[number1sixerfan]

I think I'm just about done with the fs forum. I definitely don't blame the mods or head-fi. A few rotten apples spoil it for everyone. There aren't many more effective restrictions that can be made imo.

 

[anadin]

So going by the new rules being considered it would mean I couldn't do any selling because I only have 400+ posts.

But my feedback from buying & selling items is 100%, and believe me in my short time on Head-Fi I have sold and purchased lots of very expensive items.

I have never turned anyone over and have only ever tried to help the community on Head-Fi in my 13 months as a member.

This surely can't be right?

 

[webbie64]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suntory_Times /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't like the idea of the post count idea. It'll be a ver long time before I have that many posy but have know bought three items with positive feedback to no doubt be soon given for the Sextett's I just bought of riceboy. I think you just have to be carefull, who you buy off, there past dealing etc. As long as trade is allowed, there will always be people who figure out how to scam others. Sad but true.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasiveMunkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif If they raised the limits to 500 posts just think how barren the FS forums would be. What is that like less than 1% of the members on head-fi (just a guess)? There are a lot of us under 500/750 posts that aren't scammers obviously. There's got to be a better way than post requirements.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickyboyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're always going to find people who want to screw any system for a quick buck. It's not nice admittedly, but that's just in their nature. Some of us newer members respect peoples rights, especially when it comes to doing a deal- some of us are here to broaden our knowledge with regards to using amps, headphones and sources and to fund this hobby fairly and legitimately. Please don't make it harder for newer members of head-fi to use the for sale forums, the vast majority of us are decent honest people. Some people's brains are wired to find and exploit a scam and others aren't Caveat emptor- caveat venditor

Absolutely agree. Don't penalise the 80%+ decent folk for the 20% profiteers/scammers in the world.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cool_Torpedo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I see... I don't think that has anything to do with being a member for 2 months or two years, nor having posted 1000+ crappy messages or just 10 knowledgeable ones. I think it's good the forum tries to control scammers, but greed is something you can't help. IMHO it's buyer's responsibility to avoid being scammed and taking all the precautions before ordering a payment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif The best deterrent to this activity would be to make sure there's a strong line of communication, especially if you are selling a high-value item. If I were buying or selling a multi-thousand dollar piece of equipment, the e-mails would be flying at the very least, if I wasn't talking to the person on the phone as well!

Agreed, but there are times when a degree of trust is still required, particularly with newer members and sometimes with particularly rarer equipment. But you are right that all of that is still the buyer's responsibility, and communication is a key strategy for ensuring the buyer and seller understand each other well enough to complete the deal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by steviebee /img/forum/go_quote.gif One thing I always do is check a seller's posting history if they are new or just over 50-60ish posts...just to see if they are a real contributor or just an opportunist. I look for specious posts in disparate threads, one-liners, no real substance etc. It's certainly not foolproof, but it does give me a rough idea of what I may be dealing with.

Agreed. A relatively simple and effective investment of time to try and understand who it is you are dealing with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cool_Torpedo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't think increasing the post count, or asking for a very long membership term, for posting ads will improve anything. Dishonest, or just greedy people will always exist and they'll have the patience or the workarounds to be here and trying their tricks... ...I don't think it's a crime trying to buy things for a low price and selling them for a profit, it's how this market economy works, but I dislike people using the friendship and good vibes at this site to do so. The only thing I find questionable in the least is his using two different identities to buy and to sale gear. IMHO if that goes against HF rules, both his identities should be banned and his IP filtered.

Precisely. We're not going to police the scruples of the variety of people who might become part of these forums. But setting reasonable 'rules' that are enforced is a way of providing a set of 'boundaries' for what will be accepted/not accepted within the community.

 

[elrod-tom]

I'd like to hear via PM from anyone who has information about all this. Thanks...

 

[wrecked_porsche]

The state of the FS forum is very depressing.

Its sad that this crap is going on. When I first joined head-fi, I trusted almost everyone here, the forum was full of helpful, honest and nice people. It seems that lately things are swinging in the other direction. This sucks.

