View Full Version : Ethics and Common Sense in the Buy/Sell Forum
EmilyB
10-01-2005, 04:51 AM
I must be getting old.... :lol: :neutral:
However, I really do not understand why people say "I will take it" and then not follow through.
I guess I am a handshake kind of person, but am flatly annoyed. There are a number of people I will NOT deal with again, and believe me other people will know who you are.
Thank you for letting me vent.
:mrgreen:
Chin_Lee
10-01-2005, 06:16 AM
If only we can establish a paypal money down system for the items the buyer has claimed..... we could eliminate the premature deficiencies :cool:
albert_dao
10-01-2005, 06:39 AM
What about PM's?
we could eliminate the premature deficiencies :cool:
What you talking 'bout Willis..?? :razz:
.
.
.
.
Not sure I understand what you mean Chin.. :confused:
EmilyB
10-01-2005, 06:51 AM
What about PM's?
No worries Albert, I'm talking about people who commit to larger purchases like hardware and I post it as sold, and they still don't even take the time to tell me they changed their mind until I want the money.
reeferaddict
10-01-2005, 10:55 AM
It would be nice to be able to have a buyer/seller rating system, though even in my case there was one instance that I didn't follow through with a purchase. But that was due to a family emergency and I never made a solid commitment. Things happen sometimes... I'd say the best approach would be to not post "sold" until you have the scratch in hand... that would make people get it to you quicker too I would think...
trilinearmipmap
10-01-2005, 07:03 PM
I have had two experiences where people said they would take things, I brought the item down to Vancouver for them, then they backed out.
On the other hand I have had several excellent buy/sell experiences.
titus
10-02-2005, 02:08 AM
Hello,
A buyer/seller rating system? Um....
Titus
Skimmerking
10-02-2005, 02:23 PM
yeah that sounds really good to have ..
mike
StirCrazy
10-02-2005, 03:30 PM
yeah that sounds really good to have ..
mike
actualy it sounds like another way for the Mods to get overworked by babysitting to me.
Steve
Funky_Fish14
10-02-2005, 03:59 PM
If someone had a grudge against another person, they could vote someone down and wreck their reputation, and also, it would be ALOT of work for Titus!
Chris
Great idea but I think it would/could turn out like the vendor rating. One bad experience - one side of the story. I know that I have vendors that I just let my $ do the talking - won't deal with them again except as a last resort.
Richer
10-02-2005, 04:56 PM
A buyer/seller rating would be nice in the sense that people can warn others about bad sellers/buyers (and do I know a few :neutral: ), but like the others, I don't think it'd be a good idea for the mods or the general mood of the forum. It'll probably be ok in the beginning, but I'm sure it won't be long before it turns into a flame war forum http://www.telusplanet.net/public/metroopt/blowup.gif
-Rich
Bob I
10-02-2005, 07:03 PM
I have sold and bought a lot of things from the "buy and sell" forum, and found that it is best not to mark anything sold until the cash is in hand.
I once put a fish up for sale, and the potential buyer sent me a PM saying he was coming to pick it up. Another potential buyer sent a PM 15 minutes after the first saying he could come at 8:30 PM to pick it up.
When I told the second buyer he should pick it up right away as there was another buyer he became angry and said I should not do that because it was not ethical.
The outcome of the story is that the fish is still here because the first buyer did not show. The second buyer won't talk to me any more.
All this because something was considered "sold" before the money was in hand. :sad:
Hopefully, there will be a custom Mod one day for this similar to the Trader Ratings Mod for VBulletin.
Trader Ratings Mod:
http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=65730
Examples:
http://forums.pimprig.com/traderratings.php
http://forums.pimprig.com/traderratings.php?u=27
For a FREE buy and sell function I think it's fine how it is.
rusty
10-03-2005, 12:59 AM
acty it sounds like another way for the Mods to get overworked by babysitting to meual
If someone had a grudge against another person, they could vote someone down and wreck their reputation, and also, it would be ALOT of work for Titus!
I agree with both these comments
andresont
10-03-2005, 02:25 AM
I must be getting old.... :lol: :neutral:
However, I really do not understand why people say "I will take it" and then not follow through.
I guess I am a handshake kind of person, but am flatly annoyed. There are a number of people I will NOT deal with again, and believe me other people will know who you are.
Thank you for letting me vent.
:mrgreen:
I am with you on this one , when i was selling my 108 reef i just told people that i will not hold items unless i have a deposit, may be a little harsh but works :biggrin:
Richer
10-03-2005, 03:29 AM
I've learned my lesson selling/buying stuff on this forum... get your cash first before sending anything out. If you want something that badly, best to send some sort of a deposit (as mentioned before) or you'll get burned.
-Rich
BCWolfen
10-03-2005, 03:48 AM
With most banks now doing email money transfers it should be quite feasible to have cash in hand within 1 hour of accepting a buyers proposal. Its so simple to set up and use. Even better than paypal.
Funky_Fish14
10-03-2005, 03:58 AM
That is quite true. Everyone should be using that, seeing as its so convinient!
