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Market place ETHICS (not rules) and the lack of!!

Mar 21, 2008

    1. Plain and simple: People need to be mature enough to stick with the commitments they've made.
       
    2. also plain and simple:

      treat others the same way you hope people will treat you.

      there are both bad sellers and bad buyers here (like anywhere). It's all a matter of trying to do whatever you can to protect yourself. :)
       
    3. please delete post
       
    4. Yeah, it had happened to me before in DoA marketplace. :(
      But, luckily my buyer is much more responsible than your buyer.

      She told me that she REALLY wanted the doll so bad.
      And, she asked me if I could do layaway with her.

      The way she wrote pms really showed me that she would pay payments.
      But, after a few weeks, she started to give me excuses (no money).

      That's why I always ask my buyer to send payment within 2-3 days only.
      Buyers can always change their minds and just think of themselves only.
      So, not everyone can or will have at least of these ethics.
       
    5. Things I hate:
      1. I PM to buy something. Then, as I'm an adult who has many demands on her time, I go away and do something else, perhaps for half a day, because the seller is not online and therefore I don't get an instant response. When I return, I find one PM from the person saying "Yes, it's still available, I'll put it on hold for you!" and then another one three hours later saying "Um, do you still want to buy it? Someone else is asking..." I find that incredibly rude and disrespectful. Had I not answered the person in, say, 48 hours or so, then there would be adequate time elapsed, but three hours?! Seriously, get over yourself. I've only noticed it for the small items. And yes, if someone does that to me, it doesn't matter how much I want the item. I tell them that I don't feel pressuring me is professional, and I do not wish to buy the item any longer. Then, that person goes on my personal blacklist. I'm not going to be pressured by someone who can't wait six hours for me to buy her five dollar item.

      2. Check out my signature. Yeah, see that last line? I'm fed up with it. In my earlier, more wide-eyed days, I used to leave feedback immediately. However, I probably have about 20 transactions where I left feedback for the seller and the seller did not return my favour. I don't know how many transactions I have now where no feedback was exchanged at all. So now I make the seller leave it first. If you want MY good feedback, you had better give it up first, because I'm sick of being burnt.

      3. I dislike people who flake out on layaways. It makes it harder for those of us who are honest to get a layaway, really. Now, I have good feedback on that sort of thing. I've bought perhaps...four dolls and a body on layaway through members here on DoA (and in the middle of one right now), and each time they always say "Ophi always pays when she says she will or she tells you why she can't and what date she will be able to" because that's what I do. Other people seem to not grasp this concept. How many layaways gone wrong do we read about? Seriously, people, stop peeing in the pool. Ruins it for everyone else.
       
    6. I've only bought two things on the marketplace, one was a wig from WickedWigs and the other was Sid. I came into a lot of problems after I put my deposit on Sid but I made sure I kept the seller informed. And when I found out I wouldn't have the money for a while (til summer), I found someone else that I knew that I could pay off later to pay her off for me (my boyfriend at the time) so I wouldnt keep the seller waiting (becacuse they have bills too -_-" ). The thing that bothers me about the flakes is that if they never actually end up buying anything, they can't have feedback and because of that some people are requiring good solid feedback posts to sell to that person. Makes it difficult for honest people who are picky about what they buy. -_-"
       
    7. there has been few times with school, and other things that i couldn't ship things out when i said i could. i always pm them asap and tell them what has happened and when i'll be able to send it out. it's just polite to keep the buyer AND the seller informed. i've had a wonderful person who handled not being able to buy something she had ask me to hold perfectly. she told me she was sorry and to put it back on the market and if it was there when she could buy it she would. things happen that's life what really matters to me is HOW the handle it. not talking to me doesn't work, tell me what's and i'll always try to work around it and i try to do that with the people i buy from to and they seem to have the same eithic. i guess i'm just lucky so far^^
       
    8. Lots of interesting points here.

      One thing that crosses my mind is that although I agree to a certain extent with the "save your sob story, just sell the thing" sentiment, I also know that people have been subjected to lots of righteous indignation for selling some doll or other that they just got. There's a difference between scalping and realizing right off the bat that said doll/item/wig/whatever just isn't going to work out. So, while I don't really want to hear about the cat's kidney :D I do understand the desire of the seller to say "hey, I'm not a scalper."
       
