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Ethics. protocols & obligations in buy/sell


Daniel Hersh

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I have been thinking about writing this post for several weeks and after reading a couple of things that were posted today I decided to go ahead.

 

There seems to be a sense on the part of a number of c.net members that anyone who lists an instrument for sale here should be expected to follow a certain set of unwritten protocols toward potential buyers, especially to those who are quick to respond to the seller's post. These members seem to see the buy/sell forum as an auction site like eBay, where an earlier bid always beats out a later bid of the same value, a higher bid always beats a lower one, etc. Sellers have also been castigated for posting prices that some members saw as too high.

 

I see the buy/sell forum a bit differently, as a discussion forum like the other forums rather than as an auction site. It's a place where someone can mention that something is available for sale without necessarily obligating themselves to do anything beyond describing the item as accurately as they can. If a sale doesn't go through to a hopeful potential buyer but no money has changed hands between them, I don't feel that the seller has done anything that warrants public criticism. If a price seems too high, it's ok to post a comment to that effect, with the reasoning behind it, but there's no reason to impugn the character of the seller in the process.

 

What do others think about all this? I'd be especially interested in comments from Ken and Paul, but I'd like to hear from everyone else too.

 

For disclosure's sake, I should add that I don't believe that I have ever listed an instrument for sale on the forum, though I have communicated via pm with members who were looking for an instrument like one that I had for sale. I have purchased one item that was listed here.

 

Daniel

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Seeing I was a writer of maybe one of those comments, I would say that I agree with what you say Daniel. There is of course no legal or indeed probably no moral obligation on the behalf of the seller to sell to any one particular person.I wondered as I wrote that was there a moral obligation on the part of a buyer, when having said he would buy, to actually do so and not to change his mind?

I was prompted to post my comment out of sheer disappointment and anger. On two occasions in the past I have enquired after concertinas posted here and on both occasions there was strange stuff going( this was confirmed in pms by others) and yet, I know well that the fact that they can be advertsied for sale here is a fantastic bonus and a very efficient way to find concertinas for sale not to mention the goodness of the members who post links to e bay. So I know I have no real grounds for complaint other than disappointment and maybe this was not the place to express that? However rightly or wrongly, my disappointment and anger was heightened by the fact that although it is not beyond the bounds of possibilty that someone would buy four concertinas belonging to a departed friend as a memory keepsake, I feel it more likely that they will surface here, ebay or session.org with a mark up.Again nothing wrong with that- if someone has the guts of €15-16 grand to buy concertinas( two of which were in the same key and by the same maker) best of luck to them- they must have been some friend. But I wonder why there was a stipulation that no collectors need apply when they were first notified as being for sale? Anyway as I said, I do agree with you- the seller has the right to sell to whoever and whenever.

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Seeing I was a writer of maybe one of those comments, I would say that I agree with what you say Daniel. There is of course no legal or indeed probably no moral obligation on the behalf of the seller to sell to any one particular person.I wondered as I wrote that was there a moral obligation on the part of a buyer, when having said he would buy, to actually do so and not to change his mind?

I was prompted to post my comment out of sheer disappointment and anger. On two occasions in the past I have enquired after concertinas posted here and on both occasions there was strange stuff going( this was confirmed in pms by others) and yet, I know well that the fact that they can be advertsied for sale here is a fantastic bonus and a very efficient way to find concertinas for sale not to mention the goodness of the members who post links to e bay. So I know I have no real grounds for complaint other than disappointment and maybe this was not the place to express that? However rightly or wrongly, my disappointment and anger was heightened by the fact that although it is not beyond the bounds of possibilty that someone would buy four concertinas belonging to a departed friend as a memory keepsake, I feel it more likely that they will surface here, ebay or session.org with a mark up.Again nothing wrong with that- if someone has the guts of €15-16 grand to buy concertinas( two of which were in the same key and by the same maker) best of luck to them- they must have been some friend. But I wonder why there was a stipulation that no collectors need apply when they were first notified as being for sale? Anyway as I said, I do agree with you- the seller has the right to sell to whoever and whenever.

 

I think the people concerned would have left a trail of upset would-be purchasers behind them anyway, however they sold them. The only unfortunate part is that Nils is in the firing line, but it's been said several times that he's just the messenger, and I bought a concertina off him a while ago and can vouch that he is an extremely straight forward, nice chap too, so hopefully everyone has got that by now.

