Yet ANOTHER trading etiquitte question...

Lawton · Post by **Lawton** » Fri Jun 15, 2001 11:47 pm

Hey.

First, I want to say that I feel allright posting these questions here because I feel quite sure the PCA crowd represents the most experienced and seasoned online computer hardware trading community that there is, anywhere. Many of us have traded with each other for up to five years (in my case, anyway), back when we were thinking a P133 & a 33.6 modem was hot stuff (er... when it WAS hot stuff, I guess... haha). Anyway, I trust your judgement, and (frankly) think I'll get a better answer here than elsewhere.

OK. My question: Should I be getting frustrated that traders won't cross-ship with me? I've run across this more than once in the last month, and have actually had people tell me they are cross-shipping only to have them hold the hardware anyway. It's even worse with MOs (which I don't understand why an MO is different than a piece of hardware). The irksome part is this: I have 131 positive Heatware evals. The only person in the "L" section with more positives than me is Vincent (Fang, i.e. Laputa). And yet I have "goobers" with 3 and 5 evals refusing to cross-ship hardware with an MO. I even send the MOs USPS Priority, with d/c, and have emailed fellow traders pics of the receipts (!!?!?), and they still hold their stuff. Hello?!

Now let me say I'm not particularly angry or irked at anyone (and if I were it wouldn't be anyone active on this forum, certainly). It's just getting kinda bothersome that some people don't seem to think that over 100 positive heatwares is worth anything.

Thanks for letting me vent.

ilike2bbarefoot · Post by **ilike2bbarefoot** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 12:08 am

That's okay, I know what you mean. I have a friend who does some trading in forums but does the majority of his trading on eBay. He's racked up quite a lot of positive feedbacks there without even a single negative/neutral. He does have a few heatware too, all positive. Some one on another forum refused to cross-ship because 'he doesn't look at eBay refs.' Gimme a break. And of course, that guy wasn't even a senior member yet (yes, it was Anandtech) and had fewer heatware than my friend did.

I suppose the best way to deal with that sort of situation is to just refuse to deal with people like that. Maybe, if they get that response enough, they'll get the picture and start 'behaving'.

Lnx227 · Post by **Lnx227** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 12:15 am

hey, i'm almost to 131 heatwares... just maybe a little less than halfway there

I haven't been trading lately in the past 9 mo.. and no money

I think these ppl are just paranoid... the whole "Help w/ this trade" over at anandtech seems to have skyrocketed. I always see something there. It was never like that back in the good ol' agn days. IE, my friend, altho junior member, bought a retail plex 16x from some guy... he supposedly had quite a few... guess what, he oversold, didn't communicate, and held my buds MO for a few days. He was online @anand cause his status was showing, and he eventually responded to my friend that he was going to return the MO.

BLAH. This guy had 11 heatwares.

baffled2 · Post by **baffled2** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 12:36 am

Lawton,

While I haven't got anywhere near your number of eval's, I do have 50 postive eval's with many of em for bigger ticket stuff and I've noticed the same thing you are noticing.My inbox is filled with things that can't even really be called trade offers,they are more like insulting demands.

What kills me is this, the newer folks not only want close to retail (and in many cases more than retail for used hardware) they also want money orders,sent priority mail and they won't cross ship.

Not for nothing but if you are offering me a part for say $250,plus cost of MO and priority mail
and I can get the same part,new in the box shipped to my door via Fed EX saver for less than
$20 more why would I even bother with a private trader ?

nexus_7 · Post by **nexus_7** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 12:57 am

do what Vidman and I do. tell them 2 get lost. that crap is uncalled for. you should tell them they are lucky U are offering a Cross ship instead of having them 2 ship first. I can maby understand if it is a Huge Ticket itme but then still the person with less then I say 25 heatwares should ship first. I jsut did a deal with yoshi that was worth over 1500 and we cross shipped basicaly. I was a day or 2 behind but I shipped B4 I got his stuff. Granted we are both established traders but I mean comon.

And I hear ya about the close 2 retail prices for sale but they only offer you half Pricewatch prices. I had a Jagoff offer me $50 for my kt7a Raid less the na week after they were released and used this line "hay you take what U can get" among a few other choice DUMB ass things. that is when they were over $150 + shipping on price snach still.

