Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS ***

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by SGT. ROCK » Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:19 pm

I joined on Oct. 6 2004. I'm the 68th member to join. I only have 25 post but i check this board everyday. I bought several items from board members including my 1:16 FOV King Tiger from KWR190 . I understand setting a minimum number of post before being allowed to participate in the B/S/T but how will that affect members like me who don't post much but are daily visitors here? I don't think the rules should be modified or changed just to accommodate some new guy who may or may not be up to no good. I say everybody needs to play by the rules that were in place long before derek_001 he graced this board with his presence. I don't think he should even have a say in the matter.

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by parrish333 » Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:35 pm

I agree with SGT. ROCK - I'm also a longtime member but don't post so much. I understand the intent of the suggested post regulation in conjunction with time. But haven't some of the scammers here posted a lot right up until their scams?

One idea - what if we let new members buy items but not sell or trade, assuming that they pay before any item is even shipped? I know that's what I did with this board to build up some good feedback when I started using BST (as well as ebay). As a buyer, I don't like purchasing from someone with little feedback - whether they've been on the board 6 mos. helps a little, but not much for me. As a seller, if they pay me upfront before I ship (just like with any e-tailer), what do I care if they've been on the board for 6 days or 6 months or 6 years?

We're in a time when very little new product is being released. "Old timers" like me who have been collecting for 10 years or more generally have things to sell, but not much we're going to buy. New-comers to the hobby want to build up their collection at reasonable prices.

The basic idea is:
1) new members 0-6 mos. can buy on BST provided they pay upfront. This helps them build good feedback as a buyer. They can't do trades, can't do sells.
2) After 6 mos., they can sell and trade as well, and they have hopefully established some good feedback in the meantime.

I know it would be a bit hard to regulate; it's just a thought.

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by ram04 » Tue Jan 24, 2012 4:57 pm

:lol:
Last edited by ram04 on Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by gburch » Wed Jan 25, 2012 5:50 am

I appreciate forum admin and moderator efforts along these lines -- billions of years ago in the dim mists of internet prehistory, I was a moderator and admin on a very active board and I know it's a thankless and tough job.

FWIW, I've had nothing but extremely friendly and ethical dealings with sellers on the BST forum that has allowed me to build up a really nice 1:18 collection, despite having become infected with the bug in these cold, dark, post-Golden-Age days.

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by gouchy » Fri Jan 27, 2012 7:20 am

derek_001 wrote:Do yall not see i just said ok....
Your ok don't mean nothing

http://www.warbird-photos.com/gpxd/view ... 54#p274254
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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by toyktdlgh » Mon Jan 30, 2012 10:54 am

Well it looks as if the Derek issue has now been solved. Too bad the guy just couldn’t figure it out. Anyway it really just proves that the system we have in place could use an overhaul. I’m going to make some suggestions to help get us back on topic. Please feel free to add to the list or comment on things listed. These ideas come from many other forums that I have visited in the past and are just ideas. Personally I think the first 2 would be the best way to go. I also like the one that refers to dirtying up peoples for sale threads with dumb comments.

Lock and hide the BST forum completely from new members. New members can petition the mods for access after other requirements are met.

(New members) would need to have been here at least 6 months and have a minimum of 50 posts.

(New members) would need to have completed at least one purchase before being allowed to sell.

(All members) no one would be allowed to post in a for sale thread unless they were interested in buying or adding information that may be helpful in the sale. (No “wish I had the money or: gee that’s a nice plane" comments allowed.)

(All Members) would only be allowed to intentionally bump their own for sale thread once.

(All members) If you have over 2 items to sell or buy you must contain them in the one thread.

These rules would be very easily accessible and explained in great detail to avoid any chance of misunderstandings. Obviously some seem to be pretty harsh but I believe adopting a few or modifying some will really make a it a safer place to be. I know its more work for the mods but we all tend to cry foul pretty quickly and could easily help by notifying the mods when we see an issue. In fact if the forum was locked the mods could send the new member the rules in a PM before allowing access. This would help avoid all those “oops I didn’t see the giant read banner” incidents.

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by ram04 » Mon Jan 30, 2012 11:41 am

Those all sound good to me, of course I try to play by the rules, its a shame that they have to be changed at all, but, I'm sure the next Derek is just waiting to show up.

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by toyktdlgh » Mon Jan 30, 2012 12:38 pm

He may already be here :shock: :twisted:

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by gouchy » Mon Jan 30, 2012 1:54 pm

Good suggestions toyktdlgh

The Lock & Hide is the best and most effective but seem to recall being mentioned that there are limitations to the forum software here and it can't be done?

