[chia-pet]

If a member of an online community is trying to sell something through the respective forum, in your opinions is it proper etiquette to just ignore their attempt at trying to rip people off? Or is it better etiquette post a reply to their sale thread informing others that better deals can be found at, say, newegg or zipzoomfly?

I'm not implying maliciousness on my part, or the seller's part. I'm not saying the seller is intentionally trying to trick their potential buyers. For all I know, the seller is unknowingly trying to tell their stuff at unreasonable prices.

Of course the consumer should always do their research and be aware. Does this mean I should just ignore the thread--I mean who am I to butt in, I'm only a stranger. Or do I have an obligation to inform everyone who may want to potentially buy that the product can be found brand new for $50 less on newegg?

This has nothing to do with head-fi. I'm just curious what the consensus is on proper behavior concerning this! Thanks head-fi'ers!

 

[StevieDvd]

A good point. If a person is selling on head-fi it's supposed to be goods that are surplus to requirements or sold due to a change of mind etc, and not as a profit making exercise.

If someone was to find a cheap source for goods and found enough potential buyers willing to pay more than that they could abuse the system here. The spirit of head-fi would be to advise others of the newly found cheap supplier.

I only mention this due to a recent scam on IEMs

In other forums you are allowed to politely point out that goods can be bought new at a cheaper price but you have to add the link to prove it.

However, bear in mind situations such as the price differentials between US and European prices. A UK seller may be selling a UK purchased Grado headphone at a substantial price belwo the UK retail but still at more than the US prices - could be attractive to a UK buyer not wanting to import and risk customs duties etc , but may seem a rip-off to a US member.

Personally if I can help a fellow head-fier save some money by shopping around I'd like to be able to tell them without the risk of being called a thread cr*pper.

 

[chia-pet]

Yes sir, I agree with you!

 

[mbriant]

If someone feels a member is committing fraud through the For Sale forums, we ask that you report the post to the moderating staff with your concerns. Other than that, please remember that the For Sale forums are not discussion forums and price policing is not allowed. Going out of one's way to point out an item can be had for $5 or $50 less elsewhere is considered thread crapping. A few days ago someone took it upon themselves to thread crap in someones For Sale post, pointing out that the item could be had elsewhere for a few dollars less. It turned out that he was talking about a different product and his complaint was not true. But it still took the momentum out of the other member's legitimate For Sale post. No one but the seller knows where or where he purchased the item originally, and often people will have originally paid more than the same item could be had elsewhere, on sale, or after a price reduction.

For example, items purchased in Canada or Europe can often cost more than they do at some website in the U.S. Yet sometimes, to avoid customs, taxes, and brokerage fees, it's still better to buy from someone in your own country for a few dollars more, than having a less expensive item shipped across the border.

Again, it's up to the prospective buyer to decide if he likes the price/terms of a sale. It's not up to others to price police and disrupt the sale. This would be considered thread crapping.

 

[Blitzula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chia-pet ...who am I to butt in, I'm only a stranger.

That's about it. It's rude and condescending also.

I think it should be consistent though....sale ads should stand without comment, either bad OR good.

 

[chia-pet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbriant If someone feels a member is committing fraud through the For Sale forums, we ask that you report the post to the moderating staff with your concerns. Other than that, please remember that the For Sale forums are not discussion forums and price policing is not allowed. Going out of one's way to point out an item can be had for $5 or $50 less elsewhere is considered thread crapping. A few days ago someone took it upon themselves to thread crap in someones For Sale post, pointing out that the item could be had elsewhere for a few dollars less. It turned out that he was talking about a different product and his complaint was not true. But it still took the momentum out of the other member's legitimate For Sale post. No one but the seller knows where or where he purchased the item originally, and often people will have originally paid more than the same item could be had elsewhere, on sale, or after a price reduction. For example, items purchased in Canada or Europe can often cost more than they do at some website in the U.S. Yet sometimes, to avoid customs, taxes, and brokerage fees, it's still better to buy from someone in your own country for a few dollars more, than having a less expensive item shipped across the border. Again, it's up to the prospective buyer to decide if he likes the price/terms of a sale. It's not up to others to price police and disrupt the sale. This would be considered thread crapping.

Thank you for that. I wasn't referring to the head-fi community specifically, but rather asking about general etiquette. It's a great point that different online communities may have different rules about these things, regardless of what a consensual "proper etiquette" may be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitzula That's about it. It's rude and condescending also. I think it should be consistent though....sale ads should stand without comment, either bad OR good.

I think it's only rude or condescending depending how you look at it. I know that if it was a close personal friend, I would inform them that a better deal could be had elsewhere. And because I'm a humanitarian, I'd like to ideally extend that same courtesy to strangers of an online community of which I respect its members.

If it was me buying something, I welcome any commentary anyone has to offer. If something is written that's alarming, I'll check it out. But I may have otherwise missed something important to my decision making sales process.

 

[acs236]

chia-pet -- I agree with what you're saying. It seems like there should be some balance between allowing a seller some freedom and protecting from expoiting the ignorant. I would assume that part of any online community, not designed exclusively as a marketplace, is to educate, inform, discuss, etc. Part of that would seem to include some "moderation" of the marketplace.

