...or there was a forum for 'newbies' where over 50 post members were precluding from participating. That, after all, would be democratic :mrgreen:Originally Posted by Saint-Just
Well I'm glad it wasn't just me. I was just about to create a new thread :mrgreen:
...or there was a forum for 'newbies' where over 50 post members were precluding from participating. That, after all, would be democratic :mrgreen:
This is just laughably silly isn't it? Talk about chucking the baby out with the bath water, or a sledgehammer to crack a nut (never was much good with metaphors) The original problem, as I understand it, is one dodgy character. So because of that, nobody who hasn't gone to the trouble of typing 'welcome' or 'congrats' 50 times can oil the wheels of commerce which stop WIS on here from getting severe withdrawl symptoms. And I don't know about you, but if I was the sort of scroat who was hoping to sting somebody for £3k or so, I think I might be able to summon up the energy to type 'congrats' or 'nice watch' 50 times, thereby conferring upon myself the royal seal of approval.
And regarding some of the other comments, some folk don't want to participate in discussions or have anything worthwhile to contribute. They just like watches and have some cash to spend on yours. What's wrong with that?
I agree, maybe a knee-jerk reaction, but I guess it was done in the best interest of forum users not being ripped off.
.
I am selling posts. £50 for 50 or £2 each. :pirate:
john
Every watch a story.
What happens to the silly buggers the rest of the time, do we follow behind them all day long wiping their behinds and scaring the bogey man away. :D
So the standard is now set for everyone to the most gormless member :shock: :D
I'll take 100 please. Can you send them to my cousin in Nigeria. He has been ill but his mother left him a load of money, which I want to send to you. if you could send me your bank details, pin code etc. Thanks :roll:
I am about to advertise a V serial Sea Dweller for £2k in SC if anyone is interested :wink:
I am about to advertise a V serial Sea Dweller for £2k in SC if anyone is interested :wink:
I will take it, obviously if you do not go through with this sale I will have to leave you a villian post :evil:
Not the first time & would have not been the last.
The Sales Corner is a perk of the forum courtesy of Eddie.
It's not about a 'royal seal of approval', it's about folks contributing and discussing a common interest - for pure buy/sell there are other areas of the internet available :wink:
Why would people visiting here not want to discuss watches?
:?
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
:D :bom:I'll take 100 please. Can you send them to my cousin in Nigeria. He has been ill but his mother left him a load of money, which I want to send to you. if you could send me your bank details, pin code etc. Thanks :roll:
Ha ha ha !!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:Write a few love letters here and you can touch all you want. Like in real life. :)
(We're very romantic here :lol: )
Listen up lads, it's not hard to make 50 posts is it? Just join in, write some wit and sarcasm and you'll feel more involved. Next thing you know you'll be joining us at a meet to [s:3sgnabwl]go lapdancing[/s:3sgnabwl] talk watches.
:D
I'm nearly there as it happens. However, I would have thought that buying two of Eddie's watches (SBIII and PRS-17C) and a few straps over the past few months might have been another way of demonstrating commitment!
I'm miles away from 50 but will keep on posting cos hopefully there's a lot more to this than buying and selling?
Bingo. Now, lets see what I've been missing...
Yes but at least the average scammer will think about the fact that they have to post 50 posts before they can even start trying to scam decent folk out of their money and watches, which hopefully, will deter some of the lazy low life scum :evil:
Career scammers will do the 50 in order to achieve their goal. There have been prolific posters at WUS and TZ who built a reputation with lots of posts than scammed others. I remember the Doxa mod and I know he got someone here.
Good point, but the 50 post rule is easy to implement and seems a reasonable way to put some scammers off.
Blimey, here goes better start posting, can't guarantee the quality though as I dash for the line!
Been caught with this too - although I do not look at the sales corner that often so only just noticed. Bit of a pain and will increase the time until I get my first TF watch I am sure but I think it is a good idea - if the sales corner could be hidden like the shed so that only people with enough posts even knew it was there then that would probably reduce the numbers of scammers even more. :P
How will this effect the Elite Deal Seeker page though or is that excluded as a robot? Does anyone even care?
Cheers,
BB
It is a complete pain to be honest. Like a lot of others,I have been viewing the forum for ages and have pm'd quite a few members for off line chats, and also know a lot of thers from other forums. I could have had a post count well in to the hundreds by now if i'd joined in with the a load of "nice watch mate", "+1", or smiley face posts that clog up the threads but add little IMHO. Now I wish I had!
I'll double that. Are you familiar with escrow services from overseas? :D
6 percent done. That's too bad as the exchange rate keeps getting better ... 8)
Has anyone considered spamming up thier post count?..........wait, I think I'm doing it now!
