VOGONS is no marketplace!

yes it's kind of a bummer but understandable... at AmiBay we had to deal with scammers, that's not a pleasant situation... we even have a couple open cases atm...

tokyoracer wrote:

I fail see the harm in it personally.

The "harm in it" is when something eventually goes horribly wrong, and it's not just a matter of one member scamming another or sending them a counterfeit or broken item. It's more of a matter of the inevitable mud that gets slung around after a deal goes bad. The owners of this forum would rather not risk a lawsuit from someone who feels their professional reputation has been negatively impacted in some way because they allowed someone to go on a rant against them. Frequently you only get to hear one side of the story, that of the person who feels they have been wronged in some way. Unless both parties are members here, the alleged "bad guy" will not be able to tell their side of the story and everyone automatically forms a negative opinion of that person based on the only information they have been exposed to, which is always biased. Libel/slander laws vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but some carry a stiff penalty and damage awards. A guitar forum I am a member of banned all posts advertising items for sale or trade after a particularly nasty incident (the thread in question was over 60 pages by the time the dust settled) resulted in a legal notice being sent to the owners.

It kind of sucks, since there are a few retro items I want to buy that I've been having a hard time finding a good deal for on Ebay, but it's better that this forum bans trading rather than risking lawsuits.

amibay.com is good, although Euro-centric. Vintage Computer Forums is probably best for North America.

keropi wrote:

yes it's kind of a bummer but understandable... at AmiBay we had to deal with scammers, that's not a pleasant situation... we even have a couple open cases atm...

Thing is it happens everywhere, hell it happened to me for the first time on AmiBay not 2 months ago and I will still never seen that money again no matter what is done about it. I understand the risk and so-long as others do then what's the issue? Also PayPal has buyer protection aslong as the individual pays for whatever as "goods". Still, in near 200 transactions, it's the first one to go sour for me.

I genuinely think it would do more good then harm to have one here too as not everyone uses/likes AmiBay which is understandable.

The thread "collector" posted has alot of good points on there that I feel far outweighs the risks involved. I was a bit of a fool to have traded with someone that insisted on bank transfer only and had no feedback (and was a new member). I should have noticed but I didn't so I don't blame anyone but me for that. However most people here seem to be decent and wouldnt risk being banned over achieveing a few extra quid/dollers/euros/etc. AmiBay is just as risky as it is anywhere on the internet.

Re: VOGONS is no marketplace! :

Qbix wrote:

The decision to disallow it, is not up for discussion; the rules are not in a-might-be-changed state. They already have changed at the moment I made the post.

Qbix = Administrator of this Forum.

@OP

Other options to amibay and vintage computer forums:
- queststudios for sound cards/gear
- falconfly.de seems to have a trading area [3dfx and similar cards]

Malik wrote:

Re: VOGONS is no marketplace! :

Qbix wrote:

The decision to disallow it, is not up for discussion; the rules are not in a-might-be-changed state. They already have changed at the moment I made the post.

Qbix = Administrator of this Forum.

I'm not trying to debate it, just giving my own personal thoughts, I just think many here are missing out and it seems a shame that something that could well succeed isn't even being trialled. Though I honestly think deals from long established users here are nothing to be afraid of, who would screw someone over that has a good well known reputation here and would want to lose the possible support from a forum like this? Maybe perhaps give users access to such an area after so many posts or something.

I'm not trying to debate it, just giving my own personal thoughts

really?

Though I honestly think deals from long established users here are nothing to be afraid of, who would screw someone over that has a good well known reputation here and would want to lose the possible support from a forum like this? Maybe perhaps give users access to such an area after so many posts or something.

Thanks for your thoughts. You can post as many as you want (though at some point a moderator with more power than me will stop it) but it will not change what Qbix wrote. NO TRADING!!! The owner of the forum does not want to have anything to do with this stuff. PERIOD!

So, please just leave it alone.

How about a "For Free - As is" section? I suppose issues could come up with that as well - the cost of shipping for items "not as described".

On the other hand, the idea has come to mind: What do we do with our precious vintage computer hardware when we die? Most likely, nobody in your family will know what to do with it. If we have a "For Free - As is" section, we could stipulate in our Will to have all vintage computer hardware donated on the "Vogons.org - For Free - As is" thread. At least in this forum, you know your vintage computer collection will be used, which is entirely different from donating it to some of these other, more collection-oriented forums.

This was only a hypothetical example, rhetoric mostly. I'm not really for or against a "For Free - As is" thread.

It will still be about money, as you wrote.

Isn't it time for a lock on this thread? Keeping it open just encourages more people to push for something that the owners have already said is never going to happen.

agreed