How many of you regularly trade stuff through the mail? Are there any un-written procedures to follow so that nobody get's burned?? Is it all based on trust? I guess one thing is certain - Don't send off anything you can't afford to LOSE! ------------------ Mike Drzycimski Arlington, TX The Southview Lines www.crosswinds.net/~mdrzycimski [This message has been edited by mdrzycimski (edited 30 August 2000).]
I've traded lots of stuff through the mail, and I have never got burnt. My last trade was for 6 kato locos, I sent him 10 atlas and life like engines. You do have to relly on trust, but i'm a very trusting person. Usally One of the people sends first and then the other one sends there stuff when it gets there. Kevin
I've done a few trades this way as well. So far, so good! It does take trust, and a gut-feeling for the other person. I don't see it much different to dealing with someone through an on-line auction. The seller's profile can be dodgy. Gary. ------------------ Gary A. Rose The Unofficial TC&W page N to the Nth degree!
I've sold stuff with no problems, but the first time I tried to buy something, I had trouble. I sent the guy a check and he never sent the item. He still hasn't cashed the check, but he has ignored my request to send it back too. My concern is that he'll wait until I forget about it, then cash the check. It costs $12 to cancel the check, so I'll probably have to eat that. I know he's on the nscale list, so I'm thinking about posting his e-mail as a bad trader. Weather people like this do it on purpose, or they're just flakes... Who knows. Maybe just my bad luck though. Dave D. Los Angeles, CA The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Photo Archive & E-Mail List: http://eje.railfan.net The Ashley, Drew & Northern Railfan Page: http://eje.railfan.net/adn Southern California Trains: http://eje.railfan.net/socal
Sometimes you just have to trust people. People are inheritally honest, rarely will someone go out of their way to rip you off. When buying from overseas you are often placed into this sort of position. I have only been ripped of once, that was from a self proclaimled DCC expert from California, he was a retail shop, and after research,is renowned for it. I have dealt with people I am now good friends with, I think it is a great thing, and reccomend the process.
I agree with the philosophy of trust someone stated, but also remember Confusius' statement "a fool and his money soon parted" (SIC) anyway, I have traded a lot on eBay on and various forums. I have had a great success for the most part dealing with people that are "regulars" and have either good "feedback ratings" (eBay) or are not singled out as negatives on the forums as bad guys. IN the Internet world of buying and selling, don't forget it is "caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware). I am much more comfortable with persons who have a street or road address, a phone number, and are not afraid to ship things "on approval". This tells me they are upfront and honest. In general, I have found N scale traders to be reliable, but as always, beware. Chessie ------------------ Harold Hodnett Fan of NS, CSX, and their predecessors! Coming soon: The North Carolina Railfan Web Site http://www.trainweb.org/ncrail/
I guess that TRUST has something to do with buying/selling/trading by mail. You can have everything appear right and still get taken, but it doesn't happen that much. I buy a lot of MICRO-TRAINS collector cars in a lot of different areas. On online auctions, eBay, Yahoo!, N-Scale Auction etc., through my membership in the NMRA, from Model Railroad magazines, private sales using email, TRAINBOARD YELLOW PAGES (PLUG FOR THEM) and almost any area that is available. I have only had problems 4 or 5 times in all of my dealings. Most of the time the problem is to my advantage. Somebody doesn't know exactly what they have, and will unknowingly under value an item. I let the other seller know when this has happened, and offer to make it right. I have only been ripped off once by a man in ATLANTA GEORGIA. He knew what he was doing. He answered all my questions right, and even sent me pictures of the items that he supposedly had for sale. I sent a check for over $300.00 and have never heard any from him since then, this was in 1996. The US Postal Inspector has been informed, but nothing yet. I have passed this guy's name around to several different collectors and found out that he has shafted other people besides me. I will not post his name here, only that he operates out of ATLANTA. The bottom line is yes you might get taken, but this is the exception not the rule, and it can happen any where not just buying/selling/swapping through the mail. ------------------ Let's Go Run Trains MARK
I will buy and sell through ebay. I am careful to buy from people with only good ratings. Sometimes I will take a chance with someone who has low ratings. I have bought some crap on Ebay and I have become a wiser ebayer because of it. Matt
I would do it, but only with people I had ALL the info on. i.e. DOB/Phone #/Address ect... (basically all the info in an TAMR directory ) Happy RRing, Dane N. ------------------ BCRailKing@Canada.com Teen Association of Model Railroaders- for information, contact Dane N. at TAMR2860@Canada.com http://www.tamr.org "I was DC, and went DCC!" [This message has been edited by BC Rail King (edited 11 September 2000).]
I only buy, cause I don't have anything I want to part with yet. One guy who posted on this board, I bought from him, but after seeing the debit to my account and no product for a few weeks I called hime and said "Whats The Deal, Where's My Trains?" He said I'll call you back. He did, and said he forgot to mail them out, and sent me the stuff. He even threw in an extra car, but the stuff was junk. I salvaged a decoder, and a shell from the lot. Another guy who posted on this board sold me some real cream puffs for a resonable price, He even sent me an e-mail to make sure I was happy. I was! Never tried ebay or the like, and never will!
To make a long story short, watch your self and the other person very carefully. ------------------ Craig Martyn Best Looking Models Around Custom detailing AND N scale detail parts. BLMA N Scale Detail Parts
