Most hated defect? • Collecting General • The Acaeum

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Most hated defect?
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Poll: What defect makes you most want to replace (or not buy in the first place) an item?

Loose/detached pages	18%	[ 9 ]
Tears	4%	[ 2 ]
Stains/liquid damage	26%	[ 13 ]
Rusty staples/stains	8%	[ 4 ]
Odors	10%	[ 5 ]
Stickers/tape	0%	[ 0 ]
Writing	6%	[ 3 ]
Highlighting	18%	[ 9 ]
Other (do tell...)	10%	[ 5 ]

Total votes : 50

Author

TheHistorian
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 12:43 pm

We never seem to have polls...

Anyway, I just replaced a book, because it had a (unremovable) price sticker on it. That got me to thinking, what defects do some people live with and which can nobody stand to have?

I assume incompleteness would be the winner (loser?), so I left it off. Let's look at everything else.

Obviously there are ranges within each choice (1/2" tear okay, page torn almost in half not good), but I tried to keep the list to a top ten.

Areas of interest/knowledge: Harn, WFRP, Ars Magica, anything BRP based such as CoC, Runequest, Pendragon and all their related games

Mars
Grandstanding Collector

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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 12:50 pm

Missing the map or something like that is always pet peeve. Highlighting generally means it goes right back into the resell pile.

Kingofpain89
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 1:25 pm

If we are talking about modules or books only (not box sets) the one defect that will turn me off more than any other is a large tear/rip through the cover or one or more pages. I can deal with small stains, rusty staples, and even strange odors, unless its mold. A close second would be tape holding stuff together. Tape is ugly.

If something is incomplete, it can always be completed....so that doesnt bother me nearly as much.

You don't like your job, you don't strike. You go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way. - Homer Simpson

Gnat the Beggar
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 1:48 pm

I picked other.
Do tell?

MOLD...

Massive liquid/Water Damage is a distant second and Taped together (for books/modules) is a close third.

As stated above, missing a Map?
I can find a copy later.
Missing a torn out page?
I might be able to get a scan from a member here if I had to.

Torn page/cover?
It is still there and can still be used for reading at least if not collectable grade.

I can get around anything almost else, but Mold is not just a killer for that item, but it could (possibly) affect other items in close proximity.
I toss molded stuff out as a general rule.

Only ONCE have I ever NOT tossed a moldy item in the trash and that incident was ONLY because a member here asked me to ship it to him instead.

"Guys, I am starting to think Tegel Manor might be haunted..."
Stated by me as a PC during a run of Tegel Manor DMed by killjoy at NTRPGCon 2010

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JasonZavoda
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 2:54 pm

Shrinkwrap - luckily that is easily taken care of... RIPPP!!!!

Invincible Overlord
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 2:56 pm

TheHistorian wrote:We never seem to have polls...

Anyway, I just replaced a book, because it had a (unremovable) price sticker on it. That got me to thinking, what defects do some people live with and which can nobody stand to have?

For what it's worth, I leave the price stickers on all my items. I feel that it's part of the provenance of the item, and worth a lot less hassle than to damage the item by trying to remove it.

Water Damage is my pet peeve (you cannot flatten a water damaged book!!!).

RPGâ€™s, D&D in particular has had a major influence in my life. Itâ€™s bonded me together with life long friends...itâ€™s that bond in life not just as friends, but in our jokes, our mannerisms, and what we find funny. Invincible Overlord

darkseraphim
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 3:05 pm

As the proud asthmatic owner of more than one cat-pee-augmented rarity, I'm going to go with odors. Yeah, those things are sealed and scanned now. And no I didn't scan them myself. :lol:

misterspock
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 3:10 pm

I chose "other" simply because all of the above meets my criteria for replacement

actually I take that back. Writing isn't so bad as long as it's not stupid doodling or colored in illustrations.

Gnat the Beggar
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 3:36 pm

misterspock wrote: I chose "other" simply because all of the above meets my criteria for replacement

actually I take that back. Writing isn't so bad as long as it's not stupid doodling or colored in illustrations.