 

Having a public moan about shifty dealing is a good thing to do. Duplicious sellers deserve to be 'outed'. Good job Larry.

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I see the buy/sell forum a bit differently, as a discussion forum like the other forums rather than as an auction site. It's a place where someone can mention that something is available for sale without necessarily obligating themselves to do anything beyond describing the item as accurately as they can. If a sale doesn't go through to a hopeful potential buyer but no money has changed hands between them, I don't feel that the seller has done anything that warrants public criticism. If a price seems too high, it's ok to post a comment to that effect, with the reasoning behind it, but there's no reason to impugn the character of the seller in the process.

Hi Daniel,

 

A thought-provoking posting. It put me in mind of a posting which I made, as a "new boy" just a couple of days after joining C.net. It may be appropriate to repeat an extract here:

 

 

"One comment which I will make (which can be applied to all topics), is that whilst we might post "facts" which later turn out to be incorrect, we are all entitled to an opinion. We do, however, have a duty to ensure that because of our opinions, our responses to postings do not degenerate into personal attacks. It's a fine line, which I don't think has been crossed in recent correspondence (others may not agree) , but I think that we are getting close.

 

Be positive. We've mostly joined Concertina.net to exchange news, views, and ideas. Also, to promote the playing of our very special instrument, encourage more people to take it up, and, hopefully, to make more friends."

 

 

I think that we use "Buy&Sell" in a variety of ways. I've used it to offer two instruments of behalf of a friend (both were sold privately). I've also flagged up ebay auctions in which friends had an interest, and other ebay auctions which, to me, were of interest purely as a "spectator".

 

I have reason to be thankful for one C.net member who brought an auction to our attention, and I had the good fortune to be the winner of this auction.

 

I find this sub-forum to be fascinating. I have learned a lot from the comments and opinions of others.

 

We can all make mistakes by careless wording of our posts, but we have to remember that this is a public forum. If I thought that "the line had been crossed" in any posting, I would bring it to the attention of Paul S., and I would encourage other members to do likewise.

 

Regards,

Peter.

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Some lines, I could even edit this to add more.

 

How do I use the buy and sell forum?

 

1. Ask questions about the quality of concertina's, not just for me, but if I ask what quality a certain concertina model is, answers willl come and give information to anyone in the forum, telling you wat quality the concertina at hand is ? Is my idea about this concertina correct? If I read a duscussion on a certain concertina model, I may get to know whether it is a germo or a special concertina, who is the maker, what country has it been made, is it hooks and levers or is it riveted, is it steel reeds, etcetera. It is a point for sharing information.

 

2. Selling my concertina

Well, I have offered 2 concertina's in the buy and sell forum, did not sell one of them until yet, but it is not really important. They are still for sale, anyone interested (an 28 buttons lachenal anglo and a very nice lachenal english from about 1868). It is not the main thing, but why would I put them on ebay when I can sell a concertina via C.net?

 

3. Sharing information if I see one for sale.

Also important to me is just to let people know there is something offered on ebay or in auctions. What is wrong with alerting people there is something for sale? If we all do likewise, then you and I may find (some day) the nice concertina you always wanted, like I did last week. So it is a forum to let people know about concertina´s asked and offered. This is a buy and sell forum, isn't it?

 

4. Alerting scams

To my idea, an important issue is to check/alert people whether an offer is/may be a scam or not. Even new members may be scammers, although I hate the idea.

 

5. Searching a specific instrument type

If you are searsching for a specific concertina, you can let people know in the forum and you may get a message that this and that is for sale. It did not help for me. there were no reactions when I asked for a perfect Jeffries concertina :)

 

Bye for today,

Marien

 

 

 

 

I have been thinking about writing this post for several weeks and after reading a couple of things that were posted today I decided to go ahead.

 

There seems to be a sense on the part of a number of c.net members that anyone who lists an instrument for sale here should be expected to follow a certain set of unwritten protocols toward potential buyers, especially to those who are quick to respond to the seller's post. These members seem to see the buy/sell forum as an auction site like eBay, where an earlier bid always beats out a later bid of the same value, a higher bid always beats a lower one, etc. Sellers have also been castigated for posting prices that some members saw as too high.

