anyone else annoyed with the classifieds around here?

[dexdog]

I have sold a few items here lately, and have been quite pleased with the transactions. I have also experienced some PM problems, though.

 

[rover]

Here is one of my ads. Someone, identify yourself here so I don't get a zillion messages, please send me a PM by clicking the Contact Seller link in this ad. Let's see if it works.

(edit: Test complete)

 

[bob338]

I've purchased several items, all pleasant transactions. I've also said "yes, I'll buy," but had to retract. In one case I was going to buy a flash and sent the PM, but the next day the same flash with all accessories was listed so I went with that. In another case I was going to buy a Zeiss Ikon when a M6 TTL was listed for a few $$ more. I went for the M6 😀 Lastly, I almost bought a Jupiter 35mm, but when I found out that there is problems when using the in camera TTL metering, I went with the Ultron 35mm. I did sent a apology though in every case describing why I did not follow through with my transaction.

As for selling, I listed items once and had them up for a week. Only one person replied, half interested, so I listed on the EvilBAY and sold for a little more/less (multiple items) than on my RFF add. Next week or two, I saw a similar item as mine go for more that my original RFF price. I guess it's all about the timing.

this is exactly what makes it frustrating to sell to our 'community.' you committed to buy something, then something better came along and you screwed the guy with the first item. what if he had canceled the ad and had to pay to relist it? it's like there was no real thought put into it before you committed to buy the first item. i'm not singling you out personally, this is just too perfect an example of what i originally complained about.

 

[rover]

Interesting, it went to my email not my PM.

 

[kuzano]

Point me to the feedback thread or forum

Point me to the feedback thread or forum

I'm not sure how old the feedback system is here, but it seems like not many people are using it. It's actually pretty decent although the interface could use some work.

Whatever and however it is listed here, I am having a tough time finding it.

I just completed my second flawless purchase on the forum classifieds. I just received my Fuji GA645Zi from Leo Maniace. In fact, Leo received my payment last monday, and I received the camera two days later, packed exceptionally secure and cross the US in two days.

I'd love to post feedback for Leo...but... how do I get to the feedback whatever you call it.

 

[rover]

So if you had email disabled in your "options" it would have got lost maybe.

I don't think so. I have emails from members disabled in mine but it went through. I do allow emails from Admin so maybe if that is disabled then the email won't go through.

 

[pevelg]

this is exactly what makes it frustrating to sell to our 'community.' you committed to buy something, then something better came along and you screwed the guy with the first item. what if he had canceled the ad and had to pay to relist it? it's like there was no real thought put into it before you committed to buy the first item. i'm not singling you out personally, this is just too perfect an example of what i originally complained about.

Ahh.... I see your point. I know that in my case the ads were not canceled, but that doesn't really change your point. But should I have purchased the poorer flash, the Ikon, and the Jupiter? I know that I would have had buyers remorse and most likely resell the equipment. But then maybe not... In a similar case, I was wanting to purchase a classical guitar. I asked the owner if they had a Ramirez 4e and he stated that he could acquire one from one of there other stores. I specifically stated that I was not committing to buy. I loved the guitar when it came in and was offered it for 3.5k. About that time I had an offer from an individual to buy his used Ramirez 4e. A deal was arranged that I could hold on the guitar for 3 days for testing. The guitar was in excellent condition, about 7 years older than the one in the guitar shop. It had some dings, but otherwise it was perfect. The price I was offered by the seller was 2.25k. Was I wrong in accepting the used guitar? That's a 1.25k difference!!! I purchased the used and am in love with the guitar... The sound is beautiful and I have a long way to use it to its full potential.

So the question is: Is it wrong?

 

[pevelg]

Ethics, a very touchy and heated topic. I accept your answer, but I know I couldn't have made the other choice without regret.

 

[raid]

I'm the guy that was supposed to receive a PM from the original poster about my lens trade offer. I did not receive the PM. I wonder how many others didn't get through? Hmmm..

I had two people here who told me that they sent me a pm, but my message box does not show any pm from either one. Maybe there is a problem here.

 

[raid]

I think there`s been some problems with the PM`s here

I sold a Leica IIIC here last week, (in less than 5 hours!) but had to use the email system outside of RFF to contact the buyer - someone should look into this

Tom

Tom,

I suspect the same; someone should test the pm system for a bug.

 

[planetjoe]

Interesting, it went to my email not my PM.

Tom,

I suspect the same; someone should test the pm system for a bug.

These PM issues were exactly my point when I posted this a couple weeks ago after the software upgrade. No one replied to the post, though. (I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm just letting my earlier post do the talking for me.)

Perhaps it's not "broken", but that the new software defaults to an email contact method. Maybe it's just my preference, but I like PMs better - folks can always find my email contact, but I think messages about RFF are most usefully handled within RFF.

Can/might this be changed, I wonder? There's no option in the User CP that I can see. Stephen?


Cheers,
--joe.

 

[pevelg]

In touchy I mean that people take things differently in regards to right and wrong and ethics in general. I've seen very heated debates on this forum (like the one recently about a purchase of the Nikon F2) and I most certainly do not wish to start one.

