Classifieds-new wave?

dave lackey

dave lackey

Veteran
Local time
3:04 AM
Joined
Feb 20, 2007
Messages
9,427
Sorry, but I don't seem to see as many ads in classifieds by long-time members of RFF. Increasingly, I see ads from people with 0 posts, or 1 post, etc. And still others who contribute very little and don't even have a profile filled out so we can know who they are...

I am reluctant to buy from these people who have not established at least some relationships. Anyone else notice this as a trend, or am I mistaken?:confused:
 
It happens once in a while, lots of reader, just ask for reference elsewhere for safety :) And being Xmas and New year you tends to see a lot more clear out than usual.
 
Speaking for myself, I don't buy/sell in the classifieds as much as before, because I've largely settled in with the gear that works best for me, after an active period of experimentation.

One does need to be more careful buying because RFF is not just the small cozy place it was in the early days where most of us knew each other pretty well.

Of course I feel more comfortable buying from an established member than fron someone with no history and investment in RFF.
 
As a newer member that does not have many posts and has items for sale in the classifieds I just wanted to put my two cents in. I think this is wonderful website with a great group of people here. I do find that I read a lot of people have to say and normally by the time I get to a thread I don't know what to contribute since there are so many knowledgeable people that have already chimed in. With that I do feel it is hard at times to join in the conversation since many of you do know each other well though the many posts and I am never sure if I am overstepping jumping in on a thread that has many long term members having a conversation.

At one point everyone was a new member and only with time will I become a long term member that people know. It does complicate things that I am trying to sell items now versus later in time. I look forward to becoming a long term member of this site and being part of the collective knowledge of this site.
 
jasonrutter said:
As a newer member that does not have many posts and has items for sale in the classifieds I just wanted to put my two cents in. I think this is wonderful website with a great group of people here. I do find that I read a lot of people have to say and normally by the time I get to a thread I don't know what to contribute since there are so many knowledgeable people that have already chimed in. With that I do feel it is hard at times to join in the conversation since many of you do know each other well though the many posts and I am never sure if I am overstepping jumping in on a thread that has many long term members having a conversation.

At one point everyone was a new member and only with time will I become a long term member that people know. It does complicate things that I am trying to sell items now versus later in time. I look forward to becoming a long term member of this site and being part of the collective knowledge of this site.
Click to expand...


Jason, the very fact that you are in this present conversation is a good sign! Don't be shy, just jump right in because your opinions and thoughts are just as valuable as anyone's here. We really would like to hear from you be it a question, a comment, or whatever!:angel:
 
The only difference between a new member and a long standing member is time and participation. There are no barriers.
 
I certainly have my favorite sellers (and buyers as a matter of fact), but I have reached out to new/low post members. I try to make a determination based on how the conversations go prior to the sale......response time and quality etc. I don't put much stock in the ebay ratings since they have a ridiculious policy where sellers cannot even leave feedback.
 
I don't see it as a "new wave" because it has happened before on RFF and is the same way on all photo forums I participate in. Tehre are always some folks who join forums just to buy or sell, but not participate in any other meaningful way. I understand being wary of such people, but I feel the same way about many "old timers". Each individual should be addressed as an individual, not type-cast based on post count, etc.
 
I do not really care how many posts the newbies have posted, as long as they accept paypal, I think I am fine. Everyone has to start from zero.
 
Yep, everyone is a newbie until they aren't.

The usual rules apply for business deals between those with no reputation yet.
 
Guess I would be classified as an Ol' timer with low post count (been away - back now)

Would not worry too much about new members selling - as already has been mentioned, how they react once you contact them about the stuff is more important.

@jasonrutter : Jump in by all means! - one of the things I like about this place, is that if you do step (stomp) on any toes - generally others will let you know in a very nice and "between the lines" type of way (unless you really mess up ;) )

Cheers,

Meakin
 
I personally want RFF classifieds to be the new big ad site, instead of the greedy evilbay. RFF will get more visitors, thus more income, thus better service/servers.

But RFF needs a nicer classifies layout. If your ad slips out of the front page, your visitors to your ad is down by 70%, if it's off the "classifieds" page and you need to search for it (like my 50/3.5 elmar), visitors go down by 95%.
 
Just yesterday I sold 4 lovely pieces here. All within a day. However, after indicating the ad as 'Sold', as the bartender wants advertisers do when their stuff is sold, the ad was removed. I would have liked to have it on display here longer. Now there's no way for other visitors or buyers to view the ad and appreciate the items.
 
I just want to echo jasonrutter's comments here. I don't participate in conversations here much because I find I get my answers via search. I'm new to this hobby relatively speaking, so I don't feel confident enough to put my two cents in. A lot of knowledge can be had just by reading and searching. I would be willing to bet there are many people with 0 posts who use this forum extensively.

I have also sold a few items on the classifieds. Considering my low post count I made sure my first few items were low cost and that I made them good deals. I have had some great deals buying in the classifieds here as well, so I try to keep my prices low in an attempt to return the favour.
 
I'm still a newcomer. Have sold two lots of equipment here and bought two items. I agree that the communication with the seller/buyer is very determining of whether you go ahead with the transaction, not so luch their history. I also buy off ebay, but I will not sell anything there. I'd rather sell my gear here, any day of the week.
 
dave lackey said:
Sorry, but I don't seem to see as many ads in classifieds by long-time members of RFF. Increasingly, I see ads from people with 0 posts, or 1 post, etc. And still others who contribute very little and don't even have a profile filled out so we can know who they are...

I am reluctant to buy from these people who have not established at least some relationships. Anyone else notice this as a trend, or am I mistaken?:confused:
Click to expand...

Dave,

RFF needs new members to grow. As long as the new ads follow RFF Classified guidelines, there will likely be few problems.

Asking for additional pics is a good way to make sure newbies really have the item.
Protect the purchase by using a credit card on Paypal. You then have two avenues to recoup a possible loss.

but there are two sides to every coin.

Newbies, please don't sell to Dave,
as he has issues with new members.

All better now Dave ?

Stephen
 
Well said!

Well said!

jasonrutter said:
As a newer member that does not have many posts and has items for sale in the classifieds I just wanted to put my two cents in. I think this is wonderful website with a great group of people here. I do find that I read a lot of people have to say and normally by the time I get to a thread I don't know what to contribute since there are so many knowledgeable people that have already chimed in. With that I do feel it is hard at times to join in the conversation since many of you do know each other well though the many posts and I am never sure if I am overstepping jumping in on a thread that has many long term members having a conversation.

At one point everyone was a new member and only with time will I become a long term member that people know. It does complicate things that I am trying to sell items now versus later in time. I look forward to becoming a long term member of this site and being part of the collective knowledge of this site.
Click to expand...

It's like you're in my mind!

As someone new to RFs, I've found that the majority of my questions have been answered in threads long ago (at least in internet years). A case in point is that Jason has already made all the points that I would have made. I don't want to re-ask questions--that's just silly if a topic has already been discussed--and I'm such a noob that I don't put pics up because of bashfulness. At any rate, some of us are really just on here to pick up all the knowledge of the RFF collective that we can as we try to get better.

So let me publicly thank all of you for being so helpful. I have learned so much through all your discussions. Keep up the great discussions and I'll promise to post if I ever think that I have something valuable to contribute!

And to get the new year started off on the right foot, here's my Flickr photostream where you can see that I really am just a noob who has a lot to figure out still: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffcantle
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom