Biggest Pet Peeve...
Mold/Mildew.
If I can see it clearly has Mold or Mildew I move on...
And Water stains usually send me onward as well.
Even if it is a VERY RARE item, I (almost always) wont touch it.

Next:  Tape.... on anything collectable.
The older the tape job, the worse it is.
I would rather the box be torn and showing the odd rips and tears than to have old azzed tape that was holding it together, but now is half falling off and staining the box.
That said, in many instances; the tape does do some good for some collectors.
It does (for a time at least) hold the item (Box, Book) together better than nothing and can cause many heavy duty collectors to move on, or at least holds bids really low.
This means some of us lower tier collectors can often purchase a 1st copy of some items we could not otherwise even think of affording.
Place holders and reading copies for the time being, until such time as a better copy can be found.

To me Price Stickers are VERY low on my Pet Peeves list and I actually think of them as things to be ignored as far as collectabilty of an item in most instances.
Sure, I would rather they not be there, but I wont pass on something I really want due to a tiny little retail price sticker on the cover...

Hi,

we always put our prices marked in pencil just inside the front cover
Could have been one of ours! (Especially if it also had a date code underneath the price).

Theyre pretty light tho, so rub off very easily.

Cheers,
KAL

I don't like when pages are marked up or torn out.

Speaking of price stickers, what is the best way to remove residue from glossy and paper covers?

My one regret is doing a terrible job at taking off a price sticker off of an otherwise beautiful AC5. The white tears that I left in my wake were so ugly (to me) I had to get rid of it [I think Brian ended up with it].

Of course, I later found out that lighter fluid takes off stickers easily. Doh!

No! The lighter fluid is strong enough to penetrate the paper, and then continues to dissolve the glue on the other side, without damaging the paint on book.

I would put some lighter fluid (you can buy at Walmart) on a kleenex, and then fairly quickly apply the dampened kleenex to the sticker, before the fluid dries up [i.e., you don't want to apply too much lighter fluid - just enough to moisten thoroughly]. You just have to leave it for a few minutes (maybe as long as 10 min). Most stickers come off very easily after just a minute or two - some just fall off. You can then put a touch of lighter fluid on the kleenex and wipe away any glue residue, if any.

Maybe some people haven't tried this before, or have had a bad experience, but I've never had a problem taking off price stickers and I don't remember a single item that was damaged in the process. I've only used on glossy finishes (modules, hardcovers, NES games, etc). One might have to be more careful taking stickers off of paper backgrounds (like Judges Guild, etc).

I would try this on one of your lesser valuables to see how it works.

Badmike wrote:Biggest pet peeve is highlighting. Totally kills the item for me, no matter what the item is, I get it out of my collection as soon as possible.

Mike B.

QFT. I'll take an item with some general wear/usage damage every time over something minty with highlighting/pen marks throughout. Just makes me cry on the inside. On a lesser note, names inside items kill me too. Like you played with people who you trusted so little you wrote your name on stuff? lol

The guys I play with know if they want to use my books.....they should have brought their own books. I'm not a sharer.

Zen

Whats weird is I hate price stickers... but do not at all mind date stamps on monster mags....  

but a sticker from gc murphy and co... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....

since I collect comics and mags as well... just thought I'd lay that out there...

also I do not mind someones name written (as long as it is neat) inside the book... It gives me an attachemt to a complete stranger... who is of like mind.

Disco

Several things irritate me...

Stickers (including tape), but generally only when they cover something important / interesting. This is highly subjective.

Writing, especially with ink or highlighting. If the item was supposed to have notes, that is one thing, but if you're a random schlep, I don't care that Kobold A has 2 HP left since the last time you played. I also don't give a damn that you thought the succubus needed to be colored with red eyes.

Tearing perforated sheets and not including them.

The smell of smoke.

Bent / warped covers, like someone rolled the item into a tube and left it there.

Water damage.

Chew marks.

I don't consider mildew / mold a "peeve" as much as a "give me my money back" thing.

In general, the more desirable the item to me, the more these will matter. I do try to avoid them though.

[edit]

Accidentally spelled mildew as milder. Stupid me.