Beedster Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I've recently had chats with a couple of BCers about buying and selling on here, and one of the key themes in those conversations was the idea that, with the rate of turnover being relatively high, there is often a substantial amount of information on the provenance of most equipment for sale. This is the result I guess of both what is said in the listings by the seller, by previous owners, by experts etc. Increasingly sellers are deleting their posts or asking mods to do so at the completion of a deal. I'm not sure if this has come up before - I'm sure it has but I couldn't find the thread, so apologies if I'm revisiting an issue that's done and dusted - but I guess the point of this post is to ask why a seller would delete information in their FS listings, and if there's no good reason, to suggest that sellers are encouraged not to? If I'm being really honest, I always suspect that a seller who deletes information post-sale is trying to hide something, but then perhaps I'm just a cynic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass_Guardian Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I can see where you are coming from, but i think the main reason for deleting posts is to save up space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMech Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I've had a similar thought, where i've noticed sometimes people often remove the asking price from the listing once it's sold, which can be a nuisance if you'll looking for a price comparison for an ongoing sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Can definitely see where you are coming from, but it may be a 'space' issue? Its good to check the items history and not pay more than they did, if possible (excluding upgrades etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='Beedster' post='1153499' date='Mar 8 2011, 10:26 AM']Increasingly sellers are deleting their posts or asking mods to do so at the completion of a deal.[/quote] I don't think i've had any of these requests. Even if we did, we would ignore them and simply edit the post to SOLD. I agree that leaving history is beneficial, however we cannot prevent users from editing their posts afterwards to remove 'useful' information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 In an ideal world, these posts would stay, IMV. I think the history is useful..if you can be bothered to look. I don't think the seller should have to post what the item went for..we can all read the thread, but I don't think it useful, IMV, to delete the history of the selling process and where the price might have been heading. Space is another issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='Bass_Guardian' post='1153508' date='Mar 8 2011, 10:29 AM']I can see where you are coming from, but i think the main reason for deleting posts is to save up space.[/quote] I don't think it's space, and even if it were, the forum is an information resource for bassists, and information on value, functionality, condition etc of equipment is a key part of that, far more so than the space taken by the rapidly escalating post count in many of the OT threads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 The rule should be to put SOLD alongside the post title and leave the detail for others to view. Some of us have been requesting this for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='Machines' post='1153525' date='Mar 8 2011, 10:37 AM']I don't think i've had any of these requests. Even if we did, we would ignore them and simply edit the post to SOLD. I agree that leaving history is beneficial, however we cannot prevent users from editing their posts afterwards to remove 'useful' information.[/quote] I often see 'Please Delete' written in FS thread. There was one last night as you know, hence this thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 If space is an issue it's the Mods problem not ours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='chris_b' post='1153530' date='Mar 8 2011, 10:44 AM']The rule should be to put SOLD alongside the post title and leave the detail for others to view.[/quote] I agree with this. It encourages trust in the BC community and helps place a value when buying/selling items Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='Musicman20' post='1153520' date='Mar 8 2011, 10:36 AM']Its good to check the items history and not pay more than they did, if possible (excluding upgrades etc).[/quote] I entirely agree with keeping as much history as possible, but not for this ( ^ ) reason! Values change over time. Recently, and for very obvious reasons, the trend has been downwards. In future at some point, that trend will reverse and will become upwards. What someone paid for a pre-owned 2004 Warwick FNA in May 2008 (for example) is of very little relevance in March 2011. More importantly, what someone has just paid for that same bass in March 2011, at rock bottom in the worst financial crisis in living memory, will be highly misleading in three years' time when things are recovering. If you're offered a high-quality bass for £500 this week because the seller is bone skint and needs the cash right now, why should that leave you open to accusations of profiteering in 2014 when you sell it on for £750? