"Declaring Interest" in For Sale threads...
- Thread starter ptp170
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I think that whenever someone posts something that is irrelevant to "Great item, i had it too, good luck with your sale", it's equal to a message that declares official interest. But an admin should clarify this better than me.
@ptp170
In all fairness members should be clear of their intent to buy, however not everyones native language is English. Also compounding this problem are people wanting more info on the item(s) for sale and those with more info in the item for the seller.
It is a fine balance in keeping things both friendly and professional, because of this there are a lot of discussions about this going on at the moment, and we welcome more input to help improve AmiBay for us all
In all fairness members should be clear of their intent to buy, however not everyones native language is English. Also compounding this problem are people wanting more info on the item(s) for sale and those with more info in the item for the seller.
It is a fine balance in keeping things both friendly and professional, because of this there are a lot of discussions about this going on at the moment, and we welcome more input to help improve AmiBay for us all
Tajmaster
Truth, Justice, all that stuff.
Interest declaring has been discussed before. Something vague like "sending PM" is not acceptable, it should be along the lines of "Im interested, sending PM" which is as clear as it gets.
Im with the original OP with regards to asking for postage prices etc without actually stating "Im interested". I know it sounds pedantic but its just not clear that you are declaring interest, it sounds like youre saying "Im interested only if the postage is right", which is fine but just say your interested so its crystal clear. I guess its somewhat down to how you interpret what you read isnt it
My 2 pennys anyway
Im with the original OP with regards to asking for postage prices etc without actually stating "Im interested". I know it sounds pedantic but its just not clear that you are declaring interest, it sounds like youre saying "Im interested only if the postage is right", which is fine but just say your interested so its crystal clear. I guess its somewhat down to how you interpret what you read isnt it
My 2 pennys anyway
I think one of the problems is that some people take the opportunity to ask a question about an item just out of curiosity. Not saying there is anything wrong with that but consider the following psuedo thread:
Seller: For Sale - One Tower conversion kit for the 1200. Includes ATX PSU/Keyboard etc etc
JoeBloggs: Oh. Very nice! Tempted by this!
JaneDoe: Declaring Interest - PM Sent.
So, who is first in the queue...I'd say it was JaneDoe...or maybe it's just me!
---------- Post added at 12:50 ---------- Previous post was at 12:45 ----------
Agreed. A clear indication at the beginning of a 'reply' would make things black and white.
Is it possible to force a user to pick a 'Title' prefix before making a comment? Something like 'Declaring Official Interest' and 'No Interest - Commenting Only" would clear things up???
Not saying this needs doing...just thinking out allow for the moment
Seller: For Sale - One Tower conversion kit for the 1200. Includes ATX PSU/Keyboard etc etc
JoeBloggs: Oh. Very nice! Tempted by this!
JaneDoe: Declaring Interest - PM Sent.
So, who is first in the queue...I'd say it was JaneDoe...or maybe it's just me!
---------- Post added at 12:50 ---------- Previous post was at 12:45 ----------
Im with the original OP with regards to asking for postage prices etc without actually stating "Im interested". I know it sounds pedantic but its just not clear that you are declaring interest, it sounds like youre saying "Im interested only if the postage is right", which is fine but just say your interested so its crystal clear. I guess its somewhat down to how you interpret what you read isnt it
My 2 pennys anyway
Agreed. A clear indication at the beginning of a 'reply' would make things black and white.
Is it possible to force a user to pick a 'Title' prefix before making a comment? Something like 'Declaring Official Interest' and 'No Interest - Commenting Only" would clear things up???
Not saying this needs doing...just thinking out allow for the moment
JaneDoe is first in queue imho as well. JoeBloggs haven't declared any interest alas he's taking the piss.
I think that common sense in these matters is sufficient. At least if I was the seller, I wouldn't care at all about JoeBloggs's post.
In the past I have made posts concerning an item being sold (to provide more info mostly) and I never thought myself into getting inline.
Declaring interest and sending PM is the way to go imho.
Picking an predefined answer (don't think it's feasible to implement, as feature like this exists for titles only and not for answers/posts AFAIK) wouldn't be nice since all forum categories are treated the same. Having predefined answers mandatory in every post would be silly (imagine replying in an OT thread or AmiOracle thread having to pick by default a "Delcaring Interest", "Not Interestet but..." titles).
I think that common sense in these matters is sufficient. At least if I was the seller, I wouldn't care at all about JoeBloggs's post.
In the past I have made posts concerning an item being sold (to provide more info mostly) and I never thought myself into getting inline.
Declaring interest and sending PM is the way to go imho.
Picking an predefined answer (don't think it's feasible to implement, as feature like this exists for titles only and not for answers/posts AFAIK) wouldn't be nice since all forum categories are treated the same. Having predefined answers mandatory in every post would be silly (imagine replying in an OT thread or AmiOracle thread having to pick by default a "Delcaring Interest", "Not Interestet but..." titles).
It's fair to assume that if someone's asking for postage quotes, it's probably because they're considering the possibility.
In an ideal world, sellers would include postage charges in their original listings, saving a lot of hassle, but then again, how many different destinations do you include?
Asking a question about an item is a bit of a grey area, are you doing it to determine if the item is of interest to you, or just out of curiosity (nowt wrong with that)
I'd say that if you are considering purchasing the item (even if it's pending some followup questions), you should state your interest. If the postage is too high, or it doesn't do what you thought it would do after some questions, you can always withdraw interest.
If someone says "Interested, pending XYZ" or "Possibly interested, if...", I'd say that's a declaration of interest. They're first in the queue whilst they establish if the item meets their requirements.
