Seller-only Members: Do we really need them?

I've been wondering what would be the positive side for the Sega-16 community of allowing people who were never actually part of our community to come here and spam the Sonic's Bazaar forum with their eBay links of overpriced listings.

Other communities have some sort of policy in order to prevent stuff like this:
http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthr...ga-Power-Strip
http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthr...AH-FRA-Deutsch
http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthr...IVE-CIB-SEALED
http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthr...-RARE-complete
http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthr...66)-ebay-THIEF
http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthr...mes-collection

Obviously, I'm all against this kind of thing but I'd like to hear the opinions of other members on this subject.

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Originally Posted by Barone

and spam the Sonic's Bazaar forum with their eBay links of overpriced listings.

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^I hate it when people do that. I'm fine with people linking to auctions starting at a low price in the auction block sub-forum as long as they don't only use their account to post listing. I hate when people just make accounts to post their overpriced "buy it nows" with auctions starting barely under the BIN price.

I would say no. They shouldn't be allowed. If you want to use SEGA-16 as a store front, you should at least contribute something. Whether it be helping people with their problems in the "tech aid" forum or just participating in discussions. I don't want SEGA-16 to be used by people that just want their listings to get more exposure.

100% in favor of requiring a minimum post count to participate in the marketplace (Sonic's Bazaar and subforums), or ideally to see it at all. We're long past the days where some sincere person will find a treasure trove in their attic and want to share it with Sega fans; everyone has dollar signs in their eyes now.

BTW Barone the links in your post aren't working for me -- they go to a forum search result that I can't access?

I think it's important to moderate members who are using this forum blatantly as a platform for peddling.

I'm not against anyone trying to make money or deny anyone from buying a console or game either, but I have a problem when someone uses Sega-16 as just another conduit to promote their own listings, auctions, whatever. It's disrespectful in that regard - so make one thread and list there for anyone interested.

Beyond that it should be taken into consideration the intentions of the 'seller-only member': If the said member is not looking to better the community with sell or trade opportunities that encourages and promotes video gaming as a hobby but rather seeks to only push over-priced merchandise, that's when we should discriminate and say, 'No - that's not right to do on this forum.'

"Buyer only" member suck balls, too.

Yea, I advocate a minimum post count. And not something like 50 or 100 posts in order to sell to members. In order to have the luxury of selling to the SEGA-16 community, you must be participating/interacting with members of this forum. Minimum post count = 300!

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Originally Posted by Lync

I think it's important to moderate members who are using this forum blatantly as a platform for peddling.

I'm not against anyone trying to make money or deny anyone from buying a console or game either, but I have a problem when someone uses Sega-16 as just another conduit to promote their own listings, auctions, whatever. It's disrespectful in that regard - so make one thread and list there for anyone interested.

Beyond that it should be taken into consideration the intentions of the 'seller-only member': If the said member is not looking to better the community with sell or trade opportunities that encourages and promotes video gaming as a hobby but rather seeks to only push over-priced merchandise, that's when we should discriminate and say, 'No - that's not right to do on this forum.'

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Great post! And yes I agree wholeheartedly!

Several times I've found that I had items I was selling that would appeal most to a forum with minimum post count rules that I did not meet and I've always been cool with that as I understand why it's necessary, today more than ever.

"Retro" gaming has been taken over by possessionists and game flippers who see games as investments and/or pieces of sets. These people make up the majority of the overall interest in old games and forums like this are being increasingly spammed by people looking for good deals or good profits and usually only post outside of market-based threads to pad their post count. These people have a moral/empathic disconnect/disorder and are terminally oblivious. You can't reason with them and they truly do not care what regular members of forums like this think of them. Their only concern is completing transactions and increasing exposure of their network of sales. This is why clear guidelines followed through with enforcement by moderators are required to make a difference.

In an ideal alternate reality, common sense would be common and these kinds of measures would be unnecessary. As it actually is, I think that a 100 post minimum is too lenient and something more like 300+ of non-spam posts (requires moderators noticing repeated abuse) would be more effective at striking the kind of balance actual 16-bit/Sega enthusiasts are comfortable with, as far as the impact on the forum. I believe that an initial set of requirements should start out on the stricter side, as we're already facing an exponential problem.

