by Crazy Ivan
Last year, we unveiled the "Sackthology" in the Hall of Fame section of our website. This index represented almost 5 years of painstaking compilation and calculation. Endless days were spent digging through old receipts, invoices and payment records. Hundreds of hours were spent checking and rechecking the numbers. Whole years were spent tracking down paperwork and cross referencing the findings.
The end result is a compendium of every Myachi ever made along with all the particulars. The Sackthology lists the series, year, number made, fabric, sister sack and more. But the most important figure for each sack was a number that we assigned as we were compiling the list; the Trade Value.
The Trade Value was included in an attempt to keep newer collectors from getting ripped off in trades. The Sackthology gives the relative value of every Myachi ever made so that a collector can quickly judge the value of their Myachis and decide whether or not a given trade is fair.
But the Trade Value can tell you only so much. There are clear weaknesses to the system and no matter how specific we get, it will never be perfect.
The reason is that the value of a given Myachi can bounce around quite a bit between collectors. The Trade Value was calculated using 5 variables: How long ago the sack was made, how many were made, how widely distributed they were, how long were they available in stores and "relative coolness".
I'll admit that the "coolness" factor was pretty arbitrary, but it was also necessary. It primarily effected custom sacks, though it did enter into a few series Myachis such as the Beards, the Blue Dragon and the Fireball. Mostly it served to distinguish between a promotional sack from a company everyone knows (like Dunkin Donuts, Sobe, PS2, etc.) and one that few people would care about (like a Bar Mitzvah sack or customized birthday party sack).
The end result is a number between 5 and 500. If a sack has a Trade value of 20, it's worth twice as much as a sack with a Trade Value of 10. That would mean that in a trade, a 20 would be worth two 10s. In the real world, it works out more like this:
I have a Bubbalicious (TV=24) and my buddy's trying to get it from me in a trade. At first he offers a Dreamcoat, but when I check the Sackthology I see that it only has a TV of 12. He ups the offer to add a GridIron Blue, which has a Trade Value of 11. This makes it a pretty even trade since the Dreamcoat and the GridIron Blue have a combined value of 23 and my Bubbalicious has a 24.
This was a huge improvement over the previous method of determining the fairness of a trade, which was to e-mail me or Pinky or Kid and say "Hey, is a Bubbalicious fair for a Dreamcoat?"
That being said, the Trade Value system is far from perfect. One thing that it does not and cannot figure in is how much a Myachi might mean to someone personally.
For example, if that Bubbalicious was the first Myachi you ever got or it was a prize you won in a contest or it was a personal gift from Animal, it might be way more valuable to you. The Trade Value on the Sackthology would still be 24, but for you personally, it would be worth a lot more.
The reason I bring it up is because I've been getting a lot of Trade offers that are fair by the TV system, but aren't trades I'd want to make. For example, people can technically assemble a fair trade, for a Black Belt (TV=84) just by putting together an offer of 17 commons. The commons are valued at 5 per, so if somebody offered me the whole 5.0 series and 5 4.5s, the value would come out to 85 and it would technically be a fair trade for my Black Belt.
But, of course, nobody in their right mind would trade away a Black Belt for any number of commons. Not only is the Black Belt really hard to come by these days, but my personal Black Belt is one of my best jammers and it's set a few records in it's day. It's definitely not something I'd want to trade away at any price.
So keep in mind when you're making trades that Trade Value is not the only factor you need to consider. It offers you a good starting point and it's really helpful for newbs that are trading with unscrupulous veterans, but it's not the final word on a trade. The final word is yours. You can use the TV system to calculate and make sure you wouldn't be getting ripped off in a trade, but it can't tell you if you want to make the trade or not.
By all means, use the Sackthology. Figure out the value of the trade and decided who is getting the better end of it, but don't let that be the whole process. The final word has to come from the inside. Once you've found a "fair" trade, look at the sack(s) you'd be giving up and the sack(s) you'd be getting and ask yourself, "do I want to make this trade?"
If you don't, you don't owe anybody an explanation or an apology. If they point out that you would actually be getting the better deal or that the Trade Value is even, tell them you know, but you'd still rather not trade. Ultimately, it's all up to you.
