$$$ Buyer Protection $$$

[R33Gangstar]

time and time again i see people saying someone has ripped them off thru this forum!

shouldn't some sort of buyer protectiong be provided by the site.

on a forum that provides a section where you can trade,sell or buy second hand parts you would think this is an obviouse necessity.

ebay does it thru the use of paypal and paymate.

So why does no one care about us skyline drivers on a skyline forum?

Where is the protection....?

[RWD GTR DRIFTER]

good luck with that

[Antimatter]

If you pay the seller though paypal then your buyer protection is there.

Buying of someone you dont know is a risk at the best of times. I know SAU go to some lengths to eliminate possible shady users - however this forum is free to use, and hence no one is being paid to police the forums 24/7 (though I tip my hat to those who have brought it to where it is today).

I think it is up to the individual to do there homework on the seller - or we could start charging to place ads... but then no-one would advertise... and then less people would look here... and then no-one would have any reason to sell here.....

Same goes for some form of paid insurance.... who would pay it? (who would underwrite it?)

It isnt an unreasonable idea... but a difficult one to implement.

Edited September 10, 2009 by Antimatter

[R33Gangstar]

good luck with that

thanks buddy but really

we're all in this together.

this is something the forum really needs to look at.

[n15m0]

Do you pay to sell on this site? No

Do you pay to sell on Ebay? Yes

[RWD GTR DRIFTER]

thanks buddy but really

we're all in this together.

this is something the forum really needs to look at.

i have lost hundreds buying

nothings going to change

[R33Gangstar]

Do you pay to sell on this site? No

Do you pay to sell on Ebay? Yes

thats correct, but how many times do you buy something on ebay and then never recieve it.

this is something that SAU needs to look at.

like i said

"if it provides a trade section it needs and SHOULD provide a protection for the buyer"

simple answer. things in trades need to change. but if you like getting ripped off then dont worry about it.

[R33Gangstar]

If you pay the seller though paypal then your buyer protection is there.

Buying of someone you dont know is a risk at the best of times. I know SAU go to some lengths to eliminate possible shady users - however this forum is free to use, and hence no one is being paid to police the forums 24/7 (though I tip my hat to those who have brought it to where it is today).

I think it is up to the individual to do there homework on the seller - or we could start charging to place ads... but then no-one would advertise... and then less people would look here... and then no-one would have any reason to sell here.....

Same goes for some form of paid insurance.... who would pay it? (who would underwrite it?)

It isnt an unreasonable idea... but a difficult one to implement.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME, ON A SITE WITH NOTHING BUT PERFORMANCE CARS YOU THINK IT'LL BE HARD TO FIND A ADVERTISER.

my brother's a copy writter,he's already told me this site would be GOLD!

and it's funny no one's policing this site.HA! it seems there more admin then members.

im suprised this issue hasnt seem any admin attention yet!...........any minute now or as some may say "ignorance is bliss"

[Antimatter]

my brother is a car detailer....

I am not sure if thats relevant.

Edited September 10, 2009 by Antimatter

[niZmO_Man]

Trader rating gives you an idea

It is always a risk of sending money to someone and hoping that they'll send you the item(s) in the condition they are supposed to be in. I always stick to going to someone and paying them in cash, that way you can look at the item before paying. Of course it's impossible to do that if they're not close by, so then you just have to trust them. Thankfully most people on here and other enthusiasts sites are trustworthy.

But yeah as for a buyer protection system, what would you do? Make everyone pay through paypal?

[Sami]

if your so fond on ebay then go there and buy stuff

funny people try to be a hero when it could be them who might be ripping people off

Edited September 10, 2009 by Sami

[Duncan]

time and time again i see people saying someone has ripped them off thru this forum!

shouldn't some sort of buyer protectiong be provided by the site.

on a forum that provides a section where you can trade,sell or buy second hand parts you would think this is an obviouse necessity.

ebay does it thru the use of paypal and paymate.

So why does no one care about us skyline drivers on a skyline forum?

Where is the protection....?

I'd love to see some form of buyer protection implemented here. Do you have constructive suggestions on how or just compliants that it does not exist?

Every mod and admin on this site is a volunteer, and while Christian does charge traders it only covers the hosting costs - this is a community site not a commercial one. In fact I think if it came to it Christrian would rather close for sale and trading sections than change the focus of this site from community to a commercial operation.

So maybe think of the FS sections here as a way to buy and sell specific things to a like minded community, instead of a way to make money or get huge bargains. The better the deal is, the less likely it is to be legit. Get people you know in other locations to pick up/inspect things first if they are expensive.

Having said that, I've never lost anything trading through this site. I'm sure part of the reason for that is I only tend to buy from people I know are active users/posters on here.

The mods and admins here actively maintain a "known bad traders" list who are banned from here, and we also review all members and posts to watch out for the banned traders joining under different names etc. Unfortunately I don't know a way to predict who will be a bad trader so it takes a report from someone who is affected to start that process.

Finally, assuming both the seller and they buyer are in Aus, you can (and always should) report the matter to the police for investigation. If someone steals from you do you just let it go and tell no-one? Or just complain on the internet? Once there is a police report we have admins who co-operate with the investigations by providing alll available information about the person in question....and you'd be surprised how often this results in a the person being caught.

