Posting Trade Offers in ISO:FT

Ah I was just wondering about this. I think the third (and fourth? they seem the same) choice seems apt for new traders (like me) who don't know what is a fair trade or not. From experience in a far less real setting (video game trading... don't get me started), private trades were terrible because people always tried to lowball you. I'm certain that's not what happens here, but never hurts to be safe.

 

I think you're missing a big option - people don't understand the concept of a private conversation.

 

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Clarify?

 

Interested in some KBS?

 

I chose other because I am looking to trade a bottle of Toxic Avenger (a glycol barrel-aged lambic that was fermented with the bacteria from a local refinery's waste water treatment facility). I want to be able to get as much as possible for it, so I am going to do this auction-style. What do you have to offer?

I know this is the wrong forum, but I was just too lazy to actually click to the proper forum. Plus, you had ISO:FT in the title, so I figured it was ok.

 

I mean that there are new users out there who literally don't know what a private conversation is. There's no tutorial for these forums, and the private conversation thing isn't entirely obvious. In fact, the most obvious and logical thing to do on an ISO/FT post is to click 'reply', which just posts inside the thread.

 

I picked other because I never make trade offers unless it is a private conversation. Thats the way it was done on the old BA and thats how I feel it should be done. I wouldnt be opposed to getting rid of replying on the ISO:FT forum like it used to be. Too much trolling and people trying to put people down for certain trade offers. Usually it comes down to somebody trying to show off how much they think they know about beer.

P.S. For fun, put up a ISO: Growler of Pliny the Younger and see how long it takes for somebody to post.

 

Just create a new user named, "FTKBSISOStuff" and post all over the place.

 

So there's clearly quite a bit of sarcasm in this thread, but as someone who doesn't frequent the trading forums, I'd like to get a better picture of why posting offers in threads is frowned upon.

1.) Is there such a large problem with people posting in threads with the sole intent of bashing trades? How often is this actually bashing versus a true evaluation of the fairness of the trade?

2.) Is this frowned upon because it would point the forums toward an"Ebay-esque" atmosphere?

I like the idea of posting offers in threads because it allows future posters to compare their offers with previous offers. I'm still uncertain as to why a bidding war of sorts if necessarily a bad thing as long as its done in a polite fashion.

 

I would like to see what lands what as you can get a good amount of information on trading that way. Maybe you guys that are seasoned trade veterans don't need that. But people trying to get into the trading community do.

 

It's frowned upon for a number of reasons:

- Responses in-line constantly "bump" threads to the top of the forum. If every ISO/FT had trade offers in it, the forum would be a completely unusable nightmare
- It makes ISO/FT rather messy looking
- It literally serves no purpose that can't be accomplished with a private message
- It does foster an auction type atmosphere
- It invites threadshitting, fighting, and other unsavory aspects of an online community

Also, it seems like 90% of the public offers are complete lowballs. For example, you'll have an "FT: Great White Whale ISO: Bruery Releases" and somebody will chime in with something silly like "I have Saison Rue, let me know, k bye".

And "bidding wars" are explicitly forbidden by the site. Auction posts seem more rampant than ever, and they seem to not be coming down like they used to, but once upon a time it really was enforced.

 

I don't personally reply with offers (mostly because the vast majority of my trading is with previous partners at this point, so I rarely look at ISOs with the intent to make a trade, but also because I know not to) but I think cbeer is right on. It's not at all obvious how to start a conversation and it's more difficult than replying, so people don't. I really think we need to bring back the single button that started a conversation (BM) with the title of the thread it was from, that would probably cut down the number of offer replies significantly.

 

I would love to do that. However, I have already gotten one warning message for an "inappropriate post" this week. As a matter of fact, I should have thought about that before my last couple posts.

 

I couldn't agree more! I wonder how difficult it is to make the modification that would allow this to happen. I assume it is a little more difficult than it seems, since it would significantly cut down on the trashing that happens in such threads.

 

You click on the person's name and then "Start A Conversation". Is 2 button clicks really that hard? If you cant figure that out you are probably too incompetent to trade.

Darwin "Survival of the Fittest".

 

It's not "hard", so much as it is foreign. New users just don't even realize you need to make that first click.

 

"Not my problem"

I am in no way an expert at computers and it is a pretty easy process.

 

You're also missing an I don't do that option...I chose other because I wanted to see the results but none of the options were really appropriate

 

I agree on the button cutting down on this significantly.