Showing posts with label trading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trading. Show all posts
Monday, June 13, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
A Safe Way to Mail Trade
by Crazy Ivan
Kid Myach is fond of saying that Myachi is all about looking good and having fun, but there's a lot more to it than that. Of the many other things that Myachi is about, one of my favorites is the way that Myachi builds communities and makes friends. I can't tell you how many times I've watched people from different parts of the country (or the world) become fast friends over a few Myachi trades or a quick Behind the Back tutorial.
Of course, as a company we try to foster this aspect fo the game through our online forum, our Facebook page, this blog and many of our other cyber-tendrils. I've made Myachi friends on five continents through our online outreach. I've also watched as friendships have been forged between the many Myachi Maniacs. I can only imagine how much fun it would be if we were somehow able to orchestrate a "forum meetup" somewhere where all the forum regulars could meet in meatspace.
One of the consequences of having the movement so spread out is that we wind up having people in different parts of the country making trades. Trading has become as integral a part of Myachi Mania as playing Fu or making shred videos, so it's to be expected. And luckily for us, the USPS is there to facilitate the trades and make them relatively cheap.
The first time I participated in a mail trade was in 2006 and I traded a few Myachis with a former forum frequenter in Ireland. Since then I've made mail trades with people in Asia, Europe, Australia and, of course, plenty in North America as well. I can't imagine how one would calculate the total number of Myachi mail-trades that have gone on nationwide, but I think it's fair to estimate that there have been at least several hundred.
Inevitably, some of the trades have gone wrong. While the vast majority have ended with both parties happy, I've heard of a few occasions where one half of a mail trade was less than honest and didn't send out their half of the trade.
Understandably, when moving into one's first mail trade, a lot of people are nervous. After all, you might feel like you know somebody online, but you've never actually met them and for all you know they were just stringing you along so they could lie to you about a mail trade. I know that this is the exception, but when you're doing a mail trade you're going on blind faith that the other person will send you their half of the trade. Otherwise you'll end up simply giving away a Myachi or two.
Knowing this, Pinky has generously offered to help anyone out who is looking for a safe way to mail-trade. The Myachi HQ will be happy to act as a layover station for mail trades under a few select conditions (listed below).
The advantages are obvious. Instead of Adam mailing a Myachi to Bill and Bill mailing a Myachi to Adam, both Adam and Bill mail their Myachis to Myachi HQ. Pinky then mails Bill's to Adam and Adam's to Bill, but only once both Myachis have come in. This way if Bill never sends his half of the trade, Pinky can just send Adam back his Myachi and nobody gets ripped off.
There are, of course, a few rules on this. We can't afford to ship all over the country (and the world) on our dime, so to do this, you'll have to provide enough postage to either (a) mail the Myachi on to the person you are trading with or (b) mail it back to you. To keep things all legal and on the up and up, you will need to basically package the Myachi to ship out, complete with postage (but don't attach the postage to the envelope yet!) and the recipients address and then put that package into another package. You address that package with Myachi's mailing address:
Inside the package that has the other package in it, leave a note telling Pinky who the trade is with and what you're trading so she'll know when to ship it out. Also let her know how long you're willing to wait for the other person's half of the trade to come in. So a sample letter might look something like this:
Now, you remember earlier when I said not to attach the postage to the inner package? That's because if we have to mail it back to you, we're going to need to repackage it and use those stamps to send it back.
I know this sounds confusing, but that's just because it's early, I'm tired and I'm being really specific on the details. Essentially you're just sticking a Myachi in an envelope, addressing the envelope, sticking that in another envelope (with a note and some postage) and sending that to Pinky. And you're done.
There are, of course, a few disadvantages to doing things this way:
... Oh, and don't forget to tell Pinky how awesome she is!
Kid Myach is fond of saying that Myachi is all about looking good and having fun, but there's a lot more to it than that. Of the many other things that Myachi is about, one of my favorites is the way that Myachi builds communities and makes friends. I can't tell you how many times I've watched people from different parts of the country (or the world) become fast friends over a few Myachi trades or a quick Behind the Back tutorial.
