Side talk on a Sale thread

[jokers]

I would like a general ruling on side talk on a sale thread.
On the one hand some side talk like "that is a sweet piece of meat!" is good or "That got run over by the ugly stick a couple time! GLWS" again is good and even accepted without much static. Even something for the strength of the seller is good as well, if I have bought from Joe and say "Great seller and he will treat you right" that is a little strange and could go to the feedback thread but whatever.
What I am referring to as side talk is talk that could help a future buyer. Examples could include marker (or gear) priced too high, or low. A marker that is scratched all up and would not work. A marker that I know has been worked on every day for the last 10 years and is lucky to last 1 day of play. Another thing could be a tank that is priced at new but needs a hydro and has low life on that tank. (Made in 02-10)
While I want to say something and help the buyer out I also would not want someone torpedoing a sale for me and in essence that is what i am doing. With that said if it was blatant ie a member charging 500 dollars for a 200 dollar item then I would say something but if someone is charging 300 dollars for something that I think should be 200 at most I will leave it be since they may be starting high to give wiggle room.
I would love your thoughts and how you think it should go as well as your numbers for calling out is 100 dollars overcharging too much too little when does it go from protecting the community to being annoying?

[Junglepeanut]

It's a case by case basis to me. If someone sincerely doesn't know what something is worth too high or low I will kindly tell them and usually by direct message. On the other hand it's their business if they want to ask triple what something is worth for whatever reason. As long as they are not misrepresenting the item its totally up to them what they ask. Maybe they have a reason for it... maybe they are hoping to catch a sucker but if the item is what they are claiming I just tend to ignore it if they are being silly on the price

[Carp]

*opens thread and peeps in*......Hmmmm...what is going on heres?


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[latches109]

Taking the time to know the market and what you are buying is to your advantage. If the buyer cares they will ask the community, and we can help.

[BigRed]

Oh boy, we aren't talking about the Price of things again are we?

[JeeperCreeper]

I really hope not, it's not even entertaining at this point

[Riot]

Policing someone’s pricing is kind of a dick move. If someone wants a marker, they should do their due diligence to find the value, but a seller can ask whatever they’d like & that isn’t a third parties business.

That said, if seller is unsure and starts high, I think a PM is a perfectly appropriate place to tell them, at which point, they can make a decision as to their next move.

[autococker04]

Agreed. If it’s too high, they’ll figure it out.

[rawbutter]

What I am referring to as side talk is talk that could help a future buyer.

Why don't you want to help the buyer? Is the seller's experience more important than the buyer's?

Personally, I like to think of MCB as the one place left online where I can find fair, honest deals. Yes, there are instances when someone is selling something rare and unique, and in those cases the high price is expected. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder in those cases, as is price. But in most cases, we know what stuff should sell for, and if we're asking more, there should be a good reason besides "I'm trying to get as much as I can from a seller who doesn't know better." I already have to deal with that every time I try buying something on Marketplace or eBay.

I'll pay more than I think is fair if I'm buying from someone who has a good reputation here. I'd rather pay a little more for something I know is going to work than pay less for something similar on eBay that might be crap. I'll even pay extra if you have something something common but I don't feel like waiting for a better deal. But if you post something for $300 that really should be $200, and you don't also include a reason why you're asking so much extra, that's a red flag for me. I probably won't even try to haggle with you at that point. I'm not going to call you out on it. Most people won't. But your sale thread is going to get ignored.

[flyweightnate]

I think the best, most impartial way to solve this would be a massive increase in "blue book" traffic and maintenance. If members were able to use some of the titles to make a liat of recent sales/ prices, and if it were stickied at the top of the BST sections, it could serve as a sanity check. It's a lot of work though.

Anything else is a sensitive situation, best addressed through subtlety.
"Cool marker... sold mine last year." = Ask me what you should be paying.
"Great deal, love these." = seems legit
"Awesome nickel. When was it last rebuilt?" = Nice stroker, ever finish a game between leaks?
And of course, "Welcome to MCB, GLWS." = We weren't born yesterday.

[jokers]

Those replies remind me of my grand mother "Well bless your soul" = You are as dumb as a box of rocks but I have to be nice.

[JeeperCreeper]

It would also help if we stopped deleting the prices from sold items in BST. It's the best representation of the market. You can usually see the winning bid on ebay, why do we feel the need to delete the price from the listings here? That would be the best kind of blue book, because we already have the advanced search feature.

[Ecapnation]

I had a dude completely torpedo my mystery box sales because he wasn't happy with the box he got.... Even sent him additional stuff to "make up for" what he thought wasn't a fair box.