Anyway glad to see this derek had his true colors exposed early with that 1st post on the locked up thread, no telling if it things would have gone very south in the future if he was given another chance to stay

I wonder if he's gotten accesss into Fighting 1/18 BST yet? He's already caused a thread outside bst to be locked there with his usual trade offer antics :lol: Lets see if he survives his tour of duty over at F-1/18
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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by ram04 » Mon Jan 30, 2012 3:47 pm

I'm sure the guys there will soon see through him, we are all not perfect, but it seems at least on this forum, we all stay and play by the rules.

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by BLACKSNAKES » Tue Jan 31, 2012 9:47 am

toyktdlgh,

I think your suggestions are very good ones. I would only add that members like SGT. Rock be grandfathered in on the rule concerning # of posts, and new members coming on the board acting like jerk offs go "POOF".

I have only been on board for a couple of years and I still feel like the "new guy". For this reason I hate to get involved with a situation like what just happened here, but I felt something needed to be said when "he" posted in the bst forum again trying to make another deal off site.

I think all who got involved were very civil considering what was going on, and I say "good job fellas" to all of you!

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by astronut1885 » Sat Feb 11, 2012 3:19 pm

On the one hand- I managed to score a JSI Tomcat at a great price within a week of being on these boards because someone responded to me with a deal before the mods "informed" me of the 6 month probation. It was the jumping off of what has become a nice militaria collection, and probably wouldn't have happened if not for a member willing to take a leap with me. Mind you I have 2000+ good feedback on Ebay that could easily vouch for me, a great reputation on a major Mustang forum where I've B/S/T'd far more expensive goods, but nobody here gave me a chance to validate myself, and I fail to see what 6 months will do for you if someone is determined to rip off this forum. Some people plan criminal events for years, so hiding behind a "time limit" won't do crap. Ask anybody about Jack from Skyworks, his reputation, his post count, and his tenure here and you'll see exactly what I am talking about. It seems like many here are scapegoating newbies as con-artists because they didn't protect themselves when they got conned, and there are ways to ENSURE a safe transaction no matter who it is with. What some of you seem to not get, is for us newbies, you guys are a consolidated resource for info, goods, and ideas. I live in S.E. Mass, and nobody around here even has a good hobby shop, let alone people you can do trades with, and we all know Epay isn't what it used to be. Now I've been here beyond my 6 months, but my post count is low. I'm what you might call a "lurker", but that's only because there is a ton more information to read about on here than there is for me to contribute, and I'm not going to inflate a post count by posting meaningless comments or agreements with somebody just to up the numbers. Heck, sometimes I don't even log in because I just want to see what the chatter is all about on the boards, but I know I have nothing to contribute (my last one was a quick foot-in-mouth exercise in which I 'broke the news' about a JSI F-15 :( ).

On the other hand: I agree with the sentiment that trying to sell a rare model to "Mr. 5 posts and 3 days registered" is a bad idea, but that choice should be left to the seller. If you can't figure out you're being scammed, or you can't build personal protection (paypal much?) into your transaction, then that's your own fault. Victims like those who have been scammed are the reason scammers exist, you are easy prey. I've been dealing over the internet since age 16, in every imaginable mode, and have yet to get anything worse than damaged items via a crappy packing job by a seller. All those who have been burned need to stop passing the buck, evaluate the course of action they took that made them vulnerable to a screwing, and fix it for next time.

As far as the wishy-washy buyers, those who back out or disappear: It's gonna happen, deal with it, and move on. If the worst thing that comes from posting a for-sale item in a FREE AND PUBLIC saturated buyers market is lots of lookey-loos on your way to a sale, remember the Ebay fee you're not paying, the time limit you don't have to sell, and be glad you have an outlet for your item. Lots of people dream, some take a shot, people have circumstances change, BUT YOU GET A CHOICE MARKET TO SELL YOUR WARES FOR FREE! For all you know, they're bargain shopping across auction sites, forums, local stuff, etc, and you should be happy you get a chance to compete for their business, not whining that people interact with you at the point of sale. If stores did this, they'd lose 90% of their foot traffic in an instant.

Just my opinion, I know I'm a new guy here, but the world is bigger than this forum and I've put many a footprint across it, and the lessons still apply.

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by parrish333 » Sun Feb 12, 2012 2:20 pm

I agree with a lot of your points astronut1885. Does paypal cover buyers and sellers in bad B/S/T situations?