Of course, as a company we try to foster this aspect fo the game through our online forum, our Facebook page, this blog and many of our other cyber-tendrils. I've made Myachi friends on five continents through our online outreach. I've also watched as friendships have been forged between the many Myachi Maniacs. I can only imagine how much fun it would be if we were somehow able to orchestrate a "forum meetup" somewhere where all the forum regulars could meet in meatspace.
One of the consequences of having the movement so spread out is that we wind up having people in different parts of the country making trades. Trading has become as integral a part of Myachi Mania as playing Fu or making shred videos, so it's to be expected. And luckily for us, the USPS is there to facilitate the trades and make them relatively cheap.
The first time I participated in a mail trade was in 2006 and I traded a few Myachis with a former forum frequenter in Ireland. Since then I've made mail trades with people in Asia, Europe, Australia and, of course, plenty in North America as well. I can't imagine how one would calculate the total number of Myachi mail-trades that have gone on nationwide, but I think it's fair to estimate that there have been at least several hundred.
Inevitably, some of the trades have gone wrong. While the vast majority have ended with both parties happy, I've heard of a few occasions where one half of a mail trade was less than honest and didn't send out their half of the trade.
Understandably, when moving into one's first mail trade, a lot of people are nervous. After all, you might feel like you know somebody online, but you've never actually met them and for all you know they were just stringing you along so they could lie to you about a mail trade. I know that this is the exception, but when you're doing a mail trade you're going on blind faith that the other person will send you their half of the trade. Otherwise you'll end up simply giving away a Myachi or two.
Knowing this, Pinky has generously offered to help anyone out who is looking for a safe way to mail-trade. The Myachi HQ will be happy to act as a layover station for mail trades under a few select conditions (listed below).
The advantages are obvious. Instead of Adam mailing a Myachi to Bill and Bill mailing a Myachi to Adam, both Adam and Bill mail their Myachis to Myachi HQ. Pinky then mails Bill's to Adam and Adam's to Bill, but only once both Myachis have come in. This way if Bill never sends his half of the trade, Pinky can just send Adam back his Myachi and nobody gets ripped off.
There are, of course, a few rules on this. We can't afford to ship all over the country (and the world) on our dime, so to do this, you'll have to provide enough postage to either (a) mail the Myachi on to the person you are trading with or (b) mail it back to you. To keep things all legal and on the up and up, you will need to basically package the Myachi to ship out, complete with postage (but don't attach the postage to the envelope yet!) and the recipients address and then put that package into another package. You address that package with Myachi's mailing address:
PO Box 324, Glenwood Landing, NY
Inside the package that has the other package in it, leave a note telling Pinky who the trade is with and what you're trading so she'll know when to ship it out. Also let her know how long you're willing to wait for the other person's half of the trade to come in. So a sample letter might look something like this:
Dear Pinky, in all your wonderful awesomeness (salutation optional)
Enclosed is a self addressed stamped envelope with a Black Beard and a Dreamcoat inside. It is for a trade with Bill. He will be sending you a PS2 for me. If the PS2 doesn't arrive within 2 weeks of when you get this, please mail back my Myachis.
Thanks you, you're awesome.
Now, you remember earlier when I said not to attach the postage to the inner package? That's because if we have to mail it back to you, we're going to need to repackage it and use those stamps to send it back.
I know this sounds confusing, but that's just because it's early, I'm tired and I'm being really specific on the details. Essentially you're just sticking a Myachi in an envelope, addressing the envelope, sticking that in another envelope (with a note and some postage) and sending that to Pinky. And you're done.
There are, of course, a few disadvantages to doing things this way:
- Because of the layover, doing mail-trades through Myachi HQ will take longer than mailing them directly.
- It will cost a little more because you will have to pay for postage to ship the package twice (once to HQ and again to the recipient).
- IMPORTANT: If you do not send sufficient postage to either mail the trade on to the recipient or mail it back to you, we cannot guarantee it will be returned.
... Oh, and don't forget to tell Pinky how awesome she is!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Worse, The Better
by Crazy Ivan
It's funny how knowledge changes your perception. I had a really interesting experience about an hour ago that perfectly demonstrates this fact as it pertains to Myachi.
Had a couple of maniacs come into HQ with one of their moms. They wanted to play a little Myachi Golf and learn some new tricks, but mostly they were here because they wanted to make some trades. Unfortunately for them, I didn't bring many tradables with me today so I kind of disappointed them.
