GAMER LOUNGE 20XX (NO CASUALS!!)

[Petie]

Would you guys be comfortable with a trading thread? I mean, I don't really know if anybody else is into trading games and such, but I have a closet of stuff I've been itching to move, and I feel like even if we don't all see eye to eye that the regular users here are all pretty honest (unlike game trading sites/craigslist/whatever we're you're dealing with virtual strangers).

Asking here just to see if anybody is even interested and so a mod can either nip or approve.

I'm also okay with this plan with one important stipulation - personal information should never be shared in the public thread. Shipping addresses and the like should be strictly limited to PMs. I feel like this should be common sense for most but it's an important point to bring up none the less.

I have no problems with it so long as it has clear rules and there's a discussion on what happens if someone doesn't deliver.

Pretty much I was thinking:

No auctions in-thread. That's for eBay (which users are allowed to link out to if they want).
Pictures are to be provided on request.
Be clear in your initial post as to where in the world you are willing to ship and what kinds of payment/trade you accept.
Be real about your descriptions. If something's unopened but it's been kicked around a bit, you can't call it new.

I think the biggest concern is how to handle the punishment of poor traders... Obviously, I don't think the site can really do anything to reimburse people who get ripped off. All we can really do is shame or ban users who don't trade in good faith. Like Helmo said, it would give the rep system an actual use. I also think it wouldn't be a bad idea to create a custom member group for users who don't follow through with their half of trade agreements.

To help combat all of this, I think there should be some stipulation to post when a trade has been agreed upon... a post by both users. Even if most of the discussion happens in PMs, I think a public:

Kriven: I'm trading this to Vipershark in exchange for that.
Vipershark: Yeah, sounds right.

That way the community can be aware of what transactions are happening and who follows through with what (so I guess this thread could be teamed up with the Going Broke thread as a way of monitoring user transactions).

I agree that there shouldn't be auctions. Offers should come with a price or a note that you're willing to trade and what you're looking for. Obviously, negotiation is fine but "bidding", so to speak, wouldn't work well in this format.

Handling poor traders can be a little complex. For trades, I'd say ship everything via traceable mail when possible and then provide tracking numbers. For purchases, I suppose the most security you could get would be to pay after receiving a tracking number and for the shipper to physically send out the item only after receiving payment. This still leaves room on either side but, as has been mentioned, I don't think there are many in this community who would participate in something like this with the intention to rip someone off. There won't be a user group for people who do though. Verified cases of fraud (because that's really what it would be) will result in an immediate and permanent ban. I wish we could do more but short of serving as a broker for these trades (which would be logistically infeasible), that's the most we can offer.

And yes, I agree about a public acknowledgement of a deal being made. Most of the discussion should take place in private but the confirmation should go in the thread, both for the security of both parties and to also confirm that an item or items have been spoken for.