Chris
Bob I
10-03-2005, 04:14 AM
I did just that. Martym offered some stuff for sale, and I transferred the money his way for a light fixture I wanted. The only possible problem is that you are trusting someone to send you stuff after you have sent the funds. I have never had a problem trusting my fellow reefers though. They have always come through. :biggrin:
Griffin
10-04-2005, 05:51 AM
bcaquaria has a section for ratings = but i am sure most of you have seen it. Seems to work
Cheers
Rich
For a FREE buy and sell function I think it's fine how it is.
Thank-you. :smile:
I've learned my lesson selling/buying stuff on this forum... get your cash first before sending anything out. If you want something that badly, best to send some sort of a deposit (as mentioned before) or you'll get burned.
-Rich
Why does the buyer always need be on the hook. I agree with Bob,s post on that. Something like PayPall would be the best option.
I have purchased several large items from US aquarists. Always a mutual agreement. Many have eben sent the equipment first, so I can send money for shipping.
Seems here, "money first", even with some I know well. Where the heck are the buyers rights? :smile:
Still say if the aquarists know each other from the boards, then mutual respect should be enough, {appears its not from some reports here}, otherwise PalPal or something similar protects both parties.
Invigor
10-04-2005, 02:14 PM
*shrug*
that's how it works for retailers, so I guess that's how it goes.
I've also learned to use shipping with tracking and signature on arrival. :evil: Without those, it's difficult to know if it actually got there.
I've been asked before to ship the item first and then he'll pay me after he receives the item. It was for a $10 item. Anyhow I agreed to it. If the item was more expensive, I probably wouldn't have agreed.
Bob I
10-04-2005, 04:14 PM
I've been asked before to ship the item first and then he'll pay me after he receives the item. It was for a $10 item. Anyhow I agreed to it. If the item was more expensive, I probably wouldn't have agreed.
The potential always exists for either party to get burned. However, as fellow reefers it is unlikely to happen. I have just bought a light from a reefer in BC. He asked for the money up front. I had no problem with that, so I transferred $65.00 by Interac. He then shipped the item, and asked for $20.00 for shipping. I sent that too :eek: I checked the tracking number, and know the package is in the mail. I still have not yet seen what I paid for, but I trust the seller, even though we have never met. :rolleyes:
I have done the same thing with other members of this board, and have as yet to be burned. :onfire:
shipping is one issue local is another. you have 3 diffrent people pm you for the item and you arrange something with the first person and they never show up, you are now left with the dilema of how long do you hold it for them and are they even still entitled to it. it wastes the sellers time when they book time off from doing things with their family only to have someone never show up or have the decency to call. it would be nice if there was a list of people who have done this so you can weed them out when next time you list an item.
Why does the buyer always need be on the hook. I agree with Bob,s post on that. Something like PayPall would be the best option.
I have purchased several large items from US aquarists. Always a mutual agreement. Many have eben sent the equipment first, so I can send money for shipping.
Seems here, "money first", even with some I know well. Where the heck are the buyers rights? :smile:
I think it is standard etiquette to pay for an item before receiving it. That's the expected flow on EBAY unless you pay for an Escrow service.
http://pages.ebay.com/help/newtoebay/questions/sell-item.html
Bob I
10-04-2005, 07:15 PM
shipping is one issue local is another. you have 3 diffrent people pm you for the item and you arrange something with the first person and they never show up, you are now left with the dilema of how long do you hold it for them and are they even still entitled to it. it wastes the sellers time when they book time off from doing things with their family only to have someone never show up or have the decency to call. it would be nice if there was a list of people who have done this so you can weed them out when next time you list an item.
Exactly right. When I was selling stuff, and had time constraints the exact thing happened to me. Because of it someone won't talk to me anymore. He felt I should hold the item for him when another person said he was coming. On top of that the person who said he was on his way never showed up. That same person is still posting saying he wants to buy things. :mad:
Richer
10-04-2005, 11:26 PM
Why does the buyer always need be on the hook. I agree with Bob,s post on that. Something like PayPall would be the best option.
I have purchased several large items from US aquarists. Always a mutual agreement. Many have eben sent the equipment first, so I can send money for shipping.
Seems here, "money first", even with some I know well. Where the heck are the buyers rights? :smile:
Still say if the aquarists know each other from the boards, then mutual respect should be enough, {appears its not from some reports here}, otherwise PalPal or something similar protects both parties.
Don't get me wrong, before I got burned, I always shipped things out first and just asked the person to send me a cheque to the parcel's return address. It worked for me on several occasions, until recently... so right now, I'm out on a piece of equipment and on a signicant amount of money. Makes you think twice before shipping out in advance ever again.
Its too bad I can't post anything up without the risk of turning the subject into a flame war with me getting banned in the end... I understand this person does most of his business via PMs and has on a few occasions that I've heard of done some funny things.