So, as is typical in those situations, they started making offers on the sacks I did have... the ones I just told them weren't up for trades. Among the four I had with me today were the Yellow Jacket and Oaxaca that I've got up as prizes for the You-Tube contest.
I turned down a couple of trade offers for my Yellow Jacket and before long I had one dude offering me four Myachis for it. I told him that I appreciated the offer, but since I'd already promised to give that Myachi to the prize winner it wouldn't be fair for me to trade it away now.
And then mom spoke up.
"Why would you want such a ratty old Myachi anyway?" she asked.
And her son laughed. I was polite enough to hold back the chuckle that tried to escape. When she saw my Yellow Jacket and Oaxaca, she just saw two really beat up Myachis:
Now, if you're not a Myachi Maniac, you would probably look at those two sacks and say "who would want those beat up old things?" but if you're a fan of the game, you're more likely saying "I want them, I want them, I want them!"
To the layperson, something that is beat up and worn in is less valuable than something that is brand new and pristine. Mom looked at them in the same way one might examine a collectable comic book or a piece of antique furniture. The closer it is to mint condition, the more valuable it is to a collector.
This is occasionally true of a Myachi. A mint Black Belt is super hard to find and many people would value that higher than a broken in Black Belt. The same would be true for a number of paper tags and older sacks. But in Myachi, this is hardly a universal truth. The vast majority of Myachis are worth a lot more if they're not in good condition.
You already know why, of course. The more broken in a Myachi is, the easier it is to jam with. The absolute best Myachis are always the most ratty looking ones. Monk's favorite jammers all look like they're about to fall apart (don't worry, they're not), but any fan of Myachi knows they are the best of the best. The very fact that they're so beat up is what makes them the best.
I explained that to the dude's mom, but she didn't get it. She couldn't understand why her son would want to trade a pristine and unused Bedrock Red for my beat up and dirty Yellow Jacket. I even went as far as showing her exactly how yummy they were and why yumminess was so important to a Myachi player.
Still, she was unconvinced. I kind of got the vibe that she thought I was trying to rip her son off, though that was odd considering that I was telling him I wouldn't make that trade. Odd way of ripping someone off... by refusing the trade he offered.
Anyway, thought it was kind of funny. I told the maniac in question that I would let his mom come in one day with his collection and we could make a few trades. He laughed but he looked nervous enough that he might have thought I was serious. I'm sure mom would make the worst trades imaginable. She would happily trade his yummified Blue Beard for my unopened Vette. She would trade his SUMPOY Sammy for my mint condition Dribbl. She might trade away his wideboarded Reuben's for my brand-new Zoot Suit...
The moral of the story is to never let your mom broker your trades.
It's funny how knowledge changes your perception. I had a really interesting experience about an hour ago that perfectly demonstrates this fact as it pertains to Myachi.
Had a couple of maniacs come into HQ with one of their moms. They wanted to play a little Myachi Golf and learn some new tricks, but mostly they were here because they wanted to make some trades. Unfortunately for them, I didn't bring many tradables with me today so I kind of disappointed them.
So, as is typical in those situations, they started making offers on the sacks I did have... the ones I just told them weren't up for trades. Among the four I had with me today were the Yellow Jacket and Oaxaca that I've got up as prizes for the You-Tube contest.
I turned down a couple of trade offers for my Yellow Jacket and before long I had one dude offering me four Myachis for it. I told him that I appreciated the offer, but since I'd already promised to give that Myachi to the prize winner it wouldn't be fair for me to trade it away now.
And then mom spoke up.
"Why would you want such a ratty old Myachi anyway?" she asked.
And her son laughed. I was polite enough to hold back the chuckle that tried to escape. When she saw my Yellow Jacket and Oaxaca, she just saw two really beat up Myachis:
 |
| Pictured (left to right): Really Yummy and Really, Really Yummy. |
To the layperson, something that is beat up and worn in is less valuable than something that is brand new and pristine. Mom looked at them in the same way one might examine a collectable comic book or a piece of antique furniture. The closer it is to mint condition, the more valuable it is to a collector.
