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FAQ 7n. Tips For Sellers

1. Research what other sets like yours are going for on Ebay. Go to http://www.eBay.com and sign up (it's free). Most sets are sold in the "Toys & Hobbies : Games : Traditional : Mah Jong" category (so that's where you should post your for-sale items). Also check other areas. Some sellers ill-advisedly post their mah-jongg items in "Toys & Hobbies : Games : Vintage," and some people post them in "Collectibles : Cultures & Religions : Cultures : Asian".
Many people also advertise sets for sale right here at the Maj Exchange (click links at left). You can look at mah-jongg vendor websites that sell MJ sets, check their pricing and pictures, and make a guess at your set's value that way. And of course you can check FAQ 7h for some tips on figuring out your set's value.

2. You need to write a very detailed description of your set. Describe the case and any flaws. Describe all the contents, listing all dice, chips, racks, etc. Talk about the condition of all those pieces. Are they clean and attractive, like new, or dirty, mildewed, smelly? What are the tiles made of? (See our "FAQ 7c. What's It Made Of" page.) Be honest in describing the set, but present it well to maximize its sales potential.

3. You need to take photos of the set. See how sellers on Ebay arrange their sets, observe what looks like a good sales photo and what does not. And if you don't have access to a digital camera, your photos need to be scanned so you can email them or post them on Ebay to sell your set. For information about image hosting, click here. More about photos below.

4. You can offer your mah-jongg stuff for sale right here on this website!

• Go to http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/sets.htm to offer a complete set for sale.
• Go to http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/selltrade.htm to offer individual tiles for sale.
• Go to http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/otherpieces2.htm to offer mah-jongg accessories for sale.
• When your item has been sold, please email the webmaster to request removal of the outdated post.

5. You can even find buyers for your mah-jongg stuff for sale right here on this website!

• Go to http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/setswanted.htm where people post requests to find a set for sale. Email them and offer your goods. Check the board every week.
• Go to http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/wanted.htm where people have posted, seeking individual tiles for sale. Email them and offer your goods. Check the board for new posts regularly.
• Go to http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/otherpieces.htm where people have posted seeking mah-jongg accessories for sale. Email them -- and check the board again regularly.

SET DESCRIPTION CHECKLIST:

As mentioned in number 2 above, you have to describe the set in detail. This checklist is intended to aid you in doing so.

• Write a detailed description of your set. Describe all the contents, listing all dice, chips, racks, etc. If you do not know what to call the pieces, see our FAQ 7d. Describe the condition of all the components of the set. Are they clean and attractive, like new, or dirty, mildewed, smelly? Try not to use shorthand abbreviations (like MIB or NM or AFAIK or IMHO) in the body of the description (it is regarded as acceptable, by some, to use them in the eBay subject line or title, however).
• What are the tiles made of? (See our FAQ 7c.)
• Describe what you know about when the set was made or purchased, if you know. Describe the history of the set to the best of your knowledge. See our FAQ 11 before you make any unsupportable claims (such as "this set is over a hundred years old").
• What are the dimensions of the tiles? Use either inches or metric (doesn't matter which; just be precise). Height, width, depth.
• How many tiles are there in the set? Driving the point home: it's important to know (and state) exactly how many tiles are in a set when you offer it for sale. Why is it so important? Because different variants of mah-jongg require different kinds of sets. Someone who wants to use the set to play American mah-jongg needs 152 tiles - if you sell your 148-tile set to someone who wants to use it for American mah-jongg, then your customer will be unhappy when receiving the merchandise.
      It's not hard to count or calculate the tiles. Your best bet is to lay out the tiles on a table in 4 rows of identical tiles (as is done in our FAQ 7a), then you can just multiply and arrive at the number. And take a picture while you're at it.
• What other pieces are included with the set? Give descriptions and exact counts. Do NOT count every piece (tiles, chips, dice) and give one total number. That would be useless information. Break it down. How many tiles, how many chips or sticks, how many dice, etc.
• What kind of container does the set come in? If it's wood, is it one of those flat boxes with a sliding top, or is it one of those squarish boxes with drawers, and if so how many drawers?
• What condition is the container in? If it has brass doodads, is the brass all there and in good condition?
• Does the set have any paper materials -- a manual, a label, anything at all? What's the condition? Describe in detail.
• Which kind of craks are in this set -- the older kind or the later kind (see the pictures in FAQ 7c)? Most buyers won't know the difference, but you should be informed about what you are selling. And if someone is looking for your type of set, your providing information to this level of detail will help clinch the sale.
• Provide a picture of the dragons and flowers too. And the One Bams. These tiles will tell a lot about which part of China (and which era of mah-jongg history) the set came from.

