Some thoughts about For Sale

JohnBoy

For a long time now the for-sale board has been a bit dodgy, It seems whenever anyone puts summat up for sale the whole world jumps down their throat, criticising prices, saying they wouldn't pay that for it etc.

While some do argue that they are merely trying to protect their fellow members, I personally think a lot of the time they are just stirring things up for the seller.

I was browsing over on the Stoarage Review forums when I noticed this in their Marketplace forums.

Could it be possible to implement something similar here?

Make it obligitory to post contact details, and have the thread locked, except maybe allow the original poster to edit.

The traditional "buyer beware" rules should apply.

If someone honelstly believes that anothe seller is ripping people off then report it to the mods, post a blacklist of sellers who have done wrong(high prices are not doing wrong, taking money and not shipping is)

The Agora classifieds on arstechnicas's forum is another good example of a well run site where users get blacklisted, and put on probation etc.

The problem is fairly unique to boards.ie I guess it's something to do with good old irish begrudgery.

Anyway just some of my thoughts on the issue

amp

I'll give you 51p for yore ma.

But seriously, a lot of enjoyment can be had when heckling people trying to sell crap at ridiculous prices. And I personally think that nobody who puts up something for a reasonable price gets heckled. And if they do get unfairly heckled then other people generally heckle them.

Then there's the fact that if a bargain is going on a lot of people post to it and so you can see which items are popular.

And besides, Keeks does nearly as good moderating the For Sale board as he does in Green Issues

Therefore I do not grant my endorsal of this product and/or service.

P.s. Ok, 51.5p then.

azezil

as said keeks n blade keep it civil so i don't see why it should change.



Good night JohnBoy

Keeks

Ah thanks for the vote of confidence lads.

/me slips amp and azezil their money

As for the points you made JohnBoy, I haver taken them on board and was/am in the process of putting together a list of criteria for post to the board.

Heckling is more than welcome, if it is done right, ie not a flame. The problem is that ppl are trying to get the best deal possible. The seller trying to get as much as possible while the buyer, trying to spend as little as possible. Its just in Irland the gap between those too points is HUGE.

As for a post only option, it would make moderating it easier but ppl wouldn't be able to get as much information as they would like. if 10 ppl ha dthe same question bout an item, thats 10 mails to 10 differnet ppl that have to be sent out. if 20, then 20 replys sent and so on, when one post could clear up any confusion.

The board as it stands works well. In the time I've been modding it, I've only had 2 complaints from ppl about stuff they did/didn't get from ppl selling on the board.

JohnBoy

Heckling is more than welcome, if it is done right, ie not a flame. The problem is that ppl are trying to get the best deal possible. The seller trying to get as much as possible while the buyer, trying to spend as little as possible. Its just in Irland the gap between those too points is HUGE.

Point taken, however, more often than not it's not potential buyers that are doing the heckling, it's just muppetry on the part of a small minority.

It's a pain in the ass for sellers. I personally have never actually sold anything on the board, but i do constantly browse it, looking for bargains(dreams generally), and it does annoy me the way people behave. I have made a few purchases, and know quite a few people who have sold here, often with a lot of grief.

but I still think that if the thread could be locked, the original post editable by the poster, that it would make for a fairer system. that way if the seller gets a few mails on a particular topic they can just update the post to match.

Also it might make people put up more detailed posts in the firsplace. it's amazing how many people place adds designed for text message character limits.

If my suggestion doesn't get implemented, and i doubt it will, and I can appreciate why too, could you put in your guidlines the following suggestions

post a price
post detailed information
include some form of off-boards contact details, not everyone lists their mail in their profile but it should be a pre-requisite to selling.
Gives people the oppurtunity to buy in private should they so wish.
point out that most peoples initial price has haggling factored in.

well enuf ranting and rambling for one day, I'm off to bed

John

[edit] just to add keeks, I'm not blaming you for the way you run the board, just suggesting a possible change[/edit]

JohnBoy

A typical example

Sorry to go on about this. the link is to a post I just looked at, seemed to be busy, so I got curious.

The seller has some serious buyer interest, and has had some people telling him to sell his phone in the buy and sell cos he can get X for it, but he is being attacked and having his character/merchandise questioned in an unfair manner.

This is what I have been complaining about.

Also it is not the first time a mod has been carrying on like this and in my opinion is behaviour which is very unfitting of a mod.

If Keeks wishes to query the seller (by email etc) then fine, that's his role as mod, but others, c'mon a bit of maturity here please.

John

Keeks

Point is well taken. And I'm beginning to get p*ssed off about this. There is not a lot i can do about ppl voicing their opinion. On the one hand its good, as it can stop ppl from being ripped of. On the other when they talk b*ll*x it just turns the thread in a load of hopless drivel.

And mod in question should know better. But i don't see what quering the seller by email will do. its just the same to do it publically in a post. I much prefer to do that, as everthing is out in the open and above board.

Victor

I don't think there is anything too bad their, although OJ could have made his suggestions a bit clearer and one wonders about Buddy's intentions (isn't Buddy one of Bubbles' friends?)

JohnBoy

Victor, why must one wonder about buddy's intentions?

you say their's nothing wrong with what everyone else is doing, in trying to drive the price down, yet when someone backs the guy up "one wonders about Buddy's intentions"

and what does bubbles have to do with all this anyway? (me wonders if bubbles = fi)

fair play for locking it too keeks

Victor

Originally posted by JohnBoy
Victor, why must one wonder about buddy's intentions?

Simply that he is saying it is worth so much more, but isn't actually bidding for it.

And I meant to say (as a genuine point of query) is I thought Buddy might be one of Bubbles' multiple personalities.

JohnBoy

Ok, bubbles has multiple personalities, right. so is fi one of them so?

anyway buddy is right about phones being subsidised and all that.

I have stood up for people who have been selling at a fair price in the past without knowing them.

It's related to this whole rant thread.

but anyway, I only meant to post that thread as a typical example, not to get into the rights and wrongs of an individual case, as there are many of them.

John

Victor

Originally posted by JohnBoy
Ok, bubbles has multiple personalities, right. so is fi one of them so?

Not that I know, I doubt he has concerns about his teenage kids.