I'm not opposed to seller only accounts if they're legitimately selling on the forum. I am opposed to people who just spam eBay links and I don't feel like eBay links should even be a thing unless you're offering a forum member discount or something. The marketplace should be for selling and trading, not advertising your auctions.

A minimum post count is fine, but if that requirement is too low, that can be easily circumvented by pushing up that post count with a bunch of "I agree", "me too", "nice thread", "lol", etc, etc

So yeah I agree with a minimum post count of 300. That should be high enough to discourage those that seek to further their aims whilst offering zero worthwhile participation to the community.

I'm okay with particular thread types being locked out. I really don't like the idea of buying from random members that don't have a stake in the community. Just recently I bought from Goldenband, and the fact that he is a staple in the community was my "guarantee". I don't even have a history of purchasing/feedback but I'm sure that my tenure alone was more comforting for him as a seller.

I'm not against the idea of people making money during the bubble, as much as it annoys me, but I kinda feel like Sega-16 is the place I come to escape all the BS. I love the idea of buying from other Genesis/Sega enthusiasts, rather than re-sellers that are just trying to make a buck off of us. I take no pleasure buying from those kinds of people, as I'm just left with the feeling that I'm part of the problem, rather than a solution.

Keep 'em out if we can, but if we can't, point them out, and try, if at all possible, to stay within the community. There's good sellers/buyers/trade treads in this community. I'd love to encourage that, rather than encourage engagement of the retro-game market. It's predatory as hell...

I'm all for restricting market access from non-community members. You can't just do a post count, because they will spam to meet the requirement. It will take moderator and active community members to "police" it.

It has sort of a bad rep, but neo-geo.com has cracked down on marketplace abuse by non contributors, including members who have decade old accounts with like 30 posts, all in the marketplace forum.

People like that should just go over to Nintendo Age, aka Reseller Age, where they will fit right in.

My personal bitter feelings / rant- I don't even know why people bother selling anything here. Might as well just get rid of the selling section all together. Every other selling thread has someone crapping all over it, crying about the price being too high or pulling the same old holier than thou routine about people just flipping stuff. I gave up on it a long time ago.

More pragmatic advice- Most other forums I'm on require a 50 post minimum before members can post in the selling threads.

I've been a member since 2008, I do not have 300 posts. I feel this is a steep requirement. I read often, but chime in only when I feel like I should, or want to. I should be allowed to sell things as I am a steady member. Sure I don't post a ton of content, but I'm here all the time. Not that I am selling anything haha.

I actually joined Atari Age to buy some games (a nightmare month of payment arriving, but money order was thought stolen, only for guys bank to lose it, finally realize it wasn't, and one month later, my $50 worth of Konami games arrived), but I stuck around and posted a bit after that interacting with that community. I still drop by from time to time, just not as often, and not to buy anything else (I was after the Genesis Sparkster at that time).

As for selling stuff, I always frown upon people who go into forums just to shuck their wares off onto other folks, then just vanish, never sticking around for awhile and interacting with the community in any other way. A minimum post count should be required for folks to be able to sell stuff, maybe a smaller one for buying stuff too, this way you build some trust with the community first (though one can play wolf in sheep's clothing for awhile and still rip someone off, or in my situation, not be trusted despite being honest and eventually found on the right side, instead of on the ripping off side).

About prices, if you think somethings a tad high, be nice and try to negotiate a better price with the seller, if they don't budge, look for it elsewhere and don't raise a fuss, someone else will likely pay what that seller wants without so much as a cross word said.

As someone else said, if you only come here to peddle your games for the highest price you can push it for, and do nothing else here, don't bother. Take your stuff to some other place where it might be accepted (so far I've not run into such a place that encourages it).

