Buy and Sell section rules update

[Overread20]

Please be aware that we have recently updated the rules for this section and the following requirement has been

3) All to sell ads must come with at least one photo of each product being sold. This photo must be taken by the seller and must be of the actual item being solid. Anyone caught using product photos from news/retail/other sources will have their ad removed and may well be banned from the site.

We would also advise, but do not require, that users put their user name and the date on a slip of paper in the photo to help prove authenticity.

It is our intent and hope that this will help avoid and reduce some attempts to scam users of the forums.

 

[Designer]

I'm curious about how writing the date (some date?) on a slip of paper would aid in avoiding or reducing scams?

 

[sscarmack]

^^^I'm curious also, I don't see how that prevents anything. Anyone can write anything on a piece of paper, its not like your taking their driving license or something. But I'm curious also

 

[pthrift]

Its to try to prove you own it. Several of the forums I am on require username & date on first post of for sale thread. The idea is it's as much proof as you can offer that you own the item.


I've also seen a 10 or 25 or even 50 post minimum before you cab post a fs thread

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4. probably at work.

 

[pixmedic3 3]

the theory is this....
if someone writes their forum name and/or date on a piece of paper and photographs it with the item(s) they are selling, it shows that they actually have the products in hand and didn't just use someone elses pictures from other ebay ads or something similar. The date shows that the picture is current, and that the condition of the equipment you are looking at isnt from a picture taken years ago. (obviously the better the pictures taken, the easier it is to determine overall condition)

no matter how strict the rules are for posting to a forums buy and sell section, it is still up to the buyer to do their due diligence and take every precaution necessary to try and avoid fraudulent sellers. It is buyer beware.

 

[sscarmack]

I'm all for a 50 post minimum, that should eliminate a lot of the scams.

 

[Designer]

The TV kidnappers show a picture of the current date's newspaper.

Oh, and if any scammer is contemplating using my username in one of their scams, I WILL sue!

 

[Overread20]

If you check the buy and sell section rules we've detailed mostly why we don't use a post count restriction.

In short though it basically doesn't stop scammers whilst at the same time it hinders new members wanting to trade legitimately. Since both groups would have to post to get past the restriction both would be more likely to go through the site and post "I like it" on 50 photo threads to get past the restriction. So both are doing the exact same thing (waste fast short posts to get up to the limit) and then going on to trade.

So we've not stopped the scam and we've also not made it stand out from a legitimate user new to the site wanting to trade honestly.

Time limits are also pretty much the same in that both groups just have to wait it out.


Granted anyone can indeed scam, this is our effort to both trying to remove some types of scam whilst at the same time also helping encourage legitimate traders (oft many new to the site) to improve their communication and what they put up front to help prove their validity.

 

[astroNikon]

It helps too if a seller is selling something described as one thing, when it's actually something else.
:thumbup:

 

[480sparky45 45]

If you want proof they actually have their paws on the goods, just PM 'em and ask them for a photo with YOUR member name in it with the toys in the background.

 

[Braineack]

those aren't the pics you usually PM me about...

 

[KmH]

What if the seller is selling the only camera or lens they have? :scratch:

 

[pixmedic3 3]

What if the seller is selling the only camera or lens they have? :scratch:

I suppose if they dont have a phone with a camera in it, and no friends with cameras or phone cameras, then they are just SOL if they want to sell here. The forum cant accommodate for everything.

 

[tirediron]

What if the seller is selling the only camera or lens they have? :scratch:

Petroglyphs in .jpg format are acceptable in that case (or they could use a mirror).

 

[JohnnyWrench]

Can we also make listing a price mandatory? The whole "PM me for price" thing is annoying.