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='chris_b' post='1153533' date='Mar 8 2011, 10:46 AM']If space is an issue it's the Mods problem not ours![/quote] I think there is some confusion here. We do not delete posts upon request unless a thread has been majorly hijacked by people. One that is several weeks/months old wouldn't be touched. Also, there is no space issue to be worried about. Threads and posts take up miniscule amounts of disk space compared to one image attachment (we have plenty of disk space anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I just put 'Please Delete' because everyone else does. I'm a sheep Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='Happy Jack' post='1153549' date='Mar 8 2011, 10:57 AM']If you're offered a high-quality bass for £500 this week because the seller is bone skint and needs the cash right now, why should that leave you open to accusations of profiteering in 2014 when you sell it on for £750?[/quote] It shouldn't. The fact that it's even mentioned as a possibility saddens me. Are you suggesting that there could be users here who see it as their job to "regulate" the market when the market is quite capable of regulating itself? Sarcasm aside, I'd rather the info was left up, as long as people realise that it's historical trend information rather than an absolute hard and fast rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='Beedster' post='1153531' date='Mar 8 2011, 10:45 AM']I often see 'Please Delete' written in FS thread. There was one last night as you know, hence this thread [/quote] I've always done that, i thought it was the rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='neepheid' post='1153571' date='Mar 8 2011, 11:10 AM']It shouldn't. The fact that it's even mentioned as a possibility saddens me. Are you suggesting that there could be users here who see it as their job to "regulate" the market when the market is quite capable of regulating itself? Sarcasm aside, I'd rather the info was left up, as long as people realise that it's historical trend information rather than an absolute hard and fast rule.[/quote] +1 Nothing more to add Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Quite a lot of sellers delete the price after sale and I've never understood why. Do buyers request they do so? Is it to avoid spousal retribution? I do not know, but I think we should be told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 (edited) I usually host any pics of anything I'm selling on my own site and delete once it's sold, simply because it's not my equipment any more, why would I host pics of someone else's equipment? I'm not sure I really agree with an archive of historical sales, surely any sale is the business only of the seller and buyer? If you plan on buying anything, surely you save any pics and information before commencing with the purchase anyway? Ebay, for example, lists items only brielfy once a sale has completed, I can't think of any other site which would store information publicly on users purchases which could quite easily be used for sinister purposes. Let's be honest, we all put up a lot of information on our equipment and when we'll be out of our houses at gigs, for example. Do we need a searchable database of equipment purchases and the amount of monies spent on equipment going back over years available to absolutely anyone? Edited March 8, 2011 by Doctor J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='lemmywinks' post='1153574' date='Mar 8 2011, 11:12 AM']I've always done that, i thought it was the rules.[/quote] I present to you, the rules (at top of all For Sale forums). [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?act=SR&f=19"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?act=SR&f=19[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='Machines' post='1153552' date='Mar 8 2011, 10:58 AM']Also, there is no space issue to be worried about. Threads and posts take up miniscule amounts of disk space compared to one image attachment (we have plenty of disk space anyway).[/quote] at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Im sure ive heard of requests to delete sale price from buyers before. I think sometimes it is due to privacy. Some BC'ers are not comfortable with anyone knowing their spending, and that is fine with me. I always keep the sale price confidential if Im asked to. I also agree that prices can rise and fall. I wouldnt dream of selling a good example of a modern Ray below £750-£800 but it happens all the time. Eventually trends come back, and I do agree that it is acceptable for the prices to rise should the buyer not have any problem with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='chris_b' post='1153530' date='Mar 8 2011, 10:44 AM']The rule should be to put SOLD alongside the post title and leave the detail for others to view.[/quote] Thats what I`ve done. I figure it helps others in the future, either buyers or sellers, on seeing what a realistic price for an item is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 (edited) I sold a couple of things last year, put sold next to the item, then have a PM several months later asking 'is it still for sale' Did not bother me.. But I can see why some people delete. Garry Edited March 8, 2011 by lowdown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='chris_b' post='1153530' date='Mar 8 2011, 10:44 AM']The rule should be to put SOLD alongside the post title and leave the detail for others to view. Some of us have been requesting this for years.[/quote] This post has been in place since Nov 2007: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=8905"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=8905[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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