Originally posted by: God Mode
Why would people suddenly start selling their videocards at massive deal prices when they seem to have no problems using various forums or ebay for maximum profit? The people that list their parts at obscene prices (anandtech fs forum included) seem to not care whether it sells or not. They just bump it repeatedly for months on end.
It is very simple. Selection and competition. The site is arranged so that the card listed for the lowest price in the category - for example "8800GT" gets the topmost spot. So people can sell their card for the price they want, but if the item will be priced too high, it will be listed at the bottom of the category.
The only way to "bump up" the card is to...lower the price.
Some sellers do not care about selling the card and some do. Those who do care about selling the card will adjust the tag accordingly and make a quick sale.
Also, the listing auto expires in 14 days. If no one is interested in buying the item it just drops from the database after 14 days. No second guessing.
Create the listing and offer the lowest price in the category to make a quick sale or decide to be "in the middle of the pack" per category to wait for the best offer.
It is quite cool actually...
How is it any more safer, effective or different than how its done right now?
It is a dedicated trading tool. Feedback and the trading history of the participating users can be established very quickly. No bumps are necessary. Just set it and forget it. Adjust the price as needed. Definitely cuts the time needed to buy or make a sale when compared to the forums trading. Safer than the Craigslist because of the feedback part.
Free listings and no commission so sellers keep all of their profits.
So far, this sound identical to the system already in place at various forums, ebay, craigslist etc so what is the allure of using a unknown startup site to sell/buy items?
System is quicker to use than forums. Optimized search + integrated feedback is difficult to implement in the regular forums (forums are not designed for that). Safer to use than the Craigslist and also MUCH LESS spam.
Video Cards only.
You are looking for a 8800GT? You can check for only those cards within 20 seconds (those that are sold are gone from the general view, no need to wast time sending a PM to check if the item is still for sale).
Within the next 5 seconds you see the lowest price. Within the next 20 seconds you can see if the seller has an established feedback or not.
Did I also mention that it is super easy to create a great looking listing? Much quicker than on Ebay. U can upload photos too.
So its tough noogie for both sellers or buyers that get scammed. How would a new buyer be protected from a well established seller that sold a defective card whether they had knowledge of it or not? Members with higher feedback ala post count would yield benefit of the doubt more so than to a newer person.
A DOA Warranty is assumed. Here is your protection for buyers. Also, a well established person that is a known trader will have an easier time buying/selling items than a new person. There is nothing wrong with that. What I can say however is that my system is a bit more inclusive than the rest. We rely on the internal feedback, but the person can also refer to his or her heatware or EBay id.
How would an honest seller be protected from a buyer that damaged the product by their own accord? I dont see how this is any different than how its done currently in the forums and sites such as ebay. A don't steal sign doesnt make thieves any less willing to steal.
I am not claiming a revolution, but an alternative. My system is no worst than others. The questions that you are asking are impossible to overcome and get around. I can not solve the "human element" of user-to-user trading.
But what I can do is to try to come up with an "inclusive alternative" that blends all existing elements into one. We try to cut time need to buy and sell the item from the other person. You take some part from the forums trading. You take the free part from Craigslist, and you take some elements of EBay and try to provide for something new.[/quote]
How would this policy be enforced? What incentive does a seller have for providing a personal warranty for a videocard they sold to a stranger? Was it abused or mishandled? Would the seller be compensated for return and associated shipping costs and the time they take to RMA the card they sold at a discount price? In the end, any sort of problem sounds very costly and would negate any potential savings.
The card couldve been functioning perfectly but in the hands of a newbie after a few days to mere hours in a dusty computer case with no fans to dangerous handling of hardware... Paypal protection has a finite timeframe before the matter is considered closed and videocard manufacturers can potentially void a warranty/RMA for whatever reason.
We can enforce the policy by removing offenders from the system. We can also reward good trading practices by providing a good feedback. This is our basic mechanism of protection. In regards to your other questions - again, you have to decide if the risk is worth the savings.
Also, many regular online stores will not compensate you for shipping a defective RMA-ed item back to them.
My site makes trading video cards much easier than currently possible. However the risks are still there. But for majority of buyers the savings will be substantial and sellers will be able to list their items easier and faster than anywhere else.
Craigslist would be more ideal to many people than trusting a total stranger thousand of miles away to honor a deal. Especially so compared to a small startup site that disclaims any liability.
My service will still be better than the Craislist as it will also list local video card items in addition to providing feedback info about the seller and buyer (currently impossible to do with Craigslist). Would you rather deal with the person that you don't know anything about OR deal with a well established seller or buyer.
Since you have some trust issues would you trust a site that has a feedback system in place or a site that offers virtually no information about the traders?
We have that already and its called Buy/Sell forums. How is your feedback system, intelligent and clear trading procedures and moderation any different than current systems? What is the main element or attraction to use this service? Is it no fees only?
- Buy and Sell Forums do not have their own feedback. They have to rely on a 3rd party service called heatware. If for some reason heatware goes down...You are screwed. With my system, you have 3 elements of reference. Kind of like RAID-5 redundancy versus a stand alone hard drive. :thumbsup:
- The system of searching for specific card is superior to the one featured in the forums. It is much quicker and more comfortable to use. :thumbsup:
- Once you find the item...- it is available. No need to check if the deal is still around.
- Items that are new and available have their own "active" category.
- Items that are sold have their own "deal pending" category.
- Items that are closed by both seller and buyer go to their own "archive" category.This provides for much "cleaner" interface than the one used on the forums.
- It is also much easier to manage your trades too. User have their own trading control panel - currently not available in forums trading.
- My system provides for a step-by-step listing process that is no slower than listing card on the forum. Also, sellers can upload photos of their card using a build-in uploader. The listing system is faster and easier to use than the one used on EBay IMO.
- Selection. There are multiple forums. Each forums has its own community that is yes close but it also offers a somewhat limiting selection. My service give people an opportunity to trade with other very well established sellers from other forums -means more selection and lower prices.
So it's filled with unproven promises and offers no additional incentive other than no fees as such from ebay? Paypal fees would still be inccured for most people. An established community like the forums where people tend to be more closer and reactive to each other or ebay which has credit cards and bank accounts linked to each seller would appear safer to most people. Of course nothing is guarenteed.
This is a typical reaction to every new idea. Every new idea is unproven and potentially risky. While I do not claim a revolution, I think that it is a very interesting project that provides for an alternative service that is worth trying out.
I genuinely hope your site succeeds and the work and courage to create something like this is never easy. I hope my repetitive and generic questions will give you some insight on what you will write on your disclaimers and policies. Especially since I assume many people will tend to repeatedly ask the same questions I just did.
Thanks a lot for the feedback man. I really appreciate hard questions. No offense taken. I can only hope that people will approach the site with an open mind and be willing to at least try it on as it offers a more functional and comfortable alternative to forum trading.
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