Note: When you advertise an item for sale, here's what the grading terms are supposed to mean (don't be one of those unscrupulous sellers who uses these terms dishonestly):

PHYSICAL CONDITION GRADING:
1) Mint: Item appears to have not been used before (old new stock). Condition is 99%
2) Near Mint: Item has been used before but is close to perfect. There may be slight scratches but is only noticeable upon close scrutiny. Item is 90% upwards.
3) Excellent: Item is still in overall bright condition and maintains 85%-90% of new condition. Will have some wear blemishes or scratches, though light.
4) Very Fine: Item may have chips, dings, dents, cracks or scratches and maintains 80 to 85% of new condition.
5) Fine: Item may have minor repairs or restoration. It may have chips, dings , dents, cracks or scratches and maintains 75 to 80% of new condition.
6) Very Good: Item has clear visible blemishes and scratches and has visible repairs and/or major restoration. It may have plating or gilt loss. Maintains 70%-75% of new condition.
7) Good: Item is well used with dents, dings, chips, cracks or scratches with possible major repairs and missing pieces. Generally maintains less than 70% of new condition.

Pictures are important. You need to take photos of the set. Your best bet is to lay out the tiles on a table like this:

Arrange each suit in 4 rows by number; put your winds, dragons, and 8 flowers in 4 rows. If you don't know what those tiles are, see FAQ 7B. If you have other tiles, put those at the right side, by type. If you can't identify a tile, see the Mystery Tiles FAQ.

If you don't have access to a digital camera, your photos need to be scanned so you can email them or post them on Ebay, or link to them from our Sets For Sale board, to sell your set. For information about image hosting, click here.

Also make sure you check these sites so you don't make any unsupportable claims in your sales pitch:
http://www.mahjongmuseum.com/
http://www.charli.org/Mah_Jong/Museum/welcome.htm
http://www.coololdgames.com - The section about history, identification and restoration of vintage plastics is well done.

From the Mah-Jongg Q&A Bulletin Board:

SCAM ALERT

Mah-Jongg sellers take note! Be advised that sometimes your "for sale" post can get offers from scam artists who offer to buy your stuff but are really trying to rip you off. For example (actual email from April, 2007):

From: mike.howie@yahoo.com
To: SS♠Sloperama♥com
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2007 5:13 PM
Subject: Item for sale@http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/sets.htm
Hello,
                Am interetsed on this item and am willing to buy it now so let me know if the item is still available for sell and the pix, condition including the last asking price of the item okay...So let me hear from you.....

(And another actual email from 2005):

Name = BEN
Email = benjohnsonstoreltd@yahoo.com
Items for sale =
GOODDAY SELLER,
My name is ben johnson the sales Rep. of ben Stores Limited. We
will love to process an international order from your store which we need it
shipped directly to our client in west africa (Nigeria). All payments would be made through the Credit Card We will want to know if you do ship internationally. We will
be awaiting your soonest response. Please reply back so we can list the products needed.
Kindest Regards.
ben johnson
Note: Kindly include your website or the list if the available item in stock.

