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Current Ebay Flipper

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draggat

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I just want to alert other sellers to a member here who is currently buying off of the exchange and flipping at inflated prices. His BF name is MP95B20

He purchased a couple of knives from me off of the exchange earlier this week, one of which was the first knife in the listing here: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/4-gecs.1664147/

It shipped on Monday and arrived Wednesday. He did not contact me upon receipt, but another member sent me a message Wednesday evening saying it was listed on Ebay. I checked it out and there it still is.... He even copied and pasted my photos and description, which is the part that really burns me.

I contacted him and requested he remove my photos and description. He did remove the photos, but the description is still in the listing as of this post. The following are screenshots of the listing, the final one which contains his Ebay seller name.

jkc5cz.jpg


2n6ycs6.jpg


znlpu8.jpg


1076hpc.jpg


21ot193.jpg


None of what he did has broken any rules here, but as a collector myself, I am not a fan of flippers. They spoil the fun for the rest of us. If he hadn't used my photos and description in his ad, I would have just let it go. The knives were sold fair and square and it is his right to do as he pleases with them. It just goes against my own personal morals.

I've bought, traded and sold here on BF a lot. I would say this is the first experience that left a bad taste. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't sold at higher prices but there's a difference between what I would consider fair market value and ridiculously inflated prices. Even I've paid a pretty penny for certain knives, but it's always been from other collectors.

Not having a buyer contact me upon receipt isn't an issue, but buying knives just to turn around and sell them at ridiculous prices hurts all of us in the collecting community.

Since our transaction was smooth, I cannot leave a negative feedback rating, but I won't be dealing with him again.
 
We've all seen his actions Steve draggat draggat and he has raised the hackles of many from here to FB. Not much to say but to vote with our wallets or should I say not wallets. As far as using other's photos that is easy to cure. As a long time photographer I send a standard cease and desist letter asking to remove the photos or I will have the product delisted and/or sue for damages.
 
You (collectively) decide to sell a knife on the exchange and list it there. Along comes a buyer and you and he come to terms on a value and a deal. He pays according to the agreement and you ship according to the agreement. That deal is done! The buyer is then free to do what ever he wants with what was once yours, but is no longer yours. You have no rights or say in whatever he does or how he does it. It all goes back to that initial agreement; if you don't want the knife "flipped" then make that part of the agreement before any money or items change hands. (I doubt you'll sell very much with that kind of a restriction). In the meantime, You (seller) count your money and stay out of the buyer's business.

Paul
 
You (collectively) decide to sell a knife on the exchange and list it there. Along comes a buyer and you and he come to terms on a value and a deal. He pays according to the agreement and you ship according to the agreement. That deal is done! The buyer is then free to do what ever he wants with what was once yours, but is no longer yours. You have no rights or say in whatever he does or how he does it. It all goes back to that initial agreement; if you don't want the knife "flipped" then make that part of the agreement before any money or items change hands. (I doubt you'll sell very much with that kind of a restriction). In the meantime, You (seller) count your money and stay out of the buyer's business.

Paul
You are correct - but you are missing the spirit of the post. And evidently, you did not see the part about the flipper using the OP's pictures in their listing.

Edit: I would also think that you, as someone paying for a Knifemaker... membership, would be even more upset at someone coming here just for profit, without paying for a dealer membership (or whatever level is appropriate).
 
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You (collectively) decide to sell a knife on the exchange and list it there. Along comes a buyer and you and he come to terms on a value and a deal. He pays according to the agreement and you ship according to the agreement. That deal is done! The buyer is then free to do what ever he wants with what was once yours, but is no longer yours. You have no rights or say in whatever he does or how he does it. It all goes back to that initial agreement; if you don't want the knife "flipped" then make that part of the agreement before any money or items change hands. (I doubt you'll sell very much with that kind of a restriction). In the meantime, You (seller) count your money and stay out of the buyer's business.

Paul
Did you read the part where the OP says he would have let it go if not for the stolen photos and description?

Reading the entire post is a prerequisite to posting an opinion.


And not to state the obvious, but we all should know by now that flipping hurts the hobby.
 
You (collectively) decide to sell a knife on the exchange and list it there. Along comes a buyer and you and he come to terms on a value and a deal. He pays according to the agreement and you ship according to the agreement. That deal is done! The buyer is then free to do what ever he wants with what was once yours, but is no longer yours. You have no rights or say in whatever he does or how he does it. It all goes back to that initial agreement; if you don't want the knife "flipped" then make that part of the agreement before any money or items change hands. (I doubt you'll sell very much with that kind of a restriction). In the meantime, You (seller) count your money and stay out of the buyer's business.

Paul

I actually completely agree with you. The part that chapped my hide was him using my photos and my description verbatim, which would allude to him knowing the maker himself. That part makes it misleading and I consider what he did to be theft of sorts.
 
While I agree that a seller has no say in what a buyer does once the knife is received, I think a lot of us appreciate knowing who's flipping for profit. Most of the time, when I sell a knife, I don't care what the buyer does with it... but there are some that I wouldn't sell to somebody I expect is going to immediately flip for profit (especially if I'm selling for under market).
 
