Trading Etiquette Revisited

[Jake Evans]

I was wondering, how many members consider it proper trade etiquette for a basic member(or any member as far as that goes) to try and sell you a knife he has listed for trade in the proper forum? I've had it happen twice lately when I made trade offers and it sticks in my craw. It sure blows the trading aspect that forum is there for.

 

[Starfish]

I don't have a problem if the trade discussion turns toward a sale discussion. But there does seem to be a fine line there. For example, I have come across some instances where an offer was dismissed out of hand and the first thing the other party came back with was a specific sale price. That strikes me as someone who wasn't really interested in trading to begin with, and is using the advertising capability of the trade forums to reach the larger audience.

Personally, I put up a trade post when I want to trade. It's much more fun to see what comes up!

Did I make any sense

Matthew

 

[switched]

Yes that makes good sense actually.

All in all though, it's going to be the seller's prerogative. Of course if it becomes obvious there's a pattern of outright manipulative, that's something else again, as you say.

 

[Jake Evans]

Well, I think its crap! I and many others pay for the privledge of selling on the Forums. When someone offering to trade a knife tries to sell it to you, that person is abusing the trade forum. If they don't want to pay for a gold membership I won't buy from them. Maybe if all members felt this way, the freeloaders would get the message.

 

[glockman99]

Anytime that I (as a moderator) see a basic member making an attempt at SELLING an item here at BladeForums, I edit-out the "for sale" part of their thread, and post that I did, in red.

If anyone else notices a "basic member" listing an item for sale, or offering to "also take cash" in a trade that they have listed, please let us moderators know about it, via the "Report this post to a moderator" link.

 

[alphamaniv]

I have had a few folks recently reply to my trade offers with a "not interested in that but I'll let it go for_____" I don't care for that. Now if I see something for sale, and it does not say "no trades" I must confess that I might send a trade offer, but that is a little different. I hope

 

[Keith Montgomery]

Originally posted by Jake Evans
Well, I think its crap! I and many others pay for the privledge of selling on the Forums. When someone offering to trade a knife tries to sell it to you, that person is abusing the trade forum. If they don't want to pay for a gold membership I won't buy from them. Maybe if all members felt this way, the freeloaders would get the message.

I couldn't agree more. If you think $30.00 is too much to pay so that you can sell knives on BladeForums then go peddle your knives elsewhere.

Originally posted by alphamaniv
Now if I see something for sale, and it does not say "no trades" I must confess that I might send a trade offer, but that is a little different. I hope

This is totally different and I see no problem with it at all.

 

[Mike G]

If a basic member has a for trade post, and when discussing a trade, he/she refuses the trade, or refuses to discuss a trade, and wants to sell it to you, that person has just violated the rules, IMHO, and should be nuked.

I personally refuse to deal with anyone who would circumvent the rules in this manner.

If these people wish to sell their wares, they need to pony up for a Gold membership, or go play someplace else.

If anyone experiences actions such as described above, please let us moderators know who they are, and a link to the thread. (Use the 'Report this post to a moderator' button.)

 

[Patryn]

I don't think the trader should be the one to bring up a sale. That is wrong IMO. OTOH, if someone else approaches the trader and questions them as to if they'd be willing to sell it or not, I think that's a different story, and then is perfectly ok. As long as the person trading doesn't bring up the issue first I'm fine with it.

 

[fishbulb]

There have been several occasions where I saw something that another forumite had up for trade that I really liked.

Since I did not have the particular knife that he was looking for I offered to pay then a fair dollar value for their trade item.

Does anybody see a problem with this?

 

[Starfish]

Originally posted by Jake Evans
Well, I think its crap! I and many others pay for the privledge of selling on the Forums. When someone offering to trade a knife tries to sell it to you, that person is abusing the trade forum. If they don't want to pay for a gold membership I won't buy from them. Maybe if all members felt this way, the freeloaders would get the message.

Jake, I don't think we're too far off in agreement. If someone said "not interested, but I'll take $xx.xx", that is clear abuse of the forums, and I'd likely report the person.

However, if I went through several e-mails with someone, and the person appeared to give consideration to each, I wouldn't have a problem if he said "I'm sorry we couldn't find a good trade; if you'd like to make an offer, I'd consider that as well".

Do you feel like the second scenario is equivalent to the first?

Respectfully,

Matthew

 

[GigOne]

Placing an item in the Trade Forum is exactly that. . .an item that is being offered for "trade."

Not. . .I'll put it in the "Trade Forum" then ask people for frog skins ! That's BS !

On the other hand. . .if an item is listed in the Trade Forum and another forumite (not the person in possession of the item) "offers" frog skins to the "trader". . .it gets kinda shaded.
My take. . .the "trader" is offering a trade item for a specific or set of specific items. When taking frog skins, for a item placed in the Trade Forum, it makes it a "item for sale."

 

[masterchef]

Originally posted by CODE 3
If a basic member has a for trade post, and when discussing a trade, he/she refuses the trade, or refuses to discuss a trade, and wants to sell it to you, that person has just violated the rules, IMHO, and should be nuked.

I personally refuse to deal with anyone who would circumvent the rules in this manner.

If these people wish to sell their wares, they need to pony up for a Gold membership, or go play someplace else.

If anyone experiences actions such as described above, please let us moderators know who they are, and a link to the thread. (Use the 'Report this post to a moderator' button.)

I think this pretty much says it all!!

 

[Keith Montgomery]

There is absolutely nothing wrong in offering money for a knife that someone else has up for trade. In my opinion, the person trading is also doing nothing wrong in accepting this monetary offer.