 

I see the buy/sell forum a bit differently, as a discussion forum like the other forums rather than as an auction site. It's a place where someone can mention that something is available for sale without necessarily obligating themselves to do anything beyond describing the item as accurately as they can. If a sale doesn't go through to a hopeful potential buyer but no money has changed hands between them, I don't feel that the seller has done anything that warrants public criticism. If a price seems too high, it's ok to post a comment to that effect, with the reasoning behind it, but there's no reason to impugn the character of the seller in the process.

 

What do others think about all this? I'd be especially interested in comments from Ken and Paul, but I'd like to hear from everyone else too.

 

For disclosure's sake, I should add that I don't believe that I have ever listed an instrument for sale on the forum, though I have communicated via pm with members who were looking for an instrument like one that I had for sale. I have purchased one item that was listed here.

 

Daniel

Edited by marien
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Bloddy Nora!

Thank you; Google was of no use! :rolleyes:

Sorry old boy; (note the use of the now (sadly) almost defunct semicolon) apparently (allegedly), our transatlantic cousins now like to insert a significant initial into a name in order to express emphasis.

 

A recent and bizarre reversal of this etiquette has resulted in an entity known only as 'W'

 

Oh, Purleese! :P :lol: :lol: :lol:

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I totally agree with you Daniel. It seems people who are frustrated by their missed chanced of purchasing an instrument are really bitter and sometimes lash out in the forums. It also happened with an eBay seller who was within his rights even at eBay and got poor treatment for not selling to the second bidder when the first wouldnt pay.

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I don't list items on the Buy & Sell page because of some of the things that have gone on here in the past. It seems that some posters seem to consider that they're part of a brotherhood (& sisterhood) of Concertina players who have some implied obligation towards each other. Whilst it's nice to all get along on this forum, when I'm selling something my motivation is generally to get the most money I can. Ebay is more impersonal and detached and hence it is my preferred location for selling. Remember - caveat emptor.

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I think the people concerned would have left a trail of upset would-be purchasers behind them anyway, however they sold them. The only unfortunate part is that Nils is in the firing line, but it's been said several times that he's just the messenger, and I bought a concertina off him a while ago and can vouch that he is an extremely straight forward, nice chap too, so hopefully everyone has got that by now.

 

Having a public moan about shifty dealing is a good thing to do. Duplicious sellers deserve to be 'outed'. Good job Larry.

 

In this case there was little information about the concertina's for sale. The reason was to be respectful about the death of a well known concertina player. Now we should pay some respect to his family as well, and I will not accept if his brother would be booked here as a duplicious seller, like one member (not Dirge) did. In fact I can say the same thing about the seller as Dirge is telling about Nils. "I bought a concertina off him a while ago and can vouch that he is an extremely straight forward, nice chap too, so hopefully everyone has got that by now."

 

Marien

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A point Woody makes seems relevant to the way my thinking goes. I have never bought anything on e bay( nor do I imagine I would) or here but if I were to choose I would certainly favour buying from a member on this site.Why? Well, my thinking tells me that I will be safer buying here. Not that I will get a better deal etc but that it will be safer doing business here. Now of course that is not neccessarily true but I choose to believe it?? And I sort of believe that the members here would be inclined to sell here first before e bay and would prefer that a good concertina would go to a member here. Again not true but it tells you about my thinking !

As for the issue over these concertinas- I would agree with Marien that there is no need to slight or cast doubts on the good nature on the family of the late concertina player. Although I was certainly annoyed with Mario's brother, Norbert, it is important to remember that the dealings were going on not long after the death of a familly member, when people are dealing with loss and so I wouldn't want to appear unfair to Norbert or his family- after all they are not the concertina players.

But in the context of the selling of instruments here, there are as few relevant points worth making. Firstly when this sale was first posted, all who were interested where asked to mail Nils who talked of handling the sale a certain way and at this stage there was no mention of anyone's death. The mysterious nature of the post also drew some comments

Our mail addresses were apparently to be passed on the seller who at that stage was a mystery. I was under the very mistaken idea that we would all be playing on a level playing field and when you wrote you would get the relevant information and you could bid or whatever. However, whilst waiting for a reply giving details of the concertina(s) for sale, Marien had already been to Germany and bought the Wheatstone and could post details of the other instruments for sale here before I had even been given details !!And this of course is no fault of Marien's and again not everything is easy when a death has occured.But I wondered at the time how it could work out that way.

