Tis the trading season, and the usual nonsense that goes with it. I have been playing a variety of fantasy sports for decades now so I have seen it all, but it still bugs me when dealing with some people.

Nobody likes a ridiculously lopsided offer, so why do people keep trying? Personally, I find it insulting. An obviously lopsided rip-off offer just gets the offending manager on my black list. The likelihood of me trading with this this yahoo becomes slim to none.

Some people don't like to use Email to discuss trades. I don't have a problem with that, to each their own. Just make fair offers. Just by looking at your opponents roster and understanding his needs and excesses will make a deal more probable. But just because he has a need, doesn't mean he's ripe pickings for a rip-off deal. Be fair and you'll be respected.

Quite often a manager's intentions can be made very clear by posting a message on the trade board. Clarifying your needs, who is available and who is not available, simplifies things a lot. Just don't offer your old leftovers and expect a rip-off deal. More than once I've offered fair value for an advertised player, just to have it countered with an obviously lopsided offer. Do you want to trade the guy or not?

Everybody has needs and excesses. There's no reason these can't be swapped around fairly. It seems easy to me to compare value. When comparing PB value, age, and history it isn't difficult to see which offers are fair and which ones are a rip-off attempts.

A fair first offer will be taken seriously, perhaps accepted. Quite often only a little fine tuning is required. A lopsided first offer gets you nowhere. It is NOT a good start for trade negotiations. The sides are so far apart that usually nothing gets done. It's a waste of time. Fair trades help both teams. Stupid offers get you nowhere, only black listed.

Bitch, bitch, bitch. Well, at least I can get it off my chest. Perhaps if people realize what bothers others, they'll stop doing it. What bugs you about trading?