• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Should the Wanted forums be viewable by Supporting Members only?

Should the WANTED:BASSES forum be viewable only by Supporting Members? (Anyone could start threads)

  • Yes: Anyone can post threads but only Supporting Members can view others' threads.

    Votes: 363 42.8%

  • No: Keep things as they are.

    Votes: 181 21.3%

  • No, but restrict viewing of the WTB forums to users with >30 posts and/or 30 days of membership

    Votes: 321 37.8%
  • Total voters
    849
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
#81
svtb15 said:
The only reason I come here now is to look at the FOR SALE stuff.... Already I am not happy with the the new TB , having my tail harassed at times for no good reason ( only to be exonerated later ) so I probably will NOT become a paying member ever again.. not 100% on that , but Im pretty sure i wont due to the mess it has become the past few years..
Click to expand...
Kirk, what's this all about? I've not been aware of harassment and you are one of the more experienced TB'ers. Be a shame to lose you.
 
#83
I like the fact that sometimes a legit, honest newbie joins, selling a very nice bass or amp. I'd hate to see that disappear. Otherwise, really, all just common sense! Swap PMs every day for a week, to vet buyers and sellers out. A crook likely isn't going to be patient enough to sit through that! And good feedback. Maybe don't allow sales for a month? And a minimum of 25 posts? I feel lucky after 10 years here! It's been all good. :-)
 
#84
I like the fact that sometimes a legit, honest newbie joins, selling a very nice bass or amp. I'd hate to see that disappear. Otherwise, really, all just common sense! Swap PMs every day for a week, to vet buyers and sellers out. A crook likely isn't going to be patient enough to sit through that! And good feedback. Maybe don't allow sales for a month? And a minimum of 25 posts? I feel lucky after 10 years here! It's been all good. :-)
 
#85
I voted to keep things as they are but what I think a good solution is for someone to be a supporting member if they wish to reply to a 'wanted' post. I was a supporting member so I could sell some of my basses. No one was interested so I didn't renew this year. I think just like on eBay, people see a zero rating and they don't trust you. I do it too but sometimes you have to give the person a chance. I enjoy searching the basses for sales and getting tips on previous posts. But if I have to have a certain number of posts before I can post or respond I find that as a turn off. I'm a casual visitor to the forum and only post when I feel it's worth saying something. So again, my opinion is leave it as is but consider making it a requirement to be a supporting member if you want to reply to some one's post.

Food for thought it case it wasn't mentioned, if you're a scammer and you have to pay $25, wait 30 days, and sit around for a while and make 30 posts, that's not very hard to meet the requirement if you're looking to rob someone for easy cash.
 
#87
castlev said:
no, sorry, everybody, ESPECIALLY long time forum members should know not to let their emotions get the best of them. no disrespect to those who were spammed, but personally, i would never send money to anybody else that didn't already had feedback. im not a supporting member, and never would have been able to make my first purchase and receive positive feedback as a buyer, had these new suggestions been in place. again sorry for those that got scammed, but don't punish everybody else.
Click to expand...

FranF said:
I like the fact that sometimes a legit, honest newbie joins, selling a very nice bass or amp. I'd hate to see that disappear. Otherwise, really, all just common sense! Swap PMs every day for a week, to vet buyers and sellers out. A crook likely isn't going to be patient enough to sit through that! And good feedback. Maybe don't allow sales for a month? And a minimum of 25 posts? I feel lucky after 10 years here! It's been all good. :)
Click to expand...

This isn't about meaning non-supporting members can't view / browse the existing classifieds. This is about making only supporting members be able to view the 'wanted' sub forum, as pointed out earlier this is also closing a loophole that allows non-sm's to sell items on tb via wanted ad posted. We knew this before, but let it slide out of the utility of the service.

As has been said, we will never eradicate scammers and none of these measures should take the place of common sense
 
#88
David... my response is above..
I didnt vote because I dont feel strongly either way.
(actually... change that.... I voted #3 because while I dont feel strongly about it, it feels a little better to me and it looks like so far 80% think SOME KIND of differnet approach is a good idea)

But... I did wanna say Im really happy to see how attentive you guys are to this problem and on the ball! thats REALLY COOL!
I just noticed the Sticky Announcement at the top of the Desktop page and thats awesome!
I know there is an obvious "threat" to the website from this because if members start getting regularly scammed then members stop trusting deals on talkbass and revenue goes down, community deteriorates, etc, etc...
BUT, I get a real sense that you guys just plainly give a damn about everyone on here and even if that wasnt a consideration you would be just as diligent and I commend that.
 
