GIO Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 I know the classifieds are a "enter at your own risk" area but can we think about raising the bar a bit? I have had multiple "I'll take it" messages followed by "what's your best price?" or "I would really like to look at it first". The common factor is always someone with a super low post count. IMHO we should create some type of minimum standards for using the classifieds Buying or Selling. Again, I understand the classifieds are not the primary use of this forum and nobody is forced to use them but there must be some way to weed out the bad apples. Thanks for listening, GIO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan550 Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 Not a bad idea at all in my book. The items I've posted on here have been at my lowest acceptable price, because of where I'm posting.....BENOSverse! When those items don't sell on here, they get offered elsewhere at a higher price. Making it mandatory to have some minimum posting on here to buy wouldn't be at all a deterrent for the dedicated members. And the low-post people who try to bring down your pricing could very well be on here for just that purpose.....buying things cheap to perhaps sell elsewhere. Not good IMHO. Just my $.02 Alan~^~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3quartertime Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 Hmmm, We normally have pretty good feedback from the classifieds and the way we run them. Give us some specifics that you think would work better and we'll talk it over... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIO Posted December 2, 2009 Author Share Posted December 2, 2009 Quartertime, I have had excellent experiences on the Forum/Classifieds and I do not want to burden the forum by asking the Mods to play big brother. It may be as simple as taking a personal stand by putting on note on items you have for sale "no bids from those with a post count under xxx". I may be unjustly fired up because I just had two deals go south with noob "I'll take it" pms, only to have them back out. I wouldn't care so much but I had to hold off accepting offers from well known forum members. I try to do the right thing and deal with offers as the come in but someone who stalls a sale with BS just to get out of an impulse buy burns my ass. There is no way to prevent this but it seems much less likely with established members. I think I may have answered my own question. I will post my own regulations when I have something for sale. GIO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cy Soto Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 GIO: Maybe you can add a clause to your post along the lines of: "I will only sell this item to BE members with a post count over 'X' number". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itchy Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Although most of my very few transactions have gone very well, I'm not impressed when I offer something for 1/2 of retail, and someone sends me a pm offering 25-30% less than what I am asking. (And phrasing it like they're doing me a favor.) Seiichi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boz1911 Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I think the classifieds are great. It's the ultimate recycle facility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yankee Dog Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 folks, you may want to weed out the "bad apples" and avoid having to read a low ball offer, but by doing so you also reduce your market. Thereby making it harder to sell your wares. It will also reduce the amount of merchandise available for you to purchase by a similiar amount. All so you wont have to read a message that offers you less than you think the item is worth. I would also like to point out that you cant just raise the bar. As the bar currently only prevents low count members from starting a thread. It doest not prevent PMs and so far as I know, does not prevent replies. So raising the current bar will not prevent the above complaints. You will have to come up with a way to prevent low post count members from accessing the classified section entirely. of course all this is from a member without an especially high post count who would be excluded under the new rules. but to give an example, the guy I bought the magazines from wouldnt have sold them (at least not as fast) and the junior I sold the shotgun to would be without. Yankee dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3quartertime Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Great input guys! Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck223 Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 (edited) I'm a regular on a Canadian forum that has a huge Exchange sub forum. This type of complaint comes up regularly. I used to take a critical look at something I was selling, and list it at an honest price. However, I did expect to get that price. It must have worked because rarely did I ever go more than a day without finding a buyer. However, over the years I became annoyed at the volume of guys who would try and low ball even deflated prices. Now when I do sell something, I post pictures of it's condition, highliting anything that ought to be pointed out. I give a detailed description of the item. And I also add a comfortable margin of price padding. If I get a decent offer, great, but I'm no longer afraid to sit and wait. Some guys just have to haggle. I accomodate them by inflating my asking price. The sale price is still the same. Edited December 3, 2009 by Canuck223 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonT Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I thought we already had a minimum 50 post count to buy or sell in the classifieds? But I have seen on numerous occasions someone with no or low post counts posting, "I'll take it". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I have only sold a few things but I have also gotten some absurdly low offers. While I would prefer that this not happen, I expect this and really have no problem with it. What does bother me is that I have gotten low-ball offers from people who I suspect were looking for bargains that they could resell elsewhere for a better price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbbean Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I'm a commodity broker - I buy and sell things for a living. I never take offense at a low ball offer - I just view them as evidence that someone is interested, and an opportunity to bring a buyer up to my price. I'd much rather have lowball offers than no offers! On the other hand, someone who publicly posts "I'll take it" and then continues to haggle privately is unclear on the rules of commerce and is potentially costing you sales from buyers who assumed your item was gone. I think the forum works pretty well as is - I bought the best gun I've ever owned here, and I've had great experiences with buyers from the Enosverse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIO Posted December 3, 2009 Author Share Posted December 3, 2009 This is not about Low Ball offers. A simple "No Thanks" solves that. This is about an "I'll take it" PM or post followed by delayed follow up and re-negotiation or backing out of the sale. It was a simple observation to say, established board members are less likely to pull that BS and moving forward I will only deal with such. If it narrows my potentail market so be it. It is a huge waste of time and unfair to serious buyers when you deal with less then credible folks. I had to pass on selling an item to someone I highly regard on this forum and whom I have done business with before only to get Jerked around by a Newbie. To top it off it happened again two days later in the exact same fashion with a differnt item. No Thanks. Maybe an across the board policy change is not warranted but for me I will be changing my requirments to avoid the BS. I really enjoy this forum and it is very well run I just have concerns about this one issue. Thanks again for Listening. Mods..Thank you for the quick response GIO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheel gunner Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Speaking from the other side of the fence. I personally have a small post count due to my belief that if I have nothing constructive to add I don't post. However, I have bought a couple of things from the Classifieds here