Help keep things on the Up and UP. :)

[JesterGrin_1]

Why does this forum not keep everything on top of the table for everyone to see where they stand in the for sale forums? What I mean by this is if someone wishes to purchase an item or just information on the same then they should post in the thread where the item is for sale and only use the PM or E-Mail function to conclude a transaction such as address phone numbers or what ever would be needed to complete the transaction. In this way everyone would know where they stand and the deal would stay on the up and up. I feel this would reduce frustration as well as someone being just plain upset if they did not feel like they were treated correctly. I also do understand there may be reasons why you would not wish to deal with a certain person or other reasons you may have not to conclude a business transaction with this person. If you should feel this way then please post in a nice way what ever reason you would feel that you should go to the next person for the purchase of said item that is for sale.

This is just my $O.10 :)

[Texreefer]

for me cash talks.. show me the money and you get what you came for.. simple.. i have nothing to hide

[captexas]

Don't matter what you do, people will feel cheated and there will always be people that say they will buy something and then back out later. Just part of selling stuff online.

[JesterGrin_1]

Well Chris Doing things this way on other forums have worked out very well. I felt it might help here also. But as they say I could be wrong maybe there is no help for insanity lol.

But good to hear the opinions of CapTexas (Chris) and Texreefer that have been around long before I think there was even a MAAST along with Myself and Joshua. And I am sure others as well. I would also like to say that I found TexasTodd to be a stand up person here on the forum as well. I did loan him a pump some time ago to hold him over and it was a pleasure to help as this in my mind is what the forum is for to help each other through the Insanity that we call Reef Tanks :)

[Ram_Puppy]

good idea, but impossible to implement i think.

all a person has to do is withdraw the item, as is their right, and bam, you have a way to hide the sale.

maybe if we could implement an e-bayish auction system that would work better, but that's an awful lot of work.

[MattK]

I know I'm fairly new compared to you old MAASTards :P but like Ram Puppy said it's impossible to implement. I really don't have a problem with the way it is now but I think there are a few changes that could be made. I like the forum rules that MARSH has, must include price, location, etc. I think this would help. I won't even say anything about "PM sent" posts.

Good idea in theory.

[JesterGrin_1]

Makes you want to yell hey someone turn on the light it is dark in here lol. :)

[MattK]

I won't even say anything about "PM sent" posts.


LMBO!!! There's a few other forums I visit (fishing and hunting) and these guys start *brand new threads* with:

Subject: Roger
Message: Sent you a PM

Reply from Roger:
Replied

Reply from original guy:
Sent you another

Reply from Roger:
Replied again

Drives me NUTS! :lol

Sounds like this other fishing forum

Subject: Mac
message:
Hey Mac I tried calling you.
Left you a message.
Call me when you get a chance.

[beareef19]

Ive missed out on alot of things that go to ( PM SENT) but he who has the fastest draw gets thier bullet there first and it doesnt up set me its just apart of the sale. The only thing that does bother me is that alot of people dont havewhere they are located and this sometimes will screw up alot of sales for other people.
Barry

[captexas]

Yeah, I do think we should update it with some basic rules like Marsh to require the location and pricing info. I hate it when people post something for sale but don't say what they want for it. Also a rule banning posts for those people that say they are thinking of selling something and are checking interest. Think about it before you post it, you either want to sell it or you don't.

[BIGBIRD123]

I totally agree Chris and we will be working on something of that sort.

Steve

[JesterGrin_1]

If you do not look out something good may come out of this thread. :)

[MattK]

You win... Pm sent.

[jroescher]

My vote goes along with Chris and Steve's.

Where it is, how much it is, and that it's really for sale.

[JesterGrin_1]

Sent reply to PM Joshua lol :)

[cpreefguy]

I won't even say anything about "PM sent" posts.

I usually post "PM sent" because alot of the time on forums I will get a "Topic replied to" email notification, but not a "private message received" email.
But yeah, its funny when you see someone post "pm sent" and you look at their message history and it's nothing but "PM sent" :lol

[DaBird47]

The only reason that I send a "P M sent" is to make sure that the poster has gotten the message, I've been known not to check my PM's in the past...I think it's just a courtesy...

[Texreefer]

i'd be ok with changing those basics,, makes good sense to me

[Ram_Puppy]

I say yest to things like including the items location and such...

but as i told jester in a PM (LOL) :)

1) the rules need to be simple and short. if it's a novel, I am not going to waste my time reading it.
2) If two people tell me they want something, and one of them is, say Josh, and the other guy is a stranger, well, I know josh, I know where he lives, and guess what, even if the other guy beat him to the punch, I am going to sell it to josh. becuase it's my crap i am selling and it's my perogative to sell it to who i choose.

if that right is taken away, then i would sell stuff on another forum.

on the flipside, if I tell you that you have the item, i won't back out on it for anything.

[Bill S]

I echo the location thing. I was going to buy something from someone, and then found out they were in Corpus Christi and wanted me to pick it up.

Since MOST of us are kind of local - SA and Austin and anything inbetween, I'd kind of like to see an auction thing set up. I've missed out on some things that I would have paid more than was asked, but never got the chance to offer.

[DaBird47]

I also agree on naming the location...and to set a fair price...Auction Thing?...There's already E-Bay for that... :(

[erikharrison]

Maybe MAAST could pay a web developer to set up a bid system. I don't think it would be entirely too hard to setup and get running. I like the way the for sale stuff is handled, they seller always has the option of denying a sale to a particular person(s) which is entirely their right. I agree about location posting!

