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Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but the ranking system would seem to give a huge advantage to users with small wish lists.  If I have a wish list of 1000 items, it is practically impossible to rank-order them by preference.  But worse. if I'm competing with someone who only has 10 items in their wishlist, then on average, they will outrank me 99% of the time.  (Only 1% of my CDs can be in the 1-10 range, but 100% of theirs are.)  Is this correct?  
 

I think the answer is that you go to your Wish List page and click the Options button.

I have a related question.  What if I want to change the receive options for CDs already on my wish list?  I know that I can do it one-at-a-time from the Wish List page, but I have a 1000 or so wishes, making it very time-consuming if I want to change all of them.  Is there a way to change the receive options en masse, or at least more efficiently?

FWIW, if you're going to use the standard Swapa packaging or other lightweight alternative, it's critical that the "NON-MACHINABLE" label be plainly visible on the front of the package.  The whole point is to keep the package out of their automatic sorting machines.  If the package goes through a sorting machine, the disc is TOAST.  Even with the label, the Post Office sometimes still makes this mistake.

I agree that cereal box cardboard is inadequate.

I've done some experimenting and here's what I've settled on for shipping single CDs.  I use very thin corrugated cardboard.  The priority boxes that the Post Office gives out are a perfect example, but I'm not suggesting that you actually use Post Office priority boxes, as that would probably be illegal or naughty.  Cut two pieces with OPPOSING grain, i.e., one with vertical corrugations and one with horizontal.  Then ship it in the standard Swapa mailer. Only 98 cents, extremely rugged, and stays within 1/4 inch if the artwork is not thick.    Repeat:  thin cardboard, opposing grain.
 

I doubt that the Post Office is consistent about it, but the employee that I talked to said that the item had to fall freely through the slot without any pushing.  (They have an "official" device with a hole in it like the one that you constructed).  My strictly subjective impression was that she was being a bit anal about it and besides, they obviously can't test every package that comes through the system.  I have shipped a lot of CDs now and I don't go to the extreme that this employee suggested.  I have only had one package returned -- and that was one that I handed to this same employee on the day that we had the conversation.
 

Problem resolved by customer service in record time.

Can I assume that running EAC is quicker than listening to the CD?

I marked a CD as having been received OK (although I mentioned in the comments that it was badly marred).  I am playing it now and it's skipping badly on multiple tracks.

My question is, why can't I change the status of my trade after the fact?  What should I do in this situation?  Are we expected to listen to a disc all the way through before marking it as received?  This could significantly delay my logging of them, as I don't necessarily have the time to listen to one or more hour-long CDs all the way through as soon as I receive them.
 

The problem with corrugated cardboard is that it's only strong in one direction.  It folds quite easily in the direction of the corrugations.  To get any strength, you need to use two pieces, with their grain running at 90 degrees to each other.  This is quite strong.  (I don't know what using two peices means for weight, thickness, or cost; I'm just talking about the characteristics of the cardboard.)