Subject:
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Re: UPDATE: Re: Weeks Box - round two (...no, really!)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.market.jambalaya
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Date:
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Thu, 11 Jan 2001 19:03:56 GMT
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Viewed:
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1977 times
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Christopher Weeks wrote:
>
> Well, I just go the box back yesterday and just looked through it today. I
> have to say that I am less than enthused. I think that the value of the box is
> similar to how it was before I dropped the RCX in. So basically, I think it
> lost about $50 along the way. But everyone reports reasonable sounding trades.
> I'm confused. And some of the stuff does wreak of smoke and has a sticky
> residue. Ugh.
I think one problem is the wide variation in values of items. For
example, back at Brickfest when I traded in a couple packs of shooting
cannon, what value is best to use for them? The $5.25 or so they cost
me, or the $20+ that they go for on eBay? Not knowing the value of the
Fabuland parts I took back then, I tried to guess a middle ground, and
feel that whoever took the cannon out would value them highly. Of course
if whoever took them out thought of them as saving them from buying a
couple 6516 Weapons Wagons on sale, then the value would be less.
> In lugnet.market.jambalaya, Frank Filz writes:
> > In lugnet.market.jambalaya, Tamyra Teed writes:
>
> > > Well this makes me wonder because all the parts I put in were brand new, I • just
> > > opened the box and dumped into brand new baggies.
>
> There are a couple of those still there.
I think all but one or two baggies were in pretty bad shape when I got
the box. I changed almost all of them out for decent condition baggies
saved over from eBay lots etc (I save baggies for re-use if they don't
seem slimy, grungy, or smell bad [there are other bad smells besides
smoke which have caused me to pitch a baggie]).
> > I'm beginning to wonder if I mixed up the smoky box with something else (Shiri
> > - who did the box I brought the JB in come from before me - you didn't get
>
> Several items that came back were in it when I sent it out, so I don't think
> it's possible that it got mixed up.
Clarification: I wasn't thinking I might have confused the contents of
the box, but that I might not have remembered which box was smelly, the
one the Jambalaya came in, or the one an eBay lot came in which came
about the same time (fwiw - I suspect the eBay lot would have overall
been better).
> > probably mostly just horribly over-reacting based on the baggies and the fact
> > that so many of the minifigs are missing hands and arms. The past several
>
> What's the deal with the minifigs? Is there some use for hands that I've not
> heard of? Why are half the figs missing their hands? And how will they ever
> be any good to anyone without the hands?
Well, lots of minifigs which come in used lots are missing parts, so my
guess would be that folks are "completing" their own minifigs. Probably
reasonable if the minifig you're raiding is Timmy or some other minfig
everyone gets way too many of, but then those shouldn't be in a
Jambalaya box (other than a minifig one - and then, primarily just so
folks can raid them of legs, arms, and hands, and gee, if someone
actually wants more Timmy torsos, well, more power to them). Looking at
what was there, I chose to just take the minifig torso, and a head. I
didn't raid another torso for arms and hands (I've got enough Timmies
and other "useless" minifigs which I can raid for arms and hands).
> I'm having a tough time deciding what went wrong and what the appropriate
> response is. It seems like the Jambalaya thing is at best a marginal success
> -- unless the point is to distribute cool stuff and not expect a fair trade in
> return. OTOH, I have been very pleased with a couple boxes (mine when it came
> back from California, the first box I got (GB3?), etc.).
I suspect part of the problem is not everyone has cool stuff to trade
in. I probably didn't help the box in this aspect (though I think/hope I
made a fair value trade, and didn't just pawn off junk). Clearly when I
traded at Brickfest I did a better job in that aspect.
> Has anyone any ideas on how to better assure that particpants will play nice?
> I'm not at all willing to even speculate which of the people who got this box
> are likely to have caused the problem since they're basically all upstanding
> LUGNuts. I don't really know Kyle, but that's not a good reason to suspect
> someone.
>
> In my note http://news.lugnet.com/market/jambalaya/?n=1309 announcing the most
> recent set of circuits, I wrote:
>
> > If you play this box, please consider yourself obligated to the following:
> >
> > 1. You will post a quickie note in response to this thread within three
> > days of receiving this box, stating that you have it and if you've done
> > your trades -- what they were in general terms only. If you haven't done
> > your trades the note will include an ETA on when the trade will be concluded
> > and when you'll ship it out.
>
> Tamy: let us know when she got it and after prompting included some info about
> what she took and put in. She got it 26 Oct 2000.
>
> Kyle: posted nothing.
>
> Frank: reprted getting it on 20 Dec 2000. On 1 Jan, he reported what he took
> and added.
Sorry for not reporting on my trades earlier (of course they weren't
actually complete until the 31st). Of course a quicker turnaround would
have been difficult (and actually wouldn't have made a difference,
almost certainly had I mailed it before I left for Christmas, it would
have reached Shiri after she left).
> Shiri: posted some pics on 1 Jan 2001 which basically, told what she was
> taking, if not what she added. (though, I think I know from looking at the
> contents.)
>
> This was 11 weeks for five mailings. I guess these results aren't too bad.
I suspect an average of 2 weeks per mailing is about the best one can
do. Given that most of us don't have the resources to mail it without a
visit to the Post Office, and given the reality of peoples schedules,
spending 2-5 days in someone's possesion is almost assured. If anyone
doesn't have an efficient way to receive the package add a day (for
example, if you mail something to me insured, there's a 20% chance I
will have to go to the Post Office to get it, that won't happen on the
day of delivery, if I get out of work late, and the box is much larger
than a box of checks, the box will spend the night in the appartment
complex office, etc.).
> > 2. You will strive to trade fairly. If you know the market, then you should
> > know what fair is. If you don't, then look it up. Use the most recent
> > Auczilla, use eBay, ask around, ask me, etc. There are many resources to
> > make sure that you're being fair. I want newbies to feel comfortable
> > participating, but it is important that everyone is playing by the same
> > rules.
>
> I'm curious about how each of you handled this aspect of it. I basically
> eye-ball my trades, but I also tend to over-pay and I think that I know the
> value of current elements pretty well. (Though, I'm totally struggling to get
> a handle on train parts now.)
I asked Sheree R. about the value of the Fabuland garage I took out. I
guessed at the rest of the bits, but of course I do lots of eBaying so I
think I have a pretty good handle on values.
I have to say that my feeling is tending towards Jambalaya not being
very workable. It's a kind of fun way to trade some stuff around, but
perhaps we should stay away from "valuable" stuff. I'm not really
disappointed with what transpired with Junk Box #3. Someone who was
willing to use a bunch of poor condition nifty parts got some parts they
would otherwise have a hard time getting, and I've had enough people
send me or give me stuff gratis that I don't mind having paid for the
shipping on this, and wouldn't really even if I hadn't received many
freebies. One major problem is keeping the value of the box up (or
increasing it), while still feeling you got your money's worth (for the
cost to ship the box to the next person). The time factor is also
frustrating. Even I who try to be consciencious have still ended up
delaying boxes by a week. It does seem however that boxes shouldn't
languish in people's homes for a month or more, but I suppose after a
couple weeks, the box might find its way under a stack of stuff and thus
out of sight out of mind.
--
Frank Filz
-----------------------------
Work: mailto:ffilz@us.ibm.com (business only please)
Home: mailto:ffilz@mindspring.com
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