahoo and 15 on motl.
He agreed, in fact I received the moat and other today in the mailbox .... as described, near mint, bb english, along with the lands.
So I sent him my stuff today.

From the beginning on I sense something fishy here, and I have the feeling I ripped someone, which is obviously not true.