There is nothing worse than receiving an empty envelope with a torn corner, knowing
that it once contained picks meant for you. All the mail of the world has to go through
postal sorting machines and this can happen if the picks are not secured a little inside
of the envelope. It doesn't take a lot of work on your part to greatly increase the odds
that your pick package will arrive safely to your mailbox.

The easiest way to prevent picks from floating around is to simply place them inside an
envelope which is then folded and placed inside of a second envelope used for mailing. A
folded sheet of paper will work just as well. (An extra bit of insurance which is practiced
by a handful of our members was to write the address on the second envelope as well, to
guarantee that if the outer envelope got torn, the post office would still be able to deliver
the inner envelope because of the secondary address written inside.)

Picks just dropped into an envelope and allowed to float around loosely will no longer be
tolerated. There are other ways of packaging your picks for shipping as well. I use a couple
of index cards stapled around the edges to create a stronger "second envelope". While it is
not a requirement, it's good etiquette to also enclose a short note...."thanks for the trade"....
"here are my picks as promised"....."hope you like these".......etc, etc.....you get the idea. While
it might not sound like very much, these little touches are what make others have a pleasant trade
experience with you and want to trade with you again in the future.

One thing to avoid when sending your picks out....Scotch® or other tape. It can leave residue
or a visible line on some picks and is a never-ending source of annoyance to some collectors.
Please do not use tape to attach your picks to a sheet of paper when sending out your trade
picks. Put them in a second envelope.....place them inside a folded sheet of paper.....stick them
inside the little poly zip-bags.....just do not use tape on them!

Use common sense when shipping with other packaging methods. If you want to send
them out in a cardboard box, use something sensible. Sending out a pick and a videotape
in an empty television box is silly. Boxes do provide a little more security but try to find
something that matches closer with whatever you are sending.

Some people have complained that they always send out their trade picks using registered
or insured mail, and then they get annoyed when they receive their package and the other
person sent it via standard mail. As long as the package makes it to you in decent time, the
other person has done their part. If you expect the other person to use any special shipping
service, be sure to discuss this when confirming the trade. If you do not state what you want
the other person to use, do not expect them to read your mind and don't complain about
it after the fact. Everyone should use common sense when mailing their trade picks out. If you
are mailing a rare Stevie Ray Vaughan or Eric Clapton pick, you might want to consider using
a traceable postal service or insured mail. If it gets lost in the mail, you would have some proof
and recourse later. If you are sending a common Rick Neilsen-Cheap Trick pick and it gets lost,
it is not the end of the world....chances are you could replace it easily. It is up to each member to
decide what postal service they will use on trades. Remember that the Postal Service is run by
humans using machines, so accidents can happen. Use your brain power and if you expect or
want to use any special postal service, be sure to discuss this when you are arranging the trade.

PICKNET MINIMUM
SHIPPING REQUIREMENTS:

The MINIMUM shipping requirements for making trades with PickNET Members are
as follows: There will be no picks floating around inside the envelope loosely, nor will they be
Scotch-taped to a sheet of paper any longer. You can do more if you want to...that is up to you.
The only thing that is expected of you is that your trade pick(s) will be enclosed in either another
envelope or a sheet of paper folded to contain the picks.

FAILURE TO DO THE MINIMUM WILL RESULT IN A TRADE DEMERIT.

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