"Complete" Sets

[Soremel]

Many times, I see "Complete" sets of Wacky Packages being offered on eBay that do not include the 9-piece puzzle. During my many years of collecting, I have always classified a complete set as one that has all of the titles on the checklist, AND a complete puzzle (just my personal opinion)

Some sellers offer a complete set of stickers in one auction, and the complete puzzle in a separate listing. I've also seen auctions that list a "complete" set of stickers, with no separate puzzle listing.

Is the separate listing method done with the hope of getting a higher monetary yield than if the sticker set & puzzle were sold as one unit?

I've seen this type of thing done for years, but want to get some feedback from other collectors... what do you feel the title "Complete Set" should represent?

[quas]

Many times, I see "Complete" sets of Wacky Packages being offered on eBay that do not include the 9-piece puzzle. During my many years of collecting, I have always classified a complete set as one that has all of the titles on the checklist, AND a complete puzzle (just my personal opinion)

Some sellers offer a complete set of stickers in one auction, and the complete puzzle in a separate listing. I've also seen auctions that list a "complete" set of stickers, with no separate puzzle listing.

Is the separate listing method done with the hope of getting a higher monetary yield than if the sticker set & puzzle were sold as one unit?

I've seen this type of thing done for years, but want to get some feedback from other collectors... what do you feel the title "Complete Set" should represent?

As long as it's clear from the words and the pictures (for example, "complete set of 30 stickers"), it's fine.

[RawGoo]

As long as it's clear from the words and the pictures (for example, "complete set of 30 stickers"), it's fine.

I agree.  What bugs me is when people list "sets" that are missing items.  That misleads an uneducated or novice buyer.

[deadpresidentsvisa]

                                                                                EBAY'S THE ONLY 1 MAKING MONEY

[bigtomi]

What bugs me is when people list "sets" that are missing items.

Yeah...and for me, it's when they list a sticker lot as a set. Just semantics, I suppose, but still irks me. To the original proposal, I agree with Marc. As long as it is clear what you're bidding on, no problem. IMO, a Wacky set is all the stickers, puzzle optional, but a nice add-on.

[RawGoo]

Yeah...and for me, it's when they list a sticker lot as a set. Just semantics, I suppose, but still irks me. To the original proposal, I agree with Marc. As long as it is clear what you're bidding on, no problem. IMO, a Wacky set is all the stickers, puzzle optional, but a nice add-on.

Like an OS4 "set" with 25 stickers 

[Soremel]

As long as it's clear from the words and the pictures (for example, "complete set of 30 stickers"), it's fine.

True. Up front, truth in advertising is a major plus (and often a major "lack") in some auction listings.

[bigtomi]

Like an OS4 "set" with 25 stickers 

or even worse [to me]: "Here's a set of 20 3rd, 4th and 5th series stickers".  grrrrrr. It's a lot, not a set!

[MoldRush]

It seems to many sellers, the term 'set' means any semi-organized group of titles that look like they belong together.  The term 'lot' probably just does not occur to them.

As to the first question as to whether describing an offering as a complete set should include the 9-piece puzzle, there are plenty of similar examples of this dilemma in the sports card world.  Fleer Team Action football with or without the team logo stickers, Topps late 80's football with or w/o the "1,000 Yard Club" glossy card subset, Topps 70's hockey with or w/o the smaller autographed photo cards, and many others.  Ultimately it's why additional description language and good image scans are critical.  As long as the extent of the offering is clear, the rest is pretty much semantics.

[Soremel]

It seems to many sellers, the term 'set' means any semi-organized group of titles that look like they belong together.  The term 'lot' probably just does not occur to them.

As to the first question as to whether describing an offering as a complete set should include the 9-piece puzzle, there are plenty of similar examples of this dilemma in the sports card world.  Fleer Team Action football with or without the team logo stickers, Topps late 80's football with or w/o the "1,000 Yard Club" glossy card subset, Topps 70's hockey with or w/o the smaller autographed photo cards, and many others.  Ultimately it's why additional description language and good image scans are critical.  As long as the extent of the offering is clear, the rest is pretty much semantics.

Yes, I've seen many examples of the "set"/"lot" descriptions. I will admit, sometimes I have to go into Sherlock mode just to figure out what is being sold. One of the lazy types of listings, that drives me up a wall, is the "'73-'75 Wacky Packages Lot ~ 800 NM Stickers" listing that has one blurry picture of 9 VG stickers... and NOTHING else!

[Bigmuc13]

When I sell 'sets' I usually separate the sticker set from the puzzle set, but I clearly label them as such.  The reason I do that is if you combine them, you limit your market.  Many folks have the sticker set but not the puzzle set, or vice-versa.  Or they just need a few of the right side/bottom side pieces that are tougher and just go ahead and but the puzzle since many times that is just easier since the earlier puzzles are pretty cheap.  So it makes sense on many levels.  Last, I never really considered the puzzles as part official set since not all Wacky Packages series even have checklists (Wacky Ads, Die cuts)

[mikecho]

Personally, I think that a "complete set" in the OS run (including everything after 1977, such as the 1985 and 1991 series) would be the stickers and the puzzle, since that's all that they had at the time. In everything after 2004, it would be the base stickers, bonus stickers and (if it had them) foil stickers. The seemingly endless variations of the stickers (border variations, background variations, white backs, tan backs, black/red Ludlow backs, etc.) depends on whether or not the collector really wants them.