Sure some things depreaciate faster and slower compared to pricewatch. Look at the Radeon vivo. that thing has been at $155 on the boards For ever. and just now is gettign into semi clsoe to that teritory on pricewatch.

I can understand if your name is different on a site then what U clame your name on heatware is. I had that Prob for a little while with my name of noodelbutt on anandtech. but after people looked around or what ever. maby even took my word at face value they didnt have any probe cross shipping.

The few trolls have ruined it for may of us.

Greg

hammer01 · Post by **hammer01** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 9:15 am

Yeppers, just like I tell anyone I trade with nowadays (except you guys of course) is that if you got less than 30 trades you ship first period. If they don't want to then I don't buy or sell to them period. New computer hardware is cheap enough nowadays, to where I can go out and buy brand new and still get a pretty damned good eal by shopping around a bit, I don't have to deal with these newbie traders for good prices anymore, I get emails sent to me for excellent prices from online places regularly.

My .02 centavos worth.

Syn · Post by **Syn** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 11:09 am

Yeah I agree.They should consider themself lucky that you would cross ship with them in the first place.I will not cross ship with somebody that only has 3 or 5 evals unless I have had a successful deal with them before where they shipped first.I might be missing out on some deals but I'm not gonna risk my money or hardware to somebody that has 10 or less evals and could be here today and gone tomorrow.

bighammer · Post by **bighammer** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 11:58 am

been happening constantly to me.
That's why I have cooled my jets on trading and been buying retail.

Last deal..2 PPro 200s and cooling..no money yet.
I know I'm an ace trader and like to give people the benifit of doubt, but I've taken it up the pooper to the tune of about a grand since January.
I'm about done on the web trading scene.
{and yes I check references and call the people before I ship if I haven't traded with them before}

Jim Z · Post by **Jim Z** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 1:39 pm

People that have refs that I can verify, or have enough refs to make me comfortable, I usually will cross-ship. If I'm dealing with a "no-ref" newbie then I will not cross ship, period. I've been burned once and had a close call.

baffled2 · Post by **baffled2** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 1:45 pm

Scott,

You've been beat for 1k since Jan ?? That REALLY stinks,you're like one of my most favorite
traders !

Mikendi · Post by **Mikendi** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 2:07 pm

I think that blows big doodie - these upstarts think that they have the marbles, but they haven't got the balls to be straight up front and lowball you in public. I hate PM, or email lowballers - it's worse than spam

they should be glad to trade with one of us 'cause they won't get bent over a chair by a Pro. And another thing . . . Damn that felt good . . . now what was the question?

blade · Post by **blade** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 2:33 pm

I believe most of us here have earned the right to NOT send first, especially to any newbie. Frankly I'd never even think of sending first or cross shipping with any newbie for that matter. If they do not want to send first, no problem and no deal. Respect has to be earned and we have earned ours. If some newbies are that arrogant then the heck with them.

If another is a known good trader then I'd cross ship but if they refused and wanted me to send first then we'd have no deal. It is their right to agree or not but it's also our right to also agree or not. Unless there is a reason of course.

If the other lies and holds their end till they get mine then that will be on their eval.

And Scott, I'd really like to hear about who all screwed you out of 1k?

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 3:21 pm

I have had a few recent deals where the "newbie" trader shipped first.
It is how I got started

I look at it this way.. if he does not want to ..then maybe he is not to be trusted...ya know ?

smb · Post by **smb** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 3:28 pm

I've gotten a few of those too. traders with "10" evals telling me "they won't ship first till the money is received because they are PROTECTING THEMSELVES" I think that a load of BS. You figure most of us here have been around/together for a very long time, and all of our evals are positives, save for the few neutrals from those individuals with stiffies. I figured if a person with a lower amount of evals won't crosship, they are hiding something, so I don't deal with them, period. Retail isn't all that bad.

Underclocked · Post by **Underclocked** » Sat Jun 16, 2001 7:54 pm

I won't ship/send first to ANYONE. Cross-ship with guys/gals I know to be trustworthy? You bet! Give someone the benefit on cross-shipping based upon gut-feel? Sometimes. Only one burn ever and it was minor. Piss-poor packaging from an established trader resulted in my getting a damaged video card. I just bitched at him a bit about his careless packaging. That person is no longer with us (at least not by any name I recognize).
I had been wondering why Scott hasn't been around much, that SUCKS!!!