New forum moderator required

[raj]

We should also look at the thought of asking the seller to quote the price at which the product was bought, it will provide an equal base/right for buyers as well since the seller is free to quote a price he/she deems fit.

Though this is a valid point (and probably the second most topic of posts in many For Sale thread), it would be difficult to enforce in many cases. I don't remember the price I bought many of the equipment that I bought. If I have to sell any of them then I have to make up a price in the absence of proof of purchase. That would defeat the purpose completely. So, I am not sure if it is good idea.
The problem may be with the expectation that buyers have a right to know the price at which the For Sale item is bought. I don't have that expectation. And I don't agree with that expectation. But if the majority feels that way, the mods can enforce it though IMHO such a requirement is not practical.

Also, many have said that if the seller is making profit it should be posted in the For Sale by Dealer forum. I thought that forum is for users who registered as Dealers (those that have a business of selling HiFi items) irrespective of profit or loss the pieces are sold at. May be the mods can clarify that.

 

[srinisundar]

Why not add only Members who were active and alive(such as more than 200 posts or 500 posts) can use "For sale by owners" section, so that their credentials can be verified among other members who were active for long time and interacted with them.

This may give confidence for new entrants to buy old stuffs rather than going for new one.

As "imgene" quoted all the details as Year of buy / old price / 1st or 2nd owner / years of warranty if any / original bill if available should be given as much as possible by seller.

 

[sud98]

Raj,I agree putting the purchase price has not much value.

However, I do believe, forum users should report usurious prices. A member buys the product (BD's) in this forum and then sells at a higher price should not be allowed.

Maybe its through messages in the for sale or can we report such posts too.

 

[CANDUU]

Only member who has 100 post or minimum 50 reputations should be allowed to start a for sale thread.

 

[shailenderb]

We should also look at the thought of asking the seller to quote the price at which the product was bought, it will provide an equal base/right for buyers as well since the seller is free to quote a price he/she deems fit.

Agree with this. Also what's wrong if someone informs the prospective buyer of the going price of a product which may be lesser or equal to the one being sold? Let the buyer decide whether he wants to go in for a new product at a lesser price or an used one at a higher or equivalent price (hypothetically speaking). People wishing the sellers "good luck" is allowed. Then lets consider someone informing the going prices as wishing "good luck" to the buyer.

Regds

 

[doors666]

Though this is a valid point (and probably the second most topic of posts in many For Sale thread), it would be difficult to enforce in many cases. I don't remember the price I bought many of the equipment that I bought. If I have to sell any of them then I have to make up a price in the absence of proof of purchase. That would defeat the purpose completely. So, I am not sure if it is good idea.
The problem may be with the expectation that buyers have a right to know the price at which the For Sale item is bought. I don't have that expectation. And I don't agree with that expectation. But if the majority feels that way, the mods can enforce it though IMHO such a requirement is not practical.

Also, many have said that if the seller is making profit it should be posted in the For Sale by Dealer forum. I thought that forum is for users who registered as Dealers (those that have a business of selling HiFi items) irrespective of profit or loss the pieces are sold at. May be the mods can clarify that.

I have never sold anything on hfv so far, so my experience is from reading the FS posts.

I feel the for sale is becoming too restricted here. I dont understand why a person has to provide information like why he's selling it, or what price he paid for it or how much profit or loss he is making at it. My feeling on this is - none of your business. I have shown the photos, price is listed, you want to buy it, if not, move on. No one is forcing you to purchase it. Too many people making fun of people or product getting sold, people (who have no interest in buying) asking meaning less questions, this is not a good product, this is not a good price, jokes, thread running into lots of pages without an iota of value addition.

Why should the seller disclose the price he purchased at. If he got a great deal, he's not obligated to pass it on to a buyer. This is not charity, he is trying to raise funds for an upgrade. If you want to find out the MRP of the product, search on google. dont expect the seller to help you out with your homework

If someone buys an item from US for 20k that sells here in india for 50k, use it for an year and want to sell, why should he sell it for less than 20k, when he knows it can be sold for 25k-35k. Why should he not make a profit. You dont like it, well order it from US and get it and pay shipping and customs and see how much it costs.