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by toyktdlgh » Wed Feb 15, 2012 7:17 am

At the end of the day it is an individual’s responsibility to take care of themselves. I have been on this board since its very beginning and have never been ripped off. Why? Because I take precautions. I don’t buy or sell out of the COUS. I don’t deal with people that haven’t had a previous transaction with feedback. I don’t deal with people that can’t use PayPal. Those things coupled good common sense have kept me in the clear for some time now.

There is no clear right or wrong way to deal with trade on this forum. The 6 month rule will weed out the common thief that doesn’t have time to wait and wants quick money. I guess we will never know how many of those have passed through here. Someone hell-bent on robbing people will do so. They will wait, get their posts up and then start their business. We have had those here too.

After further thought I think the best way to solve the BST issues in personal empowerment. The new feedback system that’s being piloted will be a nice touch. It will give members the ability to see a sellers rating in a quick glance. The 6 month rule should stay intact but be better explained. There is a bit of ambiguity as to whether people are allowed to post in the BST area at all during this time and a reference to “active member”. Both of these issues should be elaborated on.

At the end of the day it’s up to us to take care of ourselves. If I could offer up one piece of advice it would be to have patience. When people panic, thinking that they may loose out on a good deal, bad things happen. Keep a level head, have some criteria that you always use to judge each transaction. If it doesn’t meet up then don’t do it. Don’t make exceptions.

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by Axis Nightmare » Fri Mar 02, 2012 1:41 pm

I would really like to see a rule that when an item or items is listed in an ad, whether sold individually or as a lot, must have a stated asking price. If you have a list of items to be sold individually, each item should have an asking price or one stated price for the lot or a discount price if you buy all. Some are listing what they have and to PM if interested. Then when you ask how much each item is they reply "make me an offer" or "let me know which ones you're interested in and I'll make you a price." :x I don't play that game. Besides, I don't believe the Founding Fathers of the Forum intended it to be an auction site where bidding wars take place between Board Members. Leave that to eBay. I've gone back and forth in correspondance recently on an ad and still haven't gotten a straight answer on the asking price of some items in the ad. I see nothing wrong with making an offer toward an asking price. The seller can simply say no. Is this asking too much?
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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by warbike » Wed Mar 07, 2012 1:40 pm

Axis Nightmare wrote:I would really like to see a rule that when an item or items is listed in an ad, whether sold individually or as a lot, must have a stated asking price. If you have a list of items to be sold individually, each item should have an asking price or one stated price for the lot or a discount price if you buy all. Some are listing what they have and to PM if interested. Then when you ask how much each item is they reply "make me an offer" or "let me know which ones you're interested in and I'll make you a price." :x I don't play that game. Besides, I don't believe the Founding Fathers of the Forum intended it to be an auction site where bidding wars take place between Board Members. Leave that to eBay. I've gone back and forth in correspondance recently on an ad and still haven't gotten a straight answer on the asking price of some items in the ad. I see nothing wrong with making an offer toward an asking price. The seller can simply say no. Is this asking too much?

No thats not asking to much. My problem with the 1:18 items I am selling is shipping costs. My prices are low yet some people still complain about shipping costs and on top of that offer no solution in return. I'm not a dealer or a business. I also include a price for each item I sell on the lists I post. Point I'm making is that it works both ways and buyers need to look at both the shipping costs and item costs and look at the big picture. Compare what you see on ebay to what you see on here. I'm tough to beat, I just want to break even and see my collection go to good homes. I got these items in walmart. etc..back then, thats why my prices are low. I'm getting out of the hobby but will stay with the forum.
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Re: Am I Wrong?

Post by Rowsdower » Sun Mar 11, 2012 8:18 am

Razor17019 wrote: I like the addition of the posts along with the 6 month waiting period.
It encourages new members to participate and weeds out those people who just want to use the B/S/T section. P51 and Aferg we really appreciate all the time and effort you put into maintaining and making this board a better place to visit.
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I agree with this. And hats of to P51 and Aferg, I know it must be frustrating sometimes. :D
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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by Axis Nightmare » Sun Mar 11, 2012 6:37 pm

I agree with Warbike. With the price of gas now, even driving a 60 mile round trip to get something costs almost as much as shipping. Shipping cost is a part of aquiring an item in demand that is not readily available in your local area. It also pays for convenience and having someone else do the travel to the Post office and spend their time and gas. Paying for nothing more than the actual postage is a bargain :!: Buyers should be happy they're not paying sales tax :wink:
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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by toyktdlgh » Fri Mar 16, 2012 6:28 am

I don’t know if I have ever posted a make offer sale on this bard before or not. I probably tried it once with no success. Regardless I completely agree that from a buyer’s perspective they really do suck. I’m always afraid that I’ll insult a seller. Maybe I think because it had a busted wheel that it’s worth half what they go for on eBay. He may think it’s only a dollar or two off. Then I make my offer and I’m a bottom feeder that’s trying to rip them off. That’s not an actual scenario that’s happened to me but its come close before.

