Why do we allow sellers to post items on multiple forums?

JerryIsAlive

JerryIsAlive

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Title says it all. Why are sellers allowed to have their knives posted on multiple forums/sites? It seems unfair to the potential buyers on this site. I can understand if a knife maker has the knife on their own website, but doesnt make a lot of sense to me to allow sellers to post an item that is on other sites. I often see people bummed out because they think they got a knife, when it was actually sold elsewhere first. I used to be part of a comic book forum that had a market forum, but it had strict rules that if you offered it on the site, it couldnt be offered anywhere else. Seems to make sense, but curious what others opinions are on the matter.


If this is not the correct forum for a discussion like this, please move. Thanks.
 
I think the seller is entitled to do what he deems necessary to sell his item. If that includes posting on different forums, then so be it.

I can't see what the problem is...so what if the buyer is disappointed? Seller isn't selling a knife for the buyers sake, but to make a buck.
 
As a maker I don't want to limit my customer base to one forum. It's simple marketing, the more exposure something gets the more likely it is to sell.
 
I don't want to limit my customer base to one forum
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Exactly. Bladeforums isn’t a monopoly.

Knowing this motivates the Buyer. I’ve had numerous items sold that I wanted but took the time to verify it was what I wanted only to find it Sold minutes later.

Ideally they’ll list the item as SPF as soon as a Sale is consummated regardless of where the sale is.

You’ve been here almost a month and your wanting to redecorate already. Maybe chill for a bit and see how things are run around here- there’s a good reason it’s the Best.
 
Sure it would be nice to prioritize the Exchange to only us. As a seller, though, when you need to sell, you want a large audience.

I appreciate when the seller refers to this fact. This narrows the window of opportunity. As a buyer, I have to think quickly and post intentions ASAP.

This can work in reverse. After languishing for a while, if it hasn't sold on multiple forums, it's probably overpriced. :)

Coop
 
JerryIsAlive said:
Title says it all. Why are sellers allowed to have their knives posted on multiple forums/sites? It seems unfair to the potential buyers on this site. I can understand if a knife maker has the knife on their own website, but doesnt make a lot of sense to me to allow sellers to post an item that is on other sites. I often see people bummed out because they think they got a knife, when it was actually sold elsewhere first. I used to be part of a comic book forum that had a market forum, but it had strict rules that if you offered it on the site, it couldnt be offered anywhere else. Seems to make sense, but curious what others opinions are on the matter.


If this is not the correct forum for a discussion like this, please move. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Why do people do it? Because they want to exchange money for an item they no longer want or need. Realistically speaking of course, what could we do to curb this? We can't dictate what the rules should be on other sites, and we aren't going to crush members here that do post on other forums. The only thing we can do is to provide an environment here with clearly defined boundaries that allows people to sell their items in as much of a hassle free manner as possible. We don't have a ton of rules in the Exchange (consolidated recently for clarity). We also don't want to have scammers in our midst, and provide sellers as much freedom and leeway as possible.
 
Bladeforums is a big place, but it's only one place out of several. Many people who are members here are members at various other knife/light/gear forums. There is a lot of overlap. I think it would be a disadvantage for one forum in this community to put such a restriction on its members. Maybe those who don't cross over would prefer to have a homefield advantage but their membership is no more valuable on its face than someone who belongs to BF and three or four other places as well.
 
It seems many see something they want, express interest in it, lowball an already good price, get denied, then try and wait until the price gets dropped only to find it sold elsewhere. You snooze, you loose. This isn't the only kool-aide stand on the block.
 
It would be like McDonalds or Burger King only advertising on one T.V. Network.

They would be missing out on a buch of exposure.

As such, Bladeforums will not even attempt to restrict it's members to only list their items here.

Not realistic at all.
 
I mean, why wouldn't BF allow it? This doesn't really even make sense to me. What is to be gained for BF by making that a policy? I just don't see the incentive not to mentioned the risk / reward is ridiculously skewed toward risk. Also, how would they even go about enforcing that?
 
There is no way to manage who sells where but the seller should be on top of his sales and post immediately when an item is sold.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies. I was just curious as to why it is allowed, but now I realize that it is in the best interest of the community to have it this way. Everyday on these forums is a learning experience!
 
Like the opportunity to reach out to a larger market of perspective buyers with the ability to post on multiple forums. Not every potential buyer is a member of all the knife forums out there and so their search is more limited. Seller has to be diligent in keeping track of who is the first to post an "I'll take it" and proceed accordingly with updates.
 
That would be nearly impossible to to enforce even if BF wanted to. That would mean Mods having to go through multiple sites and cross referencing every item put up for sale. That would consume huge amounts of time, and highly doubt anyone would ever want that task.
 
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