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Bad More Scalpers, for-profit flippers and eBay sellers than ever. Whats with the blind eye?

Kettleman

Kettleman

I left when this stopped being fun
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DEALER / MATERIALS PROVIDER - Dealers are defined as anyone who purchases at wholesale pricing, or purchases items with the intent to resell (flipping). Other terms for dealers include purveyor, broker, reseller, etc. Materials Providers offer raw materials such as steel, handle materials, or other items related to knifemaking in general as typical stock for sale to the forum members or to the general public via their own store front or website. We reserve the right to make the final determination as to what constitutes a "dealer".



Is this still a thing? Im just wondering because the exchange has gone to shit with all the eBay sellers , for profit flippers and scalpers. It doesn't actually affect me any longer as I am moving on and will only buy and sell with friends behind the scenes, but it sure is sad to watch a once vital part of the community wither and die.

I would think with the implementation of following of the image limits , enforcing this might be a way to counteract some of the angst long time members are feeling. Or maybe just enforce all the rules because its the right thing to do?

I saw a freaking flipper this morning thats been a member for 6 weeks with over 70 deals...really, thats not a dealer?

We actually have a member listing knives here and advertising that if you buy from him on Reddit you will get a better price! Really?

We have well know members buying to here to stock eBay stores...WTF?

All of these types of things take fairly priced knives out of the community. How can that be considered good for Blade Forums?

Oh well, consider this the last post I make on this subject before burning my soap box, I give up.
 
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There are more "flippers/scalpers" all over the place. Knives, comic books, trading cards, etc. The people, opportunities, and the technology are all there. As long as the practice is rewarding it will continue. And grow. As long as buyers are buying.
 
Unfortunately, nothing good lasts forever. Sad. On the positive side, I'm buying and selling less knives now, and reconnecting with other hobbies. Silver lining?
 
XJ-linux said:
Unfortunately, nothing good lasts forever. Sad. On the positive side, I'm buying and selling less knives now, and reconnecting with other hobbies. Silver lining?
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Sweet, a positive. Good for you Dave!
 
Kettleman said:
DEALER / MATERIALS PROVIDER - Dealers are defined as anyone who purchases at wholesale pricing, or purchases items with the intent to resell (flipping). Other terms for dealers include purveyor, broker, reseller, etc. Materials Providers offer raw materials such as steel, handle materials, or other items related to knifemaking in general as typical stock for sale to the forum members or to the general public via their own store front or website. We reserve the right to make the final determination as to what constitutes a "dealer".



Is this still a thing? Im just wondering because the exchange has gone to shit with all the eBay sellers , for profit flippers and scalpers. It doesn't actually affect me any longer as I am moving on and will only sell buy and sell with friends behind the scenes, but it sure is sad to watch a once vital part of the community wither and die.

I would think with the implementation of following of the image limits , enforcing this might be a way to counteract some of the angst long time members are feeling. Or maybe just enforce all the rules because its the right thing to do?

I saw a freaking flipper this morning thats been a member for 6 weeks with over 70 deals...really, thats not a dealer?

We actually have a member listing knives here and advertising a better price for the knife on reddit! Really?

We have well know members buying to here to stock eBay stores...WTF?

All of these types of things take fairly priced knives out of the community. How can that be considered good for Blade Forums?

Oh well, consider this the last post I make on this subject before burning my soap box, I give up.
Click to expand...
I've observed that the rules about what defines a dealer seems to only be enforced when it comes to selling on this site. Members that buy here with the intent to sell elsewhere aren't penalized. I get it: the mods have enough on their plate, and tracking what people do on reddit, ebay, etc is likely more than they have time and inclination to deal with.

I agree that the exchange is hardly worth looking at for me these days, and I'll buy/sell/trade with members I've interacted with in the discussion areas of BF.
 
I purchase two memberships . One as a dealer ,the other a platinum member . I sometimes sell personal knives ,pre owned knives ,and will occasionally list new knives from makers I work with at very discounted prices ,where individuals sell in the classifieds. I do this because the exposure seems to be a little better.
As a whole I find selling here to be as good as other internet venues , but ...
Considering what the OP is talking about here in this post ,has become more competition for me & has made it much more difficult to sell ( or get a sale) of certain knives .I wish to continue , but man has it become challenging . I think some type of better enforcement could possibly help level things out ,but I'm uncertain if I can continue .
 
Dragon_Man said:
There are more "flippers/scalpers" all over the place. Knives, comic books, trading cards, etc. The people, opportunities, and the technology are all there. As long as the practice is rewarding it will continue. And grow. As long as buyers are buying.
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All well and good but there are rules here ,and people do get charged for memberships . I pay for my two memberships to support this site ,but it seems at this point I'm not getting much support in return. Just sayin'

PS have been a paying member for many years too,so I clearly see the change
 
I won't speak for other mods, but I agree that it's gotten out of hand. There was a time when we actually would and could combat a lot of the excesses...and hold folks responsible for violations of the TOS. However, as time has gone on, and the membership has grown, the numbers of folks who have come here simply to buy, flip and sell has skyrocketed. And its become so unmanageable that only the worst offenders are dealt with.

We can barely keep up with the reports to staff daily of members X, Y, and Z posting multiple threads in a given Exchange sub-category on a given day.
Add in the "he said, she said" reports, and the myriad other daily issues that we hear about either by PM, (because rather than use the report button, the members just send us PMs directly), or via use of the report button...and...well...it's a lot.

If you think it's miserable for you, and I agree that it certainly can be, it's all that and more those of us who are both members as well as tasked with trying to shovel the tide with a spatula.