    9. When buying, layaway or not, I always send a PM or e-mail right after I pay, saying that I paid, how much I sent and when and how much the next payment will be (in case of layaway). I expect a confirmation of the payment within 24 hours. When I sell, I give this same confirmation as soon as I receive the money. I just had a layaway with someone (not on the Marketplace) who did not do that and it was really annoying. I was asked by a friend to negotiate on her behalf with an Ebay seller about a tan DES she had for sale (for a ridiculous price). After a lot of debate, we agreed on a more decent price and a layaway arrangement. The layaway took 2,5 months and consisted of 3 payments. After every payment I had to go ask for conformation, since the seller didn't reply within 48 hours (since she was sooo busy). Also she didn't have her information on shipping handy so I didn't know how much shipping I had to pay exactly until the very last moment. Then finally the layaway was over and I expected the doll to be shipped out immediately, but no, the seller first wanted to do a farewell shoot with the doll. Which she had had two months for to do. This was an experienced seller with an Ebay store. Now I don't care if it's on Ebay or on the Marketplace, you just don't leave your seller waiting in the dark for replies all the time.

      As far as the marketplace goes, the only bad deal I've had here was with someone who had an SD13 girlbody up for sale. We arranged a short layaway, I paid the first of two installments and less than a week before the second installment I suddenly had a refund and a PM saying that someone in her hometown wanted to buy both the body and the head to go with it, so she gave me a refund and was very sorry. And the next day I had another PM saying that the other buyer wasn't interested anymore and that I could still get the body, but only without layaway. Needless to say, I passed. And here I thought that a transaction was fixed once money changes hands...
       
    10. Heh, I'm actually surprised I haven't heard it here already, along with an irrelevant comparison to the fashion industry or something :P

      Setting and disclosing policies clearly (deposits for layaway, how long you'll hold somehing, shipping methods etc.) beforehand and sticking to those help out a lot. It doesn't take too much time to do and might help stave off some grief later on.
       
    11. Oh my gosh, that's ridiculous. Even if money hadn't changed hands, you still had an agreement with the seller to purchase her doll.

      Honestly, most of my transactions here have been very smooth, but there's always an exception. I once was selling a doll and the first person to message me about it said she wanted to buy it. I told her the total and my e-mail address for paypal, packed the doll, addressed it to her, and waited for the payment. She said she'd pay the first night, 2 days later she'll pay on Friday when she gets paid (another 2 days), after a week I ask her if she's going to send payment and she tells me that she can't afford it right now. I re-listed the doll for sale and after a month nobody wanted it. I took her off the boards and put her on Ebay instead.

      I personally think that if you are willing to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a hobby such as this, then you also need to be mature enough to honor a deal. I think that most people here are, but there are bound to be a couple of rotten eggs. :roll:
       
    12. I havent had bad experiences on DoA marketplace yet, and I've been lucky, since I've sold a few dolls, bought heads and traded bodies on there. All the people I've worked with have been understanding and flexible.

      Sometimes I can be indecisive and I easily get anxious and panic when I think I dont have enough money. As a seller I'm more 'reliable' as I try to take all possible precautions.

      Once, as I was buying a doll, I was badly surprised when the shipping costs were added. They were way higher than what I had calculated in the beginning and this made me panic. I was starting to have second thoughts, and I felt awful about bothering the seller for so long. She was patient with me and waited while I was trying to decide if I could or could not afford to get it. Finally, I went through with the transaction. I had to borrow some money, but I just felt it was only fair to the seller who had been so kind and also generous with putting extras with the doll to cover some of the high shipping.

      Just like ShuriTigerH, I also always infrom the buyer/seller when I've received or sent payment. Usually when I sell, I also add when I'm going to ship the item, just so they dont have to worry.
       

    13. Yeah, exactly! :o
      I had dealed with this situation in last few months.
      That's why I really don't like buyer to keep lagging payment.

      They can back out suddenly and say they can't afford any longer.
      It's so sad and frustrating at the same time.
      Luckily, my doll was successfully sold on ebay.
       
    14. I've been lucky so far--all of my transactions here have been smooth. I did have one seller back out on me once, but no money had yet changed hands--it was annoying, but no harm done. I'm actually much more comfortable buying off DoA than ebay. However, statistically speaking, the more deals you do the greater the likelyhood that eventually you'll run into a real flake :P
       
    15. So far, only one seller hasn't left me a feedback even though the whole transaction went smoothly and I left them feedback--I just let this one go since I think it's too much of a bother for them to leave me a positive feedback.

