Just a quick thought.

[BigFatDan]

Ok, I don't know if this forum has "middlemen/women" but I believe it would be a great addition to the trade/sell forum.

I've been a member on a lot of forums that have a buy/sell/trade category and almost every day there were people complaining about getting ripped off from 10 bucks to a couple hundred. I've sent feedback on those websites before and they've used it. Middle-men do work.

It's simple really. Take your oldest (or most trusted) members (that are willing to do so). The middleman gets 5% on the dollar that you spend. If it's a trade, just give them 5% of the estimated worth (which is split by the other two parties)

Ok, actually, let me just draw a little diagram.

Ok, done

As you can see. Trader A and Trader B both send their items/money to the middleman/woman or "mm" for short. Once the MM receives both packages the MM will then post on the corresponding thread in the trade/sell forums. Once Trader A and Trader B post on that thread, confirming that they wish to continue and there's no turning back after that. The middleman will then go to their local post office with both packages and have them mailed. The MM, however will take the 2.5% from both parties (in USD of course) totalling a 5% from the trade.

So, instead of a longwinded paragraph, I will simply make a chart.

Let's say Trader A wants to sell a used box mod with 2 batteries included and some spare juice for $100.00 USD

Trader B offers to buy it. Trader A accepts Trader B's offer. They both contact an MM to help them.

Once an MM confirms they can help, both Trader A and B will mail their packages.

Their packages will include these items:
Item/Money for other trader
2.5% of Item or Money's worth to MM (If the item is worth 10 dollars they add $0.25)
A prepaid envelope for the MM to mail to the other trader

Once both packages arrive at the MM's house. The MM will then post on the corresponding thread making sure both traders want to go through with it. Once both traders confirm this. The MM will then go to their local post office (of course after taking their 2.5% from both packages and putting them in their pre-paid envelopes) and then have them mailed.

This would be more costly to the traders and sellers of this forum but it would ensure that nobody gets ripped off. It would be unwise to rip a member of ECF off anyways but that's regardless. The matter of fact is that it could still happen.

Thanks for reading everyone, put in some input if you'd like!

-Big D

 

[Majestic]

Although your idea might be feasible on big ticket sales, the smaller $10 and $20 transaction would be kind of cost prohibitive. Pre-paid postage and pre-paid deliver confirmation fees on top of the MM's percentage would take a good chunk of a $10 deal. As for the MM, the percentage on a $10 transaction wouldn't cover the trip to the PO let alone their time involved.

Other problems I can imagine........

* Payment - Are PayPal transaction allowed? Is so, there maybe additional PP fees with the money going through the MM's hand. If the MM does handle PP and a dispute arises, the MM could lose out being in the middle. Personal checks add another risk and cost if the check bounces. The MM would be stuck with NSF fees if a check is bad. The MM could also be out additional money had he or she mailed out payment to the seller before the buyer's check cleared the bank.

* Delivery Confirmation - We've all grown accustom to Delivery Confirmation as a form of protection when buying and selling. Is the PO going to allow pre-paid delivery confirmation on a pre-paid mailer? If not, the MM now has an additional cost involved.

* Time - We live in an age where everyone enjoys ordering a product and expects it delivered in a day or two. The forums here can attest to problems of that nature when doing business with known established vendors let alone individuals. The MM method is going to add greatly to the delivery time which some folks might grow impatient with. If the personal checks are involved, delivery times will be further delayed if the MM is wise enough to sit on a shipment while the check clears.

All in all it sounds like your plan maybe workable for the expensive sales, but I don't see it for the smaller transactions that occur in the classifieds.

 

[oldsoldier]

Let's not reinvent the wheel entirely Remember any time you buy from anyplace online there is a risk. Use due diligence and above all never, ever,ever (ever?) use the gift option on paypal. Read the classifieds rules, the rules are in place to help protect you.

 

[bjannr]

I am happy and satisfied with the current system of the classifieds. Has worked great for me both buying and selling. I have been burnt twice by members that were not in good standing. I feel it was my fault for not researching the sellers a bit more.

 

[Renzuli]

I , too am satisfied with the present system . I was ripped off by a member (finally got it , after my wife found out everything about him , where he lived , worked , his phone # , his parents names and phone # , etc ) But It was partially my fault for doing business with a suspect member , in the first place . Have done 30 to 40 transactions on ECF , that were fine . So while it's not OK to be ripped off , one out of 30 or 40 ain't bad .

 

[BigFatDan]

Yeah, I could see it not really worth it on a 10-50 dollar trade.

If you ask me though, higher-priced trades should need some sort of confirmation. If I were me, I would never be willing to pay more than 80 bucks to a stranger and hope he or she mails me something back. Whether they're from ECF or not. That's just my . But then again, there probably aren't that many trades over a hundred where it would actually be worth doing it. I blame my lack of sleep for this thread, haha.

-Big D.

 

[oldsoldier]

Please remember if you have a problem with a classifieds transaction you can always PM j0ker and request assistance in resolving it. We can't fix everything but we can help in some cases. As with all online transactions, due diligence is your best defense.