Bartertown.com

to have the person with the lower rating ship/pay first?

ive noticed a few sigs with this big "if youre using X then you pay/ship first regardless of trade rating" or "i have this rating on ebay so if youre lower you ship first" all kinds of whacky "you ship first regardless of trade rating" rules. this just made me wonder is it just good practice or written down somewhere?

It's a bartertown established custom. It's not -enforced- by bartertown, but it's the expected norm.

However, it's usually dispensed with for most folks over a one hundred trade rating. To each his own, honestly. Best bet is to actually read the feedback recieved...

Actually eBay ratings for the most part mean absolutely zero here.. I don't care if he has 1000+ on eBay.. if he/she is a new trader.. then he/she ships first.

Something else... if someone insists you ship first no matter what your rating is... unless he is 3-4 times hire than you .. it would make me very weary... for the most part once someone reaches 10 or so trades.. I'll ship with them unless something seem to fishy... especially if they have traded with other people i know to be good traders...

Like they say, it's a typical custom, especially with those who have been scammed and/or screwed over a time or 2 before.

As a general rule, don't do anything you aren't comfortable with.
If you and I are going to trade and I wanted you to ship first (and I would -- nothing personal) and you just don't feel right about it, then don't trade.

Better to lose out on ten GREAT trades... a hundred, even... than to get scammed once and lose your models.

Eric

Shipping practices are set up by the traders making the deal, not by Bartertown. So they'll vary by trader. MOST Traders follow the lowest rating ships first concept, so it has become something of a regular practice around here, but it's by no means the rule of the road.

Just thought i'd test the ebay sig..

Nothing on you personally, Denomic, but seems strange to test a sig line linking to one's eBay rating on this particular thread....

Especially when it has been mentioned that on the whole - "don't care what your eBay rating is - it's your Btown rep that matters."

mardaddy wrote:Nothing on you personally, Denomic, but seems strange to test a sig line linking to one's eBay rating on this particular thread....

Especially when it has been mentioned that on the whole - "don't care what your eBay rating is - it's your Btown rep that matters."

I thought the same, too.

I tend not to pay attention to peoples sigs.. but in the first post "i have this rating on ebay so if youre lower you ship first" is one of the things mentioned. So I went from there and decided to make a sig with my ebay rating. This way tend to cover more bases.

Ebay rating doesn't mean much, if anything here. This isn't Ebay. How can you prove its really their Ebay rating anyway? What will Ebay do if they don't come through on a deal made at Bartertown?

PayPal is another thing that gives people a false sense of security. IMHO its not worth all the fees. If you pay with PayPal and are ripped off, there isnt alot they can do. The thief just needs to empty the account and there will be no funds to return.

Don't fall into the "buying is different" trap. Thats the perfect tool for an aspiring thief. It gets those with a high rating to send money to lower rating first.(if gullible) Its not smart. Don't do it.

If it doesnt feel right, simply don't trade. I've had members with ratings of 20-30 insist I send first because its "buying". Sorry, NOPE! If you can't trust me with over 130+ good trades, then I really can't trust you with 10 or so trades. I have alot more to lose then they do. I even offer my home phone # for security if people feel doubtful. Someone looking to rip you off doesnt do that.

Reputation is everything here on Bartertown. Its hard earned. References are very important. Ignore them at your own peril.

Good luck & good trading!