In an ideal world, sellers would include postage charges in their original listings, saving a lot of hassle, but then again, how many different destinations do you include?
Asking a question about an item is a bit of a grey area, are you doing it to determine if the item is of interest to you, or just out of curiosity (nowt wrong with that)
I'd say that if you are considering purchasing the item (even if it's pending some followup questions), you should state your interest. If the postage is too high, or it doesn't do what you thought it would do after some questions, you can always withdraw interest.
If someone says "Interested, pending XYZ" or "Possibly interested, if...", I'd say that's a declaration of interest. They're first in the queue whilst they establish if the item meets their requirements.
Geraldine
Re-discovering Amigas after a bit of an absence!
I think Chris is right here. That is what should be written to mark your place in order within a thread of those wishing to buy an item.
However, I also think it is ok for people to ask for a bit more info, but that shouldn't be considered as a definite wish to buy and not until they add the above words to their post. This is what I usually do anyways. Just my thoughts
Yes, but when someone posts "pnp to greece" (eg) then its a definite "possible intrest if", dont you think?
Home many times it happened someone to ask for pnp and withdrew when the pnp where too high?
This is where english not being the native language causes problems, the 2 statements above do NOT mean the same thing...
'Possibly Interested' is a very bad statement to use as by definition it not a definite declaration of interest rather a possibility you maybe, some one posting next with "Defnitely Interested" would be first inline.
At the end of the day to make life easier for everyone, members & mods alike & where disputes can arise just tap a few extra letters & type
"Interest Declared, PM sent"..... doesn't matter if you are awaiting pnp costs......no one can then argue with that.
TC
OK, my real view on the matter is:
If you are interested in any way, even if it's pending postage costs or some other checks or whatever, state "Interested" in the thread. If it's not right or shipping is prohibitive or whatever, you can always withdraw interest.
A declaration of interest is not a commitment to purchase. This isn't eBay.
If you are interested in any way, even if it's pending postage costs or some other checks or whatever, state "Interested" in the thread. If it's not right or shipping is prohibitive or whatever, you can always withdraw interest.
A declaration of interest is not a commitment to purchase. This isn't eBay.
Thank god:nod:
yep I know there a a few ppl from around the world here that don`t have english as there primary language but come on how hard is it to write interested
to asking a question of how much postage is is just that, a question about postage
to asking a question of how much postage is is just that, a question about postage
I'm with Andy on this.....
"Possibly interested" is a form of claim staking and would be a no-no. A seller would be perfectly entitled to ignore a "Possibly interested" in favour of someone that actually is "Interested". Ifs, buts and maybes just create problems with moderation of threads and aggravate our members.
Stating "Interested" is just that - you are interested and there's no "probably" about the matter. Clear cut and no misunderstanding.
More than one person can state "Interested" and an orderly, very civilised British-like queue forms and our "first come, first served" rule takes over; apparently, the British are the best in the World at queueing up for things.
The simplest ideas are the ones that work best.....
"Possibly interested" is a form of claim staking and would be a no-no. A seller would be perfectly entitled to ignore a "Possibly interested" in favour of someone that actually is "Interested". Ifs, buts and maybes just create problems with moderation of threads and aggravate our members.
Stating "Interested" is just that - you are interested and there's no "probably" about the matter. Clear cut and no misunderstanding.
More than one person can state "Interested" and an orderly, very civilised British-like queue forms and our "first come, first served" rule takes over; apparently, the British are the best in the World at queueing up for things.
The simplest ideas are the ones that work best.....
Be upfront and state your interest or stand aside and let those who want the item form an orderly queue.
You got questions? fine, State your interest in said item first, ask your questions and if not to your liking or you lose interest then that's okay so long as you clearly say so. It's quite a simple thing to do
You got questions? fine, State your interest in said item first, ask your questions and if not to your liking or you lose interest then that's okay so long as you clearly say so. It's quite a simple thing to do
Be upfront and state your interest or stand aside and let those who want the item form an orderly queue.
You got questions? fine, State your interest in said item first, ask your questions and if not to your liking or you lose interest then that's okay so long as you clearly say so. It's quite a simple thing to do
+1. Amen to that.
Be upfront and state your interest or stand aside and let those who want the item form an orderly queue.
You got questions? fine, State your interest in said item first, ask your questions and if not to your liking or you lose interest then that's okay so long as you clearly say so. It's quite a simple thing to do
This. Most definitely this.
The way I've always looked at it is if someone says 'possibly interested' it means theyre interested but theyre unsure if it suits them so need more info. I'd take it as a place inline but I can see how some people may be unsure. Though I can also see why some people may put 'possibly' incase of getting the sellers hopes up or having people overlook the thread because it looks like a deals being made already with a firm 'interested' in place.
I'd much rather have a 'possibly' interested from a potential buyer who keeps intouch and atleast lets me know either way than an more clear 'interested sending PM' from someone who asks a question then completely ignores you after getting a response, never letting you know if they want it or not. This results in days wasted holding an item for someone who simply couldnt be bothered to post a quick 'interest withdrawn' and I have had a few of these on here while selling my bits and bobs over the last months.
IMO its more important people withdraw their interest when they find it doesnt suit them afterall.
I'd much rather have a 'possibly' interested from a potential buyer who keeps intouch and atleast lets me know either way than an more clear 'interested sending PM' from someone who asks a question then completely ignores you after getting a response, never letting you know if they want it or not. This results in days wasted holding an item for someone who simply couldnt be bothered to post a quick 'interest withdrawn' and I have had a few of these on here while selling my bits and bobs over the last months.
IMO its more important people withdraw their interest when they find it doesnt suit them afterall.
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actualy thats a fair point about being prompt about withdrawing interest i think
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