MisterAutomatic

After being burned in the Marketplace a couple times, I read Taeric's post about the expectations of buyers, sellers, and traders and decided to create a spinoff and hopefully give a couple "why's" as to the reason those points of interests were made. Time is money, and some people feel that wasting yours is okay, but its not.So please read and give feedback on what you think. Thanks.

So you have your 35 Rep and you have enough PC and electronic goodies in a corner to put Santa's little elves on strike from over-exhausted labor. What do you do now? The OCN Marketplace is a great way to buy, sell, or trade items in order to finance a new upgrade to your rig, or just put some mad money in your pocket. What is the best way to do this? Hopefully these tips will help you become a more trustworthy, and favored buyer/seller here on OCN.

Tip 1: Know the Rules. The moderators have set specific guidelines to keep things in order and to keep people from getting burned as little as possible. Other forums, like the EVGA Marketplace have rules that require you to meet a specific criteria, so before you post a thread make sure you know your stuff.

Tip 2: Honesty is the best policy: Allot of members, including myself, are aspiring modders, and sometimes the items you want to sell are not in the stock condition they were manufactured/purchased in. If this is the case, then make sure you make this aware in your description of the item for sale. Sure, it may take a while longer to sell (most members like to purchase items in their stock conditions), but at least you won't have a bad reputation hanging on your head. So again, if any aspect of the item you are selling has been deviated from its original nature, put it in the post.

Tip 3: Be clear!: This tip pretty much is tied in with Tip# 2. Price, condition, description, and shipping details should be laid out in plain english. Don't give a member a reason to doubt your integrity. If you commit to an agreement, then honor it.

Tip 4: Do your homework: Why not get the maximum amount for the item that you're selling? Make sure you check and compare retail pricing and come up with a price that is comfortable to you. Not every buyer may agree with your price, but don't worry. However, keep yourself open to suggestions in pricing from other members. You never know how much it can help until you hear someone out.

Tip 5: Why wait? Ship it!: There is nothing like the anticipation of recieving a new item to help complete your world dominating rig, so keep that in mind when selling. Don't sit on a buyer's item and procrastinate in shipping it. Remember, your trader rating and reputation are on the line. Satisfy the buyer; especially because they aren't just buyers, their members of this forum, and what do people on forums do? They communicate with one another.

Tip 6: Stop Nagging Me!:
If someone does inquire about an item you're selling, and you never hear back from them then don't worry about it. The worst thing to do is to keep nagging a person as to whether or not they're going to buy your item. Dealing with someone that committed to buying an item is different. You may want to consider just adding them to a list of people you don't sell to in the near future. Time is money.

Being a good buyer is just as important as being a good seller, and your integrity is just as critical as the buyer's integrity is. Here are a few tips on how NOT to get on the wrong side of a member/seller.

Tip 1: Window shopping=FAIL
If you're anything like me, then walking through a mall with empty pockets is not the best experience. The same goes here. If you really don't have the money to spend I would advise you not to go through the marketplace. You may come upon something you're really interested in, and end up making a bad decision that puts you and possibly others in financial danger. Remember: building computers is a hobby and a passion for most of us, but fulfilling your financial responsibilites is a necessity. If you feel yourself preparing to commit to something you really can't handle, then back away.

Tip 2: Don't price troll
You may come upon an item you want to buy, but you think the price is unfair. This happens with members all the time, but its the way you handle it that matters. Keep in mind: you're not obligated to purchase what the member is selling, so please respect the seller. If you don't agree with a price of an item and you want to buy it, it would be better if you PM the member instead of posting it on the thread. Be careful not to sound like a troller; openly criticizing a member for their choice in pricing. For all you know it may have been a typo, and you've just landed yourself on a member's "do not do business with" list because of a bad choice of words.

Tip 3: Money talks
If you want to purchase something that a member is selling, then make sure your money is right, and in the right place. Generally, members transfer money via Paypal, which is a reliable source of verifying funds. Don't get caught slipping; and lose a good buy because you forgot to check your bank account balance

**NOTE** Allot of people aren't aware of this, but if your Paypal account is empty, and you need to make a purchase, as long as you have money in your bank account Paypal can pull the funds directly from your account. You don't have to wait around to transfer funds. This is of no add'll cost to you.

Tip 4: Liar, liar, rep on fire:
Don't tell a member that you're going to do something you can't, will not, or don't intend on doing. Requesting methods of payment or Paypal addresses , and esepcially outright informing a member that you will purchase their item and backing out is a quick way to find yourself in a bad spot. You may not see the consequences immediatley, but when the same member has something you really want, and you do have the money, and you do intend to buy it, the member may not be so forgiving.

I hope these tips help you have a better buying and selling experience on the OCN Marketplace.

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Who the hell is disturbing my Kung Fu/??!!

hometoast

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woodpigeon4

Nice guide

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Cavi

Good tips!

Really though all this proves is not enough people read the rules to begin with

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The Duke

The problem here is where do we put this.
It's not a Official thread, not a For Sale/Trade.

Nice work, but frankly, no more sticky, as that entire section is getting overhauled as is the Rules format for The Market Place.

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Miked270

I can't wait to hit +35 rep, it's so hard to sell enthusiast hardware on craigslist. I just sold a 1 month old SSD for nearly half price because I wasn't getting any responses on it.

Great over view of etiquette and rules. Its looks like a very valuable tool for members.

MisterAutomatic

LOL, you're right bro. What really gets under my skin is that I've never shortcut a single person on the forum, and people feel they can lead you on and waste your time. I can't go to their houses and "make visits" to vent my frustration , but I can post something like this

I actually wrote this a month ago in my windows notepad, but after 3 people burned me yesterday, I decided enough was enough.

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Who the hell is disturbing my Kung Fu/??!!

nepas

Good job!

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hitman1985

about time to do so. theres more stickies in 4sale/trade then in any other section

nice writeup, maybe also include a way to leave negative feedback / rep for ppl that lowball / burn others... and so on. would be an idea to clean up the place from scammers and such.

(a hint to burners and that scum = my feedback )

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alex98uk

I also don't buy items from people with under 3 trader rep, even if it's something I want. I wouldn't trust anyone on this site.

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