#90
Simple verification by snail mail would be a starting point. Make a request to be able to buy and sell on the classifieds to a moderator. Have a moderator mail you a letter with a stamped self addressed return envelope and a "token" that is to be returned to the moderator. The token can be anything from a business card to a sticker, practically anything light and specific. The moderators now have a database of confirmed mailing addresses.
 
#92
I voted for #2 because I don't have enough information to make any other decision like was the deal too good to be true?, did the seller have a PayPal verified address? or did they ask for the payment to be PayPal gifted? there is no way to prevent this from happening again I think a sticky at the top of the "wanted" section warning folks about this type of scam is enough.
 
#93
I just got scammed and lost money with someone who said they had a Ken Smith for 2300. They sent pics of a 6 string but gave me the serial number for a 4 string Not knowing about Smiths I was completely fooled. He said that his wife's Paypal was frozen because too much money went into the account, as she uses the account for her business. So far I have been unable to get my money back. Paypal says the seller has not contacted them, even though the seller says they have. I should have known but I had never been through this before. Any they are not Nigerian they are from China.
Be careful everyone please.
 
#96
castlev said:
no, sorry, everybody, ESPECIALLY long time forum members should know not to let their emotions get the best of them. no disrespect to those who were spammed, but personally, i would never send money to anybody else that didn't already had feedback. im not a supporting member, and never would have been able to make my first purchase and receive positive feedback as a buyer, had these new suggestions been in place. again sorry for those that got scammed, but don't punish everybody else.
Click to expand...

I don't think everyone understands the point in question here. As always, you can BUY without a SM, but an SM is required to SELL.

The question is whether non-SM's should be allowed to view the Wanted section, and thereby be able to skirt the TB rules required for SELLING.
 
#98
i dunno, i still don't think n
Iridescentone said:
I don't think everyone understands the point in question here. As always, you can BUY without a SM, but an SM is required to SELL.

The question is whether non-SM's should be allowed to view the Wanted section, and thereby be able to skirt the TB rules required for SELLING.
Click to expand...
i know i understand that now. coincidentally im actually in the process of responding to a wtb thread. aside from having positive buyer feedback, i could even offer to take a picture with the instrument in hand, while holding a piece of paper with his/her name on it. i could offer to message the op from my ebay account to theirs (mine has plenty of positive seller feedback). the point is, there are safe ways for people to protect themselves without the forum mods stepping in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bobicidal
#99
waynobass said:
A few people unfortunately got scammed, but making a policy change that affects everyone is over-reacting.

It should be mandatory to read the "How to avoid getting ripped off on the internet" post.
Click to expand...

I gotta admit, this is the best answer IMO. People were not scammed because of any fault of TB or its policies. If TB feels obligated to do something just to do something, perhaps a check box acknowledging having read the sticky. I could also get behind minimum time/posts with a mod verifying posts are legit. While being scammed sucks (been scammed twice at $500 each over the years), the ultimate responsibility falls on the individual to vet the other person before sending money.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Flad
#100
paul said:
Hi TalkBass'ists,

Some not-so-good news: We've had at least 4 long-time TalkBass members hooked and scammed by a Nigerian via the Wanted: Basses... forum. One lost $1500 in one pop. We're hoping PayPal makes things right and takes the hit. Regardless, we want to make sure this doesn't happen again.

The scammer went through the Wanted forum and found "the perfect bass" for these members. The scammer had very good english, excellent knowledge about the basses, and loads of photos. The victims paid the scammer via PayPal and MoneyGram.

Here's the option, and you tell us if you like it: Keep the Wanted forums open for posting and creating threads, for all members. BUT change it so that only Supporting Members can VIEW ads. So non-supporting members would still be able to post a new thread, and view/reply to their own threads only. Supporting Members would be able to post and see all threads in the forum. By requiring the Supporting Membership, 99% of scammers are just going to go away.

The downside of course is that the number of folks viewing the Wanted ads would decrease.
Click to expand...

That's not so bad....I've never bought or sold anything here that wasn't from a Supporting Member. I need to see positive feedback...I KNOW that guarantees nothing, but it helps.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back