Did any one else realise that GraniteQuarry was a lap dancer? I didn't see it in the "What is your job?" thread. It just goes to show what an inclusive, politically correct and organic bunch we are.
If it IS a perk, it's a perk for the sellers (providing them with a free resource). Sellers need buyers, and it's buyers who are being prevented from viewing. Some people just aren't interested in talking about stuff online with folk they don't know. But they are interested in acquiring nice watches and wearing them out in the real world where other real people can see and appreciate them. This is/was a good place to come to facilitate that. If such people aren't welcome here, them so be it.Not the first time & would have not been the last.
The Sales Corner is a perk of the forum courtesy of Eddie.
It's not about a 'royal seal of approval', it's about folks contributing and discussing a common interest - for pure buy/sell there are other areas of the internet available :wink:
Why would people visiting here not want to discuss watches?
:?
This is supposed to be a community not not a watch store!If it IS a perk, it's a perk for the sellers (providing them with a free resource). Sellers need buyers, and it's buyers who are being prevented from viewing. Some people just aren't interested in talking about stuff online with folk they don't know. But they are interested in acquiring nice watches and wearing them out in the real world where other real people can see and appreciate them. This is/was a good place to come to facilitate that. If such people aren't welcome here, them so be it.Not the first time & would have not been the last.
The Sales Corner is a perk of the forum courtesy of Eddie.
It's not about a 'royal seal of approval', it's about folks contributing and discussing a common interest - for pure buy/sell there are other areas of the internet available :wink:
Why would people visiting here not want to discuss watches?
:?
There's always eBay, Craigslist, Gumtree, etc, etc, etc.............
The forum is NOT just a free-to-use trading site :?
Whoah. There's a forum for selling watches here?
Bit odd, this. I fully understand not allowing new users to POST in SC, but not allowing them to view it closes off a fair chunk of the market to legitimate and long-standing users with stuff to sell, and might lower the prices users can realize. (Though as a net buyer, I shouldn't complain!)
It also encourages new users to post the most when they know the least, which might lower the perceived value of this excellent resource. I will be posting more as a result (because I want to buy stuff, not sell) but I'll try to do it in G&D and on (off)topics that I actually know something about - cars, wine, bicycles and cigars, mainly! Any questions?
Another lurker (mostly) crawling out of the woodwork here.
Fifty posts before selling is eminently reasonable...but fifty before viewing seems something of a heavy handed move IMO. Surely watches are no different to selling any other item, and the golden rule is don't hand over the item until the cleared funds are in the bank.
Watches are something I'm interested in, but they're a secondary rather than a mainstream interest for me and I'm a long way off expert in terms of knowledge and building it slowly. And until I've built reasonable knowledge of a subject I tend to keep quiet and read, rather than spam "congrats", "nice watch" etc on a forum just to build a post count. Browsing the watches for sale here is an easy way of gaining more information, and I've even made two purchases of watches that caught my eye...I would have thought that adding liquidity to the second hand market is putting a tiny bit back to the community.
Gary.
Since the lurkers are still whining I shall take a slightly different view: Restricting buying is good because it keeps the watches within the community. We are not online all day long, and quite often find watches are gone by the time we connect. The fact that it goes to somebody who has nothing to say about warches is a gain of a few hours for the seller, and a loss for the community.
On top of that, sellers will more than often come up with a "mate's price" here, when they could possibly get a little more elsewhere. If you're not prepared to become a "mate" and just want to buy watches, there is nothing wrong with us having a look first. after a couple of days the seller can always list it elsewhere, where you will have access... even if it's a little more expensive.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Generally though the one word posters get spotted from a mile off and dealt with.If it IS a perk, it's a perk for the sellers (providing them with a free resource). Sellers need buyers, and it's buyers who are being prevented from viewing. Some people just aren't interested in talking about stuff online with folk they don't know. But they are interested in acquiring nice watches and wearing them out in the real world where other real people can see and appreciate them. This is/was a good place to come to facilitate that. If such people aren't welcome here, them so be it.Not the first time & would have not been the last.
The Sales Corner is a perk of the forum courtesy of Eddie.
It's not about a 'royal seal of approval', it's about folks contributing and discussing a common interest - for pure buy/sell there are other areas of the internet available :wink:
Why would people visiting here not want to discuss watches?
:?
I can understand why people may be frustrated with the sudden introduction of new rules but there are so many other sub forums people can contribute to that I fail to see what all the fuss is about. I for one love the digital photography section, bear pit, george and dragon etc - a good mix of interests and topics. I do not always contribute but could if the mood took me and if I were looking to reach that magic number in such a way as to make a positive contribution / share my veiws or experiences then all the better.
