[drc]

Perhaps people don't trade as much because it's easier to get exactly what you want. In the old days of grocery store Topps wax pack, you'd get a random assortment of cards including dupes an teams you don't collect.

Though, even in the internet days, trading was much more common 15 years ago. I trade back then.

Also, I once traded with a domestic terrorist and got some ricin on my cards. He said it was an accident and the ricin was supposed to go in another package. Other than his anti-government rants and his threat once to strangle my cat if I had one (I didn't), he seemed like a nice enough guy so I believed him. But you won't believe how hard it is to get ricin out of silks. Cotton is easy-- a few spin cycles and some hydrogen peroxide-- but silk is a total bitch. Later on someone told me to microwave the dampened the silk for fifteen minutes before washing, but that that was too late for my favorite boxers. F*ck this internet trading bs, I thought, and went back to Teletrade full time.