Here's what I think, I'm not sure how much of this is doable

1) A new member shouldn't be able to even access the bazaar until at least 400 posts. I hate it when I see a "member" that's been registered for five years and only has like 12 posts, all in the bazaar.
2) You can't create a FS thread without pics
3) Do away with the ebay links section
4) If someone makes a FS thread with outrageous prices or a WTB thread for something ridiculous (COUGH Sega Aiwa COUGH) or a WTB for something like an Everdrive that they just don't want to pay full price for, suspend their access to the bazaar
5) Paypal only, no money orders or shit like that, it's 2015

I only feel comfortable using the bazaar here, I am registered at AtariAge and Assembler, but I don't think I'm active enough at either place to have earned the right to sell there. I did make a FS thread at AA when I was desperate to get rid of a lot of crap I'd accumulated, but I let it sink to the bottom of the list out of guilt that I don't deserve to make money off a forum I'm not very active at. Buying is a little different. I got a few things off AA and Assembler, but I try to avoid it unless I see something I've been after that isn't here or on ebay.

Hey guys, I have a Model 1 Megadrive Box, no console or power leads or anything.

I only want $1000.

There should also be a minimum requirement to post Wanted ads. To cut down on the game-hording 6-post members asking for a 4th CIB Aiwa.

It's not like the selling forum is really all that active here. And whenever a jackass comes along with spammy ebay ads, gougy prices or outrageous demands, the community has always been quick to call the poster out in the thread. I think the current system works the way it is.

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Originally Posted by zetastrike

Here's what I think, I'm not sure how much of this is doable

1) A new member shouldn't be able to even access the bazaar until at least 400 posts. I hate it when I see a "member" that's been registered for five years and only has like 12 posts, all in the bazaar.
2) You can't create a FS thread without pics
3) Do away with the ebay links section
4) If someone makes a FS thread with outrageous prices or a WTB thread for something ridiculous (COUGH Sega Aiwa COUGH) or a WTB for something like an Everdrive that they just don't want to pay full price for, suspend their access to the bazaar
5) Paypal only, no money orders or shit like that, it's 2015

I only feel comfortable using the bazaar here, I am registered at AtariAge and Assembler, but I don't think I'm active enough at either place to have earned the right to sell there. I did make a FS thread at AA when I was desperate to get rid of a lot of crap I'd accumulated, but I let it sink to the bottom of the list out of guilt that I don't deserve to make money off a forum I'm not very active at. Buying is a little different. I got a few things off AA and Assembler, but I try to avoid it unless I see something I've been after that isn't here or on ebay.

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I like a lot of your ideas here, but some I'm against

1) A new member shouldn't be able to even access the bazaar until at least 400 posts. I hate it when I see a "member" that's been registered for five years and only has like 12 posts, all in the bazaar.
-Good, I would put it lower though. 75 or 100 maybe. I think DigitalPress restricts the ability to access the marketplace until after 10 days have passed to prevent drive by sellers.

2) You can't create a FS thread without pics
-Nay! I am lazy as hell and will sometimes take pictures, but not always. Also sometimes I'm just going through stuff and make a list and post it, if people are interested I can always take them later.

3) Do away with the ebay links section
-No, keep it but make sure there is a janitor to move links into there regularly for people who keep putting it in the wrong spot. Do it wrong too many times and get a temp marketplace ban.

4) If someone makes a FS thread with outrageous prices or a WTB thread for something ridiculous (COUGH Sega Aiwa COUGH) or a WTB for something like an Everdrive that they just don't want to pay full price for, suspend their access to the bazaar
-I'm not sure about this. I kind of like public shaming instead but I'm a bit spiteful. If you ban them then they can't read all the blowback from their thread :P

5) Paypal only, no money orders or shit like that, it's 2015
-Yeah I don't know anyone who doesn't use PP. Some forums require payment as transaction which is pretty nice, but at the same can be a pain.


I like the concept of limiting initial access, like a 10 day waiting period, the most. But giving mods the discretion to perma ban people from the marketplace they think are just trolling for dealz works well only if the mods are willing to keep up with it.

