Buying and Trading Advice

Getting into the next phase of this hobby
You can enjoy the world of 1/6th collecting for years, and never do more than buy items for yourself. You can even kitbash new things from the sets you buy. But, at some point, you are most likely going to find yourself REALLY wanting to get just one part from some set, and not willing to pay the entire set price for that one little thing.
When that happens, you come into the next phase of this hobby, trading. Wheeling and Dealing. Making new friends. And unfortunately, Risk.

Where to trade:
You can find people to trade almost anywhere. Face to Face is best, of course, because you can see what you are getting and giving. But most of us in this hobby live thousands of miles apart, and trading by mail is a way of life for us.
You can find trading communities all over the web. My personal favorite is GreenLeader's US Fan club board. 

Another place to trade is Phil's place, the Joe Trader Database. It's the best darn place to check out a partner for his reputation. Bookmark that site, and go there often.

Other places that have list of traders, chat boards, and idea exchanges:
Charlotte's Joe World 

Sixth Scale Forum

How to protect yourself:
Start small. Trade for a canteen before you try trading for a tank.
Don't trade more than you can afford to lose, because you can lose your end in the mail, to accidents, etc. Fraud on the other guy's part is not the only way you can lose.
Don't trade money with someone you haven't traded with before. Build a relationship first, with items before you send money, even money orders or checks.
Ask around. Get references. Ask on the hobby club boards. Watch your potential trader's manners on the boards.  People with great manners don't always make great traders, but folks with lousy manners are often bad traders.  
Don't believe a deal "too good to be true": If someone is offering you an impossible to find limited edition convention figure for $10, you are about to lose $10.  

Ask around.  A lot of the veterans maintain a list of traders who have reneged on promises, lied, cheated or stolen from them (and others) in the past.  They are willing to share those lists if asked.  For example, if you ask me at Graeylin@hotmail.com, you can get a list compiled from the boards I watch.  

Check out Storm's pages, especially the one about being a smart trader.