Marketplace Improvement Suggestion Thread

Although I see the validity in having each username be the person's real name, I disagree. I would like to, at my own discretion, reveal my name to individuals as opposed to having everyone be able to see. Also, our names come up in search engines and although it may seem harmless, I would always like to be in control of where my name is online and what is said/written about me. Within a transaction I do (within my initial email) say my first name.
Reasons for not wanting my name out there are pretty obvious: things with college, jobs, and personally being an athlete. My reputation is online and I want to be in control.

On par with other things, I believe a rating system would be of good use.
 
Kiss

Kiss

HorseFilms said:
I don't really think there's anything wrong with the marketplace as it is... as long as you know who you're buying from.
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I Agree, Scamers are going to be in and out, so what is feedback going to tell you? Get to know who you are doing business with, and use escrows if you have any doubt.

What I'd like to see is some subforums, cameras, lights, accessories etc. And a removal method once the item is no longer for sale. That would make less posts to go through to find what you're looking for and then sellers wouldn't have to bump, bump. bump all the time.
 
You guys discuss away. I'm not saying anything will change (other than maybe a bit of clarification and condensing of the stickies) and I'm not saying that any change will be some major overhaul of the marketplace.

I do think it's time that some things be addressed as this could become a big problem that could lead to the marketplace not being worth being here in the future.

The number one thing people can do is to be proactive, and to do some research. Of all the situations that come to mind, most could have been avoided if folks had searched around a little. Maybe we need a thread on how to research a buyer/seller that will help folks less versed in that particular skill.? It's not just about join dates and post amounts.

If there is something that the administration can do to help make it a bit smoother sailing and at least provide a little bit of extra protection, I'd like to hear suggestions. And, likewise, you all should be looking out for each other b/c it helps to build strong community and that is one of the best defenses we can have against this type of behavior.

One type of feedback is if you are an established member and you've bought something from someone, go and post in their thread and vouch for them.

The feedback thing is a touchy issue and can get real nasty real quick, but there may be a way to incorporate it to some extent without it being public, and without it being a smear campaign, or someone knocking on someone b/c they feel a little bruised rather than actually cut to the bone.

later,
Jason
 
i say leave it as-is. you already have a very in depth "buyer beware" sticky. from there it is the responsibility of the buyer to cover his/her butt. use paypal with a credit card. get the seller on the phone (you can tell a lot from a phone conversation), use escrow, use c.o.d. whatever. if it doesn't feel right, walk away. if it seems too good to be true, well you know the rest...

i am for bringing back the post count however. why did it go away to begin with?

as far as real names only goes.... ok, my name is john doe. better? not so much...

EDIT: jason. just saw your last post. a condensed tutorial for people who aren't masters of google is a great idea. that kind of help spans all online transactions, not just here.
 
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Another thing that might help is a mod-updated sticky that lists all known aliases of proven scammers on the board (similar to another sticky that's already on here). A lot of times I see people posting about how they've been scammed and then have 2 or 3 other people jumped in and said "Oh, that guy! He scammed me out of such and such..."
 
I think Gopher got a good idea about doing subforums, but isntead of removing the threads of sold items, it might be a better idea to move these threads in a "sold" subforum. This way, the positive or negative feedbacks left on some of these threads would stay in the forum (instead of deleting the records of the sale) to show how the transaction went for each member involved in it.

I think that would also improve a bit the "reading flow" of the marketplace, as sometimes threads get buried quickly 4 or 5 pages away from the first in a day or 2 of posting only. Just my 2 cents.
 
cheezweezl said:
i
i am for bringing back the post count however. why did it go away to begin with?

as far as real names only goes.... ok, my name is john doe. better? not so much...
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I believe the post count went away because it was becoming a bit of a contest to see how many posts people could get. When Hudson was the first one to hit 10K it was like a party around here.:cheesy:

As for the real name thing, yes I agree that people could still use an alias. But it makes me feel better, like I'm talking to a real person. As for the real name putting people at risk, I don't really buy that. You need more info than a name for that.

Now if someone were famous (really famous, not just thinking they are famous :happy:) I could see them not using a real name. But while there are a lot of industry pros here, there's only a handful of folks who might get stopped for an autograph, even from the most hardcore fan.
 
Post count isnt really needed. Just click on their user name and search through their old posts. This is usually what I do before even considering buying from a member.
 