It wouldn't hurt to put a plan in place, but I agree with Profholt that the community self-moderates anyway. That guy who posted his Sega powerstrip at the price he did, for example.

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Originally Posted by WoodyXP

"Buyer only" member suck balls, too.

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A-yup. I would think that 300 is a bit high for a hard and fast rule. I think instead an application and approval from moderators would be better, or at least exceptions for quiet but contributing members. At the very least, they could donate monthly to Sega-16 in order to just spam ebay links. I'd be OK with that. Remember, these people are just eating up bandwidth but not really contributing.

Edit: Also, can we make it a hard and fast rule that no seller can request "gifted" payments. That should be a bannable offense. "Yes, give me free money without any protection that you will get your desired product."

Asking for gifting and posting wares/links without contributing is the very definition of leeching.

What is this "gifted" payments?

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Originally Posted by thedaemon

What is this "gifted" payments?

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Paypal offers two ways to pay, for "goods or services" or for "friends and family" as a gift. With the former, you get Paypal protections, as limited as they are already, but with gifted payments, there is zero recourse if you never receive your game.

A simple and effective rule set that works on other retro communities:
- minimum required post count that is not trivial to earn (think about 70 posts)
- threads in the market place subforum can't be replied to except by the op > only private messages for offers

It allows genuine members (with a small reputation) to offer their stuff and it prevents the worst kind of trash talk (via quick reply).

I just read this thread and the suggestions posted. Now I know some of you don't like NG.com but these same type of rules were also put in place and it's had a lot of positive effects for that forums along with very little negative effects which I feel turned out things for the better. The whole idea of a marketplace on a forums should be for active members to buy and sell their wares at cheaper prices vs having to deal with amazon or ebay because like people have said, If you want to fleece your stuff at ebay prices then you should goto ebay and enjoy eating their fees if you're going to be a pricejacking dillweed.

I'm not sure if there's a way to restrict people by post count but, I do know that people can have limited access to the boards in where a moderator/admin would have to "unlock" someone's account when they are found worthy of the forums. As much as people hate ng.com they do have the same thoughts as some people here which is, forums 1st and then marketplace 2nd. It's a good rule and one I seem to see people here wanting the same of.

Also finally, The mods here arn't 24/7 bots as much as some people think we can be, If you feel you see something in a sales thread that seems off, by all means report the post or hell even PM one of us and we'll take a look and see if it's something we need to intervene on. I try and personally just make sure that people dealing are just being honest with what they have but for the most part I try to not interefere unless I have to.

And yeah asking for a Paypal gift is beyond retarded if you're selling something as a new member here...

Here's a clip from one of the NG.com moderators which everyone should look out for when dealing with people online...

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1. "long time member" but has years of public inactivity
2. Contributes nothing to the site socially
3. No ties to here, hence no reputation to worry about
4. Has made questionable decision on hardware and sales
5. Only lurks in the market
6. First to post in giveaway, free stuff threads or raffles
7. Buys/sells things frequently, mostly at profit (flipper)
8. Active for a short time, then only posts in the market
9. Insulting or dismissive of the forum regulars when questioned about rules, prices or expectations of sellers
10. Demands +4% or Paypal gift on transactions with little reputation to stand on
11. Buys at "community prices", sells at "ebay prices"
12. Runs multiple accounts to hide market activity

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If anyone disagrees with this, I'd like to hear your opinion on it.~

Minimum Post Count (70 is a good number) before selling - I think this allows people to engage with the community and learn a bit about it before making idiotic sales posts

Overall Behavior - I personally won't buy from known flippers, people who have been banned on the site even temporarily, or people who constantly engage in bickering/baiting on the site. We shouldn't allow those people to sell or buy here.

The Gauntlet - I feel like sellers who post ridiculous prices after their privilege is bestowed on them should be publicly shamed by the community because it creates self correcting behavior. I'm not talking anything malicious but I think posts like 'take your high priced trash elsewhere' are perfectly reasonable and should be expected by the seller for trying to rip people off.

