Good day everyone,

I noticed this particular user on OF who has only opened 1 thread to introduce himself with only 1-2 sentences, then he continues to use OF Private sales as a source of sales.

i wonder if OF has become just a place sell watches and instead of contributing to the discussions.

 

Those who were approved for sale even though they had less than 200 posts are grandfathered in. Not saying it is right or wrong, as it was a decision for the forum owners when they switched to the "200 posts -- No Exceptions(*) Rule"). There seem to be a handful who were grandfathered in and use OF solely for private sales, and will not reach 200 posts for another handful of years.

 

There are quite a few members that virtually only participate via the sales forum.

 

As always.....caveat emptor. You have the ultimate decision if you want to d0 business with these 'members' or if you want to deal with those that have actively contributed to real dialogue here on the forums.

 

I’ve noticed this generally too and have mixed feelings about it.

I certainly take this into account when I’m dealing with sellers.

 

I buy from members I know- and that comes from group conversation generally. I have made an exception to that once when someone new responded to a WTB (and that went perfectly).
I think anyone who has been here for more than a week knows how this community works.
To the OP’s point, if the seller who has been a member for 5 years has good feedback and is selling quality watches at honest prices, then good for them and good for those who have had a positive buying experience. But they are not only missing out on larger pool of customers by not engaging with the community, but also losing out on the experience of being a member here- which is unfortunate for them.

 

I appreciate that most all sellers here tend to be up front and not over the top or acting like used car salesmen, which frankly I see a lot on other sites. That being said, it does at least help establish that a person is credible to not only see them listing, for example, a pre-69 Speedy with good info, but to also see that same person has commented on a dozen threads about vintage Speedmasters in the past.

 

Yeah I know this. Wasn't questioning his under 200 post count.

Just felt that OF is generally a place to learn and discuss brands and pieces. This particular seller hasnt really commented on anything other than to post watches for sale.

Strangely, some of his pieces are also on a dealer website so I suspect his pieces are shared or he's dealing in the behalf of that specific dealer.

 

Is that against the rules? I see plenty of these folks on the rolexforums who are only there to sell watches.

 

I guess this is a case where the listings might be more appropriate in the dealer's forum. But if the seller is willing to abide by the restrictions of the private sales forum, I don't think he's breaking any rules.

No, I don't think he is breaking any rules at all. There's no requirement to participate in the community. However, as has been mentioned above, a seller (private or dealer) can develop credibility by broader participation if they choose to do so.

 

No not really. They were grandfathered in prior to the 200 post requirement, which means they aren’t obligated to interact in the group (200 posts) unlike a new member.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/ple...s-rules-for-all-listings-inc-parts-wtb.54177/

 

Agreed -- it's just that once they were allowed to sell there was/ is no motivation for them to contribute to the forum. And I agree -- some appear to be retail sellers (antique shops, etc. possibly for some)

 

I still have a bit of a laugh when I think of "staristheanswer". He did participate though.

 

this particular fellow participates less than staristheanswer lol.

 

Where does it say that people are grandfathered in there? It is my understanding that any dispensation was removed. There should be no posting in the sales sections from non qualifying members. If you are here just to sell there is an area for that, it is private sales that should remain for active forum participants.

Are we talking about the member known over on TZ-UK as the snake, due in part to his user name and also some dubious trading practices?

 

There was a grandfathering policy but it was revoked. Anyone still posting has just slipped through the cracks and a quick report to a mod should get it sorted. Assuming the mods are all on the same page of course.

 

https://omegaforums.net/threads/ple...ll-listings-inc-parts-wtb.54177/#post-1047363

Exemption revoked. No sub 200 members should be in private sales. At all.

 

I have to admit, I was under this (mis)apprehension too. I saw that post when it was first made.

 

Let’s be open here. Are we talking about Viper Stripes? Is the dealer you refer to UK based? He might of course simply have placed his watches for sale with a dealer on a commission basis, which in itself isn’t shady.

Edit. The OP has clarified privately that this is not the member he was referring to so I have moderated my comments above slightly to be less contentious.