I buy and sell knives all good the time and have a hefty GEC collection. When I buy a knife and resell it online I usually respectfully wait a week or 2 usually I’m conflicted whether I’ll keep it or not. As far as stealing photos, that’s not cool. Obviously this happens to me too but it doesn’t bother me, eBay’s a hassle and charge outrageous fees and I’m a free market guy. Is what it is.
 
Why would you lead your complaint with
I just want to alert other sellers to a member here who is currently buying off of the exchange and flipping at inflated prices. His BF name is MP95B20

If it was mainly about using your picts?

He has no right to use your picts, but that should not be posted here on BF when it is really about pictures.
 
I'm sorry, posting a VALID opinion. There ya go.

You can't control what others post, or why they post. You can certainly disagree with anyone you chose. Validity of another's opinion is up to each of us to determine individually.

The OP addresses a number of things that he considers to be rude behavior, he has every right to do so. It's possible to disagree with elements of the discussion without being rude. Creating prerequisites for others to follow out of the ether, or ruling somebody else's opinion to be invalid, that's just ironic as heck in that context.

As for the OP, I understand why he might not be thrilled with his photos and prose being used on eBay. I don't care one way or another about flipping. I see no difference between flipping and catch-and-release, the euphemism used on the Exchange here. I've bought a lot of knives on the Exchange. I don't care about a seller's retention habits or his pricing strategy. If I want it, and it's a price I'm willing to pay, I buy it. If it's weirdly overpriced, then that's just another source of private amusement that doesn't cost me a dime.
 
You can't control what others post, or why they post. You can certainly disagree with anyone you chose. Validity of another's opinion is up to each of us to determine individually.

The OP addresses a number of things that he considers to be rude behavior, he has every right to do so. It's possible to disagree with elements of the discussion without being rude. Creating prerequisites for others to follow out of the ether, or ruling somebody else's opinion to be invalid, that's just ironic as heck in that context.

As for the OP, I understand why he might not be thrilled with his photos and prose being used on eBay. I don't care one way or another about flipping. I see no difference between flipping and catch-and-release, the euphemism used on the Exchange here. I've bought a lot of knives on the Exchange. I don't care about a seller's retention habits or his pricing strategy. If I want it, and it's a price I'm willing to pay, I buy it. If it's weirdly overpriced, then that's just another source of private amusement that doesn't cost me a dime.
Alright, but the poster i quoted literally ignored the main point, " If he hadn't used my photos and description in his ad, I would have just let it go.", so i assumed he just hadnt read it.

Obviously i do not have god like powers, thus i cant stop someone from ignoring part of a post and making a dumb comment. Think of it as more of a recommendation.
 
I don't see an issue with using the pics as long as they are not copyrighted. I feel that you buy the knife, the pics are also part of the deal unless otherwise noted (seems like William 10after10 asks that you do not use his pics) since they do the OP no good without the knife but I don't like the flipping for quite a bit more portion of the deal. I guess that I am actually torn on the flipping thing since he bought it for what the OP was asking but I have seen more than a few that make a habit of picking up goods deals here within the first minutes of a listing to just re-list them on another site for 30%+ more so I block them. I guess that if I see it more than once or twice I consider you a dealer and I price knives here for collectors/users and deal with wholesalers on a face to face basis at the larger shows here in the area.

I use my own pics if I happen to resell a knife because I have usually used it so the pics no longer reflect the condition of the knife but I would consider using them if they were good and I never used the knife.
 
Why did I post what I posted and how I posted it? Yes, it did bother me that the knife was bought on a pure profit motive and not for the enjoyment of the item itself. I feel that there are a lot of other people on the forum who feel similar to me. I know there are many who will disagree. We are all free to feel however we want and to say whatever we want. God Bless America!!

The post was intended for others who feel the same way I do about flippers. This forum (at least in my opinion) caters to collectors and people who are generally interested in knives. I think that buying, selling and trading should be done in what I would consider a gentlemanly (or gentlewomanly) fashion. I like the fact that it's more personable and the interaction with other members can be a satisfying part of the process.

You may feel differently. To you, maybe it's just another gimme what I want and get lost when it's done. That's fine. That's why I have the right to refuse service to anyone.
 
Why did I post what I posted and how I posted it? Yes, it did bother me that the knife was bought on a pure profit motive and not for the enjoyment of the item itself. I feel that there are a lot of other people on the forum who feel similar to me. I know there are many who will disagree. We are all free to feel however we want and to say whatever we want. God Bless America!!

The post was intended for others who feel the same way I do about flippers. This forum (at least in my opinion) caters to collectors and people who are generally interested in knives. I think that buying, selling and trading should be done in what I would consider a gentlemanly (or gentlewomanly) fashion. I like the fact that it's more personable and the interaction with other members can be a satisfying part of the process.

You may feel differently. To you, maybe it's just another gimme what I want and get lost when it's done. That's fine. That's why I have the right to refuse service to anyone.
You sold. Get over it :) Nothing you can do once it leaves your hands and betting the stress about it isn’t worth it...at least it wouldn’t be to me.
 
I don't see an issue with using the pics as long as they are not copyrighted. I feel that you buy the knife, the pics are also part of the deal unless otherwise noted (seems like William 10after10 asks that you do not use his pics) since they do the OP no good without the knife
One does not have to do anything to copyright images - it is automatic. Selling an item does not transfer ownership of images of that item. While there is "fair use", that does not apply in this case because the images and text are being used to generate profit.
 
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