Silk Road forums

Discussion => Newbie discussion => Topic started by: d9gj9j11 on September 13, 2013, 03:16 am

Title: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: d9gj9j11 on September 13, 2013, 03:16 am
What are your guys thoughts on introducing yourself to a vendor? Good, bad, necessary, pointless?

I'm doing it right now because I don't have much as far as stats go and I don't want a vendor to decide they won't ship to me because I'm not trustworthy or I ordered too much as a newbie, but it seems like kind of a hassle to do this every time I want to make an order from someone new.

Maybe it's fucked up of me to say this or maybe you guys agree or have never even considered this, but one of the biggest appeals of SR to me is that I don't feel the need to be friends with the vendors when all I want to do is make my transaction and leave. I always seem to wind up hanging out with my dealers for an hour or two and, while sometimes it's fun, other times I got stuff to do and don't really have an easy way to just get up and leave. I'd like this to remain strictly a business relationship of sorts and would like communication to be at a bare minimum, honestly.

Am I an asshole for feeling like this?
At what point am I established enough that I don't need to send a message before placing an order?
How do you guys handle this?

Hell, maybe I'm just overthinking this. Either way, I'd still like your guys input. Thanks
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: plainsman1963 on September 13, 2013, 03:34 am
Good idea if you have no stats to speak of. Once you have 5 transactions or so, you probably wouldn't need to do it anymore. Always a good idea to check on vendors page to see if they have minimum buyer stats listed.

I don't think you sound like an asshole for wanting a business relationship. Hell, the best transactions I have are when no communication besides sending an address is needed. I've had some good conversations with a vendor or two as well and that is cool too.
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: Occams razor on September 13, 2013, 04:35 am
I like your idea of an introduction. It upholds respect, trust, and professionalism. A community like SR can benefit from such practice.
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: Zringo on September 13, 2013, 04:40 am
I think it's fine. You may or may not get a reply, but I've noticed that the most professional vendors are the friendliest and therefore they get my business.  :)
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: Strangiato on September 13, 2013, 05:28 am
I know what you mean. The good dealer in my town and I are sort of on and off casual friends but everyone else can buy stuff all the time but when I try she gets all bitchy and feels like I'm 'using' her. I had to talk to her for a while to butter her up and even then it's a maybe.
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: noiamunclesyd on September 13, 2013, 05:41 am
I would say unecasary, and in some cases wierd? If I was a vendor I would be like whatever.  And I'd oubt any vendor would get upset with you for doing such things,   But really these guys are busy, and to waste their time saying high. I am going to buy drugs from you. What is the point. I guess I hardly ever message a vendor. And if I do its for a specific question. Not a high how's it going, this is me. That's just my view.  You don't introduce yourself to the walmart manager, do you?
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: Al Capone on September 14, 2013, 06:09 pm
As a vendor, I love receiving an introduction message. Makes me feel more comfortable doing business. For what ever reason, I also feel like I won't have to worry about the buyer auto-finalizing. Thanks for being an asset to the community :)
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: unc1717 on September 14, 2013, 06:28 pm
i messaged my vendor before my very first order bc they did not have a policy posted on their page about new buyers but after that i have not messaged a vendor at all except for one issue with an order..
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: MachineElves on September 14, 2013, 06:41 pm
Hi d9gj9j11,

Nice post. Exactly the sort of chat that gains you respect in this community  ;)

Both of your viewpoints are valid and NO you are not an asshole!!! lol.  :) :) :)

Our view.....

Not only do we encourage conversation, we always pro-actively contact each and every one of our buyers (even if it's just to confirm when their order has been posted).

Having said that, we have had a few "new buyers" order and finalize on the SAME night with no correspondence AT ALL apart from the sending address and that just suited us fine!! (i.e. no effort at all, other than printing a label and posting)

Most people are not ALWAYS in the mood to have long drawn out conversations, but it never fails to be courteous  8)

As Mother Elf once said : Treat others EXACTLY the way you would like to treated yours"elves"  ;D ;D

Just be sure to Finalize as soon as the product arrives as this is what most Vendors are after. A quick and smooth transaction.  ;D

It works in all aspects of life.

Namaste.

MACHINE ELVES
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: jackie91 on September 14, 2013, 06:53 pm
I found one of THE BEST vendors on SR (Ayeseadee1080) by sending out intro PMs saying I was a newb and needed some help making a buy. A couple of vendors replied rudely, several didn't respond but Ayeseadee answered me, explained how things work and what to expect and then sold me some of the best C, without having to FE for my first transaction, I have found on here. So I would say it's a good idea, it is courteous to do it and you may get lucky like I did. But be prepared for a number of no responses and some responses that say "look at the Wiki" "look at the forums" "you shouldn't be on SR", etc.
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: d9gj9j11 on September 16, 2013, 11:56 pm
Thanks for the replies, guys. Seems like I'll need to keep introducing myself for a little while, especially if the vendor doesn't have anything in their profile about ordering from newbies. I'm glad to hear that this is probably exactly what I've been looking for, though, as far as being able to be antisocial and reclusive goes. lol  :P
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: jackie91 on September 27, 2013, 05:49 pm
Keep looking at the forums for people raving about certain vendors, look at posted reviews on listings and you'll be able to pick out the vendors who will appreciate you introducing yourself and being upfront. Keep at it, in the end it will be worth it.
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: aghostlyfart on September 27, 2013, 05:59 pm
Mad respect. Honestly i think its a great idea JUST DONT DO IT IN THE ORDER FORM. Many people make the mistake of sending a message with their address this can be a hassle for vendors i'd imagine. They are usually very busy people and don't have time to read every question and comment, not to mention the extremely tedious task of erasing your message so they can copy and paste your address. Great idea though just do it in a message not on the order form, happy SRing :)
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: IForgotMyFuckingPassword on September 27, 2013, 06:10 pm
Quote
What are your guys thoughts on introducing yourself to a vendor? Good, bad, necessary, pointless?

I've only done that with the very first vendor who I purchased from. After that, I never have.

I like the idea of it in theory; but I'm very hesitant to message vendors unless there's a problem with my order. Yes, it would be a polite thing to do; the problem is that if the vendor is a high volume seller, they are already bombarded with emails without me adding to the problem.

I'm not even the type to message a vendor as to whether or not my order has shipped. I just let SR cancel the order if it goes 4 days in processing status. Emailing vendors with pointless niceties just slows down processing times.

With all that said, if you have no transaction history, then you definitely should message the vendor BEFORE placing your order. 
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: Cornelius23 on September 28, 2013, 01:10 am
I think introducing oneself is a lovely idea and some vendors, as they've stated above, would appreciate it. In my own case, I have trouble initiating one-to-one communication with people in general, both on- and offline. Forums, IRC, Usenet: I'm usually fine with; making phonecalls, sending PMs or e-mails: I get blocked by any number of irrational and mostly unconscious fears. With me, I'm afraid, it's generally a case of, "Please call me; I won't call you."
Title: Re: Introducing Yourself to a Vendor?
Post by: kaybee on September 28, 2013, 06:38 pm
What a great idea!
I am a newbie, myself and wondered the same thing.  I have read the pages the vendors have, and alot of them state how busy they are and how they get soooooo many pm.  I took that as they only want a pm from me if there is something wrong with my order.