Sales post

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Is there any protocol for who gets first dibs on sales post,
plus shouldn't people really say " pm sent"on what they what?

I've saw loads of times nobody comments but they sell very frustrating.

Cheers Paul

 

[Dublinjeff]

Hi Paul,

There's been a good bit of discussion on here before about this very topic...

I don't think that there is any hard and fast rule here?
I know some sellers take it as the first person to pm them as the items may be on various sites etc so they will see a pm notification quicker?

I think that it's preferred to post 'pm sent ' on the sales thread asap after then by way of courtesy to other buyers, but as I say, I don't believe that's a "Rule"...

I know that the issue of posting 'I'm interested in that' or 'pm incoming ' first on the thread before sending the pm has created problems in the past. How long is the seller required to wait for pm. What if someone else just pm's for the same item....

Generally, like most issues on here, common sense usually prevails and there are very few if any 'backdoor' sales carried out.

Just my two cents

 

[jayums]

Not sure what difference it makes.

I've sometimes posted 'pm sent' messages on the sales thread, but not quite sure as to the practical purpose of doing this is, besides being a courtesy. The recipient will know they have a pm in their inbox, and just because there is a public message of intent posted on the board doesn't mean a sale is agreed.

Some sale threads are incredibly fast paced. My advice would be to post 'pm sent' after you've done so, not 'I'm sending you a pm about... etc etc'. Whilst you're doing this the seller is probably reading pm's they've actually recieved rather than waiting for yours to arrive, thats assuming they are even aware it is incoming.

I agree the seller should update the sales thread as quickly as possible if items have sold, to save wasting people's time contacting them, but in my experience everybody on here does do that asap, although not easy if youre selling multiple items and responding to a lot of pm's.

When I've sold items on the forum I've always opened the messages I've recieved in order of arrival, because that seems fair to me. But I wouldn't be offended if others didn't do the same - surely it is up to the seller what they sell, the price they sell for, and who they sell to.

As for being frustrated - I missed out on poncho's snap cape this week, but got in first on a nice C3PO moc from Ed last week - you win some, you lose some!

 

[jedisearcher]

Less rules the better. If sellers are sensible and sell in order of interest then nothing can go wrong.

I'm sure plenty of backdoor sales go on but to me that's the sellers prerogative and anyone buying who realises they are getting drawn into an auction can/should just walk away. You can basically have as many rules as you want but if an unscrupulous seller wants to run an auction from say, a valuation thread, then you can't stop them anyway so why try? People don't need babying.

 

[Joe]

There is no "PM Sent" rule on SWF, members can choose to post and then PM or PM and then post or just PM directly - whatever they want.

TBH I would only ever say PM Sent if I am interested in taking the item at the stated price and would encourage others to do the same. If you post to say you've PM'd on an item but then offer a trade for it that doesn't work out or you offer the seller a lower amount than he wants to accept and there is no follow up in the sales thread from you or the seller then others might not PM thinking you've just bought it..all because you've said PM sent.

For all the years I've been on the forums it's only ever really been a way of notifying the seller of an incoming message or a message they might not have seen. I know it's different on certain FB groups but on here and on other forums it does not give a person the right to lay claim to an item just because they posted "PM sent" first.

 

[kingshearer]

It is very frustrating. I think the potential buyer should post a PM and a reply to the sales thread to say he would like to buy an item so that everyone knows who is first in line and reducing the chances of phantom buyers which there seems to be alot of. Perhaps there should be some inbuilt trigger so that if a PM is sent within the sales thread an automatic reply is posted in the sales thread for everyone to see. Of course this wouldn't stop gazumping since a phantom buyer could just send a PM to the seller from their profile or another post. Like Jedisearcher has said above it ultimately boils down to the decency of the seller….and this website has limited powers.

 

[mumbo]

Don't see why a "PM sent" needs to be used in the thread and too right there isn't a rule stipulating this :!:

I'm sure people only do this to get their post count up anyway :lol:

 

[jayums]

It is very frustrating. I think the potential buyer should post a PM and a reply to the sales thread to say he would like to buy an item so that everyone knows who is first in line.

Bollocks.

 

[Mr-shifter]

Sorry. Don't think the first in line thing works here. people forget because of the rules on some of the Facebook groups that it is the sellers prerogative who he sells to.

 

[jedisearcher]

It is very frustrating. I think the potential buyer should post a PM and a reply to the sales thread to say he would like to buy an item so that everyone knows who is first in line.

Bollocks.

Nicely put :lol:

But like Joe says, it's courtesy if you put PM sent in the thread, and it keeps other people updated but why bother with a rule to enforce it because the seller must be comfortable with who they want to sell to. Without letting this become an anti-FB thread the rules (and the changing of them) definitely confuse people. If the admins want them, that's fine, but don't expect them to remove all ambiguity from FS or Valuation threads, and in particular, don't expect people not to whinge when they don't get the item they want.

