Honesty or not?

wormz777 · 24th April 2003

This is inspired by my recent sale of my camera.

I feel that being too honest about my stuff like annoucing its 3rd hand, exact physical conditions (some ppl just put good when there are scratches), the exact price I acquired at (even when I got it from someone else) etc. Instead of being rewarded by a quick sale, the value of my stuff was getting pushed down by the next bidder.

Maybe this is the real world, but would you do the same as I did if you were to sell some of your stuff next time?

lavenderlilz · 24th April 2003

It is precisely for such reasons that I do not like discussing the state or condition of the product & would rather discuss the matter by PM.

No offence intended to anyone in CS but I think some EQ needs to be exercised at times.

iceman · 24th April 2003

i believe in honesty. reason being :

a. it may be easier to sell your stuff the next time as it would have built up some confidence in your buyer. if you did not tell the truth or try to cover up, the buyer would have lost his confidence in you and there would be no further deals.

b. it would not disappoint both the seller and buyer. imagine when the buyer realise that the goods does not match his expectation and both would end up wasting their time.

of course, telling the truth may lead to what you have said - but at least your conscience is clear.

lavenderlilz · 24th April 2003

Oops I don't mean covering up but I would rather tell the truth via PM than have my thread mobbed by people who deemed themselves fit to put a value on my item when they haven't even seen the thing itself.

Falcon · 24th April 2003

It is good to be honest in your sales. Main reason is that you will feel more at ease when selling. If you try to hide some details and later found out by the buyer, then u might end up in a rather awkward situation. Imagine going down all the way to meet the buyer and he/she finds a slight scratch on the camera and demands an explanation. The best way is to put yrself in the shoes of the buyers.

Falcon · 24th April 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by iceman

of course, telling the truth may lead to what you have said - but at least your conscience is clear.

100% agree.

clive · 24th April 2003

wormz, dont think that way.

unless u intend to be a con-man, it is always better to be an honest seller when sellign things like cameras. of course u dont have to give exact prices in quotes since reasonably rounded off figures will suffice. in the long run, being honest will serve to make u a convincing person. and your deals will feel much better than if u had not disclosed any undesirable aspect (eg faulty parts)of what u r tryign to sell. of course if in any case u r genuinely unaware of any such aspects..then its not your fault. thats why we will always oblige to let others test the gear b4 they buy. same goes for if u r the buyer, u will feel more comfortable buying from an honest seller

if u suspect the other party to be shady or up to no good, u can always decline his deal; unless u want to play his game too..which will only make u tired in the end. there will always be one or 2 people who intend to rip u...just be honest, play ur part of the fair trade, if the other party intends to or actually plays foul...then drop the deal and move on.

Knighthunter · 24th April 2003

I think honesty is good but not all people appreciate it....unfortunately in the real world quite often bad people thrive on the honest people expense.
So, if I am buying things I will look at the seller's attitude and the goods condition if I am like it I buy it , if I do not like it I just give it a miss.
Same thing if I am selling my stuffs, I try to give appropriate information about the condition and if the buyer still doesn't like it also doesn't matter to me.
Like what my friend said, we may need to sell our goods to get cash but absolutely we are not a BEGGAR.

iceman · 24th April 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by lavenderlilz
Oops I don't mean covering up but I would rather tell the truth via PM than have my thread mobbed by people who deemed themselves fit to put a value on my item when they haven't even seen the thing itself.

lavender :

my reply has nothing to doing with yours, it is not targeted at you.

just happen that we replied at the same time.

sorry if i caused some alarm.

as a side note, my job deals with handling project. once people lose confidence in you, you are in deep trouble and it is very difficult to win them back.

wormz777 · 24th April 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by clive
...in the long run, being honest will serve to make u a convincing person...

Yeah! One step towards being a more trustworthy seller! Next time bid higher for my stuff hor

Seriously, thanks for your encouragement. I do feel much better and WILL continue to sell my stuff the same manner I did for my present sale.

lavenderlilz · 24th April 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by iceman
lavender :

my reply has nothing to doing with yours, it is not targeted at you. just happen that we replied at the same time.

sorry if i caused some alarm.

Hey no worries. I didn't think you were targetting me. It was an after thot that I realised that my earlier post may cause misunderstanding.

Quote:

Originally posted by iceman
as a side note, my job deals with handling project. once people lose confidence in you, you are in deep trouble and it is very difficult to win them back.

Yes I completely agree with you about being honest. Trying to hedge & cover up will usually make things worse as people are more well informed these days.

I guess my point was that it would be better to tell the truth via PM instead of telling it in public. Not because I've got anything to hide but simply because the next bidder will use this as an excuse to push my price down & once you get someone doing this to you & even if he doesn't buy from you, will other people be willing to pay more as the impression is set in their minds by others that your item may not be worth as much? Afterall, we've all been buyers at one time or another & would always want the lowest possible price.

I mean which buyer would say to the seller, "Since you're so honest to a prospective buyer before me, I am more willing to pay more than the price he bidded."

wormz777 · 24th April 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by lavenderlilz
I mean which buyer would say to the seller, "Since you're so honest to a prospective buyer before me, I am more willing to pay more than the price he bidded."

This is so true and being too naive on my part

espn · 25th April 2003

I guess being honest is good, at least your conscience is clear. I mean you can't stop people from thinking wah 3rd hand 4th hand etc etc.

But this is all up to individuals lor. I would be honest too, cos I also hope others will be too when I purchase 2nd hand stuffs, so far so good, no problems at all.

What goes round comes around, nothing wrong with being honest with your goods.

wormzie: Cheer up... at least u did the right thing

Wai · 25th April 2003

since many pple own DC here....why not take a pic of the things u are intended to sell....much easier and accurate then to describe in words right?

hongsien · 25th April 2003

First: Good that you always want to be honest in your descriptions etc., not only for your conscience, it is just the way to go, lah!

For me, I don't really care if a camera is 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.-hand, as long as it still works and the condition is roughly as stated, and appreciate it off course if the seller described any faults on the item (preferably on the initial description). As I often use older cameras, it is off course impossible to find out how many people before me have used it. Anyway, this doesn't really makes a difference to the item. One user may be abusing it resulting it in a similar condition as a camera that has been used by maybe ten people.....

The main thing is: description, and description (this includes telling of any faults in advance, if it has, as this will save me from travelling al the way).
Especially with these digital cameras, it is not easy to find any faults, if it has, so it is extremely important that owners tell if it has any problems.

If a camera has problems and you tell the owner about it, you can roughly tell from their reaction how honest they were about it. They may genuinly not know about it though, so take that into consideration too. Just be people smart!

Hong Sien

hongsien · 25th April 2003

Regarding your problems: yes, it is better to place some pics of the item(s), this is easier, as you will always get these clowns who will push for the bottomrock (read: unreasonable) price for everything. Faults should be described, but description can be general like: some signs of use, or some scratches due to normal use, no dents or heavy brassings, no parts missing

Hong Sien

StreetShooter · 25th April 2003

I think the Golden Rule applies here, don't you? Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

If you're an interested buyer and make a special trip to inspect the item, only to find out it has an obvious defect which has not been mentioned, would you not be upset over the wasted time and inconvenience?

View Poll Results: Be very frank and precise about your stuff or not?
Very precise and honest evaluation of my stuff	22	75.86%
Just give a general description and hope for the best bid	7	24.14%
Voters: 29. You may not vote on this poll

24th April 2003	#1
wormz777 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: CCK Posts: 2,246	Honesty or not? This is inspired by my recent sale of my camera. I feel that being too honest about my stuff like annoucing its 3rd hand, exact physical conditions (some ppl just put good when there are scratches), the exact price I acquired at (even when I got it from someone else) etc. Instead of being rewarded by a quick sale, the value of my stuff was getting pushed down by the next bidder. Maybe this is the real world, but would you do the same as I did if you were to sell some of your stuff next time? __________________ www.coolblackbox.com Last edited by wormz777; 24th April 2003 at 10:48 PM.

24th April 2003	#8
Knighthunter Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Pigeon Hole in Mandalay Posts: 1,003	I think honesty is good but not all people appreciate it....unfortunately in the real world quite often bad people thrive on the honest people expense. So, if I am buying things I will look at the seller's attitude and the goods condition if I am like it I buy it , if I do not like it I just give it a miss. Same thing if I am selling my stuffs, I try to give appropriate information about the condition and if the buyer still doesn't like it also doesn't matter to me. Like what my friend said, we may need to sell our goods to get cash but absolutely we are not a BEGGAR. __________________ S&S RDX-500D Set, S&S DX-1G, S&S YS-110 Alpha

25th April 2003	#14
Wai Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: South Pole with Penguins Posts: 5,132	since many pple own DC here....why not take a pic of the things u are intended to sell....much easier and accurate then to describe in words right? __________________ We are HDD of PC & FT are MB add to storage; so PC never hangs with enormous storage capacity - LKY

24th April 2003	#2
lavenderlilz Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: hErE lAh Posts: 1,058	It is precisely for such reasons that I do not like discussing the state or condition of the product & would rather discuss the matter by PM. No offence intended to anyone in CS but I think some EQ needs to be exercised at times.

24th April 2003	#3
iceman Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: near e4 Posts: 413	i believe in honesty. reason being : a. it may be easier to sell your stuff the next time as it would have built up some confidence in your buyer. if you did not tell the truth or try to cover up, the buyer would have lost his confidence in you and there would be no further deals. b. it would not disappoint both the seller and buyer. imagine when the buyer realise that the goods does not match his expectation and both would end up wasting their time. of course, telling the truth may lead to what you have said - but at least your conscience is clear.

24th April 2003	#5
Falcon Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 2,870	It is good to be honest in your sales. Main reason is that you will feel more at ease when selling. If you try to hide some details and later found out by the buyer, then u might end up in a rather awkward situation. Imagine going down all the way to meet the buyer and he/she finds a slight scratch on the camera and demands an explanation. The best way is to put yrself in the shoes of the buyers.

24th April 2003	#7
clive Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 2,573	wormz, dont think that way. unless u intend to be a con-man, it is always better to be an honest seller when sellign things like cameras. of course u dont have to give exact prices in quotes since reasonably rounded off figures will suffice. in the long run, being honest will serve to make u a convincing person. and your deals will feel much better than if u had not disclosed any undesirable aspect (eg faulty parts)of what u r tryign to sell. of course if in any case u r genuinely unaware of any such aspects..then its not your fault. thats why we will always oblige to let others test the gear b4 they buy. same goes for if u r the buyer, u will feel more comfortable buying from an honest seller if u suspect the other party to be shady or up to no good, u can always decline his deal; unless u want to play his game too..which will only make u tired in the end. there will always be one or 2 people who intend to rip u...just be honest, play ur part of the fair trade, if the other party intends to or actually plays foul...then drop the deal and move on.

25th April 2003	#13
espn Deregistered Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Planet Nikon Posts: 22,045	I guess being honest is good, at least your conscience is clear. I mean you can't stop people from thinking wah 3rd hand 4th hand etc etc. But this is all up to individuals lor. I would be honest too, cos I also hope others will be too when I purchase 2nd hand stuffs, so far so good, no problems at all. What goes round comes around, nothing wrong with being honest with your goods. wormzie: Cheer up... at least u did the right thing

25th April 2003	#15
hongsien Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 2,904	First: Good that you always want to be honest in your descriptions etc., not only for your conscience, it is just the way to go, lah! For me, I don't really care if a camera is 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.-hand, as long as it still works and the condition is roughly as stated, and appreciate it off course if the seller described any faults on the item (preferably on the initial description). As I often use older cameras, it is off course impossible to find out how many people before me have used it. Anyway, this doesn't really makes a difference to the item. One user may be abusing it resulting it in a similar condition as a camera that has been used by maybe ten people..... The main thing is: description, and description (this includes telling of any faults in advance, if it has, as this will save me from travelling al the way). Especially with these digital cameras, it is not easy to find any faults, if it has, so it is extremely important that owners tell if it has any problems. If a camera has problems and you tell the owner about it, you can roughly tell from their reaction how honest they were about it. They may genuinly not know about it though, so take that into consideration too. Just be people smart! Hong Sien

25th April 2003	#17
StreetShooter Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Katong Posts: 4,702	I think the Golden Rule applies here, don't you? Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. If you're an interested buyer and make a special trip to inspect the item, only to find out it has an obvious defect which has not been mentioned, would you not be upset over the wasted time and inconvenience?