An interesting concept i would like put before the vultures for discussion.

General Yo-Yo
1

this is not VsNYYC related

i have been reading a bit, and have noticed that there appear to be a few “flaws” in the current yoyo grading system on the BST. after thinking about it for awhile, i have a few questions as well as a few suggestions to make that could alleviate these issues. this is just a suggestion. please dont take my words as harsh or fact.

first off, how many of you would be o.k. with paying a few extra bucks for a confirmed smooth and mint yoyo that has a guaranteed working bearing and box from the BST? if not, your opinion is noted. some people could genuinely care less about these things.

for those of you who are interested, i suggest this. make a group of “testers” that all agree on a strict code of excellence for yoyos. the buyer would then ship the yoyo to said tester to be inspected prior to purchase. this inspection will not be free of course (though it shouldnt be more than 5-10$ and would be charged to the buyer), but would provide valuable insight to the buyer prior to purchasing a potentially questionable yoyo.

this inspection would cover ALL of a collectors normal qualifications of “mint”, but also cover the extensive specifics of “mint” yoyos such as vibe (in correlation to the run), ano flaws, bearing issues, etc. furthermore, if a seller refuses to send his or her yoyos to an inspector it would immediately show the buyer to be wary of the product(s) being sold.

this method is not without its flaws though. overall shipping time would be delayed due to these inspections, and a team of inspectors would have to be assembled and trusted by the populace for not only their yoyo knowledge, but also their integrity as people. it would also raise the cost of the yoyo by roughly 15-20$ with shipping included.

what do you guys and girls think of this? it is offered in most collectors markets, and with yoyoing on the rise, why not get ahead of the game and start it now?

please dont contribute if you have no valid issues, points, or questions. i know im asking for a miracle here.

2

It’s a great idea, but I feel like organizing it would be a monumental task, and keeping it running smooth and organized would be difficult as well. Also, someone would have to spend a lot of time doing the service. I can see shipping mistakes being a problem, as there are many people who would use this service, and therefore boatloads of addresses and names. Also, if you look at the B/S/T, there are many young traders and people who simply may not have the cash to go through with this process.

1 Like
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i understand your issues. the service is not intended for all transactions, but more for those special cases when deemed necessary.

i would expect gathering the team to be the hardest part, as these team members would have to be the best of the best and willing to take on the task. past that, shipping issues shouldnt be a problem because of the inspectors already having 100s of positive transactions in that department. time wouldnt be that bad either, as i know myself and many other makers/players/collectors could do the inspection in less than 15 minutes in its entirety.

4

I think it would work well if you have a group of organized and TRUSTWORTHY people inspecting the yoyo for yoyo. I definantly wouldn’t want it to be sent to someone who will just steal the yoyo.

But I think it’s a great idea. It might just be hard to get going. I would pay an extra $5 or $10 to make sure the yoyo is the way the seller described it. I’m getting kinda annoyed when I get a yoyo with a bearing that’s responsive when I get it. I know you could say just clean it, but I’m usually out of mineral spirits and I want my yoyo to get here like it should be.

5

If a yoyo is sent to you that you feel was not accurately represented, have it sent back at their expense. It’s not like we call no-givesies-backsies or anything.

You are the judge of your own standards. The voice that matters is your own, and it’s free.

6

This would be a great idea, since there have been at least 4 times where I have received a yoyo that had flaws not described. Those 4 times where the yoyos weren’t fully described, I should have left neutral or negative feedback. Only thing is, in my opinion, someone should not be paying extra to confirm a yoyo is smooth and flawless. The seller should list EVERYTHING about the yoyo, not make the buyer pay extra to have it checked out.

7

the problem with that is interpretation

seller sells what he thinks is mint. buyer buys and has a different tune to sing. this would be completely averted if an inspector was agreed on since their opinion would be deemed “law” in the situation. the question simply wouldnt be there.

trade backs arent always an option. people spend money, ding yoyos, and interpret “mint” in their own way. an inspection system would alleviate the bulk of that provided they are trusted and knowledgable.

8

sellers dont always know what to look for. some cant even see damage depending on the colorway (it gets difficult depending), much less determine vibe based on a run.

again, im just saying this as a potential solution. it is more than likely not possible anyway

9

Well one thing it would certainly alleviate is someone representing a yo-yo as “mint” when they know it’s not. I mean, they aren’t going to send the yo-yo to an inspector when they secretly know it has a flaw/flaws. The only problem I see is the potential liability issue with an inspector. What if they miss something?

10

One of the worst ideas ever, serious.

11

very good question! i havent quite wrapped that one up yet, but my current answer would be something to the tune of inspectors being substantially better at finding these problems. they are also better suited to ask those in the field for assistance (such as makers or other inspectors). in example, i would trust you for 888 inspection over most because i know that not only is your history in the field is better than mine, but you also have GREAT feedback and response time.

essentially, to use an inspector is to say “i trust this person to completely inspect my yoyo to the best of their ability.” therefore, being an inspector, their “ability” should be greater than most forum users’.

12

what i love most about this post is your willingness to explain yourself in it. :slight_smile:

13

Even the best of inspectors can miss something.

14

The only interpretation that matters is yours. Seller sells what he thinks is mint, buyer disagrees, returns yoyo. It’s literally super easy.

If you mess up a yoyo in the brief moment it takes to inspect it, you have a whole new problem to worry about. Same goes for a irresponsibility with money.

It’s the two parties’ responsibility, dragging in other people is time consuming, and takes more time and resources than it’s worth.

15

most definitely! makers even miss problems from time to time. the general idea would be to maintain a sense of trust and approval. more of a safety net in the trading process than a full fledged flaw scanner to 100% accuracy 100% of the time.

16

I see this having its ups and downs, as stated previously. If one is spending 100 plus on a single (pre owned) throw maybe there should be a protocol. If that protocol was a third party inspection and first and second agree, I am for it.

17

a valid opinion in a Utopian BST, but this process covers more than that.

its a very common practice among collectables to have a 3rd party inspect the product. with 200$ CLYWs, 300$+ Ti yoyos, and countless other high dollar items at stake it would just be nice to know there is a middle ground to stand on.

Im not implying EVERY situation MUST do it, or ever even at all. it would just be nice to not have to rely 100% on a shady persons integrity when dealing with them.

it would also be a good card to pull simply to test their reaction. (IE “no i wont do that”= yoyo is not as described)

i really like this discussion :slight_smile:

18

As a last resort for two people who have no clue what they are doing, I see it as a reasonable solution.

19

your diving into the troll zone, but perhaps that was your intent from the beginning. :-\

the world is fueled on insurance. an inspector provides (limited) insurance in the case of a potentially costly mistake regardless of what field they are in.

20

I think something like this actually has been done before, it’s called the 3 way trade or something. It for 2 people who have no feedback and don’t want to ship first, they find someone with a large amount of feedback and send the yoyos to him, and that person ships them out.