Stop posting craigslist ads.

[glenn bradley]

Posting about CL items can bite you too. I wouldn't think twice about grabbing an item that someone was asking questions about if it was something that had the right mix of want, need, and location.

Yes, there is that risk but I think it is small and in the end, if you did that, would anyone really know?

Ah, here is my problem in understanding what this is all about. The scenario presented is that member "A" asks about a great deal on a Northfield jointer in my area. Instead of answering him, I jump in the car and go buy it right out from under him.

My confusion stems from the fact that I would have never seen this as a possible problem because I would it would never have occurred to me to do something sooo wrong. No one would do that, would they? My upbringing frequently makes me look like a naive goof because I just don't think that way. The fact that this problem exists (or that we think it does) is so sad.

[Bruce Page]

Ah, here is my problem in understanding what this is all about. The scenario presented is that member "A" asks about a great deal on a Northfield jointer in my area. Instead of answering him, I jump in the car and go buy it right out from under him.

My confusion stems from the fact that I would have never seen this as a possible problem because I would it would never have occurred to me to do something sooo wrong. No one would do that, would they? My upbringing frequently makes me look like a naive goof because I just don't think that way. The fact that this problem exists (or that we think it does) is so sad.

Glenn, I was brought up with the same ethics. I would never knowingly usurp someone like that and I don’t think many Creekers would.

Besides, there’ll never be a great deal on a Northfield jointer in Albuquerque anyway.

[Alex Shanku]

Glenn and Bruce: This is part of why I made my original thread. Does it happen? Who knows. But, it is possible.

Plus, like was mentioned a few pages back, making ALL of these adds/post/info requests on advertised machines, ONLY viewable by contributing members would remove the "risk" of a non-member just cruising by and snagging that machine a member was asking about.

[Tom Mann]

So, here's my view. Worth what you pay for it...Obviously this issue is causing concern as the moderators are discussing it. That should point to the fact that it is a problem and should be corrected....if you want to be democratic, take a polling of the forum members to see if they should be allowed and heed the findings.

However, I don't think they should be posted...If I am the seller and want this august group to have the first chance at it, I would list it here for sale BEFORE I ever list it on Ebay or CL.....I have seen people on other boards take advantage of the group by listing stuff on Ebay and then posting on the board that they "came across this item while searching Ebay" when in actuallity they are the ones selling it. So, multiple people on the board get to bidding the price up, so the SELLER benefits, not the buyer.

Look at it this way, if you post the information, you are helping the SELLER, not the buyer. If I know you are always going to post the information from CL or Ebay searches here, should I bother to look myself? Let somebody else do my work? Sure! I just come here and wait for someone to post something I need based on their searching of the ebay or CL....

If someone is truly looking for something, they should come across the same items anyone does while searching on the internet. In short, I have learned much from the people represented on this board relative to woodworking.....I didn't come to these forums to find a "deal" on ebay or craigslist....I can do that myself as can anyone simply by doing some detective work on their own. Please leave this board to the transfer of information about how to properly work wood......

[Tom Godley]

I guess I must be missing something -- almost all of the posts in this section have a short life span. But I would agree that those from CL and E-bay are probably a little shorter - not sure why that matters.

It still may be a deal / discount

I also don't see a reason to archive these for any length of time -- They have no value after the fact.

[James Jaragosky]

My vote is for letting them post the links...it helps selling and also helps SMCreekers get a good buy. I look here at least 3x a day for posts.

I do not see a difference from posting a cl deal from a borg deal; both are short lived and neather has photos attached.
I have always felt that one of the strengths of SMC is the willingness of its membership to help one another, I really do not understand the gripe. If cl listings bother you, dont read the thread.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I find the 'tips' useful. I live in a part of MA that's pretty close to 5 (yes, five) different sections of CL. I am also within driving distance (reasonable) of RI and NH. So I'd have to cruise 7 different CL listings. Also, the MA CL listings tend to have a lot of listings, and I'm sure I'll miss a few.

but the REAL reason I like it? even if someone posts a 'deal' out in CA or AZ, it gives me an idea of what are considered deals and what I should look out for. A SS going for 2500 in AZ? why would I pay 3500 without trying to get him down to fair market value? I can't speak for other parts of the country, but around here, people put stuff on CL for close to retail - if not more! it's a good way to know what the "going rate" is.

and FWIW - if I saw a post and someone here expressed interest, I'd probably feel too guilty to even consider jumping on it w/out at least checking with the other "interested" party....

[Alex Shanku]

I do not see a difference from posting a cl deal from a borg deal; both are short lived and neather has photos attached.
I have always felt that one of the strengths of SMC is the willingness of its membership to help one another, I really do not understand the gripe. If cl listings bother you, dont read the thread.

Well, for one, the craigslist/ebay ads have ONE item, the borg has 1000's.


We have gotten to the point in this discussion about possibly ONLY letting members post and view these ads. As it stands now, this is not the case.

Furthermore, it has nothing to do with "not reading the threads", as if it were some sort of inconvenience. It has to do with the potential results of what these threads can do.

[Rob Damon]

We see deals all the time, newspaper, tv, internet.