and have never had a problem with either the seller, what I purchased or the seller getting his money from me. I think the minimum posts requirement for trying to purchase an item would possibly deter a new shooter from being able to purchase what he may need to get going. What I guesss I am trying to say is that it all comes down to trusting each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIO Posted December 3, 2009 Author Share Posted December 3, 2009 Good Point Wheel Gunner. As in life, the good often suffer due to the actions of the not so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tin Can Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I still have a low post count. I have bought around half-dozen items from the board that I would not have been able to with a post count minimum. Maybe a buyer feedback would help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatland Shooter Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 (edited) I'm certain the mods would not allow this one, but I would like to see a section where we can post the names of buyers or sellers that fail to follow through. Through the years I've made various purchases from members with every one of them fulfilling their obligations. That said, with the economy in the dumpster I've become a little more wary of doing business that is not "face to face". Bill Edited December 3, 2009 by Flatland Shooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I'm certain the mods would not allow this one, but I would like to see a section where we can post the names of buyers or sellers that fail to follow through. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=71886 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomve Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 It's unfortunate that there are a few bad apples. I too have a low post count. I don't typically have much to say, but I do lurk alot and found many answers to q's I've had. Currently I'm trying to add items to increase my reloading gear. It would be a bummer if I couldn't purchase items due to a minimum count requirement. Just a thought...if someone with a low post count is interested in an item. They might add a comment regarding cross referencing their feedback on other places. eg. gunbroker or ebay, to help the seller feel more confortable with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynes_world_45 Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Speaking from the other side of the fence. I personally have a small post count due to my belief that if I have nothing constructive to add I don't post. However, I have bought a couple of things from the Classifieds here and have never had a problem with either the seller, what I purchased or the seller getting his money from me. I think the minimum posts requirement for trying to purchase an item would possibly deter a new shooter from being able to purchase what he may need to get going. What I guesss I am trying to say is that it all comes down to trusting each other. X2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Heiter Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I'm not sure how to get around people saying "I'll take it" and then backing out. It may be that they're a total @$$ hat, or it could be that their kid suddenly got sick and they have to back out because of some legit reason they don't feel like sharing w/ an anonymous guy on a forum. I can see it being an issue for a seller but just don't know how to handle it. As far as the low ball offers go, I think we could encourage the use of terms like "Or Best Offer" and "Price Non-Negotiable" to help out. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I'm certain the mods would not allow this one, but I would like to see a section where we can post the names of buyers or sellers that fail to follow through. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=71886 I'll expand on that a little. On the whole, this has been a trustworthy marketplace. Given the number of transactions, the mod team rarely hears about problem transactions. Occasionally it happens. We're pretty geographically diverse, so we often have a handle on who the participants are. We attempt to make contact with the alleged offending party, detail what we've heard from the other party, and ask for information regarding the status of the transaction. Most of the time, we're able to arrange for a favorable, though delayed outcome. Occasionally we're not able to accomplish that. All of the communication with the moderator assigned to the situation, gets posted in the admin forum. The moderating team reads it and reaches a decision in every case. If we believe that it was an innocent error leading to a delay in shipping, or if there's a plausible/verifiable hardship, or if we believe that a recurrence risk is extremely low, the member's classified privileges remain. If we determine that the member isn't someone we feel comfortable doing business with, their classified privileges may be suspended or in some cases permanently revoked. What we're not going to do is get into a he said/he said process --- so a feedback area is unlikely to happen here.... I've never participated in a Classifieds forum where members have felt comfortable mailing me items prior to receiving payment, or where I've felt comfortable doing the same. It doesn't happen for every transaction I've been involved in, but it's happened a lot more often than I expected when first joining this forum. I really like that about this place..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sperman Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I'm certain the mods would not allow this one, but I would like to see a section where we can post the names of buyers or sellers that fail to follow through. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=71886 I'll expand on that a little. On the whole, this has been a trustworthy marketplace. Given the number of transactions, the mod team rarely hears about problem transactions. Occasionally it happens. We're pretty geographically diverse, so we often have a handle on who the participants are. We attempt to make contact with the alleged offending party, detail what we've heard from the other party, and ask for information regarding the status of the transaction. Most of the time, we're able to arrange for a favorable, though delayed outcome. Occasionally we're not able to accomplish that. All of the communication with the moderator assigned to the situation, gets posted in the admin forum. The moderating team reads it and reaches a decision in every case. If we believe that it was an innocent error leading to a delay in shipping, or if there's a plausible/verifiable hardship, or if we believe that a recurrence risk is extremely low, the member's classified privileges remain. If we determine that the member isn't someone we feel comfortable doing business with, their classified privileges may be suspended or in some cases permanently revoked. What we're not going to do is get into a he said/he said process --- so a feedback area is unlikely to happen here.... I've never participated in a Classifieds forum where members have felt comfortable mailing me items prior to receiving payment, or where I've felt comfortable doing the same. It doesn't happen for every transaction I've been involved in, but it's happened a lot more often than I expected when first joining this forum. I really like that about this place..... Nick, The classified forum here is better than any other I've ever seen. I don't see a reason to fix something that isn't broken. The setup you guys have works great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leam Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I've had folks ask really low prices on things I've already discounted for the BE crowd. Does sort of turn me off; but then again, given the economy who isn't hurting a little? One other possibiilty is the person who commits and then realizes he, generally he, will have to explain said purchase to a spousal unit. The other day I was at Bobby's and he showed me a S&W .45 ACP revolver with a heavy slab side barrell. It was lust at first sight! Had Bobby not already made someone a good deal I would have had to explain why we're eating beans and rice for a month... So yeah, we all get burned. If the world were perfect, who of us would be around? Leam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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