So I am currently going through a potential trade when the other party asks what items would constitute a fair trade. This got me thinking about what a fair trade is. With my local gaming buddies, I know their armies about as well as mine, so I have a basis for value. Here in the interwebs I am at a bit of a loss. An item I have that may be worth little to me (in attachment or monetary value) may be of great value to somebody else (complete collection/always wanted/basis for a killer conversion) and vice versa. So I find myself worrying (probably needlessly) about insulting the party with a value I consider fair. Usually I try to give better than I get, but that is just me being me.

I know this is a whole part of the bartering game, the going back an forth with offers, but damn it is taking a bit of time for me to wrap my head around.

Anyone have any suggestions or is this just a matter for me to work out personally?

Just so I don't take a lose ... I good ...

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Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

I generally just make an offer I think is ok and make it clear that I'm open to counters.  Sometimes it's easy to reach agreement, sometimes there'll be some to'ing and fro'ing, and sometimes peoples relative values are so different that you never end up making a deal.  This can even be item by item.  I've traded tons of stuff here, but there are some bits I've had up for trade for ages that are in demand, but no one's made an offer I consider fair...so I still gots 'em  

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Fire bad, tree pretty - Buffy

Yeah, good sum ups.
L4 is good and zap got stuff.  

Anyhow...
I start with the basic "GW shop price" and then add rarity or specialty. Sometimes it can even be a lower price due to no demand what so ever.
Often it's however same same and different. My thing is as much as your thing, as we both want to change.

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It would be nice to get lightspeed,
so far we can only reach slight speed.- Erik M
092b85658e746a91d343e53509d357744e56f641

Curious that Zap should post on this topic. When he and I (and Consectari as well) used to barter, we would quantify things in 'tank equivalents'. Items that we felt were more valuable would have a higher 'tank equivalent' cost. For example, an Ordinatus might be worth 8 TE, and 3 modern Rhinos might be worth 2 TE.

This helps get rid of currency conversions and quibbling over exact dollar/pound/euro/whatever amounts.

I tend to use the original retail price of a mini to determine its worth to me, except for rare OOP minis, in which case its value will probably rise depending on what it is.

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"I don't believe in destiny or the guiding hand of fate." N. Peart

"we would quantify things in 'tank equivalents'. Items that we felt were more valuable would have a higher 'tank equivalent' cost. For example, an Ordinatus might be worth 8 TE, and 3 modern Rhinos might be worth 2 TE."

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Designer of Polyversal, currently in development with Collins Epic Wargames.
Twitter: @Weeklywargamer

As it came from our favourite male watery mammal... € ?  

(As in pylon...)

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It would be nice to get lightspeed,
so far we can only reach slight speed.- Erik M
092b85658e746a91d343e53509d357744e56f641

Those were some pretty massive trades, so the "tank equivalent" was the best way to wrap my head around relative values.  I think at one point I posted well over a kilogram of Epic stuff to Consectari  

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Fire bad, tree pretty - Buffy