So if you are really interested in an item and you can't make a well informed decision quickly on your own, why do you need to tell folks where the deal is???

If there is a concern, can't someone just say:

"I found what might be a great deal on a Tannewitz 42" Band Saw. Model R1F, Serial Number 7143 , 15 hp, 50x42" Table, what's a good price and is it a good saw"??

As oppose to saying:

"The Richmond Va craigslist has a listing for a tool and machinery auction site in Richmond, VA. One of the tools is a Tannewitz 42" Band Saw. Model R1F, Serial Number 7143 , 15 hp, 50x42" Table. It will be going up for auction this Saturday Feb. 28 and www.*****andco.com. So what would be a good price for it?"

You can certainly ask about a particular tool and pricing without telling where you found it, if you are concerned someone might jump ahead of you in line.

Personnally, I would never steal someone else's find and would only go after it if and only if the person that ask, decided not to buy it.

Rob

P.S. 42" Bandsaw auction is real, huge monster of a saw.

P.S.S. Yes, I contributed $50 last year to SMC and have been lax this year in renewing. It's coming. Why can't SMC be like my magazine subscriptions, 3 years at a shot, so I don't have to think about it. (hmmmm. lets see, your 51 years old, hope to live to 100, 49 years x $6 per year = $294, Keith it would be nice to stroke a $300 check for a SMC lifetime membership

[Bryan Berguson]

OOPS! I forgot to contribute this year. So I guess I am one of the freeloaders right now. Sorry Rob. Don't boot me from D&D just yet. Keith and Jackie, contribution will be on its way in the next day or so. But one thing to keep in mind, many people here, in prior years, have contributed more than the $6 requested, so just to merely look at the numbers, and say ["we have this many people supporting SMC, and this number of visitors who don't"], doesn't do justice to the people who tried to help in the past, and may have forgotten to send this year. And, no, I didn't take it personal. I just thought that there may be others like me.

I know this is getting off the OP and it may have been discussed before but I don't recall it...

Is there any way we could get an automatic "Hey, your $6 contribution is now due" friendly post? This could completely eliminate this problem. Send it out a week or two in advance and contributer status could always be up to date.

Back to topic. I too like the idea keeping the D&D forum for contributors. Good idea!

Bryan

[Alex Shanku]

I live in a part of MA that's pretty close to 5 (yes, five) different sections of CL. I am also within driving distance (reasonable) of RI and NH. So I'd have to cruise 7 different CL listings. Also, the MA CL listings tend to have a lot of listings, and I'm sure I'll miss a few.

This was one of my original points. Someone who DOES take the time to search all the various cities of craigslist, day after day, looking for a particular item, then finally finds it, has the potential to "lose" the item by someone, with NO ties or need/want for the item, to post it here for all to see.

I guess I, along with a small minority, disagree with this.

btw, try a craigslist search engine, its much more efficient.

[Bruce Page]

Bryan, click on "User CP" and up near the top of the page it will tell you "Your Contributor Status"

[Doug Sewell]

So the guy next door tells you about a car for sale in the next town over is it wrong to go and buy it if you want? I don't think so! I have also asked a few questions here and got some much needed help. Is it wrong to get paid for that job when I wasn't sure how to do it and asked somebody here. Should they get a cut? I don't think so! We are all here to help out each other, it the whole point of the Creek. We all want to get things as cheap as we can but also want top dollar when we sell. Nothing wrong with it but we need to meet in the middle at some point. It sucks to have to spend more for a product we want but that seems to be the way it works out all to often. If I have a vote, lets keep it the same as it is. I chose to become a contributer because of what I seen here when I was lurking. If I didn't see what I seen then I wouldn't have signed up. Just my take on things.

Doug

[John Shuk]

I don't know....is it really that big a deal that some folks get deals without doing alot of work for them?
Or that some seller sells his item more quickly without much work?
There are way more important things to worry about in life.

[David Cramer]

Number one, I have to get my $$$$$ in soon.

Number two, I have never bought an item off of ebay or craigslist.

Number three, I agree with Alex 100%. It should be a perk to contributors to be able to get an early crack at those items posted on SMC that are from craigslist.

Membership shot up after it was pretty much the only way to be able to view pictures and I assume that Alex's suggestion would have the same results, which is a good thing. Obvioulsy, a lot of those new members would not post, but just show up to view items listed for sale, but what can you do? There would still have to be a small financial contribution.

As one poster questioned, is it really a big deal that some folks get deals without doing alot of work for them? No, but I also don't think it's a big deal that Alex brought it up and is trying to better the site and help those who contribute, whether it be through posts, financially, or both. I also don't think Alex is saying that this is an important thing to worry about in life, but just trying to improve the site, that's all.

If someone wants to search on craigslist themselves, let'em, they always have that option. But to come here, not make one post or contributor in any way, but only to look for tool deals is............. "not righteous", in my opinion.

Many (mainly a lot of visitors and lurkers) will surely disagree and that is fine, but I'm with Alex on this one and I've never lost anything to anybody on craigslist. Like Glenn Bradley, I guess I was raised differently.

David