Compound this with the scams that folks are prey to because they won't take the necessary steps to protect themselves and their finances, and it's just out of control.

I wish I had better news for you, but unless we are given the go ahead to start taking serious punitive action against the cheaters, it's not going to get much better anytime soon. Especially since those violators of the TOS are paying for their memberships, even if not at the appropriate level.

Wish I had better news.
 
VCM3 said:
All well and good but there are rules here ,and people do get charged for memberships . I pay for my two memberships to support this site ,but it seems at this point I'm not getting much support in return. Just sayin'

PS have been a paying member for many years too,so I clearly see the change
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Vince, I agree with you. At the same time, I know you'll remember our former run-ins years ago because I had to chase you down for selling without the proper membership and it led to less than cordial feelings between us at the time.

You ultimately did the right thing...but it wasn't fun having to go down that road.

So, it's not like everything is so cut and dry.
 
Blues said:
I won't speak for other mods, but I agree that it's gotten out of hand. There was a time when we actually would and could combat a lot of the excesses...and hold folks responsible for violations of the TOS. However, as time has gone on, and the membership has grown, the numbers of folks who have come here simply to buy, flip and sell has skyrocketed. And its become so unmanageable that only the worst offenders are dealt with.

We can barely keep up with the reports to staff daily of members X, Y, and Z posting multiple threads in a given Exchange sub-category on a given day.
Add in the "he said, she said" reports, and the myriad other daily issues that we hear about either by PM, (because rather than use the report button, the members just send us PMs directly), or via use of the report button...and...well...it's a lot.

If you think it's miserable for you, and I agree that it certainly can be, it's all that and more those of us who are both members as well as tasked with trying to shovel the tide with a spatula.

Compound this with the scams that folks are prey to because they won't take the necessary steps to protect themselves and their finances, and it's just out of control.

I wish I had better news for you, but unless we are given the go ahead to start taking serious punitive action against the cheaters, it's not going to get much better anytime soon. Especially since those violators of the TOS are paying for their memberships, even if not at the appropriate level.

Wish I had better news.
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Blues sounds like we need to round up a posse
 
Blues said:
Vince, I agree with you. At the same time, I know you'll remember our former run-ins years ago because I had to chase you down for selling without the proper membership and it led to less than cordial feelings between us at the time.

You ultimately did the right thing...but it wasn't fun having to go down that road.

So, it's not like everything is so cut and dry.
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Understood . And I agree .

If you add in the posts in this sub forum about scammers ,it makes me wonder if these issues all combined ,will bring BF's to a new lower standard ,or worse ... Who knows .
 
I don't think the standard itself will be lowered, but the practical reality and strict enforcement of the standards...is a different story.

We do what we can with what we have. In the end, the boss is the one that provides the marching orders.
 
Blues Blues


Elliot,
I hope you know that this wasn’t directed towards you or the other MODS. I am aware of how hard you all work for free.
 
Kettleman said:
Blues Blues


Elliot,
I hope you know that this wasn’t directed towards you or the other MODS. I am aware of how hard you all work for free.
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Clay,

I didn't take it personally and I totally get where you're coming from.

I've been here since before Spark took over the site...and I don't like anyone coming in and shitting on the carpet...as a member or a mod.

We all have a vested interest in keeping this community viable.
 
Kettleman said:
I would think with the implementation of following of the image limits , enforcing this might be a way to counteract some of the angst long time members are feeling.
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You might be tempted to think so, but don't be.
People posting "change this or I'm out" aren't going to be assuaged by better knife prices.
As it is, I notice that there's a number of people who just use BF for the exchange.

Kettleman said:
Or maybe just enforce all the rules because its the right thing to do?
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Mods enforce blatant, well known and well documented cases of members behaving like dealers. We've seen them strip people of their ability to sell without a dealer membership. The problem is the gray area and the expansiveness of the internet.

Gray area: Technically anyone who buys a knife and then resells it for more than they purchased it for could be a dealer. I've seen people sell used knives for more than they were purchased for. Are the mods going to be expected to decide "fair market value" for such things?

Expanse of the internet: are mods going to comb through Ebay and all those other sites to ensure that the rules of BF are being upheld? Jeez, they have enough going on with the uptick in scamming alone.

Kettleman said:
We actually have a member listing knives here and advertising a better price for the knife on reddit! Really?
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That falls into "it's a free country" category. In that position, I'd personally list a knife for more on Reddit and give folks here a break. I've been sold knives by friends at "friend rates" when they asked for more here, just because we're buddies. That's all fair game, whether we like it or not.
 
I'm not sure what My opinion is on this, I don't generally like lots of rules......?

I think ultimately who we sell to, they can do WHATEVER they want to with it (love/value it, Use it, Store it for later value, Abuse it, Sell it for massive profit). Whatever.
Sucks, but that's life.... It's up to us to know their intentions as best as we can. If we care about that stuff?


I'm with the OP that I like the idea of only dealing with real knife enthusiasts, and I like to offer or give away things to people who I believe will cherish them. So it would hurt seeing a quick buck being made off of another's generosity.. :(

In my dealings I am not quick to deal. I blatantly say I won't sell to certain folks or who I feel might be flippers/etc. I don't want My work on ebay.
Maybe people need to slow down, and get to know their "neighbors" first........

-Similar subject of membership levels not being right, I see some "well respected" makers abusing That too, which I find distasteful, but as long as scabbing is accepted they will continue to do business under the radar here. And if the buyer doesn't see that anything was wrong, since they got the deal......

Don't buy from non-proper Makers, & Don't sell to the non-proper (flippers) either.
easy to say, hard to do....
 
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