Pricing Guidelines - If you really care about the games and the community you will never sell above or at eBay sold listings - if Mega Turrican sells for $100 on eBay (on average) it should be <100 here something like $85-90 is acceptable - there are no fees so whats the issue? If sellers list at or above eBay level prices the shaming should commence.


I agree with most members here who want a thriving community of like minded individuals. I don't come here to buy and sell specifically but it is nice to get things from long time members at a cheaper price or for fair trades. I've enjoyed 99.9% of my interactions here as opposed to some other sites where there are flippers constantly around (one of the flippers from GTZ is here a lot and that annoys me but what can ya do). We'll all be better for it in the long run. Maybe allow members to post a public grievance about not being able to sell and the community can judge them on their merit and vouch for them.

Like our friends who have 50 posts and were very active in those 50 posts (maybe they posted a homebrew they were working on or they were actively helping people fix their Sega CD's but only accumulated 50 posts in a year but then they want to sell a Sega CD they fixed at a reduced price for the community) - I think that's fine too. I'd vouch for someone like that who I can tell genuinely cares about the community. The gauntlet would approve of that.

Well my whole life is flipping, picking or whatever borderline stupid derogatory term you like to call people who find the stuff you can't. Where do you think it comes from?

The punishment for asking a stupid price is that it doesn't sell. End of story. No public shaming and crapping all over someones thread . Grow up

I don't even bother selling here anymore with this sort of hostility anymore.

I do think post minimum is a good idea.

yeah, you guys really need to stop ruining these opportunities for me

wish i'dve snagged those $500 sega power strips when i had the chance :|

Flippers are people who buy on the site for super cheap and then resell at a higher price. Not people who go to garage sales and then sell for $10-15 below retail.

And public shaming is used in everyday life all the time - if you do something stupid people pick on you about it. I've had the same thing happen to me at various trading sites where a price I had was too high and someone made a comment about it. I corrected the price and someone bought it - nothing was ever malicious about it. But Iron Lizard is right that if it gets malicious you might drive sellers away - but in all honesty they'll end up posting on eBay anyway if no one buys it here. That's what usually happens. But there are known community flippers especially at GameTZ, CAG, and the 'ages' that are issues. They usually have sob stories about why they cant afford a certain game and want a super cheap price on it - then they sell it back to someone else on the same site for twice what they paid.

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Originally Posted by Raja

They usually have sob stories about why they cant afford a certain game and want a super cheap price on it - then they sell it back to someone else on the same site for twice what they paid.

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I started a small business on the side to make a bit of extra cash a few years ago (nothing gaming related), I learned very quickly to be extremely suspicious of anyone with a sob story. I also learned to be suspicious of anyone that needs to tell me their life story in order to try and sell me something.

I think seller only members tend to be a pain in the ass on any forum, but I'd be even more supportive of a ban on sob-story sales tactics.

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Originally Posted by BonusKun

I just read this thread and the suggestions posted. Now I know some of you don't like NG.com but these same type of rules were also put in place and it's had a lot of positive effects for that forums along with very little negative effects which I feel turned out things for the better...

...If anyone disagrees with this, I'd like to hear your opinion on it.~

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Sorry but I have to chime in here and say I 100% disagree with this. NG.com is a train wreck of a site full of trolls and ego-maniacs. That site was a gem among gamers and I was a member for over 10 years. Now it is one of the most disgusting game-related places on the internet, thanks in no small part to its mockery of a convicted murders life imprisonment, the war room, and the forum purge of last year. The way things are handled there is absolutely juvenile and I am very thankful that this site does not resemble it.

The marketplace here is very well run. As was also mentioned above, we can report posts that are off and/or point out the inconsistencies of new sellers that have no reputation. I think this has been successful so far.

Now, as far as ebay listings here - I completely agree with removing those. There is no reason a new member should post an ebay link and that is (obviously to me at least) nothing but forum spam and shameless free self-promotion. What I'm against is the post quota type stuff NG.com does or the "hand written note" that Assembler forums is now doing.

