Comments in the classifieds

[mjr]

The convention of not passing comment on sales threads if you are not interested in buying is sadly for a reason. It would be fine if everyone only commented if they saw something fraudulent, misdescribed, vastly overpriced etc, but cycling forums (and others too I'm sure) are full of funny buggers who will just derail people sales threads for the most spurious of reasons. And let's not forget that value is subjective!

Well can't the mods tell the difference between a derailment and a warning? Let's not throw the good wood on the compost heap.

[leftpoole]

The convention of not passing comment on sales threads if you are not interested in buying is sadly for a reason. It would be fine if everyone only commented if they saw something fraudulent, misdescribed, vastly overpriced etc, but cycling forums (and others too I'm sure) are full of funny buggers who will just derail people sales threads for the most spurious of reasons. And let's not forget that value is subjective!

EXACTLY! Perfectly answered indeed.

[leftpoole]

[


Without prejudice I think that sales listing should be left as they are posted. No comment from persons not interested in purchase.
I
.

So if you see something you think it’s description might not be correct you just walk away. Let someone buy it trusting a description to only discover later their purchase was not what they thought they were buying. Wouldn’t comment which might stop that puchaser a lot of angst or leave that seller in better stance be worthwhile?

Or are happy that this is an acceptable state of sales
49DF495F-91CA-4A56-9CF8-1DC05B1F47BF.jpeg

Once upon a time when this was CTC seller Members only, we never really had any bother.
Now all and sundry are invited in its a different matter.
If someone thinks a listing is not safe it should be reported to moderators and not interfered with! In my opinion.
John

[gaz]

Once upon a time when this was CTC seller Members only, we never really had any bother.
Now all and sundry are invited in its a different matter.

The small ads service in Cycle magazine (and its predecessors) was for CTC members only. AFAIK the forum and its small ads service have always been open to both members and non-members alike.

[fossala]

It's a discussion board, the only reason people don't wan't comments is because they are scared it will affect their price. If people think they priced and listed thing correctly there wouldn't be an issue.

Abrasive sellers shouldn't be allowed to sell on a public forum. I don't know how leftpoole conducts himself after a sale, but how he responds to people in many for sale threads to people ask honest questions about things like posting, I would have no confidence in purchasing something from him.

Also you have to be careful when you purchase things. I've bought a fair few bikes over the years but in the last 3 bike purchases all three have turned up damaged. One was on Retrobike (my thread got deleted trying to get the seller to respond to me), one on ebay, the seller didn't think he had to inform me it had 8 dents in the frame. Got a part refund and the guy was not pollite, it's a shame because he is a Moultoneer and it's normally a nice community. Most recently a Salsa la raza that got rim and paint damage in shipping because of poor packaging, I'm still dealing with this one but the seller seems nice and helpful.

[Cyril Haearn]

The convention of not passing comment on sales threads if you are not interested in buying is sadly for a reason. It would be fine if everyone only commented if they saw something fraudulent, misdescribed, vastly overpriced etc, but cycling forums (and others too I'm sure) are full of funny buggers who will just derail people sales threads for the most spurious of reasons. And let's not forget that value is subjective!

EXACTLY! Perfectly answered indeed.

Funny buggers? Harmless obsessives maybe like me but not as many nasty people on here as on other fora
One suspects the moderators do a lot of unseen work weeding out 'trolls' and other queer beasts %)

[thirdcrank]

I think I've only sold one thing through the forum - a BoB YAK trailer collected personally by a cash-paying forum member who expressed himself satisfied and from whom there's been no complaint since. That item was simply too good to give away to a good home, which is my usual system although a couple of recipients have sent an unsolicited cheque. I came to a compromise with another member who was so keen to pay for something I no longer needed that he bought some hymn books for the church where he was the organist, a win, win, win situation.

A thread like this reminds me why I don't sell stuff and if it came to it, I'd rather take it to the tip.

