Well, if chewy has buggered off then what can I say... :|
Interestingly the flip side of people offering money on items in this section of the forum is that no-one agreeing on the point of view that it's not on if we offer money to people seeking valuations would actually tell someone who went straight into the sales section and was giving away their stuff that their prices were too low. People would just buy and do it quickly. I doubt anyone would disagree with that, it happens time and time again even with seasoned collectors - they sell some bits, state a price and in come the first people to notice the post and it's all gone.
In fact it's the same on ebay, people applaud other members for snagging a cheap buy it now on ebay that was just listed yet it's suddenly against the law to offer someone some money to someone on here (which they can say no to and ask around for advice on!) hell there are collectors on all the forums that cruise ebay all day long hoping to catch a cheap item to flip or to keep..
Actually, and I mean this - I think everyone that posts here asking for help and gets a few offers has a better understanding of how popular certain items are that they have, especially if they get multiple offers. Someone will eventually place a value on the items publicly or point to a place where prices can be found - then the seller looks at the offers + the valuation advice and works the value out.
Maybe some basic guidelines wouldn't go amiss for the people that haven't got a clue-
1. Never accept the first offer
2. Ask around with other members if they feel the offer is ok
3. Do your homework if given links / valuations
4. Don't piss me off by slagging me in chat
