First Post Appraisal Requests..

[gatewaysysop]

Just tossing this out there, because I feel like I've seen an uptick recently: am I the only person irked by people who only sign up to ask members to appraise a tool lot or some widget that they bought/found/inherited/etc. and want to sell? These folks seemingly never contribute anything else and, personally, I consider it classless to wade into an enthusiast crowd, ask them to appraise your stuff and then disappear.

I would prefer that people not sign up just to use Garage Journal like Antiques Road Show, but am I the only person with this opinion? I thought we had rules already about not just signing up to sell **** here. Can we perhaps consider amending the rules to clearly say that GJ is not a poor man's appraisal service either, or at least not to sign up purely for that purpose?

Thoughts?

 

[tool_scrounge]

It is annoying, especially as they often refuse to identify where on the planet they are located. In The future, I am going to give price estimates in Peruvian Sol currency

 

[RoninB4]

They bother me too. Would like them to stay and be part of the collective but all they're interested in is the cash, they don't even have an interest in the item itself beyond the cash value most of the time. They're speculators and they drive the price of everything up, often beyond what a genuine collector can afford. They know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

 

[PCustoms]

Annoying at best....

I've reported a few obvious ones. There was a guy yesterday posting about a tools, within 3 posts he referenced one for sale on ebay and his 5th post was the classified. Mod deleted several of those posts, guessing (if not banned) we'll never see that poster again

 

[The Cobbler]

I don't know what percentage of posters are one & done , it is common , but not overly so .
Just not sure how you would determine who's going to be a long term member or a one & gone.
Sometimes it seems obvious , but sometimes ...it's not.
I am not in favour of tons of rules, simple rules that are adhered to seem to make sense.
Over all, I think GJ is a great resource and not too badly abused.
Just my opinion, of course.

 

[LB-1911]

Annoying at best....

I've reported a few obvious ones. There was a guy yesterday posting about a tools, within 3 posts he referenced one for sale on ebay and his 5th post was the classified. Mod deleted several of those posts, guessing (if not banned) we'll never see that poster again

/\ Is exactly how to handle it.

 

[The Cobbler]

not sure if @Ryan could/would implement a time restriction on posting classifieds, like 30 days ?

 

[PCustoms]

not sure if Ryan could/would implement a time restriction on posting classifieds, like 30 days ?

Interesting idea.

I know the minimum post count thing came up a while back and there wasn't a way to automate that.

As you said above, some situations are obvious, others are not. I've seen a lot of old, low post count members suddenly contribute more in the past month then they ever did in years. Makes you wonder....

 

[four.cycle]

I don't know what percentage of posters are one & done , it is common , but not overly so .
Just not sure how you would determine who's going to be a long term member or a one & gone.

While it may be somewhat annoying, the actual number of these new sign-ups looking for "appraisals" is actually very small.
I always make a point of following them, because more often than not it's some really oddball widget they haven't been able to identify anywhere else and I dig around and find the manufacturer and applicable patent and enter it into the list, forward the information to datamp.org (or AA), whichever is applicable, and move on.

So while these may be annoying for some of you, they are a resource for me. I'll give them the information they're looking for: manufacturer's name, location, applicable patent numbers, but only on rare occasions will I even hazard a guess as to "market value".
More often than not I simply direct them to peruse the "sold" listings on ebay, which is how these should be handled.

Imposing a bunch of "rules" in this regard would pose a hindrance for ME in the creation of that list.
Every cloud has a silver lining.

This is today's new entry. This guy didn't ask "How much can I get for this?", but he DID bring a new item in, I got another manufacturer's name added to the list, and datamp.org got a mess of patents they don't currently have listed. What's not to like?

 

[3baygarage]

People showing up and asking questions can be fun. It makes the forum go round. I don't care if they want an appraisal. Any of us can choose to respond, or not even read the post. The "irked" part though, I get that too, when I see the item on eBay within the week. I usually just laugh. Coming here is like one big advertisement before the big sale.

 

[gatewaysysop]

I thought we had rules already about not just signing up to sell **** here. Can we perhaps consider amending the rules to clearly say that GJ is not a poor man's appraisal service either, or at least not to sign up purely for that purpose?

In case it's being lost in the discussion and tangents, this is all I'm asking for.

I'm not saying impose too many rules or even a new one. If we already tell people not to sign up just for access to classifieds, can we not simply extend that to include people signing up purely for appraisal service?

