I never used to be that much of a hard *** on media received, but that will be changing for all of my future trades.

I believe the media up front before a trade will be my new rule of thumb. Im tired of spending funds I do not have (quite literally) to get good blank media for myself (and for trades) and getting usually very inferior discs in return (which most of the time would end in a re-burn, whenever I have the time to get around to it). On top of the fact that I send out slim cases/jewel cases and get home made paper sleeves ( I mean like regular writing paper without the lines) or 4 dvds in one sleeve, etc (although the general retail made paper sleeve is ok by me as long as its one sleeve for one disc, not 4).

Robot, I hear ya! I've received the homemade paper sleeves to. I always send my trades in commercially made paper sleeves Robot. I sure wouldn't send slim disc cases. They get broken too easy. Also, you can get them for about $3.00 per 100pk when you order discs from www.supermediastore.com. Sometimes they throw them in with your purchase.

You know what is funny? I made an example of my trade with Greenie. It seems that he likes Prodisc, and that is what he has his masters on and probably will send out his trade. I could have just sent him my masters! Life is like that sometimes.

Jenstewart makes good homemade paper sleeves. But she's the only one I've seen to date that did a good job on it. It's not like they were hard either.

Personally, I use the retail ones that cost $4 per 100.

2.99 for 200 pack walmart :P

I saw how cheap the retail sleeves were at an FYE (who is usually over priced
on everything else, though very cheap also on their 50 pack slim cases, sometimes going for 5.99). Perhaps I will just start keeping the slims for myself and sending out the retail paper, hmmm

I just got a bunch of discs in those plastic sleeves. Someone said those were bad for discs.

Clear plastic sleeves are bad, they cause rub marks and scratches on the dye layer side of optical media. Worst thing ever made, don't use them.

agreed on that LS. My ex-girl friend had all of her cds in a case with the typical plastic sleeves. She mentioned they no longer played so I took a look at them. Whatever chemical was in the plastic itself "seeped through" the data dye on her cds leaving all sorts of odd marks and a case full of original discs coasters