Silk Road forums
Market => Rumor mill => Topic started by: happytree on December 27, 2011, 10:00 pm
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It may come off as stating the obvious, BUT, for what it's worth I think it should be mentioned:
1) When you are reading threads on buyer/vendor reviews, PLEASE CONSIDER the rating/newness of the person posting. Take note of how many posts they have, and how long they've been registered. Remember how easy it is to create an account. You can do the same when looking at feedback on SR for vendors. How easy is it to create dummy accounts, sell to yourself, to give you 5/5 feedback.
2) Take that a step further and take a look at their posts. Read them. Look for language or grammar similarities. Are they always slamming or praising the same vendor? Or are their posts varied, cross-sectional and somewhat neutral.
I realize this may sound like overkill, but when it's your money we're talking about, I would like to think people take the time to make accurate judgements. And always take what you read with a grain of salt. Remember you're dealing with snobs, druggies, elitists, nerds and people trying to get rich.
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Good advice. Always do your own research. Don't go running at the first post you see slamming a buyer or vendor.
Especially look out for those 'Userxxx = Scammer' posts from guys with only one or two posts. Half the time its just a lowlife trying to stir things up or someone looking for someone to pat them on the back for doing such a good job pointing out the scammers.
If you have doubts about a vendor, post a question asking for other members who may have purchased product how they feel about the vendor, don't create a post asking if the vendor is a scammer, that just starts more rumors.
If you have had problems with a vendor, try and work it out before you start leaving 1/5 feedback ratings or start posting messages slamming them.
If you have tried talking to the vendor and haven't gotten anywhere, try a post asking other members what they would do in your situation (lay it out from start to end, clearly and without naming names or calling people names). Maybe emotion got the better of you, maybe not, but a second opinion couldn't hurt.
Finally, if nothing you do has gotten you any satisfaction, go ahead and post a warning about your experience with the vendor. Keep emotion and swearing out of it. Just the facts. People can read and make up their own minds. Calling the vendor a dickhead isn't going to make things better and may in the end turn people away from your post.
If you have finalized early or gone out of escrow, don't expect anyone to feel sorry for you or for SR to be any help. The minute you do that you take full responsibility for your actions. If you lose you lose, nothing to be done about it other than to post a warning, with a civil tone, about your experiences, so hopefully some other person doesn't do the same.
I realize how much you feel like cursing and swearing when someone scams you. Not only do you feel stupid for trusting them, you are pissed that there doesn't seem to be anything you can do about it. Go ahead, curse and scream, but do it privately. Doing it on the forum might just leave people wondering if that is how you talked to the vendor, reducing any chances you have for sympathy from the other members.
And finally, learn from your mistakes. The old saying 'Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.' is very apt in this situation. Don't throw good money after bad, don't make the same mistakes twice.
Go find another vendor, a truly top shelf one, buy something you like, smoke it or ingest it, and nod off to a little music. :)
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Great posts, captjj and happytree, although I would want to add that a lack of forum posts alone is not a completely accurate indicator of buyer integrity.
I am at 15 complete (and excellent) transactions with no refunds or auto-fins. in 6 months. Granted, that is a small number compared to many I've seen, but above what I'd consider a new(ish) buyer.
But (obviously by my post count) I am not one to post in any forum on a regular basis, just kinda' how I am, and with respect to SR, I figure the less I talk about my personal business, the better, though I do spend many hours reading these forums. Maybe that comes off as a little paranoid, that is just how I approach it, just like I do irl.
I'd hope that a seller I ordered from would at least pm me (after checking my stats, etc) with a few questions before deciding I am a newb scammer and request that I early finalize (which I will not) or just cancel the sale.
I do realize that there is no easy way to link a person's forum ID with their SR ID, and I am not sure how to get around that, beyond asking a buyer to create a specific forum post, or something similar to match the ID's.
Just had to get my .02 in, I keep seeing post count mentioned as such an important factor, but like many great posters here have suggested, I find that my instincts and gut feelings are the most accurate for me, and those are based on a seller's fb, the wording and writing style in the listing and profile, and if I am still unsure, I more closely peruse their forum posts and reviews.
Admittedly, I am probably older than a majority of buyers here, so maybe I've spent a little more time learning to read people, but it all comes back to common sense and patience.... Oh, and a reasonable amount of paranoia also, just not too much, as many posters seem to have.
It is the greatest forum I've ever experienced, though, what an amazing group we have here.
This has to be the coolest global socioeconomic experiment ever. It would be pretty amusing if it turned out to be someone's senior project....
just my opinion, ignore as needed.
Take care and use common sense everyone.
Tender