-Rich
Bob I
10-04-2005, 11:31 PM
It is a catch 22 though is it not. :question: The reverse could happen ie. the seller keeps your money and sends nothing back, or worse sends you misrepresented crap. :eek: It is all based on trust, and that will eventually kick somebody is the teeth. :sad:
Bob I
10-05-2005, 04:43 PM
Just one more thing. I know there will probably not be a rating system coming soon, and thus I cannot mention a name. :sad: However, kudos to M.McM from Surrey, who is selling all his stuff. I asked him to send me his 20" Coralife Aqualight at an agreed on price. He asked for an additional $20.00 for shipping, which I promptly transferred to him :mrgreen:
To make a long story short. The light arrived today, and I noticed the shipping cost him $25.64, so he swallowed the additional $5.64 :eek:
In addition the plastic lens was broken in a couple of places, but he thoughtfully included a new lens. Also included was a set of legs for the fixture. :exclaim:
My thanks for a topnotch job. :onfire:
trilinearmipmap
10-05-2005, 09:28 PM
Maybe we need to append a statement at the end of buy and sell listings for example "sold to so and so, thanks for a prompt transaction" or "bought from so and so, arrived in good condition". People could get feedback on results of sales this way.
adidas
10-07-2005, 03:03 AM
I've never been burned, and whenever I buy from a canreefer I always transfer the money right away.
If I was ever burned for a large sum of money, I would surely be posting about it to warn other members - Mostly everyone here is great though, and I don't see that happening :biggrin:
Johnny Reefer
10-11-2005, 02:34 PM
I lost a sale once on some Fluval 403 filter parts.
No big deal, cuz it was a small $10 sale.
Same thing, though. The person said they'd come by and then they never did.
Never heard from them again.
So what's the deal?
Were they really interested, or just imagining they were?:confused:
If they were really interested, you'd think they'd call and arrange another time.
So why the no show?
Call me crazy, but I have it in my head that some people are afraid, for whatever reason, to follow through. Maybe they have second thoughts about revealing a face to a name, thus blowing their anonymity.
Or maybe they are afraid of getting their head bitten off. (My avatar may look like I'm into head biting, but believe me, I'm not). :lol:
As for the ethical dilemma of juggling two or more interested parties at the same time.....I haven't posted enough exciting things for sale, so far, to have to face that....yet.
Not sure what I'd do, in that case, but I like to think that I would honor the first person and if they jammed, then contact the next in line, advising that the item was still available.
If the sale was a total loss, then swallow it, make a note of who it was that jammed (personal blacklist) and keep posting the item. Eventually, somone will come through.
Also, I totally agree with never announcing something as sold until the cash is in the hand.
Cheers,
Gizmo
10-11-2005, 04:49 PM
I've have never had a problem dealing with canreefers. :biggrin:
Simple cure: Deal locally, and in cash. No prob.
Chaloupa
11-08-2005, 03:12 AM
I agree that if a seller agrees to a sale, and the buyer agrees to a buy...then we should post that the item is sold and to whom. Yes, once that is established lets ask for deposits...and such...BUT also to list that you will be taking a waiting list if the item sale doesn't work out, so the seller has someone as back up...the buyer has paid a deposit and you give them a reasonable time limit to get the purchase. This is supposed to be fun...not a business, but it is risky.
You get your hopes up as a buyer that you are getting something that you may have been waiting for and then you don't get it....or you are trying to sell something and count on the sale and it falls through...I just had my first disappointment working on a purchase with a Canreefer for something that I have been trying to get for many months....BUT I have met many many really nice people that I have purchased or traded stuff with and had it work out. Thanks to all the good people out there....
I wish it could all be local...but when you live somewhere that has only 3 other people with salt water tanks.....it makes it tough! And to trade stuff with others is so fun...at least it will be when I have something to trade! :biggrin:
kellehar
11-08-2005, 04:45 AM
Being a buyer and a seller on this forum I also have never had that bad of a time dealing with other members. I find that most canreefers will go out of their way to make sure you get just what you need. Selling I have had some no shows but always get a call or pm explaining why.I have even had some members send me the equipment before recieveing payment (I.E) my lighting to help me in a crisis. In my opinion there is members, then there are the more regular members which I would trust any day of the week to give them anything they needed that I was selling without cash in hand. We may not be everyday friends or even know what each other look like. But this site is somthing we all use everyday and look forward to. In turn would not want to risk being black listed over some light or a $20 powerhead. This just my opinion and hope that some of you feel the same. to the 99% of you canreefers good job for keeping it honest between everyday strangers
Justin
KrazyKuch
11-08-2005, 05:38 PM
Yeah sure it is annoying when someone says they want it but then turn around and never get it or never pm back and what not....
But what angers me most is when you say your gonna buy something from someone and make arrangements to pick it up, and when you go to pick it up they tell you that they sold it to someone else...
kellehar
11-08-2005, 06:07 PM
I dont blame you. thats just a waste of your time,effort and gas.
Couldn't agree more with your original post Justin :mrgreen:
Yeah sure it is annoying when someone says they want it but then turn around and never get it or never pm back and what not....I agree, Kevin. That is annoying.
vBulletin® v3.7.3, Copyright ©2000-2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.