      Anyway, as a buyer, I make sure that I really want the item for sale and I have more than enough money to buy it. If I don't have a lot of money to buy the item for sale and pay for it in one lump sum, I make sure to let the seller know of my financial situation and see if the seller would allow me to put the item on a short layaway. If they don't, then there's no hard feelings and I just move on to the next seller who has the same item.

      Sometimes, the seller is kind enough to let me put the item in a short layaway even though I don't expect them to. It is just a matter of being a trustworthy buyer and vice-versa.
       
    16. I'm afraid that sometimes I'm a bit of a flake when it comes to buying on this board. For some reason I can't get it thru my mind to remember to always check my PMs unless I'm selling something. Twice now I didn't get back to sellers in a timely manner & I really feel badly about that. My only excuse is that I'm usually online late at night, half asleep & just don't remember I've inquired about anything. As soon as I realise my mistake, I do PM the seller to at least apologise.

      I would say the answer to a successful sale is communication. Keep in touch, let a buyer know that payment's been received, let them know when you ship or if there's a delay let them know about that too. I'm pretty easy going about sales but lately have had to ask for a deposit on larger things that buyers want me to hold as I've been burned too many times. (Not just here but on other groups as well.)

      Basically though, my experiences buying & selling here have been quite positive. I really don't like to use Ebay except to buy because I try to offer decent prices & there's so many fees involved there that I'd have to charge more. One thing though, on a board as big as this one & especially with the age range of people on it, some folks are going to be difficult to deal with. Unfortunately, you just can't expect every transaction to go smoothly.
       
    17. Complete QFE. I think that's the brunt of the problem right there.
      As for me, personally, I don't sell on the market place, but I have bought several items. The idea of backing out of a transaction is something that never even crosses my mind as an option once I've PMed the seller saying I would like to purchase something from them. Emergencies do happen, but like Sgtgeorgecarter said, communication is key. I also stand by the mutual respect of being told when your item has been shipped and then informing back when it has arrived. To me, that's just basic politeness.
       

    18. The problem is often with people reading and honoring those policies. heh. I can't even number the daft questions i've gotten from people whose answers clearly outlined (nay, even bolded) in a sales thread. Sometimes folks in their froth simply don't care.


      And i fully admit that feedback is often where i fall down in the process. >.> However, a simple "feedback plz" and link in the paid/received PM is more than enough to prompt it, so i suggest that option to anyone who has had feedback troubles. For people like me, who do a lot of group orders and move a lot of items, it too often falls through the cracks.


      Also, make sure your correct feedback thread is the appropriate slot in your profile! It makes your feedback thread pop right up under your username. I also can't count the number of people who haven't done this, and it makes finding their thread a song and dance. :doh



      I understand fully why the "no money, no transaction, no feedback" rule is in effect; like it or not, it does put the brakes on a lot of he said/she said and potential arguments in feedback threads, which doubtless would induce a lot of mod inbox whinging - and mods are obligated to be hands-off in transactions.


      However, how a person handles that kind of dispute in their feedback is very informative, and directly indicative of how they would handle a situation in a transaction.


      Transparency is important; so many background deals go bad, and people get away with boatloads of crap for, literally, years, because no one feels they can speak up about bad behavior and questionable practice until they actually get ripped off. Which, frankly, is far too late.
       
    19. I tend to be unintentionally flaky when it comes to feedback - I buy quite a lot here, and I forget. So before people assume somebody isn't leaving FB for a nefarious reason, please PM the person to say, "glad you got the item! would you please leave me feedback? I'd appreciate it!" or something.

      I just forget sometimes. :)

      Regarding people not reading your terms, too - yep that happens. But at least if you've stated up front and in your PMs what your terms are, they have little to stand on when the come back whining to you about what happened. "As I previously stated in my sale thread and in my PM to you, I only hold items for 24 hours, then it goes to the next person who was interested. I'm so sorry." At least your proverbial ass is covered, right?
       
    20. I really like market place, there are a few flakes, but its that way anywhere you sell.
      99%+ of the people here are great people, it is much more pleasant than ebay, people have better communication here.

      If holds are troublesome to you (as in you need a quick sale), you can refuse to hold, or limit the time for them, sometimes just asking the buyer "how long do you need it held for?" opens up communication.