Entry #6: The Art of Trading- Using Psychology to Rip Someone Off

I’ve been playing in 3 different leagues for a few years now and I am finding it increasingly difficult to trade with people.  Outside of drafting, trading is the most exciting part of fantasy football so this is a very sad development.  I used to make between 3 and 6 trades per year in some leagues but that never happens anymore.  The reason that nobody will trade with me is that I have consistently managed to rip someone off in the league year after year.  Nobody trusts me and I am pretty sure that most players hate me (not just for trading aspect but also because I think I am smarter than everyone else).      

Before I get to the 5 steps that lead to a rip-off, I have to vent about trades that I have had vetoed.  I HATE that players have the right to veto trades.  It proves to me that most fantasy players do not understand the point of fantasy football trading.  You are a general manager and are looking to trade to upgrade your roster.  As long as it is not collusion, trades should be allowed.  Not every trade has to be perfectly even for it to go through.  Otherwise, what is the point of trading if each team gets equal value??  I even paid $5 to fantasyfootballref.com during the 2007 season when a trade I made got vetoed by the league.  I will post this as a reminder to B. Stealz, who threatened to quit after the trade:

Thanks again for your patience.  The trade you have submitted of Steve Smith, P. Crayton, J. Norwood, K. Winslow, and Roddy White for TJ Houshmanzadeh, Reggie Wayne, Marion Barber and Marty Boooker is a VALID trade for the following reasons:

- The trade would be fair even if you didn't have a laid back trade policy in place.  You are giving up one of the best WR's in the league, a top 3 TE, a number 2 WR, and a RB that should see more touches as the season goes on.  Kellen Winslow's value is being overlooked by people in your league.  Winslow is on pace for over 1000 yrds.  When you receive production like that from the TE position it is extremely valuable.  Antonio Gates was drafted in the 2nd and 3rd round in most leagues and Winslow is producing very similar numbers to Gates.  Winslow and Steve Smith are very similar in value to Reggie Wayne and TJ Houshmandzadeh, while Crayton and Norwood are similar in value to Marion Barber.  Booker and Roddy White don't have much value and cancel each other out in this trade.  This trade is indeed fair and should benefit both teams.

Thank you for choosing fantasyfootballref.com if you have any questions or feedback don't hesitate to contact us at info@fantasyfootballref.com

REDEMPTION!  That is all I have to say about that. (I probably win a championship if this trade goes through.  Please put my name on the trophy for 2007.  Thanks.)

The above trade is an example of a rip-off that lead to everyone hating me.  Here are the 5 steps I used to pull it off.

STEP 1:  Find the victim.  In my experience, there are 2 major characteristics you need to look for in your prey.

1. Doesn’t take himself or fantasy too seriously.  Usually, the victims of fantasy rip-offs are laid-back individuals who play fantasy football for fun.  They don’t really care too much if they win or lose and are not paranoid about getting ripped off. 
2. Doesn’t overvalue the players they drafted:  If you’ve played in the same fantasy league for a couple years, you know who I am talking about.  There are always 3-4 players that overvalue the guys they drafted.  It is impossible to trade with them so don’t even bother.

Once you have located your victim, you can proceed to step 2.

STEP 2: Start with a phone call, text, or IM.  Depending on your level of comfort with the other players in the league, you should always start the trade process with a phone call, text, or IM.  Do not just go online and send a random trade request that you’ve taken 2 seconds to think about through Yahoo.  That is so impersonal.  Trading is analogous to asking a girl out on a date.  Build up to the first offer and don’t apply too much pressure early on.  Here is an example of how to start the process:  Start with an instant message on Gchat or AIM.  Ask about his matchup this week and how he is feeling about his team.  Then, tell him that you like his team (even if you are lying a little bit) and lament about how you don’t have WR depth.  This will get the ball rolling.

Step 3:  Start with generalities, then get specific:  Once your victim knows that you want to trade with him, start by listing some players that you like on his team.  Then, ask him who he likes on your team.  People hate getting trade offers for players that they dislike so make sure you are offering something worthwhile to him.  After you get an idea of who he wants on your team, make the first offer.  The less detail the better.  I usually start with a statement such as “How about TJ Housh, D. Bowe, and an RB for Calvin Johnson and and RB?”  Leave some blanks.  A trade offer like that indicates you are flexible and doesn’t put too much pressure on your trade partner. 

Aside:  This is pretty basic advice but you always want to get the best player in the trade.  90% of the time, the trader who gets the best player in the deal wins the deal.  Try to trade depth for a better player who might blow up.  You can usually find decent pickups on the waiver wire.

Step 4:  Mix and match until he finally says yes.  Keep mixing and matching players over IM/text and try to come to an agreement.  Allow your victim to offer trades to you as much as possible.  That way, you can say stuff like, “ I don’t like this player as much, how about this player?”  Once you come to an agreement, offer it online and seal the deal.  Next, look for the hateful IMs, texts, phone calls you get from the other players in the league for ripping that other person off.  If you don’t seal the deal by step 4, move to step 5.      

Step 5:  Persistence matters.  Trading is NOT easy.  It takes a lot of time.  I think I have pulled off several trades by simply wearing down the victim.   Everyday, I would IM the trade partner and ask about the same trade.  Sometimes they would just laugh it off but I would continue to be persistent.  After 8 days of harassment, they will get tired of you and say, “Screw it.  Let’s just trade.”