New members or salesmen??: Hot line is open, lets talk!!

[jan normandale]

I don't know about any of the other RFF members but I'm a little confused about what constitutes an RFF member.

Is a member anyone that signs up? I guess so. Is a member someone who only comes into this forum to post things for sale instead of going on Ebay where the 'member' advises they have a rating? I'm not sure.

What do you think.

 

[Frank Granovski]

Is a member anyone that signs up?

I believe so.

 

[back alley]

what's up jan?

joe

 

[FrankS]

Is there an incident that has caused you to raise this concern, Jan?

 

[Kin Lau]

Presumably in reference to panamacolin/momentcollector/camerarslife ?

 

[back alley]

don't forget filmrocks.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Jan: I think what you mean to say is, correct me if I'm wrong, whether membership to RFF is earned by contributing to the forum, rather than just going through the motion of registering.

Is this what you have in mind? An implicit or perceived abuse of privilege?

 

[FrankS]

There is menbership, and there is membership. The first is simply a given when someone registers on RFF. The second is earned through participation. How's that sound?

 

[jan normandale]

Joe , some of what Kin has noted and some of what Gabriel has noted.

I'm watching members with less than 10 posts selling camera equipment or attempting to buy camera equipment that is sometimes in excess of a thousand dollars. It seems that the forum may becoming a marketplace for 3rd party transactions. What was innocent trading among members of some duration has now morphed into full blown commerce. Totally unrelated to RFF 's agenda.

I'm not out of pocket nor have I been abused. Anyone I have dealt with has been here a longer time than me. It's just that I think some kind of "word" is out that if you want to sell something and avoid Eb@y fees try RFF.

This is foremost a photography forum, where sometimes members trade or sell equipment that no longer suits. Fair enough. But what I have seen lately is not that. So I posted to see what other opinions there are on this.

Hope that is okay. If not pull the thread. I'm not married to this idea or topic.

best, Jan

 

[back alley]

ah, i see.

unfortunately, we are getting bigger and better known in the internet community, not only as a marketplace but also as a resource of information.
that brings in more people which on the whole is a good thing.

as far as colin, it wasn't his interest in commerce that got him in trouble - he was welcome to do business here if people wanted to engage with him. it was his duplicity, creating multi personalites, with what i perceived his intention to fool people here.

we're growing and i guess there will be some pains attached.

joe

 

[Nikon Bob]

Jan

I think your comments are right on the button. I have been wondering the same thing lately.

Bob

 

[DougK]

Jan, I see your point.

I agree that the driving point here is not commerce but rather photographers with a common interest/obsession. It took me a long time to feel comfortable, and to feel that others were comfortable with me, before I felt it was appropriate to post anything for sale here. I did so not in the hopes of making a fast buck but rather in the hopes of seeing my gear go to someone who would use it well when it would otherwise languish on a shelf.

I'd hate to see that atmosphere change and given the strong reactions from a number of members when relative unknowns (and here I mean those who haven't engaged in discussions other than commercial) post for sale, I don't think it will change.

I'm glad for that. And to any newbies who are reading this, c'mon in, pull up a chair, and get to know us. We're really a friendly bunch and we'll warm up quickly.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I think that, as a community, we still have some control over the community, I'd think.

If there are people who obviously come in for the sole purpose of making financial transactions, we can choose to ignore them. That may not work when an equal number of people would register for the sole purpose of acquiring the same goods.

I believe Jorge and Joe are pretty much in tune with what could derail the site into something they don't want it to. Joe and Jorge have done an excellent job.

It is good, I think, that normal users bring up these sort of concerns. Which is what I love about RFF, we don't go over the edge on anything, and when it's about to, the brakes are applied.

 

[back alley]

i'm not really concerned about the buying/selling thing as i think most here know who the 'new guys' are and act with appropriate caution.

folks like g'man, who hobbies in fixing and selling are welcomed here with open arms as is jon goodman, john neal etc. these guys make life here a bit easier/safer/cheaper to start off with a working camera or for us to afford a few back ups for the car or truck.

it's not hard to tell the 'dealers' from the regular folks.

joe

 

[FrankS]

On the other hand, and I'm only putting forth this view for argument's sake: some folks don't want to get to know us, they just want to unload some gear. As long as no one is getting ripped off, isn't that okay? We are being presented with opportunities to buy (or not buy) photo gear, which we are interested in. The big qualifier is: as long as no one is getting ripped off.

I do understand though, that dealers may visit here to buy up gear offered at reasonable prices in order to resell it. That, I don't like.

 

[jan normandale]

For what it is worth and to clear any concerns I might have caused with this thread, I will say that every transaction that I have had with an RFF member has been done with no regrets on my part. Every one has been wonderful.

 

[Kin Lau]

If the _dealers_ show up, I think we owe it to Jorge to make sure he gets his due and refuse to deal with such ones unless Jorge has given the go ahead.

 

[Nick R.]

I think most everyone here likes the idea of buying and selling in the family. It's how you define family that gets a little tricky.

Besides, buying and selling in places like this is a sign of things to come. I think that ebay has peaked. More and more online trading will be in specialized places like this forum, whether it be cameras, surfboards, or etuis. Sure, ebay will grow even larger as more people get tuned in to the net, but its heyday is over. Person-to-person trading is the way of the future and your seeing the start of it here.

 

[Aardvark Aallen]

I think most everyone here likes the idea of buying and selling in the family. It's how you define family that gets a little tricky.

Besides, buying and selling in places like this is a sign of things to come. I think that ebay has peaked. More and more online trading will be in specialized places like this forum, whether it be cameras, surfboards, or etuis. Sure, ebay will grow even larger as more people get tuned in to the net, but its heyday is over. Person-to-person trading is the way of the future and your seeing the start of it here.

Nick, astute observation. I must have been asleep as this movement was evolving. :-D

 

[bobofish]

I used to be an active member of a Northwest fishing forum, and a very reasonable requirement they had was that members may not post classified adds until they had something like 25 or so posts.

Perhaps such a thing could be accomplished here? One word posts like "ya" and "sure" aren't allowed anyway, so it takes a bit of effort to get yourself those 25 posts.

At the very least it might prevent rabid scammers, people who seem to be popping up more and more these days.

Having a record of your existence in the community is also clearly a surer way to sell your wares.

Being a new member myself, I understand what it is to come into such a community, and I've also noticed what seems to be a very unusually warm atmosphere hereabouts. I'm not advocating for exlusionary policies, rather simply "protecting the fold."

Cheers

p.s. Following the example of the fishing forum I mentioned, another "classified ads" requirement (although not rabidly enforced) is that the free classifieds are for private, individual sales only. Anybody that would like to "set up shop" must first clear with the moderators, and either pay some sponsorship, or a royalty on the classifieds. This in turn grants them a "secure" way of doing business, as well as some moderate assurance that they will do some good business.