This is occasionally true of a Myachi. A mint Black Belt is super hard to find and many people would value that higher than a broken in Black Belt. The same would be true for a number of paper tags and older sacks. But in Myachi, this is hardly a universal truth. The vast majority of Myachis are worth a lot more if they're not in good condition.
You already know why, of course. The more broken in a Myachi is, the easier it is to jam with. The absolute best Myachis are always the most ratty looking ones. Monk's favorite jammers all look like they're about to fall apart (don't worry, they're not), but any fan of Myachi knows they are the best of the best. The very fact that they're so beat up is what makes them the best.
I explained that to the dude's mom, but she didn't get it. She couldn't understand why her son would want to trade a pristine and unused Bedrock Red for my beat up and dirty Yellow Jacket. I even went as far as showing her exactly how yummy they were and why yumminess was so important to a Myachi player.
Still, she was unconvinced. I kind of got the vibe that she thought I was trying to rip her son off, though that was odd considering that I was telling him I wouldn't make that trade. Odd way of ripping someone off... by refusing the trade he offered.
Anyway, thought it was kind of funny. I told the maniac in question that I would let his mom come in one day with his collection and we could make a few trades. He laughed but he looked nervous enough that he might have thought I was serious. I'm sure mom would make the worst trades imaginable. She would happily trade his yummified Blue Beard for my unopened Vette. She would trade his SUMPOY Sammy for my mint condition Dribbl. She might trade away his wideboarded Reuben's for my brand-new Zoot Suit...
The moral of the story is to never let your mom broker your trades.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
My Least Favorite Question
by Crazy Ivan
I spend a lot of time on this blog answering the questions that I hear most often. I've been answering them so long that I figure I can save myself some trouble just by putting everything down and then referring the people who ask later to the entry on the subject.
Often times this is because the question is more complicated than people who ask it think. When people ask which is the rarest Myachi, what is the hardest trick or who is the best at the game, they expect quick one or two word answers and instead I give them several parapgraphs. That makes this blog an ideal spot to tackle these questions.
But this entry is about a whole different type of question; the unanswerable one.
I get this question all the time and it's such a pain to answer so I'm gonna tackle it here and hopefully I won't have to answer it again. But I'm sure I will.
The question is about trades. Obviously, a lot of Myachi players are more into collecting than tricking out so they always hit me up with questions about trades. Specifically, they ask me something like "My friend offered to trade his X and Y for my Z... is that fair?"
Now that's a good question and there's no way to answer this without asking me or one of the Myachi Masters. Until the sackthology is up and running I welcome these questions and always do what I can to help.
But there's another version of this question that is completely unanswerable and I get it all the time. It goes like this:
"Ivan, what would you trade for my X?"
Seems like a reasonable question, right? They want a trade, they have a particular sack so they want to know what I would give up for it. It might also go the other way:
"Ivan what would you trade your X for?"
In other words, I have a Myachi they really want and they want to get an idea of what I would need to get back in a trade. Again, it seems like a reasonable question. But it's not and here's why:
It would be impossible to answer.
Think about it. What would be my answer? Somebody asks "What would you trade for my Suffolk Downs?" Of course, I'd love to get another Suffolk, but how do I answer it? There are any number of sacks or pairs of sacks that I would trade for a Suffolk so it would be impossible to offer an answer that would mean anything to them.
I could start listing them like Bubba from Forest Gump, but that wouldn't help much. They say "What would you trade for my Suffolk Downs?" and if I wanted to be a jerk about it, I'd say:
"Well, I'd trade Another Brick in the Wall II, an Argyle Black, a B'Zooka Joe, a Bengal Tiger, a Brant Lake Camp, a Bubbalicious, a Candy Apple Suede, a Candy Corn, a Denim N Dymonds, a Dribbl, an EcoKids Blue, an FAO NYC Cammo, a Gotta Have It, a Kelly and James, a Knicks NBA1, a Nest+M, a Phat Kat Green, a PS158, a Reuben's, a St. Bernards, a Sam Gaillen, a Sammy, a Simply Sports, a Twizzler, a Wedding Dress, a Whackadoodle Blue or a 3.2 Zoot Suit."
Of course, that would just confuse them, there's no way I could remember all that stuff on the spot and, of course, I'm not sure I've got all that stuff to trade. Those are just all the sacks with a relatively similar Trade Value. You could also make a fair trade by combining a couple of less valuable sacks and I might consider that.
