selling etiquette

[Dustin Rhodes]

Why do so many sellers request that a listing be "closed" or deleted after the sale is complete? Some ever go so far as to edit/remove the text of the O.P., deleting all the pics, etc.

I would think it would be of great benefit to the forumites to simply add a "Sold!" to the thread subject, and leave the rest of it intact. It serves as a good archive of what items were selling for at various points in time. This can help sellers set realistic asking prices, etc. Just my .02...

I get closing the thread. I don't get deleting all pictures, details, prices, etc.

[Andy Henriksen]

I get closing the thread. I don't get deleting all pictures, details, prices, etc.

Yeah, true. closing makes sense...

[Andy Eder]

i constantly hear b0b and others mentioned trying to save bandwidth so if I sell something, I have started to change the title to CLOSE, CLOSE PLEASE, etc.. and delete all photos and all or most of the text. I am not a computer expert but I think this saves band width.

I wish that was not an issue because I think valuable information is being erased or lost. I occasionally do a search on items I am considering buying or selling to try to determine an accurate value or asking price. Even if it's still there, you don't know the actual sale price. A few times I have messaged a buyer or seller to try to get accurate info and most of the time I get no answer.

There are other reasons this info is deleted but I don't have the time to address them all.

Are we all interested in paying more to enable b0b to buy more bandwidth? I am, are you?

A lifetime membership for $5.00 is a bargain.

Thank you b0b!

[Dustin Rhodes]

Other forums I'm a part of charge to use their classifieds and some charge considerably more for businesses to post. To me this forum is a valuable resource on steels that exists no where else and I hate to see pictures or info lost in the name of bandwidth. I would gladly pony up a bit more to see this stuff saved for years to come.

[Andy Henriksen]

Are we all interested in paying more to enable b0b to buy more bandwidth? I am, are you?

A lifetime membership for $5.00 is a bargain.

Well, it's certainly not my place to analyze the economics of owning and maintaining this place, but I would suggest that if $5/person + a suggested donation of 2.5% of sales is not enough to sustain this place in a way that threads of historical value can be retained, then maybe a slight increase in the membership fee should be considered.

I just find it odd that threads in other sub-forums aren't regularly deleted and/or purged of content after questions have been answered or their initial purpose otherwise served, yet they are in this one.

And, yes, I agree that $5 is a major bargain, and would donate a few bucks more if that would help.

[b0b]

i constantly hear b0b and others mentioned trying to save bandwidth so if I sell something, I have started to change the title to CLOSE, CLOSE PLEASE, etc.. and delete all photos and all or most of the text. I am not a computer expert but I think this saves band width.

I'd rather have the history of the ad intact, including pictures, than have an empty ad with replies that make no sense. People use closed ads to research prices for things they want to sell. That minimal usage is not a significant bandwidth hit. Trivial replies from uninterested parties on active image-heavy ads, on the other hand, are probably the biggest bandwidth waste. Plus they are annoying to the readers. That's where etiquette come in.

[Andy Henriksen]

I'd rather have the history of the ad intact, including pictures, than have an empty ad with replies that make no sense. People use closed ads to research prices for things they want to sell. That minimal usage is not a significant bandwidth hit. Trivial replies from uninterested parties on active image-heavy ads, on the other hand, are probably the biggest bandwidth waste. Plus they are annoying to the readers. That's where etiquette come in.

Perhaps you could add a brief suggestion to the "Advice for Sellers" or "what to do when your item sells" sticky/announcement suggesting that people stop deleting content after an item sells.

Of course, if somebody wants to for privacy reasons or whatever, they should feel free, but it sounds like there's a misconception about data storage and bandwidth.

Thanks for chiming in!

[b0b]

As far as data storage goes, once a picture's been uploaded, it's there forever. Deleting an image from a post doesn't delete it from the server.

I think Andy's the only one who thought he was doing the forum a favor by deleting his ad content. Most people who do that do it for privacy reasons.

[Ian Worley]

...Trivial replies from uninterested parties on active image-heavy ads, on the other hand, are probably the biggest bandwidth waste. Plus they are annoying to the readers. That's where etiquette come in.

Another annoying thing is the ad with two pages of serial posts from the OP that say only "TTT" or "bump" etc.

If the most recent post in a thread is yours, you can simply delete it , then submit a new one. It will have same effect without all of the useless clutter.

[Dustin Rhodes]

Really makes for good vibes here on the forum to see every "deal" show up several weeks later with a jacked up price and fancy pictures.

[Kevin Maki]

It seems that lately there have been a number of nice guitars that are being bought up by a particular music store in order to resell and make a profit. This really hurts a person's chances to purchase their first steel,or maybe just a second guitar at a decent price. I'm sure anyone who posts a guitar for sale would like to sell it as fast as possible,but to me it'd be more ethical to sell to a member of the forum who truly is looking for a steel for personal use, and not for turning a profit.Of course we can't always know what the buyer's intentions are,but when you see a certain member buying up a lot of the nice deals so often,it's really disappointing. Just my two cents..

[Erv Niehaus]

Money talks, BS walks!

[Kevin Maki]

That's a fact Erv !

[Erv Niehaus]

Kevin,
Glad you agree.
I've owned things and somebody would say: "If you ever want to sell that, let me know",
I decide to sell it and let them know and then they disappear.

[Kevin Maki]

Yea,I guess I've had that happen too. Confirms your original reply.

[Johnie Helms]

People spend a lot of Time searching and watching items listed on this site..

( thank you b0b for this outstanding Forum).!

So, in respect to the potential buyer ( that's the one with the money ) please

Change your listing to "sold" if you have indeed "sold" the item in question..!

Congratulations on your sale.



Thank you for your consideration.!


Thanks

[Mike Scaggs]

Money talks, BS walks!

Yes Erv...

My recently adopted policy is:

First to pay owns item - simple as that
If you want to make sure you get it use PayPal as that is instant.

Too many times I have held gear on someones word and 9 outta 10 times they later come to me with an excuse why they cannot seal the already made deal. As a result I lose other sales from serious buyers who HAVE THE MONEY NOW.

Nothing personal at all, it's business.

Last time I checked, Exxon wants you to pay on the spot for your gas!

This might sound harsh but you have to draw a line as a seller IMHO

[Niels Andrews]

If I am selling there is no deal until I receive “earnest money” a deposit. That is it.

[Mark Helm]

Thanks, guys, for all the sage advice. As someone who has bought and sold here quite a bit over the years, I have two watch words:

1) Clarity; and 2) Honor.

As several guys have stated, it's important to make your ad as clear as possible.

If you're after highest bidder, make that clear in the ad.

And if you're going to honor first come, first serve, articulate what that means: The first person to state an interest in the ad? The first person to message you? The first person to throw $ down? Some combination?

Just make your desired terms clear in writing in your ad.

Clarity in your ad's language can help head off potential problems, so you can walk away with a clear conscience in the wake of an honest sale.

I also suggest you make any return policy explicit in the ad as well (and always pay the insurance cost for the full value of the guitar when shipping).

I always cover the insurance and, even though UPS has never lost or damaged a guitar I've shipped, it certainly helps everyone sleep at night.

Just MHO.

98% of the people I've dealt with on this Forum are marvelous, honest, honorable cats. Something about steel guitar attracts really exceptional humans and I feel fortunate to be a member of this group. Finally, as someone else suggested: trust your gut. This is a pretty safe space in which to do that thanks to all you great people.