I was a long time member in another very popular mobile phone forum for more than 5 years and I watched it gradually decline to a sh**ty state over the years. Scams, petty quarrels, quality of posts declining and all that crap increased as the year went by. Then I joined this site early last year and said to myself, WOW this site will never drop to that level. Looks like I was very wrong.

Head-fi is on a downward spiral as far as I'm concerned. I've seen it happen in slow mo before in the other forum and I'm starting to see it here again. Head-fi is a victim of its own success, as more people join, things get out of hand, some stop by to scam, some are just tards, some are just young and immature. You get a broader range of forumers from all walks of life joining the site, from the lowest scum to the most noble.

The senior generation that originally joined would have been very serious and dedicated to the purpose of the forum(any type of forum), but then as the number of members increase... Oh well, I dunno what....


All I can say is, I think Head-fi is on a downward spiral, I dunno what can be done to save it. From my experience in 3 major forums, the quality and standard just declined and there was no turning back. I left those forums and only go there once in about every 4~5 months just to take a peek.

Maybe we should have a special section in the FS forums that is open only to those that buy a special yearly subscription and have been members for year or more +1500 posts? Keep the current FS forum open but apply a buy at your own risk policy and at the same time open up a special section only for paying members that pay specifically for this privilege? Members would also have to verify their true ID and address and stuff like that. I dunno, just a suggestion.

I'm just sad that head-fi is heading in this direction. Its inevitable I guess.

Sorry for the dramatic post, but that's just the way I feel.
It sucks when low life scums ruin it for everyone. It sucks and it pisses me off.

[/end rant]

 

[saint.panda]

Just increasing the required joining time would do the job. No need for increased post requirements. The noise/signal ratio is too high already.

In any case, there's still the feedback system.

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrecked porsche All I can say is, I think Head-fi is on a downward spiral, I dunno what can be done to save it. From my experience in 3 major forums, the quality and standard just declined and there was no turning back. I left those forums and only go there once in about every 4~5 months just to take a peek.

Actually, I don't see it as inevitable in any way whatsoever.

If things are getting worse (and I don't buy that they are), it's because we as members who are invested in the site are permitting it to happen. So if you're concerned about it, be a part of the solution instead.

This thread is a great example of what I mean...7 pages of rants, and does anyone (to my knowledge) contact a moderator about it? Isn't it better to DO something about it??

I say yes.

This is a great site, and it's great because of its members and what they contribute. The quality of that contribution determines what kind of site that this is. To the extent that any of us is less than satisfied with the site, we have to look ourselves in the mirror to some degree.

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif *settles back, hits refresh*

Indeed.

 

[wrecked_porsche]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, I don't see it as inevitable in any way whatsoever. If things are getting worse (and I don't buy that they are), it's because we as members who are invested in the site are permitting it to happen. So if you're concerned about it, be a part of the solution instead.

Well, what is the solution ?

In the other forum I used to frequent, they ranted, then tried to fight it then lost the battle. They started with more good people than bad people, but that advantage quickly declined over the years as a more diverse group of people joined.
In the end, bad people >= good people. Not good, no happy ending.


Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom /img/forum/go_quote.gif This thread is a great example of what I mean...7 pages of rants, and does anyone (to my knowledge) contact a moderator about it? Isn't it better to DO something about it?? I say yes.

Well, FWIW, I was busy reporting a spam thread in the full size headphones section after i typed in this thread.

I'm surprised the OP didn't contact any of the mods yet?

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is a great site, and it's great because of its members and what they contribute. The quality of that contribution determines what kind of site that this is. To the extent that any of us is less than satisfied with the site, we have to look ourselves in the mirror to some degree.

True, but on the other hand, when more and more rotten eggs join and abuses head-fi, the good members surely can't change the characters of these rotten eggs?
We(the good members) can only do soo much no?

Like I said, its a slow and gradual ride downhill from here onwards unless we take steps to stop it. I'm at a loss as to what those steps are though.

