AnandTech FS/FT - Still a good place?

[EagleKeeper]

I would not know because every time I tried selling stuff, they would always deny me from selling it. They kept having all these rules and it just got annoying.

Follow the rules. Most people have no problems

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

I would not know because every time I tried selling stuff, they would always deny me from selling it. They kept having all these rules and it just got annoying.

AFAIK, the only rules are :

1) Show location, e-mail and heatware in your profile
2) One FS/FT thread at a time
3) No bumping more frequently than every X hours

 

[rudeguy]

AFAIK, the only rules are :

1) Show location, e-mail and heatware in your profile
2) One FS/FT thread at a time
3) No bumping more frequently than every X hours

I like the rules. They are perfect for this place.

You forgot no thread crapping

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

I like the rules. They are perfect for this place.
You forgot no thread crapping

Well there's definitely that, but I meant rules needed for the seller / trader.

 

[Gillbot]

AFAIK, the only rules are :

1) Show location, e-mail and heatware in your profile
2) One FS/FT thread at a time
3) No bumping more frequently than every X hours

Let me save you the trouble, and link to the rules directly.
FS/FT Rules

 

[rudeguy]

Let me save you the trouble, and link to the rules directly.
FS/FT Rules

You seem to have that down pact. Have you done that before?

 

[AmdEmAll]

Its still a good place.. not as active. Just bought a radeon 7950 oc for $380 so deals can be had

 

[Gillbot]

You seem to have that down pact. Have you done that before?

Maybe once or ~twenty four thousand times. :sneaky:

 

[AdamK47]

It's my first stop whenever I sell hardware.

 

[Leros]

I've only traded with established members (at least a few hundred legit posts). I feel more comfortable with that than selling on eBay (been scammed there a few times).

These days, I do most of my dealing on Craigslist. I can get more money, I don't have to ship, and its just easier.

 

[janas19]

Craigslist, local is obviously the first choice. FS/FT is preferable to Ebay due to PayPal fees and other hijinks. That's my thought on it.

 

[Geekbabe]

I love the FS/FT forum here as I tend to pretty much deal with established traders who've been around a long time. I won't sell electronics on ebay, too many ways for the seller to get screwed IMHO.

 

[esquared]

Craigslist, local is obviously the first choice. FS/FT is preferable to Ebay due to PayPal fees and other hijinks. That's my thought on it.

What makes you think there are no Paypal fees?

 

[janas19]

What makes you think there are no Paypal fees?

Aw gawd.

I'm tired and my brain is not working. I am an idiot .

Well, are PayPal fees for Ebay sales the same as regular transfers??

 

[esquared]

Aw gawd.

I'm tired and my brain is not working. I am an idiot .

Well, are PayPal fees for Ebay sales the same as regular transfers??

The PayPal fees that people use here are the same rate that are used on eBay. eBay fees are another fee altogether along with Paypal.

For regular sellers here and on eBay, the Paypal fees would still be 2.9% plus 0.30. I think there are some very high transaction eBay/Paypal sellers that have a lower rate than 2.9%

 

[Gillbot]

Aw gawd.

I'm tired and my brain is not working. I am an idiot .

Well, are PayPal fees for Ebay sales the same as regular transfers??

You pay fees on all paypal transactions, except for personal/gift and I sure hope you aren't paying or getting paid that way.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2188333

However, the downside of ebay is you pay the ebay fee AND then another fee for paypal.

 

[janas19]

You pay fees on all paypal transactions, except for personal/gift and I sure hope you aren't paying or getting paid that way.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2188333

However, the downside of ebay is you pay the ebay fee AND then another fee for paypal.

Yes, this is true. Ebay lops off some, then PayPal lops off more.

Eats into my pockets lol

 

[Gillbot]

Yes, this is true. Ebay lops off some, then PayPal lops off more.

Eats into my pockets lol

While this may be true, if you compare sale prices to ebay vs nearly anywhere else, you'll notice ebay is typically much higher.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

While this may be true, if you compare sale prices to ebay vs nearly anywhere else, you'll notice ebay is typically much higher.

That's the only good thing about eBay - the suckers. It definitely tends to be a seller's market.

 

[GustySoul]

Craigslist, local is obviously the first choice. FS/FT is preferable to Ebay due to PayPal fees and other hijinks. That's my thought on it.

Huh, weird. I just tried my first few sales on Craigslist and have found it difficult to drum up interest. I don't exactly live in an enormous city though so maybe that has something to do with it.

The admins here on AT were super helpful and were able to access my account and all my old history and merge it under my new user name.

Major props to those guys!

 

[Blain]

Hi All,

I was hoping to get some input on if the AT FS/FT forum is still a good place to buy, sell & trade.

I used to frequent the AT FS/FT Forum quite a lot 7-10 years ago. Had many great trades and even met some cool people.

It was better back then...
It was more of a community rather than a bazaar to sell off "Hot Deals" after the UPC label was removed.
Back in the day it was less of a BumpFest than it has devolved into.

 

[Gillbot]

It was better back then...
It was more of a community rather than a bazaar to sell off "Hot Deals" after the UPC label was removed.
Back in the day it was less of a BumpFest than it has devolved into.

This ^

There are still some good people there, but with ebay fees ever increasing we are noticing a shift of people coming in to dump their stuff. They treat FS/FT like an ebay sale to dump their junk fast. They try to wash their hands of it as soon as they get payment and that doesn't tend to fly well here. That's the primary reason we discourage "after rebate" and other type purely for profit sales. This isn't the place to "make a buck" and rip off your fellow forum users.

 

[djnsmith7]

I would say overall, yes, it is a good place to buy & sell, but make sure you read all of the rules before you do. It can be a frustrating process if you overlook a pertinent detail.

 

[HumblePie]

I still use the FS/Ft forum from time to time. But like others have said, it can be hard to sell highly depreciating items like electronics there. Many times the cost of the shipping isn't worth even trying to sell an item. The example of a CD/DVD burner is great. $18 shipped new for on off Newegg. To a regular person, you can get the $6 flat rate shipping box from USPS, but that means you are selling the burner for only $4-$8 for your used one. Which really doesn't even make sense considering the gas usage to the post office and the time you spend sending it off.

Which means most people sell those items in a bundle to make it worth while. Which makes it even harder to sell a bundle of items together. For example, I rather sell a whole computer I've stopped using. Or if I'm doing a major upgrade, I'd like to take all the whole parts and sell them off as one. Problem is that buyers don't want everything in a bundle. They want everything parted out. Which makes it way less cost effective as a seller.

I don't even usually bother with trading. Everyone wants to trade older junk for the brand spanking new stuff. That sometimes works, especially when they are offering cash as well, but rarely. It's even harder to trade items that are non electronic for electronics. I mean I have items that are worth money like my swords, or softball bats, or paintball guns. However, finding a good trade for those items for some decent electronic gear isn't easy.

So it's still a useful to try avenue for finding or getting rid of your stuff. Not always the most successful way, but it doesn't work on occasion. Usually I do a mix of both CL and FS/FT forum here. I do know if I wait too long I may never be able to get rid of something older though. At which point I just drop it off at Goodwill or give it to a family member who may be able to make use of something I don't need anymore.