I wanted to float an idea for an amendment to the WTB section. Currently posters in the WTB section do not have to post a price, that falls on the people responding to the ads. This differs from the WTS section where posters have to post a price. I would propose the following: ALL posts in WTB need to post a price/price range whenever someone posts a WTB request. This moves things in line with the WTS section and it will also prevent people from wasting their time responding to posters who claim to want rare items but only want them for stupid cheap. We can keep the requirement that respondents also post a price as well (especially if they want to negotiate a deal) but at the very least requiring the original WTB posters to put down a price establishes early on if they are operating in the real world or fantasy land. What does everyone else think? -hl718
Well if someone wants to sell cheap or strikes a bargain, fair enough. Your idea is good as long as people don't go on commenting about the price, deterring sellers. The seller can get independent advice from whoever he sees fit in private, negotiations being private as well.
I agree with that, the point is that right now the forum is setup so that simply asking "what are you looking to pay/what's your price range?" is off-topic. For me at least, I've got plenty of stuff in storage that I'd be willing to let go, but I'm not going to go through the effort of researching a price to make an offer unless it's worth my while. Doubly so if after you go through the effort and you find that the person asking for a $1000 item is expecting to get it for $100. That's why I say either require the poster to include a price willing to pay in the original post or in the alternative, don't prevent people from asking. I do believe that with either of these changes we would see more activity in the forum. As it is right now, I'll browse it but don't really bother responding because there is no price information on the vast majority of those posts. And when you see people with WTBs that have multiple responses yet they keep bumping their post, well it kinda makes the point that they're not really serious buyers. -hl718
well, what if you want to buy something, that's obscure or rare that there hasn't really been many sold to determine an accurate price? Like for instance (this is just an example) say i wanted to buy a gb gang flasher, i would have no idea what to offer, because ive never seen one sold. I dont want to offer more than its worth but i also dont want to seem like a fool offering a low ammount. I think this rule should exist for regular items, but for oddities, that should be an exeption.
Well the idea of how its set up is that sellers would post a reply with the want to sell rules so that if the original poster dint want to buy then it gives others the option to do so. It also allows multiple sellers to give offers and outbid each other in price. However most people just PM buyers trying to circumvent the rules so its hard to make people follow the rules.
I am not so keen on the rules as they are now but on the other hand I am not so hot on the idea presented either. Its not often I reply to a WTB thread unless its something I can help out on (as in give for free to save the buyer some). The main reason for not responding is that you always get the same response; 'I wasn't looking to spend that much' or 'That's out of my price range'. If you are asking for a rare item then you have to be prepared to pay the price! On the other hand setting a price what you are willing to spend will just increase the price overall. If someone says 'I am willing to spend £50 to £100' you can guarantee that any response will be 'I have that item, I want £100'. Then there is the age old matter of beta's. How do you stick a price range on those? Would it be a case of 'Looking for Street Fighter beta's, willing to spend upto £1000'? You dig your SF beta out as the price looks good and say 'I can't test this SFIV beta for PS3 as I don't have a TEST but I want £500' We then argue the toss over what exactly is on the disc (preview, review, beta, alpha etc...) to establish that without knowing what is on there I will pay £35. Who's wasted who's time here??? I totally agree that the current system isn't great by any means but I don't think the suggestion improves anything apart from stopping any bargains/ goodwill that might have been there before.
Personnaly I don't like those 'what do you want to pay for it' setups, I mean people should be free to offer whatever they want to pay for something but it should not be a requirement. I always feel ripped off when I am asked to offer and the other party agrees, reminds me of irritating sellers in some countries I have been to. I just want to pay what you ask for it, or if too expensive not.. How should I know what everything is worth? plus if you want to sell something it's always a hustle, so complaining about people that offer less then you want is bull if you ask me, as setting up a ad in ebay/making pictures etc is also a hustle and also attracts morons offering peanuts. You may want 100$ for your item, somebody offers you 200$ because he/she doesn't know what it's worth, if somebody really wants to offer 200 fine your lucky day, but we should not be forced to offer in WTB.
I agree with the two posts above. To be honest i think the rules should stay the same. We are already providing sellers with a platform to sell their items and i already feel like its not overly appreciated when people cant be bothered to follow simple rules. Also to quote hl718 "through the effort of researching a price to make an offer unless it's worth my while." just makes me think sellers would only bother to search for items if someone offers a high price meaning it wouldn't really bring anymore items to market. It also opens the door for sellers to bargain for higher prices to see what a buyers highest price will be. If you want to make the top price then you should advertise it to a wide audience via a want to sell post and follow the correct rules.
