Market Feedback Healthy market sections

[rakesh_ic]

Hi All,

Market section is one of the most volatile and probably the most risky sections on any forum that rely on the users trust and feedback on the forum. As we do not have any kind of control over a possible fraud, we are to be extremely careful while dealing with people whom you are not familiar with and cross check on the genuinty.

Having understood the risks involved and to make it a healthy trust based trades, the forums and the mods have taken effort to formulate and design a set of market rules that will help govern the whole of the process and reduce some part of the risks.
But having said so, the mods are just another ordinary forum users like all of us and all they will be able to help out is still limited to the forum. Besides, the community as a whole itself has come to aid for many of us in case of a mishap by going the extra mile to help the needy with some physical inquiries and arrangements.

As a TE member, we all need to respect these base rules and guidelines for a smoother deals. But unfortunately, we have been ignoring the basic market ettiquetes at numerous occassions and end up getting our posts/threads deleted and end up on scanners.

In the current times there are couple of burning issues of different magnitudes being noticed accross the market sections. The list is below -

1) Following/Reading through the guidelines before posting a thread

We still find so many FS threads posted without proper pics as per the guidelines. There have been umpteen cases where these posts end up being not corrected inspite of giving required time to the OP and the threads get deleted. Most of the threads deleted this way doesnt showup again which can be taken as a not so genuine sale.

2) Moral policing/bullying in the FS threads on pricing/sellers integrity/source of purchase

We as a TEians are required to be cautious while dealing with the trades in market. But that doesnt mean that we can be a moral police in all the FS threads we find and try imposing a certain pricing that we think is fair.
As this is still a market, the seller has every right to put a price for his product. There is nothing wrong in someone expecting a profit out of his sale. Also, there is no need for the seller to disclose his source of purchase or the price he got it for.
If anyone want to help the seller on the pricing, he or she can put a post comparing the price with a new one with the link of the product price supporting his statement. This may not be relevant for used products most of the times though.

3) Debates in FS thread

Every now and then there are flame wars that happens in many of the FS thread against the buyer/seller and often end up attracting others to add their cents to it causing a debate which is uncalled for. If we think there is some problem with the sale, feel free to express it through PM instead of starting a war in the FS threads. And if you have problem with the deal itself, market feedback section is here for that.

These are some of my observations. I would like to see more contributions to the list and may be atleast some of us mend our ways to make the sale threads better and make it easy for all of us.

Please use this an open thread to discuss any challenges that you are facing in your sale threads and also on things that you need clarifications on.

 

[iPwnz]

I'm against this "there is no need for the seller to disclose his source of purchase." To make the sale threads more transparent sellers must give proper details.
And yes one of my recent source post telling a seller to give proper details was deleted. "How does it concern you the source of the sellers purchase?" Seriously?
What if i sell something which i bought from another country and say it has warranty? Just because it has no warranty doesn't mean seller should hide the source. Especially because that item being second-hand, previously owned by another person. And I'm a aware that it has no warranty.
Mods please don't delete post just because you can. You guys should be the one asking for proper details in the first place instead of letting them do whatever they like. And honestly i'm seriously beginning to think that you people are against my posts here. I still havent forgotten my other thread which you guys locked.

 

[rakesh_ic]

I'm against this "there is no need for the seller to disclose his source of purchase." To make the sale threads more transparent sellers must give proper details.
And yes one of my recent source telling a seller to give proper details was deleted. "How does it concern you the source of the sellers purchase?" Seriously?
What if i sell something which i bought from another country and say it has warranty? Just because it has no warranty doesn't mean seller should hide the source. Especially because that item being second-hand, previously owned by another person. And I'm a aware that it has no warranty.
Mods please don't delete post just because you can. You guys should be the one asking for proper details in the first place instead of letting them do whatever they like. And honestly i'm seriously beginning to think that you people are against my posts here. I still havent forgotten my other thread which you guys locked.

Thanks for bringing this up for a discussion.

Let me first try to answer your concern here and then will get back to the post being deleted.
Your example of warranty being hidden is a valid point. But does the seller have a choice of hiding the warranty details? Nope, because warranty details are mandatory for the seller to disclose while creating a FS thread.
Now how does it concern you as a buyer if the seller has bought his item from abroad/another seller/friend/uncle/road side/etc?? Dont you think the item that you paid for and purchased as a second hand is rightfully yours to own and to sell rather than the first hand purchaser (of whom you have to book keep for no reason)? What is the need for someone to disclose his source of purchase and the amount that he has paid for it when he is opting to sell the item??
Please give me a valid point to discuss on the need to have the seller giving you his purchase details so that we can do the needful to address the concerns.

Regarding your post that got deleted, as we think that disclosing the purchase information isnt necessary unless an interested buyer demands for it through PM route, there is no need to keep a post that isnt helping the seller or the buyer and as you arent either of the parties.

It has been notified many a times through different discussions and through this thread itself to people who have been moral policing in the FS threads.

 

[iPwnz]

Please give me a valid point to discuss on for the need to have the seller giving you his purchase details so that we can do the needful to address the concerns.