I got so pissed off I threw out everything left ear marked for the sale.

[autococker04]

He didn’t like the ending of that mystery.

[Ecapnation]

In my defense it was an entire pump set up but he didn't place any value to tiger sharks and I've been selling them for $60

[Daltech]

Two things.

1. Keeping sellers honest is a good thing, being able to call out rip offs or gouging is a plus.

2. It is a free market and if some fool pays $500 for a $100 item then that’s great.

Neither buyer nor seller is completely free from risk in this scenario. Both parties need to be informed and could either loose or gain money. I think keeping it to existing guidelines is best.

I like thread crapping on things I know allot about that are wrong so, let’s not do anything to prevent that.

[jokers]

I am not wanting the rules changed I think they work. I am just curious where people stand.

[autococker04]

On the other hand, if someone posts up a phantom with nice anno for $125, everyone jumps on (been here). I don’t blame anyone trying to sell their old gear who doesn’t realize what it’s worth who reposts if someone tells them the real value.

[Daltech]

Ahh, ok. I stand with thread crapping crappy threads. However, thread crappers can also be flamed for false crapping.

[Cdn_Cuda]

Pricing can be tough at times, and regional or national differences (Canada market vs US) can lead to difficulty
setting a price. I often try to use sold items on MCB as a gauge, but people often like to remove sale
prices. Given our every day is not normal for most, we have a pretty specific niche. Currency exchange is another speedbump of pricing. Works great selling, but buying hurts.

That said, if I priced something so badly you questioned my sobriety, I expect a friendly PM.

[BigRed]

I'd love it if people would leave the price up after it's sold! It always helps to give some historical value IMO.

[jokers]

rawbutter I think a good way to explain it would be an ebay sale that i see going on. This sale is for an AKA Autococker Round Body Team Static Marker Different Then Production the person selling it is asking $2,699.99 OBO there is no HPR, or it might be no LRP, it has a 3 way pictured but I think it was sold because it is marked out, it is stated as working but clearly it is not. If this was posted on here I would be asking all sorts of pointed questions, where is the 3 way, HPR, etc? You say working but what is working the LPR and trigger frame?
This would distract from the sale and might give buyers an idea of what to point to too lower the price. In my opinion I am saving someone here from getting ripped off and or scammed.

With that said if I saw something like this ebay post where they are selling Paintball Sport Lot. 8pc. Spyder, Masks. Not Tested But In Good Condition. for $75, yeah there are no lenses shown, and it is a couple of spyders, that sale is not for me and I will ignore it but if it were here I would just ignore it since it is a not super scam. I would not ask about the fact that the total of everything there is 50 dollars at most and most of the items will be thrown away when they get to their new owner.

[Riot]

rawbutter I think a good way to explain it would be an ebay sale that i see going on. This sale is for an AKA Autococker Round Body Team Static Marker Different Then Production the person selling it is asking $2,699.99 OBO there is no HPR, or it might be no LRP, it has a 3 way pictured but I think it was sold because it is marked out, it is stated as working but clearly it is not. If this was posted on here I would be asking all sorts of pointed questions, where is the 3 way, HPR, etc? You say working but what is working the LPR and trigger frame?
This would distract from the sale and might give buyers an idea of what to point to too lower the price. In my opinion I am saving someone here from getting ripped off and or scammed.

With that said if I saw something like this ebay post where they are selling Paintball Sport Lot. 8pc. Spyder, Masks. Not Tested But In Good Condition. for $75, yeah there are no lenses shown, and it is a couple of spyders, that sale is not for me and I will ignore it but if it were here I would just ignore it since it is a not super scam. I would not ask about the fact that the total of everything there is 50 dollars at most and most of the items will be thrown away when they get to their new owner.

If it is posted as working and it is not working, that is a PayPal claim. With all due respect, this entire concept can be summed up with “people need to stay in their lane.”
Simply put: if you’re not buying, it’s not your business.

…in my humble opinion.

[Fossilhead]

MCB has always been a helpful community that means well.

I think if you post here, you'll probably find out what a fair value is.

[$L!mBo]

As someone who has personally been asked by another MCB member (wont name em) over pm to "Never post in another one of my threads ever again",
im pulling the freedom of speech card.
If you post something im interested in, whether i plan on buying or not, im definitely gunna chime in if i feel like it.
Scalping bothers me to no end. Guys that buy up multiple products with the intention to jack up the price on the desperate masses are one of the worst parts of paintball. You got bothered by folks telling you that your prices are too high? Stop being greedy and help grow the scene.