• Please use real names.

    Greetings to all who have registered to OPF and those guests taking a look around. Please use real names. Registrations with fictitious names will not be processed. REAL NAMES ONLY will be processed

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    We are a courteous and supportive community. No need to hide behind an alia. If you have a genuine need for privacy/secrecy then let me know!
  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

Sellers

Ray West

New member
I am a bit concerned about folk subscribing, just to sell stuff here. There seems to be spate of 'new members' with unreal names, appearing. Obviously cheaper than ebay, and by association with us erudite folk, implying the seller has some integrity, which may not actually exist.

I've no real idea if it is a good or bad thing for the site in general, but It does not sit right with me.

Maybe before you can sell stuff, you have to have posted, say, 10 meaningful posts, and waited six months after first registration....

Best wishes,

Ray
 

Tom Yi

New member
You're right, I just looked at the sell area and there are some folks with nicknames selling stuff and I've not seen them post anywhere. Wonder if they are having any luck selling though.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Thanks for keeping a healthy eye for these things.

Don't buy from anyone you can't assure yourself is genuine.

A person you really know from here might be fine, but someone with no record is suspect. Look for real name and phone number and mail address.

If in doubt, ask for references and check.

Asher
 

Ray West

New member
Thanks for your reply, Asher.

I was wondering if you could consider filtering 'buy & sell', maybe on the lines I suggested. If not restricted in some way, I could see it lowering the tone of the rest of the forum, by association, and sales listings from folk we we know could be lost in the garbage.

You will need to take care, as some characters will start posting sales in the other threads. (I would not objest to that, for the few regular posters here)

Just a concern, but it would be easier to fix before it escalates to a major pruning exercise.

Best wishes,

Ray
 
Gary Ayala said:
One could view "Sell/Buy" as bonus of participation. After X amount of posts one can advertise.
I like the idea that originating a thread in Buy/Sell is a privilege. I don't think I favor limiting responses.

The problem with any qualifer that depends on user actions is the potential for abuse of the forums to achieve the qualification. Posting X articles isn't hard. Using a user's cumulative article scores, with a minimum positive rating before posting in Buy/Sell is allowed, is also subject to abuse.

What might work with minimal load on the moderators is a delay of one or two weeks from the signup date before a new user can originate a Buy/Sell thread, perhaps augmented with an easy to use mechamism for altering the moderators that a Buy/Sell article is questionable. Placing qualification on the reporting mechanism might make sense, e.g., X posts + membership term exceeding N months.

Bob
 

Guy Tal

Editor at Large
Why do we need this here at all? There are numerous forums, not to mention eBay that have much more "casual traffic" that may be a better avenue. Why burn the bandwidth and potentially raise issues of honesty/motivation in this community?

Guy
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
This discussion is helpful in delineating possible solutions.

For people who's site I've reviewed and those I have got to know personally and through discussions here, it is easy to know they are genuine. We expect and hope that all or most posters are honest.

However we have over 800 members and growing, so it is so hard to know everyone, expecially people that just join and hardly participate.

People must protect themselves and check that the person is truly a photographer who is selling equipment no longer being used and not running a used "stuff" sales scheme or worse.

An open forum requires balancing responsibility with accountability and common sense. We'll try to be alert, but buyers and sellers have to do their own due diligence.

We are open to all ideas of how to properly frame the forum for recycling of OUR gear. So far, there have been no reported issues.

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Guy,

As a community, it is, we believe, a benefit to have the first crack on a Aptus back that a portrait photographer no longer uses. That's why it's here. It works both ways. Best thing is buy from people whose posts nad website give you confidence.

There is no fire to put out.

Members can help.

Gently remind people who post there with "handles" or incomplete names, to PM me full names and website for their profile and user name.

Asher
 
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Don Lashier

New member
Guy Tal said:
Why do we need this here at all? There are numerous forums, not to mention eBay that have much more "casual traffic" that may be a better avenue. Why burn the bandwidth and potentially raise issues of honesty/motivation in this community?

Guy
Although I regularly buy computer equipment on ebay the only place I've bought photo equipment in the past was on RG and then from members I knew well (online). Unless the listings get out of hand I don't think anything need be changed, but if necessary exclude "new" members from posting there.

- DL
 
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