As a part time seller here at GBfans… I was curious as to how other members feel about the opportunities to buy GB related swag here. What do you expect? What practices annoy you? What can a seller do better to make the transactions seems more smooth?
Be specific with your opinions… people here offer parts they have pre made that ship instantly… others set up a run list to help stagger the blow of overall costs for mass producing an item, that sometimes require a substantial wait. (I define substantial as a month or more).
The feedback section gives everyone the opportunity to chime in about their experience with individual sellers but I thought a general topic would allow for a constructive discussion on the subject.
For parts that are custom made, whether it be resin, aluminum, or electronics, I think the item should be in hand, ready to ship before they are ever listed and money is exchanged.
For found parts that come from a company that works in production runs, like Clippard or Sloan, I can understand putting an interest list together, but taking money before the product is ready to ship is a bit of a gray area. While these runs can cost a bit of capital to get going, delays in the process can make people that have already paid in feel nervous. I’ve seen too many debacles where unforseen delays cause tension amongst the ranks. That being said, I’ve also seen things such as the MM crapstorm, where money was invested based on promises. Safest bet for a buyer, see 1) above.
For commission work, that’s a gray area entirely. Typically, I think half up front, half later with a established refund process is acceptable. I wholey disagree with anything that doesn’t include some verbiage about refunds, because, let’s face it, times can be hard.
Wait times should never be more than a month unless it’s waiting for a production run by a third party; i.e. Sloan LED, Clippard, etc. If a seller finds they’ve taken on too much work, they need to make it known, stop taking orders, and learn for the next time. Too many sellers tend to have a long wait list and continue taking orders when they are already drowning.
Feedback is another thing entirely. I know far too many people that have had bad experiences and don’t leave honest, objective feedback because they don’t want to stir the pot, or are simply afraid of retaliation. This becomes an issue when it turns into the MM thing, where apparently no one knew about Shawn’s past issues, because no one had posted publicly.
I figured more folks would have more to say on this topic but your points are valid and I agree. I think a lot of sellers devalue the significance of constant updates. Sure anyone can hop on and post some BS but honest sellers can save a lot of grief and make their customers feel better about sending their money to a complete stranger just by popping on every couple of days and posting where things stand as a whole for the run. Even if the situation is unchanged the activity in the thread lets the squeamish know that work is progressing.
Folks really need to be more open about how things go when dealing with a seller…the whole point is so people purchasing things behind you can read about how your transaction went and how the quality of the product you received was. We cant boost to be the end all be all of spots to come to for GB loot if we don’t exploit the tools given to us to evaluate the sellers currently available. Stir the pot… who is going to retaliate? worse case scenario the seller gets upset by the negative feedback… if the feedback was honest and an accurate depiction of what transpired I cant see how anyone could legitimately fear retaliation.