Let's keep it like the good ol days here :chewie:

-Segasonicfan

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Originally Posted by segasonicfan

NG.com is a train wreck of a site full of trolls and ego-maniacs.

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To be fair you're right about that but we also have a few trolls and ego-maniacs here as well.

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That site was a gem among gamers and I was a member for over 10 years.

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The only reason you got called out was you had a join date of Feb 2006 with a total of 408 posts in 9 years. You were using the marketplace and not contributing hardly to their forums hence why you got hammered.

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Now it is one of the most disgusting game-related places on the internet, thanks in no small part to its mockery of a convicted murders life imprisonment, the war room, and the forum purge of last year. The way things are handled there is absolutely juvenile and I am very thankful that this site does not resemble it.

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The same has been said about TNL, Sega-16, NA and other forums. Every type of forum has it's own "characters". I know you're upset that you got market restricted but you weren't much of a contributing member there to them.

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The marketplace here is very well run.

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For the most part I see it that way but because this thread exists there's a few folks with some issues on how things are being run in certain aspects.

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As was also mentioned above, we can report posts that are off and/or point out the inconsistencies of new sellers that have no reputation. I think this has been successful so far.

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Well it's been known that a few people will call out shady stuff that happens and tbh I'm all for people being called out when they're being douchy.

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Now, as far as ebay listings here - I completely agree with removing those. There is no reason a new member should post an ebay link and that is (obviously to me at least) nothing but forum spam and shameless free self-promotion.

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I'm on the fence with this seeing as some members here who have contributed before many times will list stuff on ebay.

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What I'm against is the post quota type stuff NG.com does or the "hand written note" that Assembler forums is now doing.

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You may have a problem with it but a lot of people do not. The fact of the matter is this hobby has opened up the doors for many people to be outright scumbags, lyars, thieves, and scammers. So many people have been ripped off many, many times on here and many other forums inculding NG.com so these measures have to be taken because it's at a point that unless you're an established member with a good reputation here or elsewhere, nobody is going to trust you or want to do business with you and that's the sad truth.

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Let's keep it like the good ol days here :chewie:

-Segasonicfan

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The old days are gone. So many shitty people have ruined that for a lot of us who actually care about being honest in buying and selling. This thread and the people who've posted about it prove that the times have changed in the world of gaming and you should adapt or get screwed out of your hard-earned money.

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Originally Posted by segasonicfan

Sorry but I have to chime in here and say I 100% disagree with this. NG.com is a train wreck of a site full of trolls and ego-maniacs. That site was a gem among gamers and I was a member for over 10 years. Now it is one of the most disgusting game-related places on the internet, thanks in no small part to its mockery of a convicted murders life imprisonment, the war room, and the forum purge of last year. The way things are handled there is absolutely juvenile and I am very thankful that this site does not resemble it.

The marketplace here is very well run. As was also mentioned above, we can report posts that are off and/or point out the inconsistencies of new sellers that have no reputation. I think this has been successful so far.

Now, as far as ebay listings here - I completely agree with removing those. There is no reason a new member should post an ebay link and that is (obviously to me at least) nothing but forum spam and shameless free self-promotion. What I'm against is the post quota type stuff NG.com does or the "hand written note" that Assembler forums is now doing.

Let's keep it like the good ol days here :chewie:

-Segasonicfan

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You sound like someone who had a 10 year old account with 20 posts, all in the marketplace who is now banned.

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To be fair you're right about that but we also have a few trolls and ego-manics here as well.

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That's the internet for you. My point is the amount - NG.com is overrun with it. This site doesn't have crap like the War Room there and it doesn't have the adolescent bro culture that is rampant over there.

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The only reason you got called out was you had a join date of Feb 2006 with a total of 408 posts in 9 years. You were using the marketplace and not contributing hardly to their forums hence why you got hammered.

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I didn't get "called out" and that wasn't the reason at all. You are making assumptions and are not familiar with my situation. 408 posts is a lot, not sure why you think otherwise. I also had surgeries and other life problems that kept me from posting for a while that I made people aware of. I contributed a ton to that forum as I do most places. My posts were mostly in the Tech Support where I volunteered my time to help people troubleshoot problems. I did not participate in the War Room there or post a bunch of meaningless troll stuff like many people do to get their post count up.

