I want to be price police

[truth]

*** mod edit ***
....something to the effect of "but B&H sells it for this much"

[dragon300zx]

Price policing is a big nono.:nono:nono:nono

[truth]

Price policing is a big nono.:nono:nono:nono
That makes no sense at all. That's a slap in the face to the entire community. Absolutely unacceptable censorship.

[DoctorIt]

Thanks dragon, I'm on it.

Truth... read the rules. We play nice in my sandbox. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it. If windoze is high, he'll figure it out by "natural selection".


now move along... nothing to see here...

[DoctorIt]

That makes no sense at all. That's a slap in the face to the entire community. Absolutely unacceptable censorship.I'll say it again, one more time, nicely: read the rules, please.

[truth]

I read the rules and they are ridiculous. Clearly written by net sellers in order to enable themselves to overcharge unkowning buyers. Anytime you prevent information from being shared it's facism. Stop being such forum nazi's and allow your community to police itself every once in a while. Humans are an amzingly self-regulating species when it comes to internet forums. I pity the n00b that get's duped in your flea market. You should be ashamed.

[Andy]

I pity the n00b that get's duped in your flea market. You should be ashamed.
Truth, read the thread of satisfied buyers and sellers. We think it's working just fine :deal

If you continue to poison the flea market, even once more, you will find yourself on vacation from Dgrin.

[dragon300zx]

Truth, if we have a problem with a person's price we take it out of the public and IM them with it to let them know. It's not censorship, it's called manners. People are free to research items on their own and it is encouraged. Windoze is a long time member and long time seller. His equipment is always in excellent shape, always as stated, he doesn't delay any steps of the process...... People choose to over pay for items on Ebay all the time. If you look around on use gear forums at pricing for equipment in this condition, etc, you will find that he is right online with the market standard.

I think you need a corona.

[DoctorIt]

self-regulating species...exactly. Isn't that what I just said? If the price is high, no one will respond and the seller will get it.

What you are doing is my job, not self regulation, so please get off your soap box.

I wrote the rules here, and as Andy stated, they have been working not just fine, but great. If you have anymore problems with how this flea market is run, send me a PM.

[truth]

I love how this place resorts to PM's for all disagreements and the immediate threat of banning a member for speaking one's mind. There have been no ad hominem attacks here. No foul language. Nothing other than a critique of the status quo. Only facists fear opposition so much they resort to stomping it out blindly. All the little duckies in a row. Quack quack.

[windoze]

Thanks dragon, I'm on it.

Truth... read the rules. We play nice in my sandbox. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it. If windoze is high, he'll figure it out by "natural selection".


now move along... nothing to see here...

Hi, how is everyone this morning?

Anyway - of course Im aware of ebay's prices but many of our overseas dgrinners dont want to deal with Ebay... I am in no rush to sell. When I sold 6 Sony (717's) they went to the Ukraine, when i sold 2 Sony (828's) they went to the UK etc...
you'd be surprised how many people from overseas will buy from a trusted seller and skip ebay....
The 20D, IMHO was a breakthrough, amazing development from Canon for the advanced amateurs and there are many people who still prefer the 20D over the 30D and the 5D. Why? Well, many people dont want to deal with picture styles (yuckkie) and dont want to lose the FOV 1.6..... I'm confident the price of the canon 20D is going to rise once the "cheapie" Ebay ones start to disappear... I'll wait and see.....


windoze

[ziggy53]

I love how this place resorts to PM's for all disagreements and the immediate threat of banning a member for speaking one's mind. There have been no ad hominem attacks here. No foul language. Nothing other than a critique of the status quo. Only facists fear opposition so much they resort to stomping it out blindly. All the little duckies in a row. Quack quack.
You claim that you commit no crime and yet, there you go calling names again. Go away, quickly, and never come back until you learn some manners.

This is a private forum, capable of setting rules of decorum. If you don't like it, ... tough, leave.

