Thread: How NOT to create an ad

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

With a little TLC and elbow grease, those could be Near-NOS one day.

Well, whoever submitted the original ad ain't shy--ya gotta give 'em that. I'm always amazed at some of the razors that people put up on eBay--and even more amazed that people buy 'em.

As a complete Newb I appretiate knowing you guys police your classifieds.

Originally Posted by jeffy

As a complete Newb I appretiate knowing you guys police your classifieds.

As a complete noob, I'll warn you that the policing is limited to blatant cases like this. The Classifieds remain in Caveat Emptor status. Not everyone who claims to be selling a shave ready razor knows what that means, much less how to produce it. You need to do your own due diligence. You can get some sense of the seller by checking them out in the forum. Of course a high post count does not guarantee a quality seller, but they are more likely to be more protective of their reputation and will be more willing to sort out any problems.

I would like to take half a tic and point out as an AVID restorer that real problem here lies with the wording...

This ad would have been way better, worded more like this:



Five Razors for sale as "Parts Only"

The blades are pretty well shot, but the scales and parts are still usefull (If true)
I guess you could practice some restoration tehniques on the blades, that is your choice...

But if you have some blades that need scales. this lot might be for you...

Five Shave Ready Razors!

All five are in fantastic shaving condition. These would be a bargain at twice the price!
Click "Buy it Now", they won't last long!

*Note: there are some small chips in some of the razors, see pictures for details. Also, shave ready means that these have the potential to shave hair, not necessarily that they will cut your hair easily. ABSOLUTELY NO REFUNDS!

Sure, but the problem with the listing was the claimed restoration potential of these razors and that claim that after restoration they would be worth $100 each. Of course, that would only be true after replacing each of the blades.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Sure, but the problem with the listing was the claimed restoration potential of these razors and that claim that after restoration they would be worth $100 each. Of course, that would only be true after replacing each of the blades.

Exactly,,, the wording was way over the top

Well as a newb myself let me second that appreciation for this site and fine work of the moderators. I now know that I can buy off of the classifieds confident of the following:

1. all ads have been thoroughly examined by the experts on this site.
2. each ad is 100% in compliance with the claims it states
3. all ambiguous terms are either closely defined or precisely match mine. In this case "a little TLC" as I define it is 2.2 hours on the grinder and even though the value not stated by the mod I assume is at least .01 hours above this amount. My assumption being also that the moderator has taken in to account my personal skill level at applying said TLC.
4. any statements about possible resale value have been compared to all channels to market, prevailing price rates, and future collectibility trends and accurately reflect the claims made.
5. that all razors in the classified are for shaving and not display.

This site rules! I can now turn off my brain and eyes and not take any personal responsibility to evaluate the ad for myself......now if only they can finalize a working definition of BBS, shave ready, light pressure, and scything stroke.

That guy shoulda just put "YMMV" on the ad and be done with it.

Originally Posted by claytor

I find that ad appalling. Thanks Bruno for pointing it out. SRP is not a place to sell your junk. That's what thE Bay is for.

It read like an eBay ad

Originally Posted by volleykinginnc

... I now know that I can buy off of the classifieds confident of the following:

1. all ads have been thoroughly examined by the experts on this site.
2. each ad is 100% in compliance with the claims it states
3. all ambiguous terms are either closely defined or precisely match mine. In this case "a little TLC" as I define it is 2.2 hours on the grinder and even though the value not stated by the mod I assume is at least .01 hours above this amount. My assumption being also that the moderator has taken in to account my personal skill level at applying said TLC.
4. any statements about possible resale value have been compared to all channels to market, prevailing price rates, and future collectibility trends and accurately reflect the claims made.
5. that all razors in the classified are for shaving and not display.
...

I think the mods will toss out any ads that are outright fraudulent, but I don't think they will guarantee that statements about resale have been compared to all market channels, that all the razors are for shaving, etc...

As mentioned above: caveat emptor still applies to the classifieds...
You're just far less likely to run into a bum deal here.