Currency Exchanges and Fantasy Football Exchanges

Here are some helpful nuggets I’ve gleaned over the years in exchanging currency:

 

1.)    Never do it at the airport. Location is key; you’re losing all bargaining power at the airport because they know that that’s your last chance to get it.

2.)    You’re always going to have leftover value and leftover coins; you’re never going to “perfectly” spend all your money.

3.)    It’s better to be safe than sorry- the thought of overspending on currency and having extra is much more appealing than walking around a foreign country without a way of paying for stuff (just ask myself late November 2012).

4.)    Sometimes you don’t need foreign currency- the currency you have (U.S. dollars) is fine in Mexico.

5.)    Some denominations don’t fit comfortably in your wallet- the Japanese yen (the cash dollars at least) are wider than the American dollar, so those bills bulge out of a normal-sized U.S. wallet.

6.)    Fridays are the busiest for currency exchanges- people traveling on the weekends.

7.)    Double-check your currency before giving it off, and double-check what you get when they exchange it with you- who knows whether you stuck a $20 in there instead of a $1 out of your wallet. Count it out.

8.)    Don’t be mad at the currency exchange for getting their “cut”- it’s how the world works. They are a business that profits from the different governments and money systems in different countries, just like I engage in a business that benefits from different countries of the world using different languages.

9.)    Don’t be upset that the currency exchange “made money” on you because the exchange rate went higher/lower in a detrimental way after you made the exchange. Buyer’s remorse and seller’s remorse should not result based on what happened AFTER a transaction, only on the information that was readily available at the time of the transaction.

10.) Make sure you actually need that much cash and that there’s no other viable alternatives of spending money in a foreign country, like travelers’ checks or credit cards. In Japan, for example, cash is king, so getting a large amount is pretty essential, and credit cards only work in large transactions.

And correspondingly, here are some tips I’ve gathered from making fantasy football trades/ “exchanges” over the years:

1.)    Try to have the better bargaining power. Make trades when the trade partner’s starting RB just went down, or is on a bye, or went down with suspension. Part of not being on the other side of this (being the side that NEEDS something) is getting backups, getting a balanced team, etc.  If you ever ARE in the position of weakness, try to get the deal done early in the week so that at least you can say you are “shopping other offers” and not just up against the deadline.

2.)    Don’t try to go for “perfect trades.” Sometimes getting TOO much for yourself actually gets the trade vetoed, so try to just get something that’s helpful, and not totally “rip off” your trade partner. Also, don’t try to be over satisfied, meaning ideally you want to get rid of one guy, but the opponent wants someone else…. Be flexible.

3.)    *corollary to 4 above* sometimes not making the trade on the table is the best move. You already have the best players in the deal and the best value. This happens, by definition, half the time.

4.)    *corollary to 5 above* sometimes you get the best players in a deal, but they just don’t fit on your team- either you don’t have enough roster room, or too many of the same guys at the same position- have to consider this before making the deal and whether they can actually “fit.” Also, I don’t like having too many guys on the same team on one team because it doesn’t hedge the point production every week (you either have a REALLY good week or a REALLY bad week) so that’s also a consideration.

5.)    Corollary to *6 above- not sure if this is true, but Mondays and Tuesdays are probably usually when the most fantasy football deals occur- people overreacting to the Sunday games.

6.)    Make sure you don’t give away DeAngelo Williams (D. Williams) instead of your intended target, Andre Williams (A. Williams) or other mishaps.

7.)    Check the waiver wire. Sometimes you want to get a certain guy on your team to replace production that’s sorely needed, but better (and cheaper alternatives) exist on the waiver wire.

By the way, you know what the ultimate resource for getting “inside” fantasy information is? Look at the actual players’ own fantasy teams and see if he drafted himself. If he did, signs are pointing up- super motivated, has high hopes, knows he’s going to get a significant role, fully healthy, etc. etc. If he DOESN’T have himself or he just traded himself away, huge question marks abound: is he hiding an injury? Does the coach not like him? Is he getting traded soon? THAT’s the edge that fantasy players should be trying to get when evaluating players, rather than all the factored-in information and injury news that fills our mundane day.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan