It is with much regret that I wish to advise that I am discontinuing the Mystery Box campaign.

When I first started this programme I just took it for granted that card collectors would play fair and by the rules.
Instead I have had:
1 People taking cards and not replacing them (one box was sent on with only 43 cards in it
2. Recently someone got a box with 5 paper information things in it instead of a recognised promo card.
3. Some sent on two boxes to someone else who was not even in the programme.
4. One box that cam back to me had 5 cards in it that were all dupes.
5. I constantly lost track of boxes because the recipient failed to notify me that they had received the box.
6. It was my fault because I neglected to get back to someone who did notify me but that didn't happen all that often.
7. When I did manage to track down a missing box I was told "Sorry, I went on holiday for a couple of weeks and forgot that I was sitting on a box".

I would like to commend two people who were particularly helpful to me in replacing missing cards, repairing damaged boxes and restocking duplications - Don Norton and Debi Cole. When I first started Mystery Box, I threatened that anyone who broke the rules would be named and shamed. In reality that won't happen but suffice it to say I know for certain who two of the perpetrators are.

For those of you who were blameless (Wolfie for one) I'm genuinely sorry it has come to this. I thought better of us as collectors than what happened, but there you go.

If anyone knows where the Inserts box is can you please notify me asap. Boxes Promo #3 & #5 should also be now returned to me. Email me and I will give you my snail mail address.

Btfannz,

I was afraid that was going to happen. It's sad that it was more than one member who ruined it for those that followed the rules and those thinking about joining the merry-go-round. I just wanted to commend you for going out of your way to do something extra for other Card Talk members but it appears several people just couldn't pass up on the opportunity to mess up a good thing.

I'm not sure who I'm more disappointed in: those who were outright thieves or those who were just too lazy to follow some simple rules.

Those that broke the rules deserved to be exposed. I hope you get the names out there somehow. Warn a friend or two about dealing with the cheaters.

Jess

I want to thank Sean for doing this, it was fun while it lasted. Sorry to see the program fall by the wayside.
No need to expose those who didn't follow the rules. We don't know what their circumstances were.

Just chalk it up to an interesting social experiment and a nice try.

Truth is, this is what will always happen when you get a random group together and impose a system that everyone agrees to follow. It works for awhile and then it starts to breakdown for various reasons, valid and not. Hopefully it was fun for many of you while it lasted.

quote:

Originally posted by btlfannz:

For those of you who were blameless (Wolfie for one)

Hey i've never been blameless before.

You did your best Sean, thanks very much for trying.

It's a shame there are some cheats amongst us. I hope they are proud

Blame is a two way street and I will take my penance.
#3
I will admit to being the one who shipped two boxes to "someone not on the list". I will even say why. I signed up for one, yes, one box, the insert card box because I had extras of those to add to the program. I did not even open the 6 or 7 promo card mystery boxes I received because I had nothing to add to them (as I had sent all my extra promos to a friend as a gift a while back) and I did not sign up for them. I just mailed them on when I said I received them and finally got a reply back from you with an address to send them too (which was usually the same 3 names).

I know several of us were sending boxes back and forth to each other. I would get one and ship it on and get another box from the person I just shipped to and send it on only to get a box from that person.

I noticed that some boxes did not have 50 cards but since through all the times I receive boxes I got 1 card out and put 3 cards in that box to make that box 50 again, I am clean of any guilt of that.

Someone asked me how to get in. I Told them and then shipped two boxes that arrived that week to them (because many times I would not hear back from you). I sent you their information. They tried to contact you and even appealed to get you to contact them here.

So, if you want to blame me for shipping two boxes on that was outside of the (how many people were involved), I have no shame about trying to get the boxes out of an endless circle.

I was lucky enough to be a participant in the mystery box card exchange. In total I received two boxes both were promo boxes the first was sent by Sean and the 2nd was from the USA. Having checked my emails I sent on both these boxes within 3 or 4 days of receiving them and both to UK addressees. Any problems with the boxes like duplicate cards or wrong cards in the box I mentally noted but did not pass on to the next recipient.

Its a pity that another Mystery Box exchange has come to yet another dastardly end due to what I consider "criminal actions" as someone appears to have stolen cards that I have contributed.

Belated thanks to Sean for all his hard work.

regards

John

Many thanks to Sean for taking the initiative to organize this. It was fun while it lasted and even though I didn't always find cards that I wanted/needed it was always fun sifting through the cards when a new box arrived. Mystery Box Promo #4 is heading home to you, Sean. I will mail it out this Saturday.

Thanks again.

I guess I got in on this right at the end. I received two boxes, took a few out, replaced them with new ones (added a few to bring the count back up to 50--in BOTH boxes), and then shipped them on. I'm the person that Barrett shipped to, as he noted above, but I hope that I did what I was supposed to do. If not, I apologize for my errors.

Sean, thank you for taking this task on, and I am sorry that it did not work out. If there is anything that you need to discuss with me, please shoot me an email.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:


Truth is, this is what will always happen when you get a random group together and impose a system that everyone agrees to follow.

Like doing a group project in college. I want my class mates to be pallbearers at my funeral so they can let me down just one last time.

Hey Guys it was September 14 when I pulled the plug on Mystery Box. At that time I asked for those still holding boxes to please return them to me. Typically, the only person to do so was Debi Cole. There are three more boxes out there (Mystery Box #3, #5 and the Inserts Box) PLEASE return these to me ASAP.

Mystery box # 3 is on it's way back to you Sean.

Thanks Wolfie, I appreciate that.

I hope you get your boxes back. You spent your own money and extra cards to start the Mystery Box game. I hope those last couple of people are simply procrastinating. Hopefully, they will add their own names to the people you picked out of the crowd as helpful or blameless. One good thing to come out of your trouble is that the rest of us know who some of the honest members of this forum are.

Jess

quote:

Originally posted by btlfannz:
Hey Guys it was September 14 when I pulled the plug on Mystery Box. At that time I asked for those still holding boxes to please return them to me. Typically, the only person to do so was Debi Cole. There are three more boxes out there (Mystery Box #3, #5 and the Inserts Box) PLEASE return these to me ASAP.

I always try to assume that everyone is honest until proven otherwise.

The thing I dislike about being in a group is that no one wants to call out individuals for offenses, but would rather taint the whole group when something goes wrong. I wasn't part of the Mystery Box group, so its not me, good or bad.

I just wouldn't make judgments about this when the details are not available.

<Quote> Raven
The thing I dislike about being in a group is that no one wants to call out individuals for offenses, but would rather taint the whole group when something goes wrong <unquote>

Until I started (re-started) the Mystery Box saga I was quite sincere in my desire to "out"
the recalcitrants who wouldn't play by the rules. In reality though its a different proposition to accuse someone of being dishonest when you are not aware of the all the facts leading up to their (seemingly) dishonest actions.
I really like this forum and I cannot bring myself to antagonise a couple of people by accusations of dishonesty. I am happy to let Karma take its course. Always remember this "What goes round comes around"

Yeah, just to be more clear, I do think you're right. You can't accuse people, as I gives you the burden of proof and I was not suggesting you should do it.

Rather I was saying that it should just be dropped, since no individual will be blamed and the whole group should not have guilt by association. You did a good thing in trying to organize this operation, but the mailing aspect alone is a challenge. The PO can be late and the carriers sometimes lose things. The parcels did not have the most expensive postage and it was international at times. That's not even talking about the contents, where rules may not have been understood or followed.

The odds were stacked against it from the beginning and that you even got it up and running again was an accomplishment.