The reason for my ban (and 100+ other members there) was a simple purge by the one and only mod of that site who was having a bad week and went on a spree. I was banned for posting a For Sale listing without a picture. Pure and simple.

But I'm not here to go into that further, that isn't the point. That site is a mess and a terrible example of how to run a good forum. I have many friends that were members for years and no longer go there for the reasons I mentioned before.

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I'm on the fence with this seeing as some members here who have contributed before many times will list stuff on ebay.

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I don't think that is relevant. If you post a thread that is nothing but "hey check out my ebay listing" then I think that is a little spammy, personally. We all know how to use the ebay search function. I personally view the market place as an alternative to ebay, where we can share, trade, buy, and sell within a community.

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What I'm against is the post quota type stuff NG.com does or the "hand written note" that Assembler forums is now doing.
You may have a problem with it but a lot of people do not. The fact of the matter is this hobby has opened up the doors for many people to be outright scumbags, lyars, thieves, and scammers. So many people have been ripped off many, many times on here and many other forums inculding NG.com so these measures have to be taken because it's at a point that unless you're established member with a good reputation here or elsewhere, nobody is going to trust you or want to do business with you and that's the sad truth.

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The point of a thread like this is to discuss what people want and to hear from them. I put in my 2 cents. I've been ripped off a couple times but I've also helped and gotten to know some really nice and thoughtful new members through trading and sales. I've had brand new members send me free stuff before or need help with tech questions. It happens all the time. I think it's helpful to see the positive aspects of not "locking down" the market place and PMing the way NG.com does. There is always a risk doing financial transactions on the internet. I think education is the answer, not censorship and exclusivity.

-Segasonicfan

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Originally Posted by segasonicfan

408 posts is a lot, not sure why you think otherwise.

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Not going to comment on the rest because you're side-stepping the point but this is pretty foolish. 408 posts in a year I could see you being right. But in almost a decade, nearly ten years you've only made 408 posts. That is a scratch in the barrel if you're trying to come off as you being a contributing member.

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Originally Posted by BonusKun

Not going to comment on the rest because you're side-stepping the point but this is pretty foolish. 408 posts in a year I could see you being right. But in almost a decade, nearly ten years you've only made 408 posts. That is a scratch in the barrel if you're trying to come off as you being a contributing member.

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lols, I "only" have 283 posts here in 6 years. So I must not be a contributing member here either :rofl:

I'd also like to see how many posts you would have after carpal tunnel surgery. I'm done with this thread (NG.comTrolls).

I don't see 408 as low, I mean I don't have many but I regularly talk to and interact with this community - hell I've met a few of them in person. But point still stands - 70 posts to sell/trade your goods is fair. Even if that takes you five years.

segasonicfan don't be done with the thread - i feel as though you're making a good point and why I think the quantity of your posts does not overshadow the quality. Like I said before in one of my posts - if a contributing member that doesn't post a lot wants to sell/trade then they can have someone vouch for them and state their case. In 99% of those cases I think people are willing to give those types of members a chance. Whether they crash and burn or not depends on them ultimately fulfilling their promise.

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Originally Posted by segasonicfan

lols, I "only" have 283 posts here in 6 years. So I must not be a contributing member here either :rofl:

I'd also like to see how many posts you would have after carpal tunnel surgery. I'm done with this thread (NG.comTrolls).

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Nobody said you didn't contribute here but like I said before, your opinion is in a minority here. Also I have issues with my hands hurting also so that's not an excuse I'm willing to hear.

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Originally Posted by Raja

I don't see 408 as low, I mean I don't have many but I regularly talk to and interact with this community - hell I've met a few of them in person. But point still stands - 70 posts to sell/trade your goods is fair. Even if that takes you five years.

segasonicfan don't be done with the thread - i feel as though you're making a good point and why I think the quantity of your posts does not overshadow the quality. Like I said before in one of my posts - if a contributing member that doesn't post a lot wants to sell/trade then they can have someone vouch for them and state their case. In 99% of those cases I think people are willing to give those types of members a chance. Whether they crash and burn or not depends on them ultimately fulfilling their promise.

