INTRODUCTION:

While it would be nice to trade on good faith, it became obvious that some people do not
have a sense of fair play. For that reason the Demerit System has become a necessity to
identify people who do not follow these basic guidelines used for trading within the group.

Below are the different images you will see on the trader pages to identify any offenses along
with descriptions of what each symbol represents. Keep in mind that as humans, we are all prone
to make mistakes, so do not let one accident deter you from trading with someone. These marks
are listed to keep everyone aware of any incidents from past trades, so you may decide if you
want to take any additional steps to protect yourself when trading.

There will be times when a delay cannot be avoided and the traders can decide between
themselves whether or not a reason is acceptable. If the two parties cannot work out the
differences, the matter can be brought to my attention. If the offender is still not satisfied
with my decision, the matter can be brought before the PickNET Congress on appeal. Bear
in mind that not every matter will be brought before the Congress....some matters will be
quite obvious.

The Demerit System is not intended to be a blacklist or reference guide on who you should
or should not trade with. It is merely a way of having anyone in the group who may be interested
in trading to have access to the information and history on their potential trade partners. You can
each decide what constitutes a trader to avoid. Any demerit that is challenged by a member can
be brought before the Congress for an appeal. Demerits that are forgiven will be deleted from the
listings, however I will keep track of them should future trades involve a repeat of the same demerit.
It is easily forgiven if a person makes a mistake or two, but when they make the same mistake seven
times, it is another matter altogether.

Keep in mind that the best way to make people want to trade with you is to follow the "Golden
Rule". If you are prompt and courteous, you will never have a problem and many people in the
group will want to trade with you again and again. If you are inconsiderate and think you are
above the rules, you will be exposed by this reporting system. You will have no one to blame
but yourself if people in the club no longer want to trade with you because of your trade history.
It is always a good idea to be honest with others about things. No one will be demanding any
punishment if you told them up front about a delay you were anticipating. It is when you don't
say anything and people are stuck waiting and waiting for what is owed to them...

DEMERIT MARKS:

The flashing yellow light is just what it sounds like...a warning. It is not a demerit
like the others, in that the trade was eventually completed to both party's satisfaction.
This mark is to indicate that there was a mistake made, but the person with the mark did
make good on the agreed upon trade item(s). These marks will be given out whenever
someone reports a trade problem to me. If the person breaking the rules does make the
trade correct the second time through, this mark will remain as a warning light. If the person
does not correct their error, the mark will be replaced with the appropriate full demerit symbol.

Even if the other person has totally forgiven you for making the mistake, it will not be removed
because there was a mistake made and it could have been avoided by being more careful
or organized in dealing with trades and putting together what was agreed upon. There should be
no excuse for sending the wrong or damaged picks. Sometimes, the person you trade with is
generous enough to allow you a second chance to get it right.

IMPORTANT: This mark does not indicate any dishonesty so feel free to trade with
anyone having these marks. It just means that an error was made on a trade. If it becomes a habit,
it will be obvious and others may insist that you send out your package to them for inspection
before they mail out yours or insist on special mail, such as registered or certified mail requiring
a signature for delivery. If you do not want to follow their terms, you do not have to trade with
them, but you should realize why they may suggest or insist on any special arrangement.

The demerit with the #1 designation will represent a problem with poor packaging. Perhaps you
sent loose picks in an envelope, causing them to move freely within the package and be damaged
passing through the mail sorting machines. If you are not aware of how to package up your pick
trade, there are details listed here. Read up on them and prevent any future complaints against you:

Packaging Tips & PickNET Minimum Trade-Packaging Requirements

This can also be a package that was "returned to sender" for insufficient postage, using an
incomplete or incorrect address, or other postal-related problems that cause your pick package
to show up damaged or delayed. Again, if you aren't sure of how to package picks for a trade,
please check our minimum requirements which are listed on this website. These were created
with the input of many experienced members. We know what can happen to poorly packaged
picks and we can teach you how to eliminate those risks.

You can do more if you want to but if you expect the other person to do any more, please be
sure to point that out during the time you are confirming the trade details. All that is asked is
that you at least do the minimum....the rest is up to the traders. This also goes for postage. If
you expect the person to send their picks to you by registered mail, please be sure to discuss
and arrange for that up front before you trade. As long as each person follows the minimum
guidelines that are suggeested, there will be no complaints. If you expect any more than the
minimum, speak out before you make the trade or hold your peace later.

THIS DEMERIT IS NOT TO BE APPEALED. IF YOU DO NOT FOLLOW THE MINIMUM
REQUIREMENTS, YOU WILL EARN A DEMERIT. NO QUESTIONS...NO ARGUMENTS.
IF YOU EARN 3 OF THESE, YOU WILL RECEIVE A DEMERIT BOMB (details below).

The demerit with the #2 designation will represent a problem with the time it took for your
package to go out in the mail. We have had past incidents where (former) members decided
that it was OK to wait to receive someone else's package in their hands before they even
packaged and mailed out their trade picks. To eliminate any doubt, this is NOT acceptable.
In fact it is rude, inconsiderate and against the rules. It is one thing if you notice someone
having a few past trade problems, but you are required to let them know up front that you
do not want to mail out anything until you receive and inspect their picks first. That way,
they are not left hanging when your package does not arrive in the anticipated time, as well
as letting them decide if those terms are acceptable to them should they want to trade.