When I sold few bits a while ago I got a PM from someone who I'd never heard of with less than 10 posts. I also got one a while later from someone I knew and trusted. FB wise I'd have been obliged to sell to someone who I'm taking a risk selling to. Therefore I sold to the person I know, it's my item and my prerogative. That's why the rule makes no sense.

 

[jayums]

Nicely put :lol:

:lol: meant in jest, everybody's entitled to their opinion... For me the main thing is that once a deal has been made, that it is honoured by both parties. Fortunately for me, that has been my experience with buying from chaps like Iain, Pat/Ed, Scruffy, Threaders et al.

 

[tiefighterboy]

Most times i just pm the seller.. I mean FFS he already knows i pm'd him.

 

[Lom]

The whole 'pm sent' thing irks me when it's used on a multiple sales thread. What's the point? Waste of their time posting it and my time reading it! More valid if someone says what item they've sent a PM about, but still doesn't stop the seller saying they'd received another PM earlier...

I bought an item off the forum last night - didn't post a response on the sale thread - yeah, I'm bad! :twisted: :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

So because everything is done behind closed doors with no transparency the seller could really just fish and sell to the highest bidder?

 

[Lom]

So because everything is done behind closed doors with no transparency the seller could really just fish and sell to the highest bidder?

As long as a price is stipulated on the thread and when a deal is struck it is honoured, then I can't see an issue.

 

[Mr-shifter]

I don't see how they could fish. If they have put a price up in their for thread then try to bump it up via pm they will be called out on it.

 

[Joe]

So because everything is done behind closed doors with no transparency the seller could really just fish and sell to the highest bidder?

We would always advise SWF members that a sellers listed price must be adhered to, that goes for both buyers and sellers. If members are trying to back door other forum members by offering sellers more money for their items they will be found out, same goes for sellers who play people off against each other or try to get more than they listed their item for based on the amount of interest they've had. It's not worth it and will cost you your reputation and perhaps even your membership here - so don't do it.

I would agree that a seller should be allowed to choose who they sell their items to but ideally it should be done on a first come first served basis, especially if they buyer is offering to pay the full asking price. I can see why people might want to sell to someone they trust vs a newer member or perhaps prefer to sell to someone in the UK vs Europe/America but perhaps it's worth mentioning that in your sales thread to avoid disappointing people or causing issues.

Again, you can say PM sent if you want but I very much doubt we will ever put in place a rule that states "First to say PM sent gets first right of refusal". There are people out there that don't want everyone to know what they are buying, there are people that prefer to PM first instead of wasting time writing "PM SENT" and there are people that will post to say they've sent a PM that are going to haggle the **** out of someone or waste their time.. All in all, if you are interested in an item just PM anyway, regardless of other peoples posts in the thread. I think the majority of people on here are trustworthy stand up guys that honour their deals in the order they receive PM's anyways but again, it's always going to be up to the seller as to who gets the item and who doesn't. As long as their decision isn't based on greed (higher offer etc) then I see no real problem as long as they get back to all interested parties and update their sales threads with sold items etc.

 

[jayums]

So because everything is done behind closed doors with no transparency the seller could really just fish and sell to the highest bidder?

... No, because the seller is naming their price on the sales thread. If I PM someone, it isn't an auction and I'm not making a bid, I'm offering to pay the asking price (sometime less!). As far as I'm concerned, it is then up to the seller what happens next.

I've never offered to pay more than the sale price in a pm. If I did I would probably expect the seller to think that I'm insane. In my experience sellers wouldn't accept more than the asking price.

None of the well-known traders here would accept gazumping offers and/or renege on agreements they've already made, or wait about for better offers. If they operated like this, then word would get about, and reputation is worth more to them than a few quid extra for one deal. There is a reason why some sales threads move quickly - buyers have confidence!

If your experience has been different then feel free to share, but you have to accept that this isn't ebay and you dont have the automatic right to buy other people's stuff. The forum isn't a police state.

 

[Anonymous]

If someone wants something for their collection bad enough they will offer more. if they are told they aren't first plus as everything is done in pm there is no way you or me can tell what happens!

Let's be clear most sellers have integrity but some haven't with no transparency you don't know what goes on!

 

[jayums]

If someone wants something for their collection bad enough they will offer more. if they are told they aren't first plus as everything is done in pm there is no way you or me can tell what happens!

Let's be clear most sellers have integrity but some haven't with no transparency you don't know what goes on!

And how will posting 'PM sent' change that? Welcome to the real world. C'est la vie!

I'm a newer member than you with little feedback, and I've had no problems buying things off folks on here, when it might have been less risky / hassle for them to sell to more familiar names on the forum who probably also pm'd them. I don't always get everything I want... I also didn't get my end away when I went out last night... but no reason to stop trying :lol: