Fake sellers on TRF boosting their reputation?

[rolexsubdate]

When people advertize a watch for sale, sometimes within a day or two, they make a second post with a "SOLD" msg.

Is anyone monitoring who the buyers and sellers are?

In other words, what keeps a seller from getting pics of a watch, advertize it, and then put a SOLD msg?

Lets assume no money is involved .... the seller does not take any $$ frrom anyone, just boots up their reputation?

thanks,

[mjm800]

I don't buy from anyone here unless more than one member posts feedback for them in the Who's Who section.

I don't care if they list 100 watches as SOLD in the For Sale section if they have no feedback I don't bite.

I do check references too!

[Numismatist]

Yeah, I've been watching that too. Some of these 'sellers' are also trying to buy, which is real scary.

[Jocke]

Originally Posted by rolexsubdate

When people advertize a watch for sale, sometimes within a day or two, they make a second post with a "SOLD" msg.

Is anyone monitoring who the buyers and sellers are?

In other words, what keeps a seller from getting pics of a watch, advertize it, and then put a SOLD msg?

Lets assume no money is involved .... the seller does not take any $$ frrom anyone, just boots up their reputation?

thanks,

IMHO so is the reputation in deals the rerefrences that do it. Not the number of deals. You can get 1000 feedback at
Ebay by selling CD's and other cheap things. That dosen't means something when it comes to $5K business.

BTW. Congrats to your 1000 posts.

[Al1988]

Would they not require a connected post in the 'Who's Who' section to boost a reputation?

I'd imagine if all their feedback was coming from new members with only a handful of posts then something fishy was going on and certain flags could be raised?

[NCD1979]

It's definately possible. That's why buyers must do their due dilligence BEFORE making a purchase. The information is out there and it's up to the buyer to dig around and make sense of it...

[globalmedia33]

I have not bought anything on the forum yet (still saving), but if I make a purchase, I will only buy it from reputable sellers.

[bobdog377]

Just purchased my second watch from the TRF for sales section not only was it selected by model/year/condition etc but also by the seller,DavidSW.

[tfarchio]

Too bad we can't come up with some sort of algorithm to rank sellers on TRF. That would make it easier to determine who is "reputable."

[wokafu]

Originally Posted by tfarchio

Too bad we can't come up with some sort of algorithm to rank sellers on TRF. That would make it easier to determine who is "reputable."

i agree

[Rags]

As long as you stick with the reputable sellers here on TRF you won't have a problem. But there maybe a seller that has done only a few deals & he also might be reputable. So the bottom line is check references & recheck.

[ParisDakarBmw]

There is a chance someone could do this, but there would be no longtime members to vouch for him.

There are guys here that do very little selling, and pamper every watch they own. He/she may decide to sell a watch to buy another, but not be a powerseller here. I would just check everything out, but think the big sellers here are legit.

Now another thing that may happen is the watch being sold on 5 seperate forums, and being marked as sold. That is fine. There are plenty of sellers who use TRF, VRF, Watchuseek, Ebay, and local advertising. Even if most of the watches are sold elsewhere, the sellers are good guys.

Just be careful, and ask other members if they are newer.

[cornerstore]

Originally Posted by rolexsubdate

When people advertize a watch for sale, sometimes within a day or two, they make a second post with a "SOLD" msg.

Is anyone monitoring who the buyers and sellers are?

In other words, what keeps a seller from getting pics of a watch, advertize it, and then put a SOLD msg?

Lets assume no money is involved .... the seller does not take any $$ frrom anyone, just boots up their reputation?

thanks,

how does that boost their reputation? Reputation is based on satisfied REAL customers freedback not on how many watches you appear to sell. I like many others list on TRF and on Ebay so I post it as sold on TRF when watch is sold that doesn't mean I sold it on TRF sometimes I do sometimes I don't .So monitoring isn't possible.As an example one of my recent sales was based on my TRF listing but the buyer isn't a TRF member so how do you monitor that?

[carrera12]

It sounds like it will be close to impossible to sell anything here even with an authenticated watch, proper documents/certifications with serial#, original receipts, verification from the AD- if the TRF member (new or old) has, 1. no reputation, 2. no feedback or references. Could this be the reason why sellers may be boosting their reputation per OP?

[dhh]

Why can't the mods just require all members to provide a verified address or bank account for membership - essentially being like a verified PayPal member.

Maybe a $100/year membership paid only by wire transfer could also work.

Anything to stop anonymity would be welcomed.

[2careless]

Originally Posted by dhh

Why can't the mods just require all members to provide a verified address or bank account for membership - essentially being like a verified PayPal member.

Maybe a $100/year membership paid only by wire transfer could also work.

Anything to stop anonymity would be welcomed.

The forum is not running as a business and the forum cannot afford to be tied to any perception of financial association with the buyer or the seller.

The mods can ask for proof of possession or more in-detail photos when sellers post their ad but that's about it on what they can do, or the mods can pull the ad.

The bottom line is that buyers should do their due diligence on their purchase.

It's a jungle out there.

[chsu74]

I have bought 2 watches here on TRF and do not post much. I appreciate watches but my world does not revolve around it. If I sell watches in the future, am I considered a risky seller because I am a lurker?

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by chsu74

I have bought 2 watches here on TRF and do not post much. I appreciate watches but my world does not revolve around it. If I sell watches in the future, am I considered a risky seller because I am a lurker?

Not if you pay the $100 yearly membership fee as suggested above.

[carrera12]

IMHO, I think it really boils down to having buyer's protection and assurance when purchasing an item whether from a reputable seller or from a watch collector with zero to a few feedbacks.

[BarkMaster]

Originally Posted by carrera12

IMHO, I think it really boils down to having buyer's protection and assurance when purchasing an item whether from a reputable seller or from a watch collector with zero to a few feedbacks.

Exactly.

There has been at least one case of a "reputable" person on TRF doing some shady dealing and getting caught, so that is not a foolproof way to do business.

Buyer Beware: C.Y.A. whether you trust them or not.

[Numismatist]

Sellers need to be wary as well...scams work in both directions.

[Matt18]

What we need is a third party exchange. For a small fee, the third party could accept funds, verify authenticity of the watch and then complete the transaction by forwarding the funds and watch to the buyer/seller respectively.

[InVision]

I would not think any seller who post sold is trying to fake boosting their sales. They are probably still answering PMs and EMAILs just to tell the inquirers that the item is sold.

What really matters is the feedback in Who's Who and anyone who is thinking of purchasing should check references with the buyers and sellers should check with past sellers.

Mike