How's that for "Truth"?

ziggy53

[Harryb]

I love how this place resorts to PM's for all disagreements and the immediate threat of banning a member for speaking one's mind. There have been no ad hominem attacks here. No foul language. Nothing other than a critique of the status quo. Only facists fear opposition so much they resort to stomping it out blindly. All the little duckies in a row. Quack quack.

Time for a chill pill. Dgrin is the amiable place that it is because we don't let threads become a flame fest as is so common on other sites. You have made a suggestion and so far no one seems to like it.

If you don't like the Flea Market feel free not to use it. Throwing around terms like fascism and censorship just inflames a situation. Also its not true. You have made your "critique" and we are all informed of your position and I'm sure we all are the better for it. Time to move on.

[Richard]

srsly....you guys are a bunch of tools.....no price checking..retarded...
Interesting first post...can't wait to hear what you have to say once you have been around for a while. :wave

[Xtopherous]

Price checking should be done by the person who is thinking of buying the equipment. If you can't do your own research, then you should probably think twice before entering the world of thousand-dollar+ cameras and lenses. If someone is overpricing their equipment, they'll find out soon enough by the lack of response/interest.

You're right about humans being a self-regulating species, especially in forums; each person has only themselves to rely upon finding the best deal without having to worry about a third party telling them what is and isn't worth it. Like any sale (flea market, auction or retail) items are only worth as much as someone is willing to pay.

Regardless, I have yet to see a sale in this subforum that has gone awry. I don't think anyone is here to rip other people off.

[wxwax]

Interesting first post...can't wait to hear what you have to say once you have been around for a while. :wave
I don't think that's going to be a problem. :lol3

[Mike Lane]

I don't think that's going to be a problem. :lol3

:banned

[Vich]

Interesting posts.

I have wondered about selling boards that disallow negative feedback. One nice big happy group then some scammer takes the effort to learn the ropes.

Still, negative feedback would do little to thwart a real scammer and more to promote ugly defamation of character from bad mannered folks like TRUTH there.

I've gotten about $2000 in about 5 purchases on FM this month. One guy had low post count but 3 year member so I got a $250 item. He mailed it USPS priority mail but after a week, nada. I used PayPal so hopefully it's not a loss, and I really think it's just lost in the mail rather than foul play. I suppose if I were ripped off he would get banned, donno.

Price policing however; even a skeptic could see is silly. Prices are just too easy to research. Heck, if you can't even do a BH (or other reputable seller) lookup, how can you be expected to see if the seller is a respected one.

My new (personal) rule; don't buy from people who don't look like they would care about getting banned, and on big ticket items, only from people who have prior big-ticket sales and seem to be upstanding members.

[LittleLew]

I did enjoy this thread. You all seem very gentlemanly (or ladylike - didn't checK)

and on big ticket items, only from people who have prior big-ticket sales and seem to be upstanding members.
but this advice puzzled me. How does one sell the first few big ticket items.

[I have relatively few posts here and was going to sell my 12-24 Tokina (Nikon) but, if your advice holds, no one should buy from me.]

[Andy]

I did enjoy this thread. You all seem very gentlemanly (or ladylike - didn't checK)


but this advice puzzled me. How does one sell the first few big ticket items.

[I have relatively few posts here and was going to sell my 12-24 Tokina (Nikon) but, if your advice holds, no one should buy from me.]

Lots of ways to show a buyer you are "for real."

* willingness to speak by phone
* providing contact info, home/work, etc
* any creds or references will help
* offer a money back guarantee, if not satisfied
* use a third party escrow service if the buyer wishes.

