Thread: If you post in the classifieds...

Hi all, this came up via PM, and I thought I should explain to all of you. I've taken the specific information about the ad out because it is not relevant here.

While we generally have a hands off policy on classifieds ads, we keep an eye on the ads to see if anything seems 'off' enough to warrant us asking a question or 2. Sometimes ads contain claims that are out of the ordinary, without being specific about how / why the buyer should accept those claims. For example, if I post a razor for sale saying that it is was made in Japan, I should also mention how I came to that conclusion if it is not stamped / etched on the razor.

If I don't say anything at all and it is not identifiable, the ad is a bit dodgy and the buyer would have no way of judging whether the ad is truthful or not. In some cases this is not an issue (for example, the buyer might know and trust the seller) but it would leave newbies completely vulnerable to ebay style sellers / ads.

In such cases if we see something out of the ordinary, we might send you (the seller) a PM to ask you to clarify how you came to the information in the ad

I we do contact you, I suppose you could feel offended that we didn't take you on your word, in which case you have to consider that there are sometimes people who make outlandish claims which turn out to be false. See here for an example of what I mean.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/site-...create-ad.html

Given the choice between turning a blind eye if we think something is missing, or asking someone to clarify something (which should not be a problem), imo the best choice would be to ask the question. The alternative would be to leave the classifieds completely open to ebay style ads / sellers and let our newbie members be shafted every so often, which is probably not something you'd propose either.

So if we do contact you to ask a question, try not to feel offended, but consider our pov and our desire to have the classifieds be a place where people can rely on accuracy. Let there be no misunderstanding: If we ask a question, it is not to be hostile or build up to a confrontation, it is just to clarify something.

Seems a fair enough concept to me ! I have bought from the classifieds and have had no problems . I like to think that the fine people selling things , are honest and true to what their ad claims .

Have bought a small number of items off of Ebay , and had only one bad experience - item was delivered , but not to me and signed for . Seller basically called me a liar , when I said I never received it . I checked the tracking numbers of both our respective countries . Turned out it was delivered to someone on the east coast , I live on the west coast . Thanks to Paypal - I had my money returned . Needless to say , I won't be a repeat consumer .

Cheers,

Scott

Originally Posted by Bruno

Hi all, this came up via PM, and I thought I should explain to all of you. I've taken the specific information about the ad out because it is not relevant here.

While we generally have a hands off policy on classifieds ads, we keep an eye on the ads to see if anything seems 'off' enough to warrant us asking a question or 2. Sometimes ads contain claims that are out of the ordinary, without being specific about how / why the buyer should accept those claims. For example, if I post a razor for sale saying that it is was made in Japan, I should also mention how I came to that conclusion if it is not stamped / etched on the razor.

If I don't say anything at all and it is not identifiable, the ad is a bit dodgy and the buyer would have no way of judging whether the ad is truthful or not. In some cases this is not an issue (for example, the buyer might know and trust the seller) but it would leave newbies completely vulnerable to ebay style sellers / ads.

In such cases if we see something out of the ordinary, we might send you (the seller) a PM to ask you to clarify how you came to the information in the ad

I we do contact you, I suppose you could feel offended that we didn't take you on your word, in which case you have to consider that there are sometimes people who make outlandish claims which turn out to be false. See here for an example of what I mean.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/site-...create-ad.html

Given the choice between turning a blind eye if we think something is missing, or asking someone to clarify something (which should not be a problem), imo the best choice would be to ask the question. The alternative would be to leave the classifieds completely open to ebay style ads / sellers and let our newbie members be shafted every so often, which is probably not something you'd propose either.

So if we do contact you to ask a question, try not to feel offended, but consider our pov and our desire to have the classifieds be a place where people can rely on accuracy. Let there be no misunderstanding: If we ask a question, it is not to be hostile or build up to a confrontation, it is just to clarify something.

This is not ebay, nor is it a democracy. This is a privately owned website with its own rules that we have to follow whether we agree with them or not; and our participation here is a privilege. I've pushed those rules (sometimes deliberately and sometime accidentally) and I've been admonished. I'm also very glad to still be here and I am grateful for all the work that the moderators do.

If they ask for clarification, then give them clarification.

Personally I think and am thankfull the mod/admin team have an active role in the classifieds. So many of us new shavers/purchasers are sent to the classifieds by knowing members with the statement "Buy from SRP classifieds and you will be fine". it is obvious you do not have complete control over the product but when SR members refer new people so often there needs to be a level of protection or at least confidence. Thank you for doing this

I'm glad to hear that people monitor the contents of the classified ads. I wouldn't know a Japanese razor from a New Guinea razor.

Ah, eBay-style sellers... You have said a mouthful. No, provided that it is tactfully expressed and not too pointedly aimed at an individual, there is nothing of the morningstar in an inquiry like that.

The other side of the coin is that anybody who uses SRP classifieds knows that that is the test that they have passed. Classic or upmarket straight razors are not, to put it mildly, one of the high-predation areas of eBay. But it exists, and selling with a lack of specialist knowledge and a few buzz-words to compensate is common, and so are buyers fresh from being slimed over last time. Getting away from that is worthwhile on both sides of the deal.