In the case of the guitar purchase, the couple bucks was 1.25k. In the lens and flash issue, I had ended up paying more, but I got what worked better. In the case of the Zeiss, I went with the M6 for more, but I was happier with the transaction. Oh, and I ended up buying an Elmar Macro (1.2K) from the seller that I wanted to buy the flash from and didn't. Does that correct that wrong?

I've had people cancel ebay auctions on me. After winning item, they said it was purchased on accident or it was a duplicate win. I then went through the process of canceling the transactions. Frusturating? Sure. But I did not leave negative feedback... We make mistakes all the time. Must we be so severe? The items that I have purchased from RFF have been really smooth transactions and the items excellent. I payed instantly, items were shipped and working as described. I think this a great forum and I love these classifieds. I trust it much more than ebay.

 

[quietmouse]

I like the classifieds.

I like the classifieds.

I am probably newer hear than most of you, But I really appreciate these classifieds and feel much more secure buying from them. I purchased an M6 which I have had for three days and love. Was a great transaction and I believe that I and the seller both got a very fair shake out of the deal. Outside of the adds, I did have to turn down an Ikon offered to me on a thread but that was not in the classifieds. I also had a member here offer to sale me an M3 when I first posted on this forum. Then he never replied to my emails.

I like the classifieds because I don't have to randomly search through tons of crap on EBAY. Like someone posted earlier, I think my odds of getting a product with a true description AND a product that has been recently used are greater here. And the way the classifieds are set-up,it's like shopping at a really great camera store that has all the stuff I want used. I click on the lens category and take a stroll down the lens aisle.🙂

 

[bob338]

So the question is: Is it wrong?


i don't know if it's wrong, but it's pretty shi**y. if you click buy it now on the auction site, you just bought it. there isn't any backing out unless you want to deal with the consequences; paying for it to avoid a negative or just getting a negative. i've bought a lot of stuff on ebay only to find another auction for a better item pop up minutes later.

it seems like some people send that 'i'll take it!' PM just to secure the right of first refusal while they decide if it's the item they want or if they can figure out a way to pay for it. i thought the whole point of having a classifieds section here was to sell within our own ranks to like minded people, not the faceless public.

just another of my .02

bob

 

[pevelg]

Here is my face and my guitar.... Just so I am not considered a faceless crowd! 😀

(and again, a sorry to those with whom I had to cut short a transaction. I shall try to think more clearly from here on out!)

 

[planetjoe]

I feel the "feedback" thread is just for back-slapping.
If I'd left a negative comment there I feel this would just have started a war. So I've learned a lesson.

But you didn't leave a comment on the thread, though. Doesn't that leave the issue unresolved for the community at large? I'm honestly not trying to sound snippy - yours is simply a single example of a general issue.

Hm. The entire outcome in this case was unfortunate, of course; but if there's nothing left over but bitterness about the available grievance process, than what have we got?

As has been discussed previously, in communities like RFF (and, perhaps, most internet-based social networks), accountability is based on an honor system.

In my opinion, though, this doesn't make public feedback systems useless. Just two cents for the fountain.


Cheers,
--joe.

 

[planetjoe]

(and again, a sorry to those with whom I had to cut short a transaction. I shall try to think more clearly from here on out!)

Spoken like a gentleman.

Pitxu.🙂

Sorry for the meaningless prattle, but this gracious exchange really struck me. Sometimes, in the heat of a thread, it's hard (at least, for me) to expect that resolution will come - no less that it will be this civilized.

That's all. Just another reason why I like this crowd. All apologies for the kumbaya moment.


Cheers,
--joe.

 

[bob338]

Here is my face and my guitar.... Just so I am not considered a faceless crowd! 😀

(and again, a sorry to those with whom I had to cut short a transaction. I shall try to think more clearly from here on out!)

i'm sorry that you're getting singled out in this thread, it has nothing to do with you specifically. changing your mind is totally understandable, people do it all the time.

what i'm griping about is that it happened to me 6 times with one camera. 6 people changing their mind within a single sale is not understandable, it's absurd. it wasn't even that they asked for more pictures and didn't like what they saw, they just changed their mind or never responded to my response. pretty rude...

as far as the guy with the nokton, he finally got my message through this thread and contacted me. we're meeting tomorrow morning at my store and will hopefully complete the trade. i think the PM email system is to blame for that one...i'm glad i posted my complaint here, he may have never gotten the messages.

bob

 

[CameraQuest]

I had two people here who told me that they sent me a pm, but my message box does not show any pm from either one. Maybe there is a problem here.

Please go back to the members who claimed to PM you and double check. At the moment the classifieds are defaulting to emails, not PM. So if they tried to contact you from the classifieds, it is more likely their email did not get to you.

At the moment I am not sure what the problem is, we are checking into it. But it does seem to be linked to the software upgrade a few weeks ago. The elimination of the PM option in the classifieds was not intentional.

Stephen

 

[bcostin]

I've only purchased via one ad here (a Fed 5 and two great lenses). That transaction went great and I've been very happy. I've been tempted to purchase a lot of other things; fortunately for my bank account someone else usually gets them before I give in to temptation. 🙂 Most of the ads do an excellent job of displaying and describing the items and asking prices are usually very reasonable.

The only vaguely negative experience is one ad that I've emailed about twice without hearing back from the seller. I figure he's probably sold the item elsewhere or changed his mind, or maybe it just got lost in the tubes of the Internet. ::shrug::