I’m obviously sort of new to this forum and I assume this has probably been debated before, but incase I somehow invented the wheel, let’s bring it up:
Would it make any sense to apply some sort of reputation feature to each user? Seeing as we have a Buy/Trade sub-forum it would be great to know what people to rely on. For example, someone like me with late join date and close to no posts can find themselves being “excluded” from certain deals due to mistrust. Also, I have a hard time knowing which people to trust myself in case of a trade. Obviously there are lots of people on here I would trust just from seeing their activity level and the kind of interactions they have on E4, but how do you figure if a user with 100 posts that is not really “well-known” is gonna be trustworthy?
I understand that a reputation feature would not solely solve this problem as this can be misused as well and people with a solid reputation could turn for the worse and take advantage of their good reputation at any given point if they wanted to. Also, not sure how it should work if implemented. When can you upvote/downvote someone? Should it be after a trade is done? etc. etc.
Not suggesting an implementation of this feature per se, but rather opening a discussion on how to make it work if it were to be implemented. And of course, the cons/pros of such a feature.
Unless it is a friend or family just use the goods & services option through paypal and treat it as a normal transaction. If the transaction involves extremely expensive card(s) you can also use a middleman.
I haven’t had any bad experiences trading and buying on e4 and it is likely one of the safest places to do so. If the other person is not new as well they have likely had transactions with others on here and can provide a reference.
E4 is not designed around buying and selling which explains the rules against selling. Valuable collector information is prioritized over what would be an insane amount of selling threads that require extensive moderation. If you spend enough time on here and the discord you will find lots of friends to trade, buy and sell with.
I like where your head is at and I don’t speak for the admins, but this site is geared toward informational and collaborative efforts. It will be the furthest thing from Instagram/Facebook. Each member should feel compelled to discuss and contribute openly. A reputation feature (aside from post count) may dissuade new members from being more involved.
All transactions should be organic and stimulated via the buyer. As many are aware, buyers have some of the best protections when purchasing online. Any non-protected sales are at the risk of the buyer and not promoted here.
@rattlebear , I understand that it is not intended as a site for doing sales etc., but as long as it is going on (no matter what scale we operate in) I think we deserve to discuss and put focus on potential issues/improvements to this Glad that you have been satisfied with your encounters and I’m sure I will have likewise experiences as you going forward in time.
@gemmintpokemon , You’re absolutely right. For some reason I forgot that most trades on here (unless specifically agreed on by both parties) are done via eBay which obviously promotes great security for the buyer. As least I assume people use eBay for a lot of their transactions? The main reason I thought of posting this thread was actually because of the long debate in the “Selling Cards On Efour?”-thread. It made me think that if such a sub-forum were to be added back onto the site, we would probably benefit from some sort of reputation feature. At least it would ensure to some degree that we wouldn’t get overflown with scammers in here.
There really is nothing to be worried about these days with buying as long as you use protected avenues like PayPal or eBay. No matter what you will get the item you want or your money back. Trading is a bit more difficult, but as previously mentioned you can always ask a trusted member to middleman a trade for you, which many are happy to do.
Additionally, a user’s existence here means they are a trustworthy member. Any issues with members, which are very rare, are brought to our attention immediately and the offending user is banned. I don’t see us implementing any kind of feedback system because one “downvote,” be it sufficient enough, would likely result in a ban. And if it isn’t sufficient, we are not eBay and will not allow unwarranted negatives to affect a user’s reputation.
So in general, use your judgement. If someone with 2 posts messages you and says they have a PSA 10 1st edition base Charizard and you can have it right now as long as you wire them 10k, probably not the best deal. But besides that, you should be good to buy/trade as you wish on the forum.
Quick edit: the selling on efour thread is an explanation for why we don’t have sales, not a legitimate debate on whether they should come back. Sales will never exist on E4 again.
I completely understand. And I would agree that for the time being membership is already proof of being trustworthy to some degree (can’t know someone will scam until they scam once obviously). As mentioned above, this thread and the thoughts behind it was nourished by the thread debating the potential comeback of a selling sub-forum. In which case I think implementing a reputation feature would at least be worth considering for the pros it could provide.
But you state it very well also. It is hard to create a system where people could not ruin your reputation without any reasonable cause.
Edit: Didn’t see your edit before I posted this. I also understood from the “debate” that it would not be making a comeback but who knows? Many things can change over time. Never say never
Side note: Don’t overthink being new. We are excited you are here. There’s no social hierarchy. If you love the hobby and bring joyful participation to the forum, you have an equal seat at this table.
@crazy I wouldn’t worry about being new brother! I am very new as well and have experienced nothing but warm welcomes from almost everyone and have traded as well with no hassle at all!
Well first of all I’d like to say Welcome to the forums! And I’m not speaking for anyone in particular; but I’d say this to you. As far as E4 goes. This is a VERY reputable site that doesn’t put up with any B.S. of any kind. That being said, if there are any bad “traders/sellers” out there, they are typically disbarred from this website completely immediately. I know that can still be a little unsettling, but the thing you have to remember is there is plenty of ways to protect yourself as well… Like people have mentioned above. Go through PayPal; or something where you’re protected with buyers protection.
But I agree it would be something that’s nice to implement, but as I do not sell/ trade any cards; I’d really never make a reputation for myself; and say I’m… oh let’s just say 2,000 posts in… And I’ve never bought/ traded/ sold a card on here… How would you know if you could STILL trust me…
As I stated; you’re in good hands here at E4… I wouldn’t worry about it. If you see someone buying / trading/ selling something… you’re in good hands as far as I’d worry. E4 doesn’t tolerate negligence of any sort and I’d be very assure of yourself buying from here.
But this is all just my 2¢ so you can take it with a grain of salt. Hope this helps.
I see where you’re coming from, however the issues you’re afraid of are easily preventable and/or can be solved via best practices when making/receiving payments and trading.
This is the last place someone would want to get a reputation for scamming. You’ll see far more scamming on Instagram, Virbank, even where I mod on Reddit. Scammers wouldn’t want to run the risk of poisoning the well here because most people here are mainstays in the hobby and have large followings on here, youtube, instagram, ebay, etc… Being a dumbass here could mean being blacklisted from the entire hobby as a whole.
@craz, Majority of the users here are more than fine! Not trying to pump our own tires, but we are the most diligent site when it comes to actual issues. Ie if there is a discernible issue, we look at it and take action if necessary. Every other platform is a far reach in rules & consistency.
As for the reputation idea, In general I don’t think it is effective even on the platforms where it already exists. For example, some of the actual scammers banned from E4 exist on social media with “pristine reputation” pages. I remember the individual who sold fake 1st Ed Base boxes sold for years on IG with a “perfect reference page”.
Lastly this might be stating the obvious, but participation is good mkkayy! Even if you are brand new to the hobby! Some of my favorite members maybe spend $10-20 on cards a month #LCC. While it can be intimating at times, fresh eyes are a value! It also is an organic way to establish yourself/reputation.