So in the future, if you ever want to ask someone about a trade, please don't word it in the manner of "What would you trade for a..."
Instead, think about a trade you'd be willing to make. Ask the person about a specific trade that you'd be willing to make. If somebody asked me, "Would you trade a Suffolk Downs for my Bengal Tiger?" I could totally offer an answer (an uneqivocal "yes"). If they asked "Would you trade a Suffolk Downs for my Yellow Jacket?" I could answer that as well. I would say, "No, but if you add something like a 4.0 or 4.1 I would consider it."
Anyway, it's just a pet peeve of mine and I thought I'd share it. I'll be less gripey on the next post, I promise.
I spend a lot of time on this blog answering the questions that I hear most often. I've been answering them so long that I figure I can save myself some trouble just by putting everything down and then referring the people who ask later to the entry on the subject.
Often times this is because the question is more complicated than people who ask it think. When people ask which is the rarest Myachi, what is the hardest trick or who is the best at the game, they expect quick one or two word answers and instead I give them several parapgraphs. That makes this blog an ideal spot to tackle these questions.
But this entry is about a whole different type of question; the unanswerable one.
I get this question all the time and it's such a pain to answer so I'm gonna tackle it here and hopefully I won't have to answer it again. But I'm sure I will.
The question is about trades. Obviously, a lot of Myachi players are more into collecting than tricking out so they always hit me up with questions about trades. Specifically, they ask me something like "My friend offered to trade his X and Y for my Z... is that fair?"
Now that's a good question and there's no way to answer this without asking me or one of the Myachi Masters. Until the sackthology is up and running I welcome these questions and always do what I can to help.
But there's another version of this question that is completely unanswerable and I get it all the time. It goes like this:
"Ivan, what would you trade for my X?"
Seems like a reasonable question, right? They want a trade, they have a particular sack so they want to know what I would give up for it. It might also go the other way:
"Ivan what would you trade your X for?"
In other words, I have a Myachi they really want and they want to get an idea of what I would need to get back in a trade. Again, it seems like a reasonable question. But it's not and here's why:
It would be impossible to answer.
Think about it. What would be my answer? Somebody asks "What would you trade for my Suffolk Downs?" Of course, I'd love to get another Suffolk, but how do I answer it? There are any number of sacks or pairs of sacks that I would trade for a Suffolk so it would be impossible to offer an answer that would mean anything to them.
I could start listing them like Bubba from Forest Gump, but that wouldn't help much. They say "What would you trade for my Suffolk Downs?" and if I wanted to be a jerk about it, I'd say:
"Well, I'd trade Another Brick in the Wall II, an Argyle Black, a B'Zooka Joe, a Bengal Tiger, a Brant Lake Camp, a Bubbalicious, a Candy Apple Suede, a Candy Corn, a Denim N Dymonds, a Dribbl, an EcoKids Blue, an FAO NYC Cammo, a Gotta Have It, a Kelly and James, a Knicks NBA1, a Nest+M, a Phat Kat Green, a PS158, a Reuben's, a St. Bernards, a Sam Gaillen, a Sammy, a Simply Sports, a Twizzler, a Wedding Dress, a Whackadoodle Blue or a 3.2 Zoot Suit."
Of course, that would just confuse them, there's no way I could remember all that stuff on the spot and, of course, I'm not sure I've got all that stuff to trade. Those are just all the sacks with a relatively similar Trade Value. You could also make a fair trade by combining a couple of less valuable sacks and I might consider that.
So in the future, if you ever want to ask someone about a trade, please don't word it in the manner of "What would you trade for a..."
Instead, think about a trade you'd be willing to make. Ask the person about a specific trade that you'd be willing to make. If somebody asked me, "Would you trade a Suffolk Downs for my Bengal Tiger?" I could totally offer an answer (an uneqivocal "yes"). If they asked "Would you trade a Suffolk Downs for my Yellow Jacket?" I could answer that as well. I would say, "No, but if you add something like a 4.0 or 4.1 I would consider it."
Anyway, it's just a pet peeve of mine and I thought I'd share it. I'll be less gripey on the next post, I promise.
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