To be clear, I have no problem if that's someone's first post and they intend to stick around and contribute. I'm not arguing that mods should assess at the time whether the person will bother to stick around or not. I just think the expectation should be set that if that's all you're signing up for, we'd rather you didn't -same as we already tell the people signing up for financial gain.

 

[four.cycle]

Nobody wants the venue used as a platform for newcomers to peddle their wares, or as an appraisal service. There are other websites for that: ebay, worthpoint, etc.
I just don't see it as an "often enough" issue to warrant any action other than what is usually standard practice here, which is directing them to the "sold" listings on ebay.

 

[mike93lx]

Any time or posting requirement won't change engagement.

A 10 post minimum just results in some more junk posts before someone ghosts and a time restriction will just mean the account sits until they post, then they ghost.

This has always existed with forums and will never change

 

[gatewaysysop]

Any time or posting requirement won't change engagement.

Again, to be clear, I'm not asking for any such thing, though I do agree 100% with your point.

 

[mike93lx]

Again, to be clear, I'm not asking for any such thing.

You aren't the only one posting here, but the other rules you are proposing will be ignored, IMO

 

[johnre]

Another forum I'm a member and mod of has a 15 day / 15 post minimum for posting anything like this - and we also include in this rule anything that is "pseudo sales activity", such as asking what price to charge, or what it could bring at sale or auction, or whatever.

Enforcement is automatically applied to the classified section by the forum robots, but of course some members try to circumvent the rules, sometimes intentionally, by posting outside of the classified. Staying on top of the latter requires vigilance and prompt intervention by a mod. But the mod's interpretation on this is simple - in the words of Potter Stewart, "I know it when I see it".

 

[four.cycle]

^ and in doing so you are adding to the work load of the moderators, which is one of the reasons I honestly believe it's more trouble than is warranted to "do something" about it.

Just get everybody on board with "send 'em to the ebay sold listings" and you've solved 99% of the problem.

As I said above: I view these as opportunities I can exploit for my own purposes - the list, and getting more patent data up on datamp.org - but to be clear: I am most certainly NOT supporting the idea that GJ become some sort of appraisal service, and if the response they get is consistently "see the sold listings on ebay", sooner or later the message will go out.

 

[cvairwerks]

One board I'm on has the rigid rule of no valuations at all. If you want to sell it, post it with a price in the appropriate section.

 

[johnre]

^ and in doing so you are adding to the work load of the moderators, which is one of the reasons I honestly believe it's more trouble than is warranted to "do something" about it.

Initially, this is entirely true.

After it happens a few times and mods quickly deal with offenders, the members do get the concept and report it to us quickly, and we promptly deal with it. From that point, it's not much work at all. Members generally want enforcement, because they know there is correlation between first time posts and classified scammers.

Let the discipline lapse and yea, it's harder - members won't bother reporting something if they don't think anything will come of it.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Any time or posting requirement won't change engagement.

A 10 post minimum just results in some more junk posts before someone ghosts and a time restriction will just mean the account sits until they post, then they ghost.

This has always existed with forums and will never change

When I find the 1-2 word post whoring, I delete them.... especially when the posts are a minute or two apart. That tells me someone didn't read the thread, just made a random post.

Want to sell something, be a productive member here. I've informed more than one "seller" to find another place to peddle their wares.

 

[rust in the eye]

Given that many requests for an "appraisal" are thinly disguised for sale threads I find it a bit inappropriate.
Best way to deal with them is not reply. Admin may certainly pass judgement and delete if aggregious.

 

[four.cycle]

Given that many requests for an "appraisal" are thinly disguised for sale threads I find it a bit inappropriate.
Best way to deal with them is not reply.

In some cases, it's blatantly obvious what the intent is. Others- not so much.
In many instances, it is a widget we haven't seen before or don't have any information about, hence my reticence about wanting to effect any sort of "policy" concerning the issue (which again, doesn't really arise that often.)

But since you brought this up......

What do you think of the guy who comes on, signs up as a member, doesn't post anything in any of the forums, but instead sends private messages to a member inquiring about that member's ebay listings?

 

[mike93lx]

What do you think of the guy who comes on, signs up as a member, doesn't post anything in any of the forums, but instead sends private messages to a member inquiring about that member's ebay listings?

I dont think a member without any posts should be able to send a pm to anyone but an admin/mod

 

[PCustoms]

But since you brought this up......

What do you think of the guy who comes on, signs up as a member, doesn't post anything in any of the forums, but instead sends private messages to a member inquiring about that member's ebay listings?

Report it.