Many newer members will say that is easy for me to say as I have been here for X years however I didn't just join to jump on the sales corner. I think if people take the time to look at some of the diverse topics covered they will see topics that are serious, laugh out loud funny, sad, interesting, lots of humour, lots of knowledge sharing, advice, tips, hints etc.... the list goes on and on!
TZ-UK is the site I visit most often and probably one of the first I joined with the exception of a Boxer dog forum many moons ago, I believe that Eddie provides one of the best WIS related sites available bar none. The "Others" are far to heavily moderated, I don't think that asking people to reach 50 posts is asking too much really.
Just my thoughts on the matter and not neccessarily directed at you JDH1.
Regarding sellers and perks, you will generally find that whilst a wider audience is generally deemed to be a positive in any sales environment it does not always ensure the quickest or safest transaction for the buyer or seller on a site that prides itself on honesty and integrity. The latter may be old fashioned values but have certainly ensured that TZ-UK on the whole is one of the safer if not safest places to buy and sell watches with the permission of our good host Eddie.
Cheers
Paul
It's a perk for both - if you (or others) are not interested in sharing an interest then that is a personal view which one it perfectly entitled to hold.If it IS a perk, it's a perk for the sellers (providing them with a free resource). Sellers need buyers, and it's buyers who are being prevented from viewing. Some people just aren't interested in talking about stuff online with folk they don't know. But they are interested in acquiring nice watches and wearing them out in the real world where other real people can see and appreciate them. This is/was a good place to come to facilitate that. If such people aren't welcome here, them so be it.Not the first time & would have not been the last.
The Sales Corner is a perk of the forum courtesy of Eddie.
It's not about a 'royal seal of approval', it's about folks contributing and discussing a common interest - for pure buy/sell there are other areas of the internet available :wink:
Why would people visiting here not want to discuss watches?
:?
As regards what goes here - it's Eddies call, but the primary reason for here is about sharing an interest.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Well i and a few others will just have to participate that little bit more, it's not hard to post replies with a bit of substance.
I can't see it helping with the scammer issue but as they say 'caveat emptor'.
Really... this is absurd! I don't know how many posts I've made since I signed up in February, but it's almost certainly less than 10, and maybe less than 5, but I don't see it as something important and it tells you nothing of the man that I am and what I stand for. Despite not being able to post on the SC, I have bought two watches and a sordid registration plate for my car; Really nice sellers who accepted a genuine offer from someone new to this fantastic forum. Eddie... if you can view who and when people access this site, you'd surely see that I access the SC forum nearly every day. Okay.. so I'm not 'active' in terms of posts, but is that really a problem? I buy, which, in turn, encourages others to sell here on this forum. It's watches for goodness sake (and sordid number plates), not nuclear missiles. If there really is a problem, would you perhaps consider a 'recommendation' access to 'view only' the SC? I'm happy with the 50 posts to sell rule. Perhaps if I were to petition those that I have bought from that my intentions are genuine, they could lobby on my behalf to at least let me see what's for sale?
Just because I don't type, it doesn't mean I'm not reading and increasing my knowledge of the subject. I'm reading the blue banner at the top of the page as I type.... "A friendly place to discuss watches without oppressive moderation". Someone funnier than I said that it's sometimes better to be a fool (with respect to watches in this case) and remain silent, than speak and remove all doubt. Perhaps one day I'll be confident enough to talk about my love of mechanical watches on the forum, but until then should I be penalised? Or should I create 40 odd pointless posts that add no value to the forum... Is that how we should evaluate members?
If my spelling and punctuation is poor I apologise... I've had a few to drink... (it's Monday after all... never did get the hang of Mondays)......tried to do my usual browse of the SC... and now I've got the proper hump. I hope I won't be bothered by it all in the morning.
No offence intended....
Gary
I'm a lurker with very few posts because I try not to post for the sake of posting...oops, I've just posted for the sake of posting.....only another forty to go....
+25
Guys,
I guess I have to disagree with much of the above mentioned agreement on the SC/WTB viewing restrictions.
- To me, it does not make sense to block out registered users (how few posts they might have) while giving any non-registered user full access (as it is right now). What does this help? Any free-riding scammer might still contact users in SC/WTB by a. using contact data provided in the posts (mobile, email) or b. logging in, searching for a post of the seller and using the PN whatever button to contact.
