Caveat Emptor: Lots of Lots.

Recently, I had a customer who was dissatisfied with one of my lots. He was basically bitching that he didn't get the best cards possible. I would not be surprised if this happened FAR more often in YGO than in, say, Pokemon (for a NUMBER of reasons), but the topic of eBay lots is still worth addressing.

Lots can be great deals. If you see a lot put up by someone who does not know their stuff, for example, there's a good chance that they're missing out on a lot of money. It could very easily become yours for the snagging, and if you see something in there that could pay for the whole lot by itself, snag it. You have no reason not to.

Some lots, however, are ripoffs. See a fake card? The word 'random' in the title? Does it just seem too good to be true?

Read the description. Seriously, READ THE DESCRIPTION.

Here's an example of a lot that should raise red flags no matter who you are. It's poorly-written and sounds too good to be true if you think about it for a SECOND. Any layman will see that the WORST thing you could get in any given lot is an Exodia limb or Starter Deck Ultra Rare. The kicker, however, is that the seller might not even have the God Cards in question.

Use Murphy's Law ("anything that can go wrong, WILL go wrong") when shopping for lots. It's the nature of a capitalist economy for sellers to squeeze as much green as possible out of their wares using any means necessary. EVERY seller wants to make a profit; no exceptions. Whether they know how to do it or not determines who winds up on top.

Welcome to Marketing 101: The art of dressing shit up with rainbow paint and glitter. That lot up there is a prime example. The amount of people who fall for these lots is disturbing.

Do not for one SECOND think this is exclusive to eBay or the internet. Real-life companies, like Excell Marketing (with whom anyone who goes to Target is no doubt familiar), do the same thing. They put up a pack with some random cards added and sell it for a buck more than the retail price. Naturally, these cards are never good.

With my own lots, I ALWAYS try to make sure that my buyers will break even, if not gain a possible profit. I make guarantees that assure that my customers are getting their money's worth. Other lots certainly do not.