It's also bypassing eBay, which I'm pretty sure is still against their terms...

 

[rust in the eye]

In some cases, it's blatantly obvious what the intent is. Others- not so much.
In many instances, it is a widget we haven't seen before or don't have any information about, hence my reticence about wanting to effect any sort of "policy" concerning the issue (which again, doesn't really arise that often.)

But since you brought this up......

What do you think of the guy who comes on, signs up as a member, doesn't post anything in any of the forums, but instead sends private messages to a member inquiring about that member's ebay listings?

Personally, I'd be happy to offer anyone here a discount equivalent to fees, or more, on any of my Ebay listings. If I'm recognized by someone browsing Ebay feel free to contact me any way you can.

 

[four.cycle]

@rust in the eye -
That is generally how I operate and have communicated that to the membership but I find the absence of any posts here on the forum to be a bit disconcerting.
Curious as to how the other mods view this scenario.

 

[rust in the eye]

I think they want clicks and as long as no harm done have no reason for concern. Perhaps they'll chime in.
Linking to an Ebay page with promise of a discount if bought direct I'd consture as an end run.
If someone here recognizes me selling on Ebay then by all means ask about any other items offered that may interest you. I won't link to my Ebay sales and assume Ebay would take a similar dim view of the practice.

 

[bwringer]

...
So while these may be annoying for some of you, they are a resource for me.

Yup. On a vintage motorcycle forum I frequent, newbies posting to sell are considered a resource. Some very interesting bikes and parts lots have been posted by baffled heirs and widows, or people who ended up with a hoard or bike they're not interested in via other means. There are also folks who are, for example, fans of a different brand that ended up stuff from our brand in a lot purchase and are looking to offload the surplus.

That said, it's a tough crowd over there, and I have never seen a more tight-fisted bunch in all my days. If sellers think they're sitting on a gold mine, they'll quickly be corrected, and if they're tough enough to take the correction to heart, they'll find a good audience.

We're also generally happy to offer advice if we can, and it's not too much trouble, for folks trying to figure out what something is and whether it's worth putting on eBay. Sometimes an experienced eye can recognize a part on sight and offer helpful input, sometimes not.

Overall, it's a very small corner of a very specialized market, so we're happy to have any possible source of goodies and it's rarely much trouble.

In the case of GJ, it's a far larger and more general market, so you do have to be more careful.

 

[PCustoms]

Thoughts?

Greenfield Tap and Die set

Hi, I found this set of tools in my father in laws workshop. I think it came from his father. It made by Greenfield and it's a tap & die set. Stock number is #5180-752-9355. Everything seems to be there and in good shape. Except for some rust. Not sure if cleaning would increase or decrease...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[jack stand]

Just tossing this out there, because I feel like I've seen an uptick recently: am I the only person irked by people who only sign up to ask members to appraise a tool lot or some widget that they bought/found/inherited/etc. and want to sell? These folks seemingly never contribute anything else and, personally, I consider it classless to wade into an enthusiast crowd, ask them to appraise your stuff and then disappear.

I would prefer that people not sign up just to use Garage Journal like Antiques Road Show, but am I the only person with this opinion? I thought we had rules already about not just signing up to sell **** here. Can we perhaps consider amending the rules to clearly say that GJ is not a poor man's appraisal service either, or at least not to sign up purely for that purpose?

Thoughts?

I got here through a internet search for repairing a floor jack.
GJ is a good fit and interesting to me so I stuck around.
I don't "do" Facebook or any of the so called social media, but I imagine that in today's world just popping in for a quick (and always trusted) answer is common.
I can't really blame anyone who couldn't tell a hammer from a screwdriver look for their answer. I imagine that those inclined will hang around. It's kinda like giving friendly advice to a pretty but confused young lady at HD or Lowes. Happy to help.

 

[four.cycle]

Thoughts?

When I log in here, I expect to find at least one post like this.
Some days there might be two or three.
It's the inevitable consequence of this website having become the de facto "go to" information source for all things "tool" after they've not found what they're looking for at AA or any number of other sites that don't offer the individual the ability to ask their question about their newly-found widget.

Again, I look forward to these kinds of posts: they are an endless resource for ME (building the LIST)(which has proven to be of benefit to more than just members here) and we get fresh new faces entering the mix, some of which may well hang around and become contributors (like @AntiqueBen - who's proven to be a gold mine with his oddball stuff.)

I'm adamantly opposed to running these people off, or making them jump through hoops - that's not how you gain allies and it's a speed bump on the road to free information flowing.