An advertised price is best. Pick a price you want and if you think you’re a bit high put OBO. That way the buyers can see if it’s out of their target area before wasting your time.

The same can be said for buyers. If you think it’s too high don’t try to widdle them down to half price. Just say it’s too high and move on.

With all of these pet peeves out there my biggest complaint is one that cannot be fixed. It exists everyplace trade is commenced. It’s the guy that isn’t sure if he wants something or not. He isn’t sure he can afford it or not. He isn’t sure he going to follow through with a deal if ones struck or not. This guy just waddles around life telling people he will take it only to come up with a lame excuse later as to why he can’t follow through. This guy will waist an hour or two of your time figuring out shipping costs and the best way to package the item only to tell you his van broke down and cant follow through. Do you know how many times I have heard the broken down car excuse? I’m not joking when I say close to 20 times on his board alone. Probably 15 times on other private sales. Regardless this guy will be everyplace. Every time you post something he will show up. He may have a different name each time but his MO’s the same. If you guys can figure out a way to get rid of this guy let me know. I’ve been trying to irradiate his type for years with no success.

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by qwik150 » Thu Jun 28, 2012 8:35 am

I dont know any of you folks on this board and I am a "newb" to this board.
However the issues that seem to hinder BST here are the same on many boards. It is not the number of posts , or the timeline of memebership that determines a board member from sluffing out on a deal or promising to buy a diecast/molded plastic plane etc... It is his/her character. I am a member of other collectible forums and know when I buy something it is done with paypal to protect me from less than honest sellers.

The bottom line is I understand a 6 month probation for selling on a forum , but disagree about not being allowed to buy!

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by Yngadult » Fri Sep 14, 2012 4:45 pm

Hello. I just registered despite following your site for over five years.
I enjoyed reading the posts or sometimes seeing pics of collections the members have. Thank you to all who contributed to this.
To me this was a great source to gain knowledge on what is available to collectors of plastic military figures.
In particular, I like pre painted ones as I have no talent or patience in painting them myself.
At first I collected WWII stuff until the modern line developed. I collected the 1:18 scale then due to size restraints, I sold them off & concentrated on 1/32 & smaller scales.
Now I want to sell my 1/32 WWII collection, but retain my modern collection.

BUT.... I read all the concern about newbies on the BST threads.

I am here in all sincerity. I want to share my two cents worth:
1. I wonder if these restrictions would deter people from joining. I would hate to see this site die because veteran members have "retired" whilst newcomers are turned off by restrictions. I suspct the trend is not in the collectors favor as kids are more in to video games than toy soldiers.
2. I imagine most adult collectors have other priorities in life than to be on this site regularly. Expecting one to post regularly may be unrealistic.
3. I hope this site remains a welcome place where collectors can share their expertise and newbies like me can enjoy a one stop place to enjoy this hobby.
4. Unethical people are not restricted to new members. We see that in real life. I hope newbies are allowed to buy or sell as this is one major appeal to this site. Paypal & other security mechanisms are encouraged to deal with the misfortune that some have experienced. Penalizing newbies is not the solution. Instead it may do more harm in curtailing the membership growth & future of this forum.
5 . I look forward to participating even if it may be seldom or sporadic. I also hope for this site to be very fruitful for all to enjoy.

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by normandy » Wed Sep 26, 2012 4:56 am

Hello and welcome,
If you go over to Forum Threads: New Members Introduce Yourselves
http://www.warbird-photos.com/gpxd/viewforum.php?f=5
You'll find our most recent new members, I guess thats the official spot.
Have fun and enjoy the site.

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Re: Am I Wrong? - *** BUY SELL TRADE IMPROVEMENT THOUGHTS **

Post by rudedog » Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:08 pm

hi all as a newby as people put it i think the rules are fine i needed some help and many people resonded. i do not mind waiting to buy or sell. the info i have gotten from just reading in amazing. i have found lots of help on 2 projects. so no your not wrong just remember theres all ways a bad apple in ever bunch. some of us are not as tallanted at typing so its hard for us to post as much as we would like i still like to read as much as i can. just my thoughts the rudedog.

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