[Paulatic]

[




Once upon a time when this was CTC seller Members only, we never really had any bother.
Now all and sundry are invited in its a different matter.
If someone thinks a listing is not safe it should be reported to moderators and not interfered with! In my opinion.
John

Did this 'convention' ( unwritten rule) evolve when you believed sales were entirely from CTC members?
Is it now fit for purpose when , in your words, all and sundry inhabit the space and it’s a different matter?

How do we quantify something as being 'unsafe' and how would the mods verify it?
I don’t know the answers to any of those questions. I do know if I was a buyer I’d rather make my own mind up and being able to consider any comments. I do know as a seller I’d like to give my buyer a fair deal if someone pointed out a flaw, which I was unaware of, on my item I’d be happy to have that knowledge.

[gaz]

Did this 'convention' ( unwritten rule) evolve when you believed sales were entirely from CTC members?

More on the evolution of conventions here, here, here, here and here?

No reason why they shouldn't continue to evolve .

[Paulatic]

Unsurprisingly the bike for sale , which was the catalyst for this thread, went unsold on EBay even after a price reduction.
I popped into YACF for a look at its progress there. My oh my it started a war zone and talk of mods!

Protocol is all well and good but how do you stop human nature expressing alarm when alarm bells sound and you want to protect the innocent?

[Cyril Haearn]

Unsurprisingly the bike for sale , which was the catalyst for this thread, went unsold on EBay even after a price reduction.
I popped into YACF for a look at its progress there. My oh my it started a war zone and talk of mods!

Protocol is all well and good but how do you stop human nature expressing alarm when alarm bells sound and you want to protect the innocent?

The innocent should be protected I think so they do not learn by making expensive mistakes

[pwa]

Unsurprisingly the bike for sale , which was the catalyst for this thread, went unsold on EBay even after a price reduction.
I popped into YACF for a look at its progress there. My oh my it started a war zone and talk of mods!

Protocol is all well and good but how do you stop human nature expressing alarm when alarm bells sound and you want to protect the innocent?

Now that it has moved on I feel free to say that I too thought the price asked was unrealistic, but I resisted saying so because to do so would have undermined somebody else's sales pitch. I left it to potential buyers to work out whether or not they wanted to pay that price.

On the other hand, when I see someone trying to sell something that most of us would consider nice for very reasonable money I do sometimes comment on the attractiveness of the item and wish them well with the sale. I don't see any harm in that.

[Bonefishblues]

Now that it has moved on I feel free to say that I too thought the price asked was unrealistic, but I resisted saying so because to do so would have undermined somebody else's sales pitch. I left it to potential buyers to work out whether or not they wanted to pay that price.

On the other hand, when I see someone trying to sell something that most of us would consider nice for very reasonable money I do sometimes comment on the attractiveness of the item and wish them well with the sale. I don't see any harm in that.

That's the correct maxim, I think.

[hondated]

Some time ago now I decided to advertise on here a pair of unused studded MBK tyres at what I considered to be a reasonable cost.
Almost immediately one of our regular posters came on and remarked that although not the same size ,wider, as mine you could buy them for the same price new.
Not something I was aware of but as I said not the same width as mine but nonetheless I just removed the advert.
Why the poster felt that he needed to point out the fact that he did I dont know and it did leave a sour taste in my mouth for a while but rather that than be left with the feeling that I overcharged someone.
Personally I dont feel its my place to comment on anything for sale and those that do in my opinion should find something more positive to do.

[Cyril Haearn]

Some time ago now I decided to advertise on here a pair of unused studded MBK tyres at what I considered to be a reasonable cost.
Almost immediately one of our regular posters came on and remarked that although not the same size ,wider, as mine you could buy them for the same price new.
Not something I was aware of but as I said not the same width as mine but nonetheless I just removed the advert.
Why the poster felt that he needed to point out the fact that he did I dont know and it did leave a sour taste in my mouth for a while but rather that than be left with the feeling that I overcharged someone.
Personally I dont feel its my place to comment on anything for sale and those that do in my opinion should find something more positive to do.

He should have informed you by pm maybe