Product condition and period of use dude. The condition will never be the same if its a used item. And seller can forget or might intentionally not reveal something (anything, if any) about the case.
I once sold something (out of many things) which was working at the time i created the sale thread. but buyer didnt test it and i never got to know on what condition he got the item. He only told me months (?) later that it was not working. But since it has long passed the testing warranty I didn't refund/replace it. It was never my intention of selling a non-working item. And i would have happily replaced it had i known it earlier but i got to know of it a little too late and buyer didn't mind either. We never exchanged feedbacks for it (i dont ask for nor need feedback if buyer has no complaint).
Anyway my main concern is transparency in the market section. That's all.

 

[rakesh_ic]

Product condition and period of use dude. The condition will never be the same if its a used item. And seller can forget or might intentionally not reveal something (anything, if any) about the case.
I once sold something (out of many things) which was working at the time i created the sale thread. but buyer didnt test it and i never got to know on what condition he got the item. He only told me months (?) later that it was not working. But since it has long passed the testing warranty I didn't refund/replace it. It was never my intention of selling a non-working item. And i would have happily replaced it had i known it earlier but i got to know of it a little too late and buyer didn't mind either. We never exchanged feedbacks for it (i dont ask for nor need feedback if buyer has no complaint).
Anyway my main concern is transparency in the market section. That's all.

As I said earlier, if you think that the item is older than quoted, you (as a buyer) can still check with the seller for more information. But that doesnt mean that the seller has to be mandated to do the same in the first place.
Also, an item can go kaput anytime irrespective of its age though age might aggrevate the chances. However, if an item is under warranty, there is no point knowing the age of the item when u already have the warranty information. If it is out of warranty, as a buyer, you can still check and confirm on the age of the item.

Having said all this, age of an item is different from source of purchase. All you need to ask the seller is on how old the item is and not where and how did he purchase it.

Transparency on information that are mandated are still in place. The more information you look for is subjective and can very well be entertained by the seller on request. We arent against anyone posting full information but we cannot mandate or force it on someone.

 

[Crazy_Eddy]

Product condition and period of use dude. The condition will never be the same if its a used item.

Aren't the pics a better indication of product condition?

 

[m-jeri]

Product condition and period of use dude. The condition will never be the same if its a used item. And seller can forget or might intentionally not reveal something (anything, if any) about the case.
I once sold something (out of many things) which was working at the time i created the sale thread. but buyer didnt test it and i never got to know on what condition he got the item. He only told me months (?) later that it was not working. But since it has long passed the testing warranty I didn't refund/replace it. It was never my intention of selling a non-working item. And i would have happily replaced it had i known it earlier but i got to know of it a little too late and buyer didn't mind either. We never exchanged feedbacks for it (i dont ask for nor need feedback if buyer has no complaint).
Anyway my main concern is transparency in the market section. That's all.

Don't think of this as bullying please.

How does any of what you just said can be verified by the seller saying the source of purchase?. This is like Car Ads saying Doctor Owned. What does it even mean? Doctors get special driving license? They have special rules on road? Or do ALL DOCTORS take care of their car like a baby?

EDIT/RANT: Now that I re-read your comment, the ONLY reason for the source of the product is to see the ACTUAL price the seller have bought it.

PRELUDE to the RANT: This is not just pointing to you. I been member of few forums for last 14 or 15 years. From my feeble and below average experience I am typing all this. I am wrong if anyone thinks I am wrong. I am correct as far as I am concerned. And I am saying this as a normal member. Rakesh does awesome job as mod. He is the shot caller. My words mean nothing.

If the seller wants and wishes he can produce the source. There is no written rule anywhere on this planet or history of mankind that a sale is for loss. And please, don't say that its the "spirit" of the forum to sell it at lower price. I am sure, no public or private forum is for that. It all depends on the demand of the item, ethics of members and good will to others. Here most times, the "spirit" of the forum translates to peer pressure or bullying the seller to reduce the price. Before doing that everyone please understand seller is also a average joe earning monthly salary just like you. He is just offloading his personal item that he no longer uses. Nobody in this forum is THAT stinking rich, apart from few. If someone opens a sale thread, he wants money. He did not do that for charity. Or else, he can open a thread in General section for give away. And the amount he ask is up to seller only. If the buyer can point out a better valid source for a price, its upto the seller to "match" it. That should be the spirit of the forum. Fair to both seller and buyer. If you find the price too much, please excuse yourself from the deal. If the seller is no finding a buyer, he may reduce the price. Its not any forum members duty to reduce the price.

Ofcourse, if the seller is listing his used item in a absurd price like more than new one. One should use the forum spirit to "PM" him and politely point him his mistake. No genuine seller will be rude to you. But most time it will be a post in his thread "Yo, check this out <link> ". This is thread crapping. We Indians are touchy when it comes to money, so take it in a lighter sense. The poster maybe a kid just browsing during his commute. And this maybe the easier for him. And Here, people will say "what if someone actually buys for that price?". I mean, have you ever seen/heard that incident. Please show me that unicorn.

Being polite and asking nicely via PM is a wonderful way to do things in market section. Or at least, please think next time you go to a store to buy things, if you try to pressure the seller what happens. If someone think that's not the same. Then they are just wrong. In forums, we must be more respectful to others. That should be the forum spirit.

All said and done, there are "certain" members who uses forums for selling again and again. For profit. Their M.O. is buying for low, bulk from outside and selling it for higher price here. Mod's are very well aware of them. And they, are to be treated differently. Members should be wary of them. and Notify the staff if you have enough valid proof. There are genuine members who sell for a fair price here. I just know only one though.