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Thanks for the meaningful reply Raja. I want to respond briefly to what you suggested, though I don't think I will carry on with this thread longer as I've contributed my viewpoint so there's not much else for me to do. I can see where a minimum post count is helpful. However I think making it more than say, 10 posts is not good. One big problem with this is how it separates members with disabilities. What if someone is blind and needs audio support software every time they post? For a while after my surgery I had to use Dragon software and it took a very long time to do a single post. There are days and weeks still when I cannot type at all. However, the *quality* of the posts does matter. Take for example this member, with only 23 posts in 2 years:

http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthr...esis-Cartridge

I would be more than happy to buy games from him. High post count doesn't really tell me anything about a member, and I have been scammed real hard by members with hundreds of posts before. Sometimes it's even worse because buddies will vouch for them when they don't even have a single sale or trading history with that person.

The other issue this brings up, is what about a person that has a great reputation on another forum. Expecting people to have 50, 70, or 100 posts on Sega-16, Assembler, NG.com, RetroRoundtable, SegaAge, etc just to access to a marketplace forum seems pretty silly to me. For example, I am always on the lookout for broken Sega CDX systems. I specialize in repairing them and documenting them here on Sega-16 and helping members troubleshoot. They don't show up often and sometime only on a forum I don't have a huge post count on. So to require dozens of posts for me to say, "hey, I'd like to buy your broken CDX" just seems like overkill to me.

Again, I say education is the answer and not restrictions. That's my 2 cents.

-Segasonicfan

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Originally Posted by segasonicfan

High post count doesn't really tell me anything about a member, and I have been scammed real hard by members with hundreds of posts before. Sometimes it's even worse because buddies will vouch for them when they don't even have a single sale or trading history with that person.

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That's the thing you're not understanding. High post count members usually have a much lower chance of ripping you off because they care about their reputation on the boards. Saying you trust this person is all fine but the thing people are saying is if this guy decided to rip you off it would have been because nobody hardly knows who he is and you would have been called out for dealing with someone who doesn't want to be a part of the boards. You have to look at it from the other point that random people with low post counts or interest in only the market have proven to be a much higher risk when doing deals with. This is a sad but true fact.

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The other issue this brings up, is what about a person that has a great reputation on another forum. Expecting people to have 50, 70, or 100 posts on Sega-16, Assembler, NG.com, RetroRoundtable, SegaAge, etc just to access to a marketplace forum seems pretty silly to me.

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Then those people with high post counts on other forums can do business on those forums. This thread is about people saying that they don't want people here who are only for the market. The vote tally above shows that.

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For example, I am always on the lookout for broken Sega CDX systems. I specialize in repairing them and documenting them here on Sega-16 and helping members troubleshoot. They don't show up often and sometime only on a forum I don't have a huge post count on. So to require dozens of posts for me to say, "hey, I'd like to buy your broken CDX" just seems like overkill to me.

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Buyers have less of a risk then a seller in that case because if the person you're buying from has a good post count and reputation then chances are you'll get what you paid for but like I said, being a seller with no reputation to stand on, asking for Paypal gift or just plain being unconcerned with obvious questions about what they're selling should be a huge red flag. I'm sorry you've got burned also but that doesn't mean everyone is going to do what you do and keep on trucking.

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Again, I say education is the answer and not restrictions. That's my 2 cents.

-Segasonicfan

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Education I'm all for but even if people are told to the ends of the earth that someone is a scammer, they won't listen. Restriction is being asked for because people here *mind you the vote is in favor of this*, do not want people who are here only to fleece their wares in the market. This has worked very well on multiple forums inculding NG.com which you hate so much. People are being forced to adapt to the changing market because of many factors and while it's nice to think that people can be trusted for the most part there are people who wouldn't think twice about taking your money and running with it.