=> No effective barrier for scammers
- A 50 post rule assumes a correlation between "number of posts" and "likelihood of being a scammer". I would doubt that from my personal experience. In fact, and sadly so, it can turn out to be quite the contrary: Recently, there was a very high profile case of serial fraud all over the major German-language forums (where I am usually at home). Multiple users were fleeced of serious amounts, in total some 30-50ish number of known cases and several ten thousand Euros lost (the scam was usually initated by answers to WTB posts, tricking people to wire money for a watch that did not exist and never arrived). Turns out that the scammer was one of the (if not the) most active figures in all the major forums with an aggregated number of 50k+ posts. Still, he was able to maintain his reputation for quite some time, because the victims usually assumed that "he cannot be a scammer because he posts so much and everyone knows him". There may be more scam attempts from "few to no posts members"; but these are ususally pretty dumb plus members tend to be alert when dealing with new and unknown opposites. The really hurting scams, however, stem more from "established" members where you let down the defence taking honest and fair behavior for granted.
=> No efficient system to avoid scams
- I can see good reasons for restricting the opportunity to sell things on this platform - this is not meant to be an "eBay for free". From a seller's perspective, I cannot see any advantage of having such restructions for potential buyers. I think it is a realistic assumption that the negative effect of attracting fewer potential buyers (=>less sales) will outweigh the positive effect of deterring scammers. The occasional continental visitor (admittedly attracted by the current GBP-EUR rate) will stay away meaning that many watches priced not attractive enough for the local market but still a fair deal for others may not find a buyer.
=> Less and worse deals for buyers
- As for "enforcing" posts, I cannot see the value of any "post inflation" induced by barriers set to simply access the SC. In my case, I am (naturally) more active in the German forums; posting in a foreign language is always a bit more cumbersome, and (surprisingly :wink: ) most topics are similar. From time to time, however, there are certain areas where you can really add some knowledge or insight - and, personally, I see no lesser value in members with very occasional posts if these are of substance and a good read. And, honestly, who has time to post hundreds of substantive posts per year/month/week and still manages to maintain his job, wife etc. (some of which actually is essential to earn your watch budget...).
=> I would trade 1000 "+1"s for a decent wrist-shot of an IWC AT 2000 white face, new model or 10,000 for an extensive review of a JLC Navy Seals Diving Alarm...
- The slogan reads "A friendly place to discuss watches without oppressive moderation", and I think that is an excellent aim, filled with life by Eddie and the many active (and not-so-active) members of this community. And, in my opinion, we should not let the occasional stupid "wannabe scammer" interfere with this aim.
Cheers,
Christian
PS. Word count: 635 - I should have posted that sentence by sentence :lol: ...
:roll: Until banning :wink:
well i only joined a few days ago, i use another forum that has a watch section frequently and this forum was recommended too me by a web friend in a pm, the for sale section was where i had spent most of my time on here and was considering a serious purchase for me (iwc) i can totally understand the need to stop some people abusing a forum and if the powers that be have decided on a post count then cest la vie.
Hahah, and there I was wondering what I had done...
I do enjoy browsing the SC if only to find out the prevailing mkt prices for some of the watches I'm eyeing
Sigh, another 31 posts to go... :mrgreen:
How much for cash :mrgreen:
Don't flame me when I start my "whats your favourite chese thread"
Really sad now.... not much of a talker... but have made deals on this sales forum via PM's...and now I'm not allowed..truly bummed out :(
//n011an
....So I'd better start posting posts :lol:
//n011an
Guess I had better start posting too ...
Wonder if there is some kind of "day time TV" thread for making evacuas (is that a word?) noise till I get to the 50 count! :wink:
I was miffed to see I couldn't access the sales corner as I could do before, but rules are rules and i will keep posting till i get my magical 50
what is going on here is both childish and insulting to Eddie.
The reasons for a channge of rules have been explained. They are not perfect, nor are they a new panacea against scammers but they may deter a few. And in any case, it's Eddie's call.
I sincerely hope that all those who thought it was funny to chain-post have a nasty surprise with their postcount!
If they don't like the rules they are free to look elsewhere. I also think eddie should hide the sc from non members: remove the temptation...
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
hadnt thought of that before, good idea.!!
cheers
mike :wink:
I have to write a few posts so I can sell my watches 8)
I agree - I'm appalled by this page after page of bleating. Sales Corner is a free resource offered to us by Eddie on a forum that he owns and manages - it's good that it's there at all and I'd suggest that people unhappy with the situation should reconsider some of things that they've said.what is going on here is both childish and insulting to Eddie.
In fairness, kudos to the few who seem to have taken this as an encouragement to join in properly. This, on the other hand:
Is completely beyond the pale, if serious.I have to write a few posts so I can sell my watches 8)
Hello
I don't have a problem with the rules. Just because I don't fully appreciate them does not make it wrong. :)
My concern is that I might find my self replying to a thread just for the sake of it without actually moving on the conversation.
[Like now ... Is this a valid contribution? Or am I just making noise? ... Argh!! ... Would I have normally replied to this thread? ... I don't know! ... Whats that that behind me? ... Is someone out to get me? ... :drunken: ]
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