Tips And Tricks

Tips And Tricks

The Basics:
Do NOT get caught up in bootlegs and treat this as a business. It will eventually catch up to you if you sell. I've seen it many times.
Develop your list with the item's date/location (venue as well if you like)/generation (never guess, but I would suggest putting H or L if the gen looks high or low)/rating (visual and audio)/camera angle/number of cams (if you cant count them all put 3+). It sounds like a lot but I wish I had done the same from the beginning.
Develop a number system early. What I mean by this is label the tape with a number. Next to the items on the list that are on that tape put that same number. That way you will be able to find everything later. Finding a certain item on one of your hundreds of tapes is quite frustrating.
I would suggest to anyone that they have setlists. I realize this is not only time consuming, but very difficult. It is both rewarding to yourself as well as a person looking to pick out a show however.
On your list make four different sections. shows or concerts/tv or miscellaneous/promo videos/professional or mass produced home videos. Having them all together is alright as well, but can make your list cluttered.
If you trade for both audio and video then designate between them in different sections. Having them in the same section makes it difficult to pick out once the list is large. Thus this will lead to many traders just ignoring you.
Be sure and have your email address or some way of contacting you very large or a different color so it stands out.
Make a small references section at the bottom with well known, respectable traders you have dealt with. If you haven't dealt with anyone then be honest about it. Do NOT lie and put people that you have never dealt with there. I will never vouch for someone I don't know.
Make a few rules such as only tape in SP, do not write on the labels, always send via priority, etc. Whatever is important to you. ALWAYS have the only tape in SP rule though. Never accept EP quality tapes or else I nor anyone else will ever trade with you. It is the only standard rule among traders. Of course others may apply to audio trades I am not aware of.
Always follow someone elses rules if you're new to trading. Once you've established yourself a bit and people begin asking you for trades then make sure they follow yours. The law is if you contact the person you will send first and follow their rules to perfection. If they contact you its vice versa. Of course its always good to follow someone elses rules. If you have a problem with something though tell them about it ahead of time.
When picking stuff it is best to find the rarest/best quality stuff since this will enable you to trade with other people better. Anytime you find different angles of shows or something you might not have seen on someone elses list, pick that. These items can be copied and traded very easily for another tape from someone else.

Websites:
ALWAYS MAKE IT SIMPLE! I cannot stress this enough. There is no reason whatsoever to have a bootleg site (one that is meant to have people look at and pick from) to have midis, hundreds of pics, or anything else that will slow down the loading of the page to people without high grade modems. I have a cable modem and i still won't view a page that takes too long to load.
Geocities.com or angelfire.com are good places to go for a free site. I have had problems with angelfire in the past so I would stick to geocities. They have very basic page making applications or complex do-it-yourself pages.
Find an ftp client immediately! Go to downloads.com and search for one. I use ftp commander simply because it is easy to understand and free. What ftp clients do is save your pages onto your harddrive. In case your page is ever deleted by someone saying what you are doing is illegal, then you can put it back up after the smoke has cleared. They are NECESSARY if you decide to use a page.
Legality statements or statements such as "you cannot enter if you work for the FBI" are completely useless. They can't hurt though so if you're very paranoid and feel like it may help by all means make a fool of yourself.
Webrings are also important to websites. Having a website does not get people to go there. They have to somehow find it. Webrings are collections of sites with some common purpose. There are a few bootleg trading webrings out there which can easily be found from common internet searching. Also if you feel like wasting a few hours you may want to apply to webrings of bands that you collect. Most will turn you down since your site probably isnt dedicated to any particular band or the simple fact that the band may be anti-bootleg thus creating the "true" sheep-like fans to be anti-bootleg as well. Nevertheless joining a few webrings can multiply your site traffic.
Another thing you may want to develop is having 2 different sections with the same material. What I mean by this is have a section with everything you own on one page. Big time collectors like myself use these more since it is faster for us. In another section list your items by band or some other category. This way people who want only Slipknot bootlegs, for example, can find only Slipknot bootlegs. Of course this means you have to update both, but if you are updating both your site and list at the same time then the list can easily be copied over onto the page that contains everything you own. That is what I do.
If you have masters make a masters section. Many traders/filmers will only trade for low gens or with other filmers therefore it can only be to your advantage.
Have a good trader section. These will act as references for you. List them in order of preference, alphabetical order, whatever. List at least the email address if not the email address and website address. A bad traders section is on most pages as well. Usually there is no point to this other than trying to piss off someone that ripped you, but eh sometimes you can get what they owe you from putting people there.
Have a rules section with any rules/preferences you may have. List them in the order of most importance. Most people will overlook this page anyway, but if they do screw up then you have a reason to rip them off.
Have a wants section. If you don't have much then this probably isn't necessary, but once your collection develops many people will be trying to trade you stuff you already have or stuff you don't even want (I couldn't tell you how many times I've been offered Kiss stuff). The wants section may prevent some of this.
If you have a rather large list then have an updates section. I personally don't like spending 20 minutes looking through someones list trying to find the 3 new shows they threw in there. Try to keep the updates there for at least a month so everyone has time to view whats new.
One last thing you must NOT have on your site. Even if you do sell NEVER EVER list this on your page. This is the easiest way to get busted by the RIAA. I've known people that had that they sold on their site for 2 months and were busted and people who have had it for 2 years and never have. I'm not willing to roll the dice however. Oh and in case you're wondering no I do not sell. If you don't sell then put it in your rules. If you do then withhold that rule and perhaps a few people will figure it out. I can tell you I still get people asking if I sell on a regular basis so by advertising you sell you're probably not helping yourself any.