Which is totally different than how it's done in WTS. In WTS if there's something you want and someone else offers for it, it's against the board rules and considered rude to make a higher offer. A seller who reneged on a deal for a higher offer in WTS would be considered a welch and be looked upon unfavorably. By the same token, under the current rules, if you post a WTB, and I respond with "hey, I've got that sitting around here, how does $100 sound?" and then someone else responds with "hey, that normally goes for $200, I'll give you $150 for it" that would also be against the rules. If you want the WTB to be an auction where people "outbid each other in price" then just make it an auction/reverse auction forum from the outset. Let it be a forum where people haggle. As it is, it looks like a parallel to WTS on the surface, where fixed pricing and simplicity rules, but in reality it is far from that. I guess I see it in the reverse. If I'm going to sell something, then I'll do the work of researching the price, determining the market, knowing rarity, etc. and posting it up in WTS with a fair price. If someone's posting in WTB they should be doing the legwork. Especially when it comes to rarities, there are many items that are out there that people aren't going to openly advertise. And be it something in my collection or in someone else's, it's just not worth the effort to go through the work just for a tire kicker. I guess maybe my view is from the POV of a collector rather than a professional seller. ASSEMbler isn't a professional marketplace and I'm not here for the buy/sell aspect of it. That's just a nice bonus. But, like many collectors I've got a good pile of stuff that, while not actively looking to sell, I'd be happy to trade off for a decent offer. Forcing a price post for any WTB reply means it's not worth responding in most cases. So the stuff either sits in the closet and/or those who have the items wanted never get contacted. Ultimately I think the fairest option would be rules parity between the two forums (WTB and WTS) where the onus to do the legwork is on the part of the *POSTER* since he/she is obstensibly the one that stands to benefit the most. Failing that, at the very least, remove the requirement that prices be posted in replies in WTB. Let people hash it out. This way it's fair to all. Finally there's also the fact that WTB is open to all members (unlike WTS which has a posting requirement). This example is a bit of an interpretation, but with new members, I don't know who you are and if you're serious. For example, if Yakumo posts a WTB, I don't have to worry about putting in the effort to respond because I know if he posts a WTB he's a serious buyer. For someone new, posting a price range is a way to guide that. Even a general range can usually be found with some legwork and if you're in the ballpark it's a good start to know that both are on the same page. And when you're collecting ranges are reality. If you have a price range of $50-$100 that doesn't mean every offer comes in at $100. It means that if it's super mint, you're willing to go on the high end. It means if it's average you're coming in on the low end. It's still up to the seller ot justify condition, show photos, etc., but again, at least there is common ground to start with. (yeah, I've put a little bit of thought into this) -hl718
I, too, disagree with this proposal, and I'll explain why: Firstly, I dislike people who say, "Hey, you want this? How much will you offer?" You HAVE a price in mind, so just tell me it. Quick true story: My Chase HQ steering mech is in need of repair. There's a stopper inside it (some kind of plastic, looks like amber, though!) that stops the wheel from rotating after a certain point - it needs changing as it's worn. At the same time, there are some plastic(?) washers missing or perished. They're about an inch in diameter and the band is a few mm thick. I found someone who had spares. I asked what he wanted, and got, "Make me an offer." I made him what I believed was a reasonable offer for 3 washers and a bit of plastic - I think I said £10 shipped. He said it's too little, try again. I'm not going to play games - he obviously had a price in mind, so I asked him what figure would be acceptable and I'll say yes or no - I'm not playing his Arab street bartering game. He didn't give a price. I didn't buy from him. I'll agree that you shouldn't have to initially post a picture. However, I disagree that the seller shouldn't make reasonable effort. For example, you could reply saying, "I have this in storage. I'll take pics if you're seriously interested, but I'm looking for $200. Let me know." This is reasonable - you're being fair, giving him an idea of what you want and you're willing to take pics if the OP is serious. The OP may then respond with, "How about $180? I'd like to see the pics first, though." Again, reasonable communication. I don't see your problem with the person replying having to make their price public. If they
Basically, this proposal puts the price control over to the seller's side. If buyer wants said item for xxx$, yet it is actually worth $xx amount, but they do not know, then the seller can simply fool the buyer. But if the buyer finds out its actually worth much less, the seller can be a dick and say they won't sell at the minimum price posted because the rules says so. Basically, this promotes dicking the price.