So I then had to write again and by this stage was playing catch up. Now I am not surprised that Marien found dealing with the brother, Norbert, a good experience- he after all got his Wheatsone ! And if the prices of the Suttner were anything to go by, he got a good deal on it. And so it is perfectly clear how we can all see things from out own perspective and like I touched on in the first paragraph, I am quite open to the idea that mine is flawed. I have already said "fair dues" to Marien and these things happen and if it's for you it won't pass you.I actually didn't know of the death of Mario until I got the mail from Norbert giving me the details and having agreed to buy one of the concertinas and a week has passed, I thought nothing of it, again bearing in mind the circumstances.When I did hear back it was to say that they all been sold. But there is no suggestion on my part that anyone is bad here or that there is an expectation or preferential treatment- the original post was just an expression of my disappointment and anger that I had said I would buy one and specifically asked in my mail that it not be sold to someone else.

As a footnote and to be fair also to Nils, he took the time out to write by pm to me explaining what happened and if he doesn't mind, I will say that the concertinas have apparently been sold in a lot to someone in Ireland who was a friend of the late Mario and it appears that they might be for this person's pupils.This was a business decision in that the lesser attractive ones( C#/G# and B#/E#) were sold in the lot and I am sure the buyer will sell the two C/Gs on to his pupils and do what he can with the others.

So that is life, you win some and you lose some. If as happened with Marien you get a concertina of your choice, you see things in one light and if you don't, you see them in a different way. That too is life and human nature( mine anyway). But someone has lost a brother and there will be more concertinas, that's for sure.

Edited by Larryo
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There seems to be a sense on the part of a number of c.net members that anyone who lists an instrument for sale here should be expected to follow a certain set of unwritten protocols toward potential buyers, especially to those who are quick to respond to the seller's post. These members seem to see the buy/sell forum as an auction site like eBay, where an earlier bid always beats out a later bid of the same value, a higher bid always beats a lower one, etc. Sellers have also been castigated for posting prices that some members saw as too high.

 

Interesting thread Daniel. Thanks for posting this.

 

Interestingly, for the first time ever, I've just posted a Concertina for sale here, but I did so before reading this thread.

However, after reading this thread, I must say I agree with a few of the points made here, so much so that I have amended the conditions of my sales post, accordingly.

 

For example, I agree that it'd probably be a little unfair to other members here, if I simply sold to the first person who made me an offer & I can see how other members might get upset, if they see that a sales thread only lasted a few hours, before they even had an opportunity to learn more about the instrument, or perhaps even had a chance to make an offer for it.

 

With this in mind, I thought it might be fairer to give it a week before I made any decision, that way I hope no one can say I didn't give everyone an opportunity to at least check it out.

 

I don't know how other folks here think about this idea, perhaps you will tell me?

 

The only problem I can see with this system is that some might see it as just a sneaky way of trying to bump up the price, so to try & avoid that claim, I intend to declare, a few hours before the deadline, just how many members here have declared an interest in the instrument. That way, if members know that for example, there are only two or three bidders, they are less likely, I hope, to bid too much. I know the success of this approach relies on the seller actually being honest, but I do think members here get a real sense & a feel for how honest other members are, from reading other members posts here. Unfortunately I realise that there will always be those who wish to take advantage of their fellow musicians, but I suspect no genuine musicians would stoop so low, & I'm confident that regular posters here would not abuse the system.

 

I don't really see how else an instrument can be sold here, without those who miss out, being able to complain that it was sold too soon, or it was sold to a friend, so other bidders didn't get a fair crack at it.

 

I'd be very interested to hear how other members feel about this deadline approach?

 

I see the buy/sell forum a bit differently, as a discussion forum like the other forums rather than as an auction site. It's a place where someone can mention that something is available for sale without necessarily obligating themselves to do anything beyond describing the item as accurately as they can. If a sale doesn't go through to a hopeful potential buyer but no money has changed hands between them, I don't feel that the seller has done anything that warrants public criticism.

 

When someone just mentions that they have an instrument for sale here, but a sale doesn't go through, I'm sure there would always be the suspicion that it was not a genuine sale after all & that perhaps the so-called seller was just on a fishing trip, simply trying to find out how much their instrument was worth. I think this trick would be very unfair to other members.

If a price seems too high, it's ok to post a comment to that effect, with the reasoning behind it, but there's no reason to impugn the character of the seller in the process.

