Attention: Suspicious Activity in Buy & Sell: Lothe1961 and various aliases

[demiro]

I like the original receipt idea, and I used to ask for them, but it seems to be not so popular.

I've always thought that having a nominal fee of $1, for example, and requiring it to be paid with a credit card to join a buy/sell forum would help keep scammers away, as it would provide identity verification. But if I were in Amin's shoes I don't think I'd want that responsibility, as he could quickly become a full-time buy and sell babysitter.

 

[Pecos]

I've bought and sold lots of things on eBay over the years, but in the last several there have been more and more glitches, hassles, and unpleasant people with whom to deal - especially when selling. So it's been a breath of fresh air to buy or sell in a community such as this. I appreciate Amin's monitoring the forum activity.

 

[Nuteshack]

Careful... We already have too many rules.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[RoadTraveler]

The problem with that is you get people making junk posts in order to raise their post count to the point that they can use the buy/sell, and never posting again. One nice part about this is the level of quality and courtesy in the posts here. Not saying your idea wouldn't be helpful, just presenting the other side of the argument that I have seen in other forums.

I agree with everything you said...My thinking about 'junk' posts is that it takes effort and it's not very difficult to determine if a new member's first few posts show a legitimate interest to join-in, or if they are almost meaningless little comments.

 

[vincechu]

Apologies that I've not been as active on here (or on SC) as I would have liked, the last few years of my life have been very busy and interesting. I've always loved the community here and how there is a good sense of trust between members in general. Most recently I have been selling most of my m43 gear here on the forums, and all of the members (buyers) I have met have been a complete pleasure to do business with.

Not sure if it is the right place, but here are my personal tips:

For sellers, I would suggest accepting Paypal payment (fees included or not) for the buyers piece of mind and describing things as openly and honestly as you can and take/provide photos - if you don't describe things accurately this will hurt your rep and make it hard for you to sell in future. Finally taking up-to-date photos of your items and writing your username and the date on the photos of your items, so that they cannot be cropped out easily like this (apologies it isn't a m43 item):

View attachment 344185
P1050097 by VinceChu89, on Flickr

For buyers, as many other have said use common sense - if it sounds too good to be true it often is. Take everyone opportunity to ask questions and (my personal fav) ask the seller to take a picture of a different part of the lens or a different angle of it, or to write a handwritten message behind the lens like in the photo I have provided above - a genuine seller who wants to sell should be more than happy to do this. Also ask about Paypal and make sure it is confirmed/verified - this might sound ironic coming from me as I don't have my own Paypal but use my brother's verfied/confirmed account. Finally, don't get overcome by temptation, especially those like me who have GAS!

PS Thanks Amin for watching out for the community,

Vince (hopefully will be on SC more)

 

[demiro]

...

For buyers, as many other have said use common sense - if it sounds too good to be true it often is. Take everyone opportunity to ask questions and (my personal fav) ask the seller to take a picture of a different part of the lens or a different angle of it, or to write a handwritten message behind the lens like in the photo I have provided above - a genuine seller who wants to sell should be more than happy to do this. ...

I have no issue with the extra picture request, but please only do it after you have decided you want to buy. I've jumped through some hoops for alleged buyers recently thinking that a deal was basically done only to have them disappear or otherwise blow it off. It is not cool to waste peoples' time with nonsense. And it ultimately will make sellers a bit harder to deal with.

 

[Amin]

I'm often too lazy to take pics. If I say it's perfect condition and I've got great, verifiable feedback on 4 or more sites (Ebay, FM. here, DPI, elsewhere), then I don't think I should have to post pics at all, much less do extra ones for someone who may or may not want to buy the thing. Of course, someone can feel free to pass on my stuff because of this unwillingness, but I'd rather sell cheaper than put a lot of time and effort into selling for slightly higher.

My point is that not all honest/genuine sellers are willing to do the extra pics, answer a bunch of questions, etc.

 

[Nuteshack]

There u go

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[vincechu]

That's true Amin, I guess it depends on the individual Seller. For example you've got an excellent reputation online, whereas I have a relatively small online selling footprint (the only feedback I have online is here) so a person like me will most likely have to share more info/pics to help honest buyers get over their worries.

Demiro, I've also had to deal with time wasters (just a few thankfully), the problem is it's hard to tell honest buyers from time-wasters. Though in my experience honest buyers normally work with you to complete the deal in just a few messages.

 

[Ulfric M Douglas]

My point is that not all honest/genuine sellers are willing to do the extra pics, answer a bunch of questions, etc.

But they should be, provided the item isn't just some little card or cleaning cloth.

Vince's example picture is excellent.

 

[moccaman]

Having a perfect reputation on Ebay etc guarantees nothing, my experience is the vast majority of users dont even know how much the fees will be when they sell something, let alone work out how to read through someones feedback, look at dates and how long you have been a member etc in order to gauge your reliability! I often see items go for much less than usual because the seller has put up crappy photos or none at all, most people wont trust this situation and often goods are not as described, reputation or not.

 

[Joon525]

But they should be, provided the item isn't just some little card or cleaning cloth.

Vince's example picture is excellent.

The very fact that this is a forum devoted to photography makes the lack of pictures in a "for sale" thread ironic.

• I don't get all bent out of shape when people don't post pictures in a "for sale" thread but if I want the item I'll ask them for one. If they provide one then cool, if not then I move on or weigh the possible consequences if I do commit.
• "For sale" threads with pictures ALREADY included get my attention 10 times more than threads without them.

 

[demiro]

I've purchased items from sellers with good reps with no pictures, though to me it does make sense to include them. What really does not make sense though is new members with a few posts selling something with no pics and often scant details. I ignore those posts, because even if the person is not a scammer I really wonder how engaged they will be in the sale process if they have taken such little effort to try and sell something.

One thing I would like to see is a bit of history about an item. Are you the original owner; how long have you owned; etc. I notice more and more "flippers" lately. I don't have anything against that, for the most part, but I'd like to know if I am buying a lens that a seller bought new and used for a year vs a lens that someone bought on Craigslist, tried it out for 5 minutes, and is selling it. Just a thought...

 

[RoadTraveler]

snip...
One thing I would like to see is a bit of history about an item. Are you the original owner; how long have you owned; etc. I notice more and more "flippers" lately. I don't have anything against that, for the most part, but I'd like to know if I am buying a lens that a seller bought new and used for a year vs a lens that someone bought on Craigslist, tried it out for 5 minutes, and is selling it. Just a thought...

X2!