We all have lives outside of pick collecting and that needs to be a consideration. There
will be times when an unforeseen delay will occur....someone gets ill, has an accident or
death in the family, an for an act of God such as hurricanes/tornadoes/floods. These are
reasonable events and most members will understand and forgive a delay caused by them.
What is not acceptable are things like: "Oh, I forgot to send it out"..."My dog ate the
envelope"..."I lost your address"....."I had a cold and was in bed". If you have time to
agree on a trade, there is no reason that you should not be able to package up your
outgoing picks immediately after you send an email confirming the trade. If you can find
the time for trading, you have to find the time for mailing things out promptly. Once you
agree to a trade, you will be expected to get it in the mail promptly. Everyone will have 5
days to have their package postmarked from the time they agree on the trade. (This will
allow for weekends and any holidays.) It's perfectly understandable that a person cannot
get to a mailbox during dangerous weather periods. If you just didn't want to go to the post
office because it was raining out, that will not cut it. Grab an umbrella or don't trade.

The demerit with the #3 designation will represent a problem with the condition that your
picks arrive in which was not discussed during the trade process. If you are trading any pick(s)
that are not perfect, YOU MUST mention the wear on it. If you send out a pick that is not in
mint condition and you did not mention it up front, you will get one of these marks. While wear
is certainly a subjective thing, there can be an easy way to handle this....if there is a visible mark,
scratch or worn spot on the imprint, it is NOT in mint condition and should be mentioned during
the initial trade offer. It should not be up to the other person to ask if the pick is mint or not. If
you agree to a trade and do not mention anything about wear, the other person should expect a
mint condition pick. If they do not receive a mint pick and they are unhappy with what you sent
them, you will have 2 options....(1) will be to return their picks and "undo" the trade or (2) will be
to earn a demerit if they are not satisfied with what you sent and you refuse to take it back.

If you aren't sure what constitutes wear, check out the "Pick-Tionary" on the PickNET webpage.
There are photos of various wearmarks and defects. If you want to trade picks on PickNET, you
should be prepared to provide honest and detailed information on your merchandise up front. This
all falls under the golden rule concept again.....treat others as you want to be treated. If you were to
receive a worn pick when you were expecting one in good condition, you would not be too happy
about it. It is not too much to ask of people to disclose the facts about something they are trading.
Most people enjoy receiving the occasional surprise, but nobody enjoys bad surprises.

The bomb demerit will represent a more serious problem with a trade. If you make a trade for
something that you do not actually possess at the time of the trade. There is no reason to be
making trades for picks you don't have. If you intend to buy a pick and trade it, you should
buy it and have it in your hand before you begin taking any new trade offers on it. Another
serious offense would be sending out the incorrect stuff and refusing to take it back.

THIS DEMERIT IS NOT TO BE APPEALED. NO QUESTIONS...NO ARGUMENTS. IF YOU
EARN 3 OF THESE BOMBS, YOU WILL BE KICKED OUT OF THE GROUP IMMEDIATELY.

NON-DEMERIT MARKS

Things can and do get lost in the mail system every day, however it is against the odds
that it will occur to the same person more than once or twice. Unless you live within the
Bermuda Triangle, you should not have your mailed packages vanishing into thin air as
soon as they leave your hands on a regular basis. If something you mailed did not make
it to the other person, perhaps it got lost in the mail. The same applies to something you
were expecting to receive....if it does not show up, it may have gotten lost in the mail
somewhere between point "A" and point "B". It has happened to me and many others in
the club in the past. It does not mean that the person who claims that they never received
your package is lying any more than it would suggest that you lied when you claimed to
have sent it out. The postal systems of the world are run by humans and mistakes will be
made on occasion. Computers and machines also can have flukes, so things can get ruined,
damaged or incorrectly sorted, causing them to disappear en route. The simple fact is that
postal delivery and handling mistakes can and do happen and you should never
assume someone is lying to you without having direct and concrete proof.

The two marks below have been created to monitor these events. Should the same person
have their trade packages not show up on a regular basis or frequently claim to have not yet
received something, the marks will speak for themselves and suspicion will be aroused. When
any trade package disappears, both members involved will receive one of these marks.

THESE MARKS SHOULD NOT SUGGEST ANY SUSPICION OR DISHONESTY UNLESS
THE SAME MEMBER HAS GARNERED MORE THAN A COUPLE OF EITHER MARKS.
IF SOMEONE DOES COLLECT A FEW OF THEM, THE MATTER WILL BE PUT UNDER
THE MICROSCOPE AND DEALT WITH ACCORDINGLY.

If there are any recurring problems of this sort, the member should take the matter to their
local post office themself and speak to the Postmaster or person in charge. If you know you
are honestly not getting the mail you should, you will not need to be told to do this....you
will probably have already taken this step yourself.

.............................................

This mark shall represent a trade package .........................This mark shall represent a trade package
you should have received that did not ...............................that you claimed to have sent out to
arrive at the mailbox you specified to use. .........................another member which did not show up.

Back To The PickNET Trading Post