 

In my own case I asked a couple of reputable Concertina men what they reckoned my Concertina might be worth & then I knocked £500 off that figure. The way I figure, their price may well be a fair price, were the sale to take place on eBay, but I have learned so much here about my new passion, the English Concertinas, since joining this forum, from other members, that I would rather sell it here for a little less & so feel I was putting just a little something back into the pot, so to speak.

 

I have nothing against other people wishing to sell on eBay to the highest bidder & so get as much as they possibly can. For all I know that's probably the sensible thing to do but I just reckon there's more to music & instruments - than money.

Just like, although I'm a professional musician, I do still enjoy going out & playing just for the heck of it, for charity do's & the like. It's just one way of saying thanks, for the gift of music that I've been blessed with. For example, myself & the misses are off to a local wee country Primary School to play this afternoon, to help them celebrate the launch of a new porta-classroom. We'll only be playing for tea & sandwiches & maybe a sticky bun or two, but of course in a situation like that, you are always hoping to sow some seeds of interest too, in those young hearts & minds.

 

Anyway, I'm starting to ramble here, I think I need Coffee. :wacko:

 

Rest assured I'll be watching this thread very carefully, cause I'm very curious to learn how other folks think these sales threads should be conducted, in the fairest possible way.

 

Cheers

Dick

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Dick,

I am still not totally clear on how this sale is going to work.

Is it like a silent auction, where a prospective buyer offers the highest amount of what the instrument is worth to him, and then waits to see if other offers topped his, or if he "wins" the bid? Isn't that a lot like EBay, but with a smaller, safer, and more knowledgeable gene pool? With EBay the bids before the final ten seconds are visible, so you can respond if a bid tops yours. But since most people use a bid program and bid by proxy, the bidder is in the dark until after the auction has concluded. And as we know, many people don't like, and won't use, EBay.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this approach on this forum. I am in favor of anything that means EBay won't get its greedy paws on a cut of the sale. I posted earlier about how EBay is a monolithic entity, has a perfect monopoly on what it offers, and mistreats its customers. If this is a way to skirt EBay I am all in favor of it. Good luck with the sale.

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Dick,

I am still not totally clear on how this sale is going to work.

Is it like a silent auction, where a prospective buyer offers the highest amount of what the instrument is worth to him, and then waits to see if other offers topped his, or if he "wins" the bid? Isn't that a lot like EBay, but with a smaller, safer, and more knowledgeable gene pool? With EBay the bids before the final ten seconds are visible, so you can respond if a bid tops yours. But since most people use a bid program and bid by proxy, the bidder is in the dark until after the auction has concluded. And as we know, many people don't like, and won't use, EBay.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this approach on this forum. I am in favor of anything that means EBay won't get its greedy paws on a cut of the sale. I posted earlier about how EBay is a monolithic entity, has a perfect monopoly on what it offers, and mistreats its customers. If this is a way to skirt EBay I am all in favor of it. Good luck with the sale.

Hello Dave,

 

Yes, I suppose it is as you describe, a silent auction, but without the possible adrenalin rush at the end, where bidders sometimes get over excited & perhaps bid more than they really meant to.

This way, anyone who is genuinly interested will hopefully just calmly bid what they think it is worth to them & leave it at that.

 

I must be honest, I have absolutely no idea whether this is a better, or fairer way than the first come first served system. Most folks here, after all, have a lot more experience of instrument sales on this forum & on eBay too, than I do. So if this is a daft idea, I'm hoping members here will say so ...... & also say why & then hopefully they'll tell me a better way.

If it goes ahead this way, then all I can say is that, come Thursday evening, if I do receive any bids by 6pm, the Concertina WILL be offered & sold to the highest bidder.

 

Of course, whether my Concertina sells or doesn't sell, I suppose we still won't really know whether people here think this is a fairer way to do things.

I just felt, in light of this discussion, which is running at the same time, that it might be worth trying it this way.

 

Then hopefully folks here won't be calling me names when it's all over! ;)

 

Cheers

Dick

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I have nothing against other people wishing to sell on eBay to the highest bidder & so get as much as they possibly can. For all I know that's probably the sensible thing to do but I just reckon there's more to music & instruments - than money.

That's a fine sentiment - but it's dependent on how wealthy you are. I've had to scrimp and save and sell some treasured items to afford my Norman Anglo - so for me music, instruments & money are inseparable. Selling for less than the market price because "there's more to music & instruments - than money" is a luxury I can ill afford. YMMV

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