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, I don't see it as inevitable in any way whatsoever. If things are getting worse (and I don't buy that they are), it's because we as members who are invested in the site are permitting it to happen. So if you're concerned about it, be a part of the solution instead. This thread is a great example of what I mean...7 pages of rants, and does anyone (to my knowledge) contact a moderator about it? Isn't it better to DO something about it?? I say yes. This is a great site, and it's great because of its members and what they contribute. The quality of that contribution determines what kind of site that this is. To the extent that any of us is less than satisfied with the site, we have to look ourselves in the mirror to some degree.

Exactly right, Tom. I'm not sure if Larryminator contacted anyone before posting this thread, but this situation should have been reported to the mods/Jude immediately. I'm not saying Laurent did anything wrong in outing someone who admits to having two HF accounts, but the official route should be explored first, IMO.

Also, there are an awful lot of new members complaining about the demise of the FS forum. It has been working well for years and if you are careful about how you deal and whom you deal with, you can be safe. I have never been scammed, although I have been in communication with people who turned out to be scammers. By checking up on stories or by working out a way to deal safely you can make it nearly impossible to be taken. And if you are too concerned about it, then simply don't use the FS forum.

This kid waddragon/lucky_star is engaged in a bizarre purchase/sale binge that I believe really does involve using credit cards that he thought would have no interest of fees until July. If I understand him, he was trying out lots of high-end stuff and selling off what he did not want to keep, with the intention of paying off the credit cards at the end of the run and keeping only what he liked best. That is fine for him -- even though it is incredibly risky and not particularly sound financially -- but the dual accounts, flipping and multiple offers and all of that crap should get him banned, IMO. He could sell his gear stash on eBay to avoid the credit card crunch that seems inevitable.

 

[Kerby1280]

WOW this is sad...I actually saw his FS thread for the Grado HP2's. He first listed them for over $2,200 USD and I thought that was a little odd. He's now lowered the price down to $1,550. I'm new to this forum here and I've gain alot of knowledge from the wonderful people here. I only have about 10 posts but I feel its a privilage to be able to sell and trade in the FS forum. So any one that abuses it should loose their privilages- banned!!!

 

[wrecked_porsche]

Yup, if found guilty by the mods, this guy should be banned.

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrecked_porsche /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, what is the solution ? In the other forum I used to frequent, they ranted, then tried to fight it then lost the battle. They started with more good people than bad people, but that advantage quickly declined over the years as a more diverse group of people joined. In the end, bad people >= good people. Not good, no happy ending.

Well, if you're resigned to it, then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, doesn't it?

Like I said, one can take steps to see that it doesn't happen, or complain/do nothing. I for one am vested in this site and will work to do something about it. I also don't believe that the bad guys overrun the good on ANY site...but they do get the most attention (particularly when folks complain about them).

So don't get discouraged...

 

[wrecked_porsche]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom /img/forum/go_quote.gif So don't get discouraged...

Well, I'm not resigned to it just yet. There's still hope.

I'll certainly be doing my level best to weed out the bad apples and rotten eggs. I'll do my part to keep this great community up and running as will the others I'm sure.

Let's all hope that the many scam thread's we've been seeing recently are dealt with appropriately and the offenders punished.

Head-fi is a great forum, the rotten eggs have to be destroyed so that they don't ruin it for everyone else.

Oh, and to those with the popcorn, check the join date, uh I mean the expiry date.

 

[Kilane]

I wouldn't mind raising the post count/membership time to sell here. And I stand to be one of the members that's going to get canned.

The way I look at it, it's a privilege to be here, to use the forums, to have all the contacts. if people are ruining it for everyone then strip the privilege away from those who are most likely to abuse it.

EITHER way, I'll still BUY from the FS forums, and lets face it. It's much harder to defraud someone when it's your cash being sent to the seller.

Either way, sorry about the hassle Larry, that really sucks, I was more than a little suspicious of anyone having a HP 2 collection the way he did at the prices he did. Hopefully he gets his comeuppance, if not we'll see them on ebay.