Yes, writing does not bother me so much either.
Especially if it is well done as was the case of a certain Attila The Hun PHB. :lol:

"Guys, I am starting to think Tegel Manor might be haunted..."
Stated by me as a PC during a run of Tegel Manor DMed by killjoy at NTRPGCon 2010

Charter Member of the ATM

Pipswich
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 4:53 pm

Mold. It puts everything you own at risk of contamination/deterioration.

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http://stores.ebay.com/Pipswich-Peddles

mbassoc2003
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 5:24 pm

C. All of the above.

With the possible exception of odor, any of these would prevent me buying something, or at least half or quarter my bid price. I generally only ever by EX to NM condition products. Only ever being left with something less than EX/NM if it was thrown in with something else I was bidding on.

This week I've been mostly eating . . . The white ones with the little red flecks in them.

beasterbrook
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:15 pm

Everything on the above list with the possablilty of detached pages..

My pet hate is a smoke smell, I have a couple of items that I have literaly absorbed half a pack of smokes just by picking it up and opening it, being a non snoker that is a huge trun off.. although the smell will go away so its certainly not as bad as hiughlighting etc

Brette:)

Being healthy is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

misterspock
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:26 pm

Yeah, I hate that smoke smell most of all. I was wondering though when you put this poll up, were you questioning at what point we'd replace items we already have or what things we look to avoid or return when we purchase? I've returned things for various of the reasons mentioned above, but since I don't smoke none of my original books and modules ever had that problem.

TheHistorian
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:36 pm

misterspock wrote:I was wondering though when you put this poll up, were you questioning at what point we'd replace items we already have or what things we look to avoid or return when we purchase?

A little bit of both, I guess. It's pretty hard to imagine that someone has managed to build a collection without acquiring any sub-par items, so both sides of it should apply.

BTW, my own response is highlighting. It simply can't be reversed and it's nearly impossible to overlook when you flip through a book. There are some situations where all of the others could be acceptable, but highlighter kills it for me.

Areas of interest/knowledge: Harn, WFRP, Ars Magica, anything BRP based such as CoC, Runequest, Pendragon and all their related games

Gnat the Beggar
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:56 pm

TheHistorian wrote:
A little bit of both, I guess. It's pretty hard to imagine that someone has managed to build a collection without acquiring any sub-par items, so both sides of it should apply.

BTW, my own response is highlighting. It simply can't be reversed and it's nearly impossible to overlook when you flip through a book. There are some situations where all of the others could be acceptable, but highlighter kills it for me.

Do not see how it would be possible to think that Highlighting is worse than MOLD.

I see mold and it hits the can right off.
No saves, dont even bother rolling for a save. :roll:

Unless it was an E-Bay purchase, and the seller did not mention MOLD, or worse, said it was minty, then I hit the NEG button and try to get my money back.

"Guys, I am starting to think Tegel Manor might be haunted..."
Stated by me as a PC during a run of Tegel Manor DMed by killjoy at NTRPGCon 2010

Charter Member of the ATM

TheHistorian
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Location: Seattle, WA

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 8:03 pm

I guess I've just been lucky enough so far to not receive any moldy books.

Areas of interest/knowledge: Harn, WFRP, Ars Magica, anything BRP based such as CoC, Runequest, Pendragon and all their related games

JohnGaunt
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 10:02 pm

TheHistorian wrote:I guess I've just been lucky enough so far to not receive any moldy books.

You are lucky, then. Or perhaps more careful than I am.

Mold is a fun time to experiment with bleaching and then drying out the subsequent wet pages or boxes. And after that makes a real mess, I have the joy of tossing out a ruined item.

Seriously, all of the flaws are bad, but highlighting is the worst one for me. Everything else can be evaluated and dealt with accordingly. Highlighting never fades away completely.

copycat
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 10:32 pm

Price.

If I pay some ridiculous amount and I find out the item has any of these conditions, it goes straight to the Bitch File and gets resold, after I get my money refunded. I can live with any of them, assuming I know about it before I opt to buy (after all, it is then educated choice and I will not offer anythying near what I might have without the problem), but it is a real killer to "discover" some added "benefit."

Those who can, don't. Those who should not, do.

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