1. It's hard to tell exactly what he wants to buy. He seems desirous of buying just any old thing. This vagueness would continue, should you email him back.
2. "Mike Howie" has contacted other vendors to order mah-jongg merchandise but apparently doesn't know anything about mah-jongg whatsoever.
3. Odd that "Ben" says he'll pay by credit card - usually these guys want to pay by check, and the check turns out to be for more than the purchase amount, so they need the difference reimbursed (and that's where you lose money, because his check bounces). So I don't know what this guy's deal is - maybe bait and switch (saying now that he'll pay by credit card, but when it comes down to it, "oops can I pay you by check instead"), or maybe he has stolen credit card numbers.
4. "Ben" mentioned Nigeria. Everybody is well familiar with the Nigerian scam, right? You've gotten those emails? The main business activity in Nigeria is, well, scams. You can look it up on the internet. The US gov't has warnings posted about doing business with anyone in Nigeria. See http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_2113.html.
5. Frequently the buyer wants his order (usually a large amount of goods) shipped to some overseas location (not necessarily Nigeria). So what happens to the hapless seller is that the check is bad (or the credit card turns out to be bad) and a large amount of expensive inventory is now gone. Seller beware.

For more about scams, click HERE.

SCAM ALERT

Nigerian 419 scam

>From: gina smith
>To: MJ
>Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2007 6:42 AM
>Subject: from Gina Smith
>Tom, I am not sure if this came through on Outlook or not,  If it is a repeat, please forgive me. G
>Speaking of scammers, I have a great tale to share. I get an email from a man who claims to be an antiques dealer (world wide) who got my name off of your site. He says that he has a client who is interested in vintage Mah Jongg sets. Since I sell a variety, I sent him pictures of what was available. He picked out four of my best where the total was around $1800.00. He asks how I want to be paid, and I suggested Western Union, a certified/cashier’s check on an American Bank, or preferably PayPal. OK, here it comes. His client bought about $4500.00 worth of items in the USA. Wasn’t pleased with them. So he is going to send me a cashier’s check for $4500.00, I am to take my fee out of that, and then Western Union (by the way with Western Union, once you send money, it is gone) the balance to him – in Nigeria. With the four sets. So, I played him along for a while. Looked up the ISP address and found it was out of California. A check was mailed to me, with an address in Florida, but the bank was in Virginia. So I cashed it, informed my bank that it would probably bounce so that I wouldn’t get charged a fee, and waited. Three days later, it “cleared”. That means there was enough funds in MY accounts to cover the check. You have to wait another 10-12 days to find out if it clears the bank on the check. So believe it or not, I get a call from this guy with a heavy accent from what sounds like a basement boiler room, asking if I had sent him the cash and the sets. I told him, as I had in my previous dealings, that I wait until the check clears HIS bank. So with all this information, and phone number, I go to our local police and talk to the guy who is head of internet fraud. He said that this happens so frequently and people are falling for it in various capacities. Stocks, Bonds, inheritances, lotteries, hefty bank accounts where they can’t get the money out of the country without your help, etc. He turns over all information to the FBI. Interestingly enough, they have an internet fraud division, from what I was told, strictly for Nigeria! A ton of corruption. I live in a very sophisticated area near Princeton NJ. The police told me that one business exec in the area worked out a deal buying a very high end car in Germany, to be delivered to – yep, Nigeria, and the deal was he had to go over there, pay for it in cash and get it home. The deal was ridiculously inexpensive. Well, this exec went to Nigeria and they are still looking for him. Very scary. Apparently these scammers are very difficult to track down. Money gets wired through so many countries and the people are always on the move. People need to be very careful in their internet dealings. Gina.

Hi Gina,
There's a lot of information about the Nigerian 419 scam out there for anyone interested enough to just look around:

There's even a hit Nigerian song about 419 scamming, "I Go Chop Your Dollars" by Osofia - hear it and see the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_YjvC4ndzM Listen for the line "You are the loser, I am the winner."

I Go Chop Your Dollars

May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Cinco de Mayo, 2007

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Notice: All trades or sales are private transactions between individuals--the Exchange is simply a listing point for those who wish to make such trades and is no way involved in any transactions, nor may it be held responsible for any problems.
Sellers on this site are especially advised not to lightly make claims that an item is "ivory". See our FAQ 7c. What's It Made Of? page for assistance in how to tell ivory from bone.

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