Trade Intermediaries

[Spark]

So you want this hypothetical person to inspect the knife as well?

 

[gajinoz]

So you want this hypothetical person to inspect the knife as well?

I could see a few scenarios where that could come very badly unstuck.


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[mat_890]

Would you do all this work for only $10 yourself?

I cant think of anyone who would do this for free and still be as reliable as the job description would imply. Who knows though -Maybe you will find some helpful volunteers?

Are you telling me you wouldn't?

You get to check out knives you probably would never get to own or otherwise hold and you get beer money all week! There would be an expectation that you don't batton a log but you do get to inspect the knives coming in . On top of that its a great way to quickly boost your feedback.

Spark, I don't think anyone expected you to be enthusiastic about the ideal as the benefits to you are minimal and the the potential for headaches is huge. If you do consider it sometime, its really not as complicated as it seems and the responsibility would not fall on you.

 

[risen]

So you want this hypothetical person to inspect the knife as well?

Just a quick once over to make sure the knife is what it is would be all that's needed. However, whoever became Intermediary would probably be dying to inspect the knife, regardless, especially if a rare knife was passing through. Of course, white cotton gloves would be in order.

Edit: During inspection...take pictures! Would make a great online album.

This Intermediary, if he/she didn't already have an encyclopedic knowledge of knives, would sure get that opportunity here.

Hey, there are many top professionals/experts who got their starts as interns, working for nothing, just to get experience in a particular field and/or establish a rep, make contacts, etc... .

In the Knife Community, this Intermediary would be a unique role, imo.

 

[risen]

...Spark, I don't think anyone expected you to be enthusiastic about the ideal as the benefits to you are minimal and the the potential for headaches is huge. If you do consider it sometime, its really not as complicated as it seems and the responsibility would not fall on you.

Actually, the benefits could be major, establishing BladeForums as the place to go for this sort of assistance could easily increase Membership. Heck, might even become a newsworthy piece for knife magazines.

I don't think the potential for headaches would be much greater (if at all), than monitoring when trades/sales go sideways here, now. And, again, there are already some stips in place establishing BladeForums as not being responsible/liable for this sort of stuff. Just a few added disclaimers is all that's needed, I believe, *if* this idea was to be considered.

The Intermediary would be a niche role in what some may see as a niche market.

 

[EMT_Lee]

For higher-end stuff, wouldn't insurance be the norm, anyway? If so, I don't believe shipping liability would be an issue.

Even lower-priced/valued items get at least Tracking/DC, which tends to keep carriers more in line, I believe. I think it's pretty hard to lose something with Tracking/DC. I've never seen a package get lost with Tracking/DC. The worst I've seen is the package return to the sender.

All that said, for sure, BladeForums would not be liable.

Insurance can work. But, a lot of the time it's very hard to actually get paid from an insurance claim. Do you have a recepiet for every knife you ship? No? Then you cannot prove how much the knife cost, and without proof the USPS will not pay a claim. They -might- reimburse your shipping costs, but not the value of the lost item. At least, that's how much Postmaster explained it to me. She said she has two current claims being processed, and they are only going to be reimbursed shipping costs. I've heard members here say they've had similar experiences with the PO, and insurance. So, who would be liable? The buyer? The seller? Someone is going to have to pay out of pocket.

 

[Spark]

Let me make this absolutely clear: This will never be a service we offer.