If some one cheats someone, then you can start a thread or put it in the same thread that hey I got a broken product, such people can be banned by the mods.

On the other hand, if someone puts a wanted ad, there are people telling I have so and so item, price PMd. No photos, no reasons, no price etc. why two sets of rules, both are after all resulting in a sale on hfv.

 

[raj]

Raj,I agree putting the purchase price has not much value.

However, I do believe, forum users should report usurious prices. A member buys the product (BD's) in this forum and then sells at a higher price should not be allowed.

Maybe its through messages in the for sale or can we report such posts too.

I think this is a valid case for reporting. But let us consider the number of such abuses versus the number posts accusing the seller of making huge profits without any data to back up before deciding which side the mods lean on.

 

[vivek.saikia]

Only member who has 100 post or minimum 50 reputations should be allowed to start a for sale thread.

I beg to differ here.
This may lead to a worst case scenario. The people who need to sell a few stuffs will join the forum just for the sake of it and then will just post rubbish to increase their post count. This will add to this forum's already existing problems.
Giving preference to the reputations seems to be a good start. But a reputation of 50 is very high and will take much time and expertise to reach till that level. Even a figure of 5 reputation points seems good to start a for sale thread.

 

[raj]

Agree with this. Also what's wrong if someone informs the prospective buyer of the going price of a product which may be lesser or equal to the one being sold? Let the buyer decide whether he wants to go in for a new product at a lesser price or an used one at a higher or equivalent price (hypothetically speaking). People wishing the sellers "good luck" is allowed. Then lets consider someone informing the going prices as wishing "good luck" to the buyer.

Regds

Pointing to other published prices in the market should be ok as long as it is the same product.

 

[srinisundar]

I have never sold anything on hfv so far, so my experience is from reading the FS posts.

I feel the for sale is becoming too restricted here. I dont understand why a person has to provide information like why he's selling it, or what price he paid for it or how much profit or loss he is making at it. My feeling on this is - none of your business. I have shown the photos, price is listed, you want to buy it, if not, move on. No one is forcing you to purchase it. Too many people making fun of people or product getting sold, people (who have no interest in buying) asking meaning less questions, this is not a good product, this is not a good price, jokes, thread running into lots of pages without an iota of value addition.

Why should the seller disclose the price he purchased at. If he got a great deal, he's not obligated to pass it on to a buyer. This is not charity, he is trying to raise funds for an upgrade. If you want to find out the MRP of the product, search on google. dont expect the seller to help you out with your homework

If someone buys an item from US for 20k that sells here in india for 50k, use it for an year and want to sell, why should he sell it for less than 20k, when he knows it can be sold for 25k-35k. Why should he not make a profit. You dont like it, well order it from US and get it and pay shipping and customs and see how much it costs.

If some one cheats someone, then you can start a thread or put it in the same thread that hey I got a broken product, such people can be banned by the mods.

On the other hand, if someone puts a wanted ad, there are people telling I have so and so item, price PMd. No photos, no reasons, no price etc. why two sets of rules, both are after all resulting in a sale on hfv.

I differ on this, since i consider HFV as an community who were trying to help others to choose Hifi products can be allowed to point the higher price, but in a different manner by posting the prices in deals section or price in appropriate product section. I never agree for quoting the comments on the price by other members on the OP sale thread.

There is no point in telling, it is none of your business. Of course i don't tell to throw the product for charity but can be priced fairly. If any members find the price is too exorbitant, as an community to help/point out in a nice manner.

Why cant we open an "Exclusive thread":yahoo: to comment on the price of For Sale thread. So all the discussion in one thread that too can be cleaned by mod occasionally if found unnecessary.

 

[vivek.saikia]

I have never sold anything on hfv so far, so my experience is from reading the FS posts.

I feel the for sale is becoming too restricted here. I dont understand why a person has to provide information like why he's selling it, or what price he paid for it or how much profit or loss he is making at it. My feeling on this is - none of your business. I have shown the photos, price is listed, you want to buy it, if not, move on. No one is forcing you to purchase it. Too many people making fun of people or product getting sold, people (who have no interest in buying) asking meaning less questions, this is not a good product, this is not a good price, jokes, thread running into lots of pages without an iota of value addition.