Shipping:
Always use padded envelopes for 1 tape trades.
Always use boxes for 2 tape trades and up. Using padded envelopes on a bigger trade is a sure way to get something broken. Also when using boxes make sure that if you write what tape is what on the back of the labels that this doesn't fall out! Always use scrunched up newspaper or styrophome peanuts with boxes as well for padding.
If you are within 500 miles of the recipient always send via media mail. this takes the same amount of time as first class or even priority. if you are over 500 miles then send whichever way you think is best. If you don't know the person it is probably best to send priority so you don't piss them off.
When sending across the border you will need to fill out a customs form of some type. In the line marked as "description of what is inside" put either "video tapes" or "home videos". Never under any circumstances put "bootlegs" unless you want some trouble. Also in the "amount this package is worth" box never say more than $10. Certain countries have taxes on receiving packages worth a certain amount. Putting a higher amount will only piss off your trader.
Basically use common sense when shipping something. Think how you would like something to arrive. Would you like it to be broken or in a package where you can't tell what's on what tape? Being professional about shipping is a good way to make a trader for life.

Filming:
Wrap the camera, batteries, tapes in a plastic bag as flat and as tight as possible. Save room by putting a tape in the camera to start with. Use rubberbands to make sure this stays tight. Wear large briefs and stick the wrapped cam underneath them. Make sure you can walk naturally and it is not noticeable. Wear baggy pants or tie a jacket around your waist to overcome these problems.
Act dumb to the people searching you. Chances are if you ask where your seat is or who all is playing then they won't frisk you as heavily.
Go to the bathroom immediately. Unwrap everything there NOT at your seat. Put the batteries and tapes in your pocket and wrap the cam in your jacket.
Find an empty seat that is good for filming. Just because you have a seat in the corner of the venue doesn't mean that's where you have to sit. Find something with no one in front of you so you won't be obstructed.
Get ready ahead of time. Put the cam between your legs with the jacket covering up everything. Try to make sure you are lined up for the stage and that you will be comfortable.
When the lights go out turn on the cam and extend the eyepiece through your jacket. Find the stage again and steady the cam with your legs. Do your best shot!
In between bands take breaks. If you feel like you need to go back to the bathroom to change tapes and/or batteries then do it. Otherwise be as inconspicuous as possible.
When the show is over get out of the venue quickly, but not rushed. Make sure no one can see your camera or anything else.
If you get caught anytime do exactly what they say. If they demand they take your camera away get a receipt of some sort so you can get it back later. If they say no I would suggest running as fast as you can. Usually security will only take your tape and kick you out. Losing a $5 tape isn't as bad as a $500 cam so accept it. Besides what you're doing is illegal.

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