I have now read through this thread, and thanks to people on both sides of this discussion. In particular, thanks for the good natured posts, as this topic has the potential to kick off, and I am very pleased that it didn't.
Dobbsy wrote:
Is the wargames trades section a bidding site?
Recently a thread was posted asking for "bids" on some items and I thought the whole process should be transparent but ended up a blind bidding auction through PMs.
Can we please get some firmer rules regarding sales of items on here? Perhaps state that people need to put in an asking price for goods they wish to sell rather than a blind bidding auction? Getting a reply "sorry that's not enough" is a little irritating.
I admit that I missed the thread that this relates to, and I will not go and chase it down as it is not important. However, I do agree that sales here should be conducted openly and clearly whenever possible. This board exists to help the community, and I feel that a fair price does more good to the game and the players than 'bargains' or excessive profits.
This is not - and I have no intention of it turning into - a sales and trade site. Sales are listed here to add to the community, to allow transactions between community members, and to the benefit of the people who actually play and love the games.
Jaggedtoothgrin wrote:
i dont entirely agree, people should have the option to sell how they want to who they want, and should have the freedom to decide what criteria they use to decide those. that includes the ability to exclude certain buyers. this is doubly so for epic, where we're plagued by resellers on ebay. if people want to hold an auction, then they should be able to do so without worrying about it going off to someone who only wants to triple the price and relist it. if they want as much money as possible for their item, they should be allowed to entertain offers until they're happy. people shouldnt be forced to sell to me just because i was first off the mark.
transparency is a good thing too, but again, there are some potential detriments to having people openly bid on things, and in the end it should probably be the sellers decision as to how they handle it, and if you're not happy with their decision, ask for an adjustment, or just dont buy from them.
While I entirely agree that people should be able to a) choose who they sell to, and b) get the best price for their items, it should not be a matter of guessing the value of an item being sold. I have similar issues as a buyer on several sites, where people list items and ask for best offers, at which point I have no idea what ball-park the seller is even thinking about and so my offer may even offend. I don't think that it does either side any good, and makes the sales process more drawn-out than it really needs to be.
Adding a suggested price gives people a starting point at the very least. If certain buyers are to be excluded, they can still be and there is no obligation to sell - or to sell to that person - at all. I do, however, acknowledge that even 'open' sales are really auction clones. If I put something up here for a price, and get two responses, at different prices, I will most likely take the higher one. The difference is that I should state what I am looking for, for the item. If people are not prepared to pay that then it doesn't waste both of our time. I feel that adding a guide price to a listing doesn't stop people offering less (or even more) than this, but does mean that if you are not prepared to pay half of this guide price, you know from the start and avoid any difficult exchanges.
In addition, any trades online - and this goes from this forum all the way up to eBay - are just ways of negotiating a price. They are not contracts to sell (no matter how much eBay wants to convince people otherwise). Most people would go through with a trade after agreeing it, and not doing so is 'bad form' as a trader. Any trade or sales site is really just a matching site under a different name - there is little difference between eBay and match.com in the end, and the role in both is to introduce two compatible people together!
The trouble with any kind of regulations in the trade section here is that it is simply very difficult to enforce them. Also, there is a certain amount of self-regulation involved. If someone wants to conduct a 'bid' system for their items, they are likely to put off a section of potential buyers who don't like this kind of system, and therefore restrict their income, and it becomes counter-productive.
My personal view on this is that a set of guidelines would be a good idea. These would be tips for successful sales and trades. Sellers not following these would not be removed from the boards or pulled up in any way, but rational explanations of each guideline with reasoning on how it is good for both the buyer and the seller, would be logical. Issues such as:
- post via registered/signed for, it's a little more expensive but insured and tracked and protects both sides
- place a guide price in sales listings, buyers are likely to ignore items without a guide price
- sticking to agreed trades and making communication a priority results in more trust ina seller, who can then get higher prices
- if a seller has eBay feedback or feedback elsewhere, put a link in the item description, and if a seller has done this, contact them through this site as well to verify it's really them
In other news, I am also prominent on another site, which is developing an auction site for people who have become fed up with eBay:
http://www.collectorbam.comThis site is still being fine-tuned, but I have the ability to put forward suggestions to the admins there for any changes, etc. For example, the shipping options when setting up as a seller are tricky. However, it is currently entirely free to list and sell, the only fees right now are PayPal fees.
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