[R33Gangstar]

my brother is a car detailer....

I am not sure if thats relevant.

no its not, i guess you're there 1% that like's being ripped off and saddly the 99% that thinks everyone else cares what you think

[R33Gangstar]

<BR>I'd love to see some form of buyer protection implemented here. Do you have constructive suggestions on how or just compliants that it does not exist?<BR><BR>Every mod and admin on this site is a volunteer, and while Christian does charge traders it only covers the hosting costs - this is a community site not a commercial one. In fact I think if it came to it Christrian would rather close for sale and trading sections than change the focus of this site from community to a commercial operation.<BR><BR>So maybe think of the FS sections here as a way to buy and sell specific things to a like minded community, instead of a way to make money or get huge bargains. The better the deal is, the less likely it is to be legit. Get people you know in other locations to pick up/inspect things first if they are expensive.<BR><BR>Having said that, I've never lost anything trading through this site. I'm sure part of the reason for that is I only tend to buy from people I know are active users/posters on here.<BR><BR>The mods and admins here actively maintain a "known bad traders" list who are banned from here, and we also review all members and posts to watch out for the banned traders joining under different names etc. Unfortunately I don't know a way to predict who will be a bad trader so it takes a report from someone who is affected to start that process.<BR><BR>Finally, assuming both the seller and they buyer are in Aus, you can (and always should) report the matter to the police for investigation. If someone steals from you do you just let it go and tell no-one? Or just complain on the internet? Once there is a police report we have admins who co-operate with the investigations by providing alll available information about the person in question....and you'd be surprised how often this results in a the person being caught.<BR>

<BR><BR><BR><STRONG>

this is what i was after!

you raise some excellent points here buddy.i understand that there would be some work involved in setting some type of protection up. i dont have the solution but as a forum we all might be able to come up with a suggestion for a safer way to trade that Christian can incorporate into this site.

im not saying this has to be done but atleaste if we discuss it something may get done.

thumbs go up for Christian as he has given us something great that everyone can use but just wish further developments would happen for buyer protection.

Edited September 10, 2009 by R33Gangstar

[R33Gangstar]

if your so fond on ebay then go there and buy stuff

funny people try to be a hero when it could be them who might be ripping people off

why you gotta be hating bro. if you dont like the idea and dont wanna help out then get lost.

[GTS-t VSPEC]

I've bought many items off SAU and never been ripped off, if it's being done interstate off someone I don't know then I ask one of the SAU Club members to go check it out for me. If the buyer takes a few basic precautions then it should be a problem.

[J'z-R33]

What about a post count related restriction. similar to the gtr.co.uk set up and the PM restriction on here already. You cant post in the for sale section until you have 100 posts. I know its really not 'protection' but it would weed out some of the dodgy ads you see spring up. ie Joined yesterday and advertising a "complete car for wrecking"

[Yeedogga]

R33Gangstar has identified a valid point; buying and selling on internet forums is risky and this forum is no different to any other in that respect.

It frustrates me that the internet has allowed traders (both sellers and buyers) to become less accountable for their actions. The internet has allowed traders to be invisible in a way that was not possible in the past. Consumers rarely allow retailers in stores to get away with inaccurate product descriptions, goods that don't arrive, faulty products etc so why should they accept that from internet sellers? One of the biggest problems in my opinion is that people are so complacent about it.

Firstly, as people have said above; it would be nearly impossible to make internet sellers completely accountable, but there are a couple of possibilities I have been thinking about that could provide a little more piece of mind. Please keep in mind these are only ideas, and I do not understand the ins and outs of the computer/maintenance side of running a forum like this.

1. Forum registration- Have two different member profiles, 'Profile 1' allows you to contribute and browse all forums except the classifieds, and 'Profile 2' allows you to contribute and browse all forums, including classifieds. To get a 'Profile 2' you must identify a home address/bank account/drivers licence/university or institution email THAT CAN BE VERIFIED BY SAU (and must be verified each time a classified is posted). If sellers/buyers have nothing to hide they should have no problem in giving out information to SAU.

2. In conjunction with (1), introduce a minimum post number before you can post in the classifieds section.

3. Set a minimum amount of information that MUST be included in classified posts or they will be removed, eg, location, price, photos, reason for sale/receipts if applicable

4. Charge for advertising. It only needs to be an arbitrary, small sum, but it may weed out people who are just spamming.

Like I said, only ideas, but if everyone throws up their hands and says 'caveat emptor' it only makes it easier for dishonest people to take advantage.

My .02

[Antimatter]

my brother is a car detailer....

I am not sure if thats relevant.

no its not, i guess you're there 1% that like's being ripped off and saddly the 99% that thinks everyone else cares what you think

I am crushed by your razor sharp wit and clever use of percentages.

My brother is also upset about not being relevent. I mean, he knows it not as noble a proffesion as a doctor or a copy writter, but still, he is a person too.

[R33Gangstar]

What about a post count related restriction. similar to the gtr.co.uk set up and the PM restriction on here already. You cant post in the for sale section until you have 100 posts. I know its really not 'protection' but it would weed out some of the dodgy ads you see spring up. ie Joined yesterday and advertising a "complete car for wrecking"

GREAT IDEA BRO.