 

[chia-pet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acs236 chia-pet -- I agree with what you're saying. It seems like there should be some balance between allowing a seller some freedom and protecting from expoiting the ignorant. I would assume that part of any online community, not designed exclusively as a marketplace, is to educate, inform, discuss, etc. Part of that would seem to include some "moderation" of the marketplace.

You make some excellent points! I've got a question, why are "For Sale" threads given such a privillege over other threads? I mean, aren't online forums meant to facilitate a healthy informative dialogue?

Evidently not, as mbriant made it very clear that "For Sale" threads aren't discussion threads. But why aren't they? The very things he talks about (e.g., the intricasies of buying in one's own country to avoid taxation) wouldn't be known if someone didn't bring it up! Let's take a reasonable inverse of mbriant's example, and suppose that a Canadian was about to purchase something from a U.S. seller. Are we not supposed to intervene and inform them that before they take that plunge, there could be unforeseen customs taxation that they didn't take into consideration? Because not saying anything in this situation yields the same effect as saying something in the previous situation.

Personally, I think that comments should be welcome. If anyone posts something that's just wrong, it can be corrected by the good-hearted members of the head-fi community. But I guess I wouldn't place too much importance on the momentum of a sale either!

I don't mean to personalize this with head-fi so much, because again my situation was not intitially about head-fi. But for the sake of healthy discussion, I'm curious as to what most people think!

 

[swt61]

I tend to agree that the for sale threads should not be disscussion threads. It's our responsibility to research our buys, and I think things would quickly get out of hand. I also agree that we should watch out for our fellow Head-Fiers, but this can be done in a different way. If you think someone is about to be taken advantage of simply PM them. This would avoid a lot of arguments. Also if you think a buyer is selling too high, PM them with the cheaper price you've found and let them make the decision.

 

[Blitzula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chia-pet I think it's only rude or condescending depending how you look at it. I know that if it was a close personal friend, I would inform them that a better deal could be had elsewhere. And because I'm a humanitarian, I'd like to ideally extend that same courtesy to strangers of an online community of which I respect its members.

Posting in a for sale thread to mention the product is overpriced is busybody behavior, not humanitarian. I agree with you though that not every such post is condescending.

It is rude though, no matter your perspective. You're interfering with someone's for sale thread. As with so much rudeness in today's society, it doesn't matter if your intentions or the results are good, it's still ill-mannered.


Quote:

Originally Posted by chia-pet If it was me buying something, I welcome any commentary anyone has to offer. If something is written that's alarming, I'll check it out. But I may have otherwise missed something important to my decision making sales process.

That's great for the buyer, but you don't have any right to force the seller to accept that logic by posting in their thread.

You could always just pm someone on any forum if you see they're interested in an overpriced product. I still think that crosses the line from nice/helpful to busybody, but that's just one opinion.

 

[chia-pet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitzula Posting in a for sale thread to mention the product is overpriced is busybody behavior, not humanitarian. I agree with you though that not every such post is condescending. It is rude though, no matter your perspective. You're interfering with someone's for sale thread. As with so much rudeness in today's society, it doesn't matter if your intentions or the results are good, it's still ill-mannered. That's great for the buyer, but you don't have any right to force the seller to accept that logic by posting in their thread. You could always just pm someone on any forum if you see they're interested in an overpriced product. I still think that crosses the line from nice/helpful to busybody, but that's just one opinion.

Yes, I suppose you have a point. No need to really make a public spectacle of someone selling something for too much. I suppose if we walked into any store and started announcing things were overpriced, we'd get thrown out.

 

[Audiofiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitzula Posting in a for sale thread to mention the product is overpriced is busybody behavior, not humanitarian. I agree with you though that not every such post is condescending. It is rude though, no matter your perspective. You're interfering with someone's for sale thread. As with so much rudeness in today's society, it doesn't matter if your intentions or the results are good, it's still ill-mannered. That's great for the buyer, but you don't have any right to force the seller to accept that logic by posting in their thread. You could always just pm someone on any forum if you see they're interested in an overpriced product. I still think that crosses the line from nice/helpful to busybody, but that's just one opinion.

Exactly

 

[mjg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chia-pet If a member of an online community is trying to sell something through the respective forum, in your opinions is it proper etiquette to just ignore their attempt at trying to rip people off? Or is it better etiquette post a reply to their sale thread informing others that better deals can be found at, say, newegg or zipzoomfly? I'm not implying maliciousness on my part, or the seller's part. I'm not saying the seller is intentionally trying to trick their potential buyers. For all I know, the seller is unknowingly trying to tell their stuff at unreasonable prices. Of course the consumer should always do their research and be aware. Does this mean I should just ignore the thread--I mean who am I to butt in, I'm only a stranger. Or do I have an obligation to inform everyone who may want to potentially buy that the product can be found brand new for $50 less on newegg? This has nothing to do with head-fi. I'm just curious what the consensus is on proper behavior concerning this! Thanks head-fi'ers!

no it is not. It is not your responsibility, or priveledge to interfere with anyone's buisness on here. It happens to be probablly one of the most annoying parts of doing buisness on here.