Why should the seller disclose the price he purchased at. If he got a great deal, he's not obligated to pass it on to a buyer. This is not charity, he is trying to raise funds for an upgrade. If you want to find out the MRP of the product, search on google. dont expect the seller to help you out with your homework

If someone buys an item from US for 20k that sells here in india for 50k, use it for an year and want to sell, why should he sell it for less than 20k, when he knows it can be sold for 25k-35k. Why should he not make a profit. You dont like it, well order it from US and get it and pay shipping and customs and see how much it costs.

If some one cheats someone, then you can start a thread or put it in the same thread that hey I got a broken product, such people can be banned by the mods.

On the other hand, if someone puts a wanted ad, there are people telling I have so and so item, price PMd. No photos, no reasons, no price etc. why two sets of rules, both are after all resulting in a sale on hfv.

I believe the forums like these are for information sharing where people gain knowledge and information about products, pricing, dealers etc.
If someone is planning to buy something then the forum members help the fellow member in getting the best VFM deal possible. We discuss about the dealers who sell at very attractive rates and direct the buyer towards them. It is a friendly gesture for which nobody gets paid and is a simple way of helping each other.
Now the same thing applies for the "For Sale By Owner" and "For Sale By Dealer" sections as well. If somebody is selling a product at much higher price than locally available and if someone points out to a better deal then I don't see it as any kind of vandalism of the actual "for sale" thread. This is a basic information sharing we do, as in other threads as well. The sale section is not a place for duping the uninformed and a place for profit making. What if the buyer is not aware if the product can be purchased in much lesser price? He will be at total loss at the hand of a greedy seller. What is the use of this forum then?
Being in a forum has some advantages, the most important being, information sharing. Otherwise, we should not even ridicule a dealer for selling products in about 2 times of its actual price.

Just my two paise.

 

[Vijay_s]

Forum "For sale by Owner " need a strict moderation else people will use it for profit and fail the whole purpose of existence of this sub-forum. If the intention is making money then one should post in dealers thread or hifimart instead of pretending as a genuine seller trying to sell for next upgrade.

Few observations,

1. People trying to sell item bought from forum and sell it for higher price.
2. Using forum to sell item looks like dug out from mud or picked from scrap dealer to sell as antique item.
3. Try to sell 10K worth Chinese TV to newbie for 30K.


If few consider these kind of behavior add value and advocate for the right of seller then I am sorry I am not one among them.

My Hi-fi journey started from this forum, from first amplifier to each items listed in my signature is bought considering the valuable suggestions from forum members. So I feel I have a responsibility to ring warning bell.

 

[deepakgang]

As there are not too many threads getting started for sale by owners, I think all new threads can be reviewed by moderator and published.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Very interesting recent posts on the "for sale" thing

Being in a forum has some advantages, the most important being, information sharing. Otherwise, we should not even ridicule a dealer for selling products in about 2 times of its actual price.

Just my two paise.

You are underselling yourself. This post is worth at least 6 paise!

Seriously, reading both sides of the argument, I think Vivek has the correct view. If one puts something up for sale, one might get comments, one might get offers. It's all part of a market. It is also, sometimes, very telling to see how a seller responds to comments: Piss off if you don't want to buy is hardly likely to encourage anybody, and very likely to put off a serious buyer.

(That is not, of course an actual quote, and if it is, it isn't meant to be. I've certainly seen the attitude, though)

 

[doors666]

I believe the forums like these are for information sharing where people gain knowledge and information about products, pricing, dealers etc.
If someone is planning to buy something then the forum members help the fellow member in getting the best VFM deal possible. We discuss about the dealers who sell at very attractive rates and direct the buyer towards them. It is a friendly gesture for which nobody gets paid and is a simple way of helping each other.
Now the same thing applies for the "For Sale By Owner" and "For Sale By Dealer" sections as well. If somebody is selling a product at much higher price than locally available and if someone points out to a better deal then I don't see it as any kind of vandalism of the actual "for sale" thread. This is a basic information sharing we do, as in other threads as well. The sale section is not a place for duping the uninformed and a place for profit making. What if the buyer is not aware if the product can be purchased in much lesser price? He will be at total loss at the hand of a greedy seller. What is the use of this forum then?
Being in a forum has some advantages, the most important being, information sharing. Otherwise, we should not even ridicule a dealer for selling products in about 2 times of its actual price.