[k2c1959]

[I have relatively few posts here and was going to sell my 12-24 Tokina (Nikon) but, if your advice holds, no one should buy from me.][/quote]

let me tell you, i hope not, everyone has to start somewhere, i have been buying/selling stuff on ebay for 5+ years now, since finding this board, i have bought almost all my stuff from here. never have i been shafted once. I actually have even been a little surprised a few times in the quality of the things i have bought. they might have well as been new...

i check the boards at least 3-4 times a day for flea market. Ok, here goes,
(shameless plug) for things that windoze has for sale.

i say post and see. most of all enjoy the site, it is awesome.

[dragon300zx]

Lots of ways to show a buyer you are "for real."

* use a third party escrow service if the buyer wishes.

I just wanna say a word about this option. There are alot, and I mean alot, of scams that work based off the 3rd party escrow. Many of them where the buyer picks the escrow service and it turns out to be a fake service and the seller looses the goods.

As with anything if you do decide to use this option, never, ever just take the buyers word on a service. Do your own research, find a reputable company that has been in business for awhile and has good reviews, and double and triple check that everything is legit.

[nrChris]

...facism....You should be ashamed.

Fascism. Two S's. If you want to point fingers and call names, at least do a spellcheck.

[Bodley]

but this advice puzzled me. How does one sell the first few big ticket items.

[I have relatively few posts here and was going to sell my 12-24 Tokina (Nikon) but, if your advice holds, no one should buy from me.]
I sold A 20D to a guy via FM. He was nervous to buy from me because of a low sell count. I called him on the phone, we talked and he felt better. He did a internet check on me and found some articles in the local newspaper which confired I was indeed located where I said and was in the profession I said I was in. He also checked my postings on other forums (including Dgrin) to see if I was involved with photography. All added credibility to me actually having a 20D to sell. I thought this guy checking me out was great.

I tell this to let you know just because you have a low sell count there are other ways buyers can check you out. There are other ways to convince buyers to buy from you.

[Bodley]

I bought some stuff from Windoze ........... Hmmmmm ........ maybe I need to check what I paid :rofl

Seriously, I checked before I bought and was pleased with the transactions. And as a side note, buying from Dgrin (or I guess any board that a person frequents enough to feel as they know the people) paying a little extra may be justified because you know what your getting from known respected sellers.

[DoctorIt]

Thanks to everyone who's chimed in and turned this into a productive thread! There's now a few tidbits of good buying advice here, and I'm pleased to see more than one very happy customer.

Far from fascist (did I get that right, Chris? :D), we mods do in fact listen to you, and between us all, I think we've glammed some of the best things from other forums and applied them here.

I'm always glad to hear any feedback concerning our flea market. :thumb

[Xtopherous]

I did enjoy this thread. You all seem very gentlemanly (or ladylike - didn't checK)


but this advice puzzled me. How does one sell the first few big ticket items.

[I have relatively few posts here and was going to sell my 12-24 Tokina (Nikon) but, if your advice holds, no one should buy from me.]
For those of us with eBay accounts, showing our feedback on there may ease the mind of the buyer/seller as well. (I've never bought/sold on DG, but my eBay rating is 61 w/100% pos. feedback)

[Vich]

I did enjoy this thread. You all seem very gentlemanly (or ladylike - didn't checK)


but this advice puzzled me. How does one sell the first few big ticket items.

[I have relatively few posts here and was going to sell my 12-24 Tokina (Nikon) but, if your advice holds, no one should buy from me.]Well, I was talking about MY $1000. A lot of people are less cautious than I. Or like Andy says, show an effort and build a history. Also; a long time poster who's demonstrated great heart would probably gain my trust too. Paypal isn't so expensive either.

My first big ticket sale happened to be a local. We met and I got CASH.

In fact, tomorrow I happen to be meeting a guy with $970 CASH for a 3 month old 35L (yeee ha!).

I got a $1000 300 f4.0L IS from a 2 week old FMer with only about 30 posts. However he had an EBAY account with 300 postive (near 100%) positive feedback with no mutual withdrawals. I sent him an EMAIL on EBAY and asked him to respond (to verify it was him). Got it perfectly packed 4 days later. Saved about $120, however I've seen several for $900 since then (one 6 months old).

