Irrational urge to edit other people's classified ads.

[Huss]

Yes, I readily admit that this is completely irrational. But when I see an ad in the classifieds on RFF that is inaccurate and/or misleading, I have this urge - that I mostly resist - to comment on it. As if I am looking out for others.

There is a current ad in RFF for an M9, that quite frankly is beat up. Yet the seller claims it is near mint, and all reputable dealers would agree with him.
It even has the LCD panel covered with tape for some reason.

I guess by starting this thread I have succumbed to commenting on his sale, but at least not in his ad! But I am not worried that he would see it as he has zero posts, and obviously is only here to sell his gear and move on.

I've bought and sold a bunch of stuff on RFF and have enjoyed my experience, and would like it to remain a great resource for buyers and sellers. So is my behaviour protective of our site, or just something I need to talk to a shrink about and butt out?

 

[kxl]

No offense, but starting a thread to talk about it seems passive-aggressive to me. If it bothers you that much, you should comment on the ad. If that's against RFF protocol, PM a mod.

No shrink necessary.

Good luck!

Yes, I readily admit that this is completely irrational. But when I see an ad in the classifieds on RFF that is inaccurate and/or misleading, I have this urge - that I mostly resist - to comment on it. As if I am looking out for others.

There is a current ad in RFF for an M9, that quite frankly is beat up. Yet the seller claims it is near mint, and all reputable dealers would agree with him.
It even has the LCD panel covered with tape for some reason.

I guess by starting this thread I have succumbed to commenting on his sale, but at least not in his ad! But I am not worried that he would see it as he has zero posts, and obviously is only here to sell his gear and move on.

I've bought and sold a bunch of stuff on RFF and have enjoyed my experience, and would like it to remain a great resource for buyers and sellers. So is my behaviour protective of our site, or just something I need to talk to a shrink about and butt out?

 

[winzenbourg]

I believe someone already tried to make mention of the fact that his camera is closer to BGN condition -- that comment and his response were both deleted. I do find it a bit odd to insist that a beat to hell camera is "NearMint or NEW," but eh, there are far more disconcerting things to be worrying about in our world than an inaccurate camera description.

Yes, I readily admit that this is completely irrational. But when I see an ad in the classifieds on RFF that is inaccurate and/or misleading, I have this urge - that I mostly resist - to comment on it. As if I am looking out for others.

There is a current ad in RFF for an M9, that quite frankly is beat up. Yet the seller claims it is near mint, and all reputable dealers would agree with him.
It even has the LCD panel covered with tape for some reason.

I guess by starting this thread I have succumbed to commenting on his sale, but at least not in his ad! But I am not worried that he would see it as he has zero posts, and obviously is only here to sell his gear and move on.

I've bought and sold a bunch of stuff on RFF and have enjoyed my experience, and would like it to remain a great resource for buyers and sellers. So is my behaviour protective of our site, or just something I need to talk to a shrink about and butt out?

 

[unixrevolution]

At least he has pictures so you can see that it's beat up.

Do the mods have guidelines for condition? Someone should call him out on it.

Makes me wonder about other problems, like, for example, what if there were a mechanical issue the pictures don't show?

 

[back alley]

policy is that there is no discussion allowed in the ad itself. if you have concerns either don't buy it or p.m. the seller.

 

[Godfrey]

... and "Caveat emptor!" always applies ...

G

 

[Huss]

No offense, but starting a thread to talk about it seems passive-aggressive to me. ..

No shrink necessary.

It totally is! I admit to this irrational behaviour...

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

It totally is! I admit to this irrational behaviour...

http://bfy.tw/8gqd

 

[BLKRCAT]

Where's the ad?

edit: nvm found it

Editedit: Well the user is super new to the forum. 0 posts. Perhaps a mistake has been made. The description looks pretty cut and paste.

I especially like his avatar. I had a good chuckle at it.

 

[Huss]

http://bfy.tw/8gqd

I have an appointment with Dr. Dunckley first thing in the morning.

 

[Steve M.]

It's anything but irrational, it's rational. I've learned the hard way that it's better to let people make their own mistakes, which is different than sending a PM to a seller to ask if they knew there was an error in their ad. Obviously if someone reads a description that says near mint and they look at a non mint photograph of the camera and still buy it, that's on them.

 

[sepiareverb]

policy is that there is no discussion allowed in the ad itself. if you have concerns either don't buy it or p.m. the seller.

Could this be clarified? There is currently a lot of hubub over at LFF over the For Sale section, I would really hate to see this place end up with the same eviscerated classifieds.

I'm guessing this just falls under the "no negative comments" provisio?

 

[seany65]

I must confess that I sometimes send messages to sellers on ebay if I see them making a clear mistake, such as someone who knows nothing about cameras and lenses saying a lens is a "52mm skyilght" lens, (Yup, this really happened), I feel I have to contact them just in case they end up with a buyer who kicks up a fuss.

 

[Fjäll]

I must confess that I sometimes send messages to sellers on ebay if I see them making a clear mistake, such as someone who knows nothing about cameras and lenses saying a lens is a "52mm skyilght" lens, (Yup, this really happened), I feel I have to contact them just in case they end up with a buyer who kicks up a fuss.

I do too at times, but mostly when the seller might be unsure of what he is selling.

If the seller claims an item to be in a better condition that what it actually appears to be in, I think the responsibility lies in the buyer hands. The expression "pig in the poke" is from the middle ages after all.

 

[kshapero]

There will never be an end to stupidity. I should know I've messed up a few times on ads.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

I have an appointment with Dr. Dunckley first thing in the morning.

Excellent choice.

Here a very interesting article of Dr. Dunckley.

 

[nobbylon]

I've seen some peoples ad's ruined by nosey, interfering and quite frankly 'know it all' individuals in the past. If it's not your ad then unless you are actually buying it has nothing to do with you. Yes, there's many a time that I've thought 'good luck with that price' etc but if someone has paid money to advertise then behave and mind your own business.

 

[grouchos_tash]

I find it frustrating that people mislead or lie in online ads.

I had a camera delivered yesterday that was described as 'excellent working condition' that was completely dead with a snapped (something on the inside) winder. This is from eBay however. I'm adding it to a long list of eBay purchases that have been described as working and in excellent condition that needed repairing (and were returned)...

Leica R3
Canon AE-1
Fed 2
Ultron 35mm
Minolta X700
Ricoh GR
Contax T2

 

[Keith]

Over the last few years from the classifieds here and another forum I've bought:

A 'perfect' Nikon rangefinder that had a broken shutter brake spring.

A 'perfect' 50mm f1.8 Canon screwmount RF lens that has an internal element so trashed I haven't bothered to use it.

A 'perfect' Olympus OM that has an issue with the exposure compensation dial.

... and several more gems that I'd prefer not to think about!

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Not here but elsewhere the misspelt and confused makers' names throw up a lot of bargains. Especially the FED and Zorki variations and Fugi and so on...

Regards, David