After seeing so many horribly written up WTS/WTB threads, as well as many nearly pointless PM's such as "do you take trades" and the like, I figured I'd make a quickie noob's guiide to buying or selling.
First off, the sellers' guide.
The first objective, MAKE IT CLEAR WHAT YOU'RE SELLING.
Generally your title should have the name(s) of what's for sale, even a generic, GEAR(vests, pouches, radios, etc) would suffice. Alternatively, if you are looking for a quick sale, SAY SO. IE, I see that most threads with the title FIRE SALE/QUICK SALE have fairly high traffic. However, don't be the immature one that puts that title, when you're going to intentionally throw up ridiculously high prices.
ALWAYS HAVE YOUR WTS, WTB, OR WTT ABBREVIATION. It goes at the very front of your listing by the way...
WTS=Want to sell
WTB=Want to buy
WTT=Want to trade
Know your brands. If I buy a JG M4, but you called it a G&P, I'm probably not going to be very happy.
A good title if you're selling say, your extra JG M4, and a few mags, may be...
WTS JG M4A1 w/ x mags
The second objective: DESCRIBE YOUR ITEM(S).
Describe the condition, NAME the upgrades if any, usage, WHAT'S INCLUDED, and most importantly, put your asking price IN PLAIN SIGHT. DO NOT hide your asking price in the middle of a block of text. Even if you realize your price is kind of high, make it well-known.
The third objective: PICTURES
Pictures should be clear, big(at least 640x480), and showing the entire product. If you have a M4 and 5x mags, picture them all at once. Then, to be helpful and presumptive of any question, zoom in on any cosmetic issues and post those pics too. This also helps with making you appear to be more experienced.
Lastly: PRICING/TRADES
Put your "Rules" section at the very top, a rules page looks like this...
RULES:
Paypal ONLY
Shipping IS FREE/Included in price
No trades what so ever
I will not part out
Read the thread
Do not crap my thread with things that don't pertain to buying the items
I have the right to refuse sale to anyone
All sales are final
Pics are below the item description, the price is listed just above the pics this is kinda going overboard, but it's still helpful.
I do not hold items without a non-returnable 50% deposit-THIS IS NOT ALWAYS POSTED, I often forget to use it, but do so, it'll help ward off the kids who are "waiting for birthday money" or whatever.
Again no trades - No harm to reiterate this.
IF YOU TAKE TRADES, HAVE A TRADE LIST.
Be clear in what you want.
Trades:
G&P Mids
MagPul PTS mags
Classic Army LWRC
Messages(applies to both buyers and sellers)
A) Be polite, even if it's a dumbass question, politely answer it, or if that's too hard, just say, "check my thread please". Which brings me to B...
B) Please and thank you, even in a group of guys, is still polite. I try to use he words when dealing with someone as a sign of respect and maturity.
C) Be clear (take the time to read your message, if you can't understand it, how would he/she?)
D) DON'T TRY TO GO GANSTA. Oh, my, god. Try, just try, not to use words like "sup" or "yo" or whatever. In my opinion, buying/selling is a professional's world. Would YOU trust some "gangsta" to ship your your stuff in a trade? Or to even follow through and pay?
E)Spell check is the 21-under's best friend. Even if just for typos. When you send someone a message that looks like this.. "Yo, wanna trad fr my CA M4?" I will reply nicely, but I've probably already decided not to trade...
F) Lastly, personality, I judge people a lot. I try to get "vibes" on them. How they "talk" is the biggest one. Arrogance and ignorance are both a big negative. Ignorance less so though.
-To summarize
a) Good title
-descriptive subtitle too if possible
b)Good description
-Clear pricing, honest description, don't skimp out here
c)Pictures that clearly show what's for sale
d)Clear pricing/wanted trades if any
To the Buyers
You guys have less responsibilities, obviously, but there are still things that you can do to be liked and respected buy your seller. I'm telling you now, if the seller likes you, or at least respects you, they are MUCH more likely to ship on time and be willing and want to help solve any issues, should they arise.
Things to keep in mind when PM'ing someone...
a) Read the sellers' post. I've been guilty too of pm'ing someone a question, only to later realize I asked a question that was already answered. As a seller, I can also tell you that having this happen is quite irritating.
-MAKE SURE TO READ THE RULES if they are present. Especially the part about trades. If a seller has a trade list, read it, and don't ignore it. If I say I'm looking for product AB, but you offer me product A.. Yeah.
b) FOLLOW THROUGH. If you say you're gonna buy it, buy it, if you're not sure, TELL THE SELLER. Say, "I'm interested in your product, but I'm not sure yet.." or something like that.
c) HAVE CASH IN HAND. Saying you'll buy it, ask for their PayPal, then saying, "Actually, I'll send payment in x days when my (paycheck arrives, item sells, etc)" is annoying as hell. I can not tell you how often this has happened to me. If you don't have cash in hand, don't say "I'll take it". Don't even imply you're going to buy it. Admit straight up, "I'm interested in your item, I'll have cash in x days, please let me know if it's still available then."
---
Lastly, use your intuition. If you've bought/sold/negotiated as much as I have for the same product type, you'll figure it out soon enough. I'm sure you've heard it said before, but, if it's too good to be true, it probably isn't true. Not always true, but at least let it be a backseat driver whilst buying/selling.
Disclaimer:
Subject to modification, I can/will not take any responsibility for your actions.
This guide was written by "TheNinja" and any other aliases I may or may not have. Only I, and those granted permission, may publish this "guide" on other any forums, boards, etc.