[Vich]

Oh yea, My item showed up in the mail today. Took 5 days for USPS priority mail.

I think UPS (or something with tracking) is better for such deals. If it were to be lost in the mail, finger pointing (maybe at you) might be unjustified slander. Nice to get that tracking EMAIL the next day rather than nothing for a week as you begin to wonder.

[Ric Grupe]

Truth, read the thread of satisfied buyers and sellers. We think it's working just fine :deal

If you continue to poison the flea market, even once more, you will find yourself on vacation from Dgrin.

:thumb

[Manfr3d]

Humans are an amzingly self-regulating species when it comes to internet forums. I pity the n00b that get's duped in your flea market. You should be ashamed.

Looks like self regulation has already taken place, not to your benefit :thumb

[Ric Grupe]

I bought some stuff from Windoze ........... Hmmmmm ........ maybe I need to check what I paid :rofl

Seriously, I checked before I bought and was pleased with the transactions. And as a side note, buying from Dgrin (or I guess any board that a person frequents enough to feel as they know the people) paying a little extra may be justified because you know what your getting from known respected sellers.

I agree!

No one that frequents this forum would want to tarnish their name by sticking it to another member; much less someone who has been around as long as Troy has.

[David_S85]

I agree!

No one that frequents this forum would want to tarnish their name by sticking it to another member; much less someone who has been around as long as Troy has.

:thumb

So true, Ric. One of the benefits of a community such as ours here. The local meetups and shootouts also help to strengthen the support and trust between one another. And after getting to know a couple dozen Dgrinners at the May shootout, I wouldn't hesitate to deal with any of them for a purchase, sale or trade.

[mr peas]

Can somebody put me up to speed on what just happened? Who did what now? :dunno

[wxwax]

Can somebody put me up to speed on what just happened? Who did what now? :dunno
Someone was price policing here. We discourage it.

[OlgaJ]

I've been the recipient of such price police messages in 3 of the last 5 items that I have posted for sale.

The motivation of some folks has been to be helpful to me as the seller. Their desired message is really "if you want to sell faster, you may have to lower the price." But what they are missing in the process of trying to be helpful is what my motivation, as a seller, is.

They may not understand that one of my motivations may be that I'm just "feeling the market." They may not understand that if I can get a certain price, I'm interested in selling, otherwise I'm not interested in selling.

What they also do not understand is that as a buyer I am willing to pay a small premium to someone I know and trust rather than be looking for the lowest price.

Their biggest mistake is to completely ignore the true market force of supply and demand. If I'm overpricing an item, it is I that does not get the sale. Let me learn from my own actions or inactions.

It's not about ripping anyone off. I doubt that anyone shopping in these forums is clueless about prices.

And about those 3 price policed items? Two sold right away.

Olga

[Vich]

Also; the person doing the price policing was ill mannered (to put it mildly). For sure; price policing in a PM format shouldn't be a problem, it's the placement on your thread that acts like a petitioner at your store-front. Sort of kills the whole sale.

Even questions (from non buyers) can be counter productive. For example; I was selling a 550EX (recently discontinued), had a buyer (no payment yet), then someone starts asking about the differences with the 580EX. Not exactly helpful salesmanship to my thread, and since I already had a buyer, why ask? Let them go to the lighting thread and ask that question. The buyer should be aware of the difference but that post and subsequent list of benifits could make my buyer change his mind.

Granted, this is a fine line. Does that sound reasonable? I guess if it's not sold yet, it's better to lay everything out and answer all questions publicly, but after a buyer is established, then why post questions like that?


Point being; these forums were not put here to rope in suckers. Up-front, honest, forthcoming, and all's fair-n-square sales is what makes it all work. If someone's buying imports and failing to disclose it, or other misleading practices, then we should police them. The price, in and of itself, should not (be policed).