[brewercm]

Problem with the auction thing is that it would start pulling MAAST into the business of having to constantly administrate an auction area and we don’t' have the time for that.
It's a hard thing to deal with and MAAST as a club tries to stay out of this part of the site and control of it. This area has always been considered a bonus section that the club has no authority over other than what are in the standard by-laws for behavior etc.
Yes, I think it would be very nice if people would place their location and an amount and those we could fairly easily put into place. We all have the folks who say they want to buy something and then never do. I've been guilty myself of having to back out of a purchase a time or two, but I always let the seller know as soon as I know I need to back out. That should just be a common courtesy.

One other thing that bothers me a little bit is when somebody comes on to comment about the price. If you know something is maybe priced a little on the hight side and you want to let the seller know, please do it politely by PM. It's their item and if they overprice and don't sale it, it's their problem and right to do it. If they happen to get it more power to them.

[txyaloo]

Why don't we make location a requirement on the registration form? I'm a member of quite a few forums where this is a requirement and it does help avoid confusion. We should also add a sticky to have all users update their profile with their location. If a post doesn't have a location in the F/S sections, it should be removed or the person should be warned.

I personally like handling transactions through PM. I don't need to air my business on the board and clutter up a post with things that should be covered by "private message" such a price, location, etc. It's the sellers right to sell to whomever they like. They don't have to sell to the first person that posts or messages them. If someone feels like they've missed out on a deal, another one will come along soon enough. JMHO -

Jeff

[caferacermike]

Exactly TXyaloo. I send a PM sent notification if I want to buy or make an offer on an item. To me it's like saying, "hey I'm first in line". I don't think everyone else needs to read my "who, what where, when, wanna trade something else?" replies. Telling the person I'm interested in the item and waiting for them to reply directly to me is all that needs to take place on the "public side". Buying something on MAAST is simply, luck of the draw. If you want a guarantee just go buy it new from an online or lfs retail outlet. I remember watching a thread get about 20 replies 60 seconds after it was posted. Maybe you all remember the one for the Aquacontroller for about $150 that was one at MACNA? Everyone here wanted a piece of that controller when in fact it sold on MARSH instead. Oh well, it's just how it goes. So send the seller an email with all your info and want list and post a "PM sent" message for everyone else to see.

When I reserved my room for the barbecue in PortA it was done with about 8 PM's to the organizers as to what was available, what would my obligations be, what was the room like kind of questions. First thing I did was a "PM Sent" and "reserved" my room in case it was what I wanted.

Sorry if everything here at MAAST is a first come first served sort of transaction, or a cash is mightier then waiting, or even better yet a popularity contest. It is up to the seller. I've bought repeatedly from sellers and tried to uphold my end of the bargain to a T so that I was in good standing with them. Later when another item was posted and someone unknown said they wanted the item and I said put me second, well the seller already has a past with me and can trust our transaction will go smoothly, yes I got the item because of my past track record. It's just how it goes.

I like the system as it is. It's also a lot more fun. One question, if we start making it mandatory for the sellers to sell to the first person that properly responds but the buyer is a flake who is responsible? As if the Staff don't get enough PM's already from people thinking they got picked on, they'll also have to tend to the "I didn't get what I wanted" crowd as well?

[BIGBIRD123]

We're not going to make it where you have to sell to the 1st person. We just want to have location and price. I feel the same way about who I sell to . If I have a track record with someone then I expect to be first in line, whether I was first or not. The same goes if I am selling. Information is prime and that's all I am asking for.

Steve

[erikharrison]

As far as bidding, what if you just wanna trade frags?

[Ram_Puppy]

there is just no way to make this work... if forced into to doing transactions a certain way people are just not going to do them here, or take them elsewhere.

[BIGBIRD123]

We are not trying to force anyone to do transactions a certain way, just tell us where you live and how much? There's no reason to beat around the bush! We won't be seeing auctions here anytime soon. If you're trying to get all you can, then I really don't want to do business with it here. There's places for that.

Steve

[caferacermike]

Steve that part is reasonable. I think people, including myself, are getting the vibe that this thread also wishes to establish some sort of "correct" methodology of reserving an item and possibly removing the listing once sold. The part that looks gloomy for me was the part that somehow replying to a 4sale with a "PM sent" reply was somehow shady, underhanded or sneaky. I don't understand that part since I don't think everyone needs to read what arrangements were offered or used to complete the transaction.

[BIGBIRD123]

I understand what you're saying. I moderate another Reef site, too and there we ask people not to post "PM sent" or the like because of thread clutter. It never really meant anything to me anyway because I have lost out on sales to a buyer that never even posted on the thread on this forum and others. The thing I will say is that my $$$ spends anywhere and I will sell to who I want. I will tell you where I live and how much I want for the item. I will also tell you how much I will pay and if I think you want too much then I will let it go and "page up" so to speak. I want trash your thread with the fact I don't like your price.

Steve

[Ram_Puppy]

what mike said is exactly how i feel steve, i have no problem w/ posting location etc..

[captexas]

Oh, and while we are discussing posting rules, how about a new rule for the photography forum about not putting "dial-up beware" in the title any more? I think this is so stupid and annoying. I'm pretty sure that most people with dial-up connections know by now that downloading pictures is a very slow if not bad idea.

[caferacermike]

Does anybody actually have dial up?

[MattK]

Does anybody actually have dial up?

:ph34r

[JesterGrin_1]

It looks as though Tank Commander MattK has Dial up lol. You can tell by his head gear lol.

[MattK]

It's true. Don't tell anyone. <_<

I like the slow simple life. :)

What can I say, I'm a college student and my dial up is free.
With rising tuition every year I need to save money wherever I can.