trustworthiness of forum sellers

[jhender]

Hi all. Just having a thought. I do my fair share of buy and sell on clubsnap forums, and so far been meeting plenty of great fellow clubsnappers. Wondering if it'll be beneficial to develop a rating system so that we can reward good buyers and sellers who are honest and give good service. Similarly we can minimize bad sellers from spoiling our experience.

Anyone interested in it?

I've created a little poll to guage feedback. Please give your comments. Thanks!

 

[catchlights]

this has been discuss a couple of time, it is not a bulletproof method, still subject to abuse, other than taxing the system..

pls bring back buyers/sellers rating system

 

[Katana107]

I am with you Bro! Although it's not full-proof, but at least it will minimize scams and that is what it's more important.

 

[ovaltinemilo]

ppl can always register as new member just to sell and be a bad seller, there's not much protection with it...

still the golden rule, check on the spot, happy then pay up. Once money changes hand, don't expect post sale service. I have encountered some really nice sellers and 1 or 2 bad apples...

 

[jnet6]

Having a buyer/seller rating service is good but however if there are some impulse people who give the bad rating like the following link:
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/thre...age.-USD-10-for-registered-post-in-Singapore-!

So who do you think is right in this case? It's a double edge sword for the system.
Unless there is moderation for the rating before it can be posted(if there is any dispute, please settle it offline 1st before giving it a bad rating), which means more "manual" manpower to monitor the system and different people will have different guidelines.
Lastly the moderation team will then come in and see if it is the case of "bad" service/product given to the buyer before allowing the bad rate to be given.

 

[jhender]

i can see that there's been attempt to use a rating system before. but somehow it didnt work out due to limitations of the system and bad coding that messes up the server. am thinking of getting a better rating service into use that contains more features.

 

[daredevil123]

To add on, creating and managing any systems takes time and resources. TS if you feel strongly about this maybe you should champion it. Talk to the admins and volunteer your time and money to get this up and running and maintain it.

I will support you in spirit.

 

[jhender]

haha. sure. support in spirit is appreciated too. :bsmilie:

 

[bayusuputra]

i think the RFF forum has done this to reduce fraudulent sellers/buyers.. they have to put up small amount of $ for the ad and rating system, but then this makes them proud of their business and less likely to "play" around (since they are paying a small fees, which iirc is about $2 for 30-day ad)

but again..

this takes effort and time.. not mentioning people always find a way to get around and abuse the system.. these system will not be necessary if we as sellers and buyers honor our words and promises, and not trying to cheat anyone else.. it is actually that simple.. but it is the implementation that is not as simple..

 

[mogwai]

does having a good seller rating mean the buyer will definitely feel entirely happy with a deal?

if a seller with good rating rips a buyer off, do we blame the system? the forum? the buyer will still rant here. why burden the admin and mods with extra work that does not add to the exchange of ideas on photography and its tools? as far as i see it, aside from providing the forum space and basic security, the mods here shouldn't have to be involved in any other way with what is essentially a deal between 2 people, the buyer and the seller.

and if folk want to make sure they buy stuff without being cheated despite supposedly doing lots of homework, these folk should really go shop at their local retail stores (which, by the way, aren't rated and can still rip people off).

even if a rating system were in place, i'd ignore it and still go with my own research and instinct.

 

[pinholecam]

Frankly, its not very useful.
Buyer and/or seller can screw up despite the best of intentions.
(Eg. Buyer last used the lens 1 mth ago, but since then the lens has developed oily aperture, etc; Seller did not know manual lenses mean no AF, etc )

It does not prevent the real 'cons' to use another username.

At the end of the day, buyer needs to do his/her research, check out the item and the seller.
Walk away if not satisfied.

 

[geraldkhoo]

Just do your own homework before you buy, and if you are ok... then deal... if not... don't deal...

I have my own way of assessment on whether I should buy from a particular seller or not... and there are some sellers which I will not contact them even if their price seems good. You can always check out their status in CS, e.g. do they only post in B&S? These people can also be traders where they buy low and sell with a profit. I am more weary of such people. Having said that, I know of a friend who does not post much in CS, but is trustworthy... which leads to a 2nd area to check...

Are they a New Member, or have been a member for quite awhile. Again, I am more weary about New Members.

However, the most important of all checks is to check the equipment you are buying yourself. Never pay until you are satisfied, and dun take their word for it, e.g. "Oh, the cam only has 2000+ shutter count... see, I take a pic and it says 2014..." while it could be 52014 shutter count...

 

[ed9119]

do your homework and.....just trust NOBODY ..... how difficult is that ?

 

[kennykck]

We can do rating on the user and link the user profile to the complaint thread in consumer corner. Then other ppl can check what are the complaints received by that particular user.

 

[daredevil123]

Just always remember to walk away from a deal if you feel it is not right. Willing seller willing buyer. No obligation.

 

[shelomoh]

Why bother to replicate a ranking system? All these need resources and who are providing the resources?
If you really want a ranking system; You can sign up Ebay, post your item on Ebay and then post here to tell ppl to bid at Ebay. And have everyone use a proven but not 100% system that is already in place.

 

[jkuang]

currently when sales are done some people might say "sold to a nice gentleman" or "thanks a lot for the transaction" or something similar. It would be nice if those comments could be grouped into a "rating service". Doesn't have to be fancy.

 

[edutilos-]

currently when sales are done some people might say "sold to a nice gentleman" or "thanks a lot for the transaction" or something similar. It would be nice if those comments could be grouped into a "rating service". Doesn't have to be fancy.

Past good behaviour does not guarantee future good behaviour.

 

[pikapig]

isnt it good now? how often do u see bad seller complaining threads here?
once this rating system is up...the forum will manage it like ebay...

 

[markyen]

Lets see I like a perfect world and information flow freely. But in our case buyer ratings how to track. They can use different HP or house phone or office phone. They might not or most of the time we dont ask for their nick in clubsnap. So how can we relate or match each HP to a credit rating.

As for seller. like many have mentioned they can always register another account or use friends. Furthermore who will play the umpire or judge to decide who is good and bad. later some will may ask to setup a small "tribunal counsel" or case or CS small claims centre?

I think the mods have already done a wonderful job to maintain the site and I appreciate that. Dont think they have much time to go about doing this. Above are my personal comments.