Buyer Beware and all the other sayings that fit aside. I think that this is a community. I think that to sell here you should be a known member of the community. I find it strange people are allowed to register and then sell the same day. I have had nothing but good experiences since joining DVXUser in learning and in buying from known members. There should be a 3 month membership and at least some activity in areas other than just the marketplace as a requirement to post in the Marketplace.
I also think that if people are going to use the marketplace are as a "business" to sell or broker used equipment they should pay a fee and list their gear and contact info in the DVXUser Shop. I see this area as a classified ad area for members not as a commercial or brokerage area.
Brian
 
I would like to see the ability to remove our post once an item is sold. It could reduce clutter and you don't have to spend time reading up on something you are interested in only to get to the final post where it sales "Sold".

Grasshopper
 
I think it would be great if you gave members the ability to edit their post titles. (Such as adding SOLD or PENDING or NO LONGER FOR SALE), it would really help to clean up the marketplace, and it would make it a lot nicer to navigate.

As well, I think standardized titles would also be good (FS:, FT:, WTB:......)
 
Real names.

Limitation on selling that comes into effect after participating with at least 50 posts. I don't like someone joining and then offering something for sale.

Feedback is a double edged sword. My experience at least eBay is that negative feedback is often not deserved as much as positive feedback
 
HorseFilms said:
I don't really think there's anything wrong with the marketplace as it is... as long as you know who you're buying from.
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I'm with him.

krestofre said:
To be honest, I think most of these suggestions add a large level of complexity to the process.
Perhaps I'm wrong, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of fraud or bad experiences in this marketplace. There are a few posts every now and then of "Don't buy from such and such" but those are very rare. The level of honesty on this forum is incredibly high for bring on the internet*.......
I've sold and purchased quite a few things through this Marketplace. Some items for over $1,000 and have had no trouble. But if I see "Junior Member" you can bet I'm going to pass................:)
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Agreed. No need to increase the complexity. The bad eggs are few and far between.

pdsage10 said:
Post count isnt really needed. Just click on their user name and search through their old posts. This is usually what I do before even considering buying from a member.
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That and user join date is what I rely on and seems to work well for me.
I think the bottom line is awareness. The scammers seem to be few and far between and are generally not repeat offenders here. Granted, I do empathize with those who have been taken but on the other hand, I would hate to see one or two bad examples instigate a whole new level of complexity for everyone here to jump through. As pointed out previously, one upmanship will always be there no matter what you do. Again, awareness is key.
BTW, to those of you who have jumped right in here to get the word out when thing go south, Thank You for doing this community a service!.
 
Post count isn't a big deal because it says the join date and if you go view profile it will tell you their posts.

The only thing I can suggest is some kind of custom script for FS, WTB, etc because sometimes people don't use them or make up their own werid one. A pulldown list would solve that.
 
--10% discount for all mods and 5% discount for people with custom titles. :laugh:
--sticky with a simple to use checklist of things we should research before buying from someone.
 
What about if I make up a database with system for adding feedback on user, I could self host and just let people link to their thread which they bought stuff from and give feedback on how it all went?
 
I have bought stuff here. No problems, I do my best to play it smart and most folks here are fine people.
I don't sell much but when I do I am always eager to show good faith.

1- safe payment methods,,, I use paypal but anything similar is fine

2- I'm OK with giving you my city and a Cell number, more if we hit it off OK.

3- Clarity !! I always state terms that are fair and beneficial to both parties.

I sort of apply the same standards when buying. You can be a junior and sell me stuff but I'm gonna apply a few good practices along the way.... Nuff said there.
Policies or rules are probably the easiest way to improve the 'buy/sell' corner. IMHO,,

Also, I really agree with the ratings and feedback thing as long as there is room for it.

So far as users names,,, I completely understand about anonymity but really, if there were no net and you joined any group for whatever reason,,,
would you not be using your real name to join the group??
and would your face not be seen by all present parties ??
if someone saw you drive off would they not see you car and plates ??
Real names or screen name If I want in I'm gonna be giving ya what your askin,,,
Anonymity is not what keeps you safe on the net, smart practices is what keeps you safe... JMO




cheers
 
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EDIT-XTREEM said:
I think it would be great if you gave members the ability to edit their post titles. (Such as adding SOLD or PENDING or NO LONGER FOR SALE), it would really help to clean up the marketplace, and it would make it a lot nicer to navigate.

As well, I think standardized titles would also be good (FS:, FT:, WTB:......)
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I am pretty sure you can change the title in the advanced modify post menu. I am pretty sure I have done it in the past with my sales posts. I also do not think that feedback is a good idea because negatives are usually not deserved as DavidS said. I think that people just need to use common sense when buying and selling and 99% of the bad situations you hear about wouldn't happen.

You can also delete the post in the same menu.

-Travis
 
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