Just my two paise.

I agree, if someone is selling it at a higher price than market price, members should point out that its available at cheaper price elsewhere. I agree if someone is trying to dupe people in the for sale section, it should be pointed out. Infact, such members should be banned and thrown out.

Why should someone not make a profit? Why should a seller not try to sell at a maximum price he can get. Doesnt the buyer try to purchase at the least price he can buy something at. What about lowballing, we even allow that. If I purchased a product for 10k, and now its not in the market, why should I not sell it at 12k if I can. Its not that I am cheating someone, all the information is there. The MRP of 10k is well publicized on the web. In any profit making situation, as long as all the information is there and people are not cheating, it should be ok.

There has been a lot of criticism about people buying BDs from US/UK and selling it here at a higher price. I say whats wrong. If I bought something for 500/-, which is worth 1000/- here, I can easily sell it for 800/-. Isnt it a win win situation. Why should I sell it for 500/-. Of course if someone is making a business out of it, he should pay the fees as a dealer and sell in dealer section, but why should it be disallowed or frowned upon. Members can (and they do) point out the sources (US sites) where it can be purchased for cheaper. Its not that the buyer is not aware of amazon or other BD sites. There are threads running already about free shipping/no customs from amazon uk, us etc.

I feel everything is ok as long as the seller is not trying to cheat someone, and if he is trying to do that, strictest action should be taken against such persons.

 

[srinisundar]

There has been a lot of criticism about people buying BDs from US/UK and selling it here at a higher price. I say whats wrong. If I bought something for 500/-, which is worth 1000/- here, I can easily sell it for 800/-. Isnt it a win win situation. Why should I sell it for 500/-. Of course if someone is making a business out of it, he should pay the fees as a dealer and sell in dealer section, but why should it be disallowed or frowned upon. Members can (and they do) point out the sources (US sites) where it can be purchased for cheaper. Its not that the buyer is not aware of amazon or other BD sites. There are threads running already about free shipping/no customs from amazon uk, us etc.

Yes, I agree what you are telling the above. Only voice is coming over if somebody is selling over the price and it is visible he is quoting price like dealer

May be finally it is the choice of buyer and of course pointing out the right price by the community should not be stopped.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

If somebody selling similar items on a regular basis, surely they are smelling like a dealer. If they smell like a dealer, they should be treated like a dealer. That would be a judgement for the mods.

 

[venkatcr]

There has been a lot of criticism about people buying BDs from US/UK and selling it here at a higher price. I say whats wrong. If I bought something for 500/-, which is worth 1000/- here, I can easily sell it for 800/-. Isnt it a win win situation. Why should I sell it for 500/-. Of course if someone is making a business out of it, he should pay the fees as a dealer and sell in dealer section, but why should it be disallowed or frowned upon.

When you buy something for 500 and sell it for 800, you ARE making a business out of it. That is simply not the idea of For Sale by Owners. The idea behind that forum is that you have purchased an item, used it for some time, and are now looking to replace it with something else. Or you ended up not using it at all, or you have stopped using it. I cannot understand how someone can have 100 brand new BRs discs, and have not used it at all? If you are doing this, you should become a dealer and sell under that forum.

Cheers

 

[sidvee]

Why should someone not make a profit? Why should a seller not try to sell at a maximum price he can get. Doesnt the buyer try to purchase at the least price he can buy something at.

I concur whole heartedly with this statement. As I have stated in the past the market forces will take care of pricing. Simply look at the all the threads where sellers have reduced prices. That is the market in action. So as long as the seller is not duping anybody by selling defective or fake products, I say what is the harm in pricing as he feels (as long as he is not a dealer pretending to be a regular member). This does not sound like cheating.
Secondly since there will be some amount of bargaining in any price - the actual price shown may not end up being the actual price at which the product is sold at (sometimes sold at 15-20% less than asking). So one should keep that in mind as well, before taking exception to indicated selling prices.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[srinisundar]

Just curious !!!!!

If anybody can quote some names whom they think surely or suspicious that they are dealers or like selling only for making money here.