Double standards in CS..

[excelglsi]

While in August a member post a thread name: The LX-3 Mass Order Thread... It went thru smoothly n got more than 20 pages... For mi I just merely wanted to share a price info on the new G1 here but twice being deleted n also got an warning..

How came like tat... Why double standard? Anyone care to share why like this..


Here the thread..http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=409520

[zaxh81]

Last time when there is any deletion of threads, mods will explain why.
Now got new generation taking over, i guess different handling.

[excelglsi]

They did say tat since I am making money out this MO. Than I must pay them also... But i did not make any $ out of this MO... Just wan to gather more ppl to get tat G1 for more bargaining power just like the LX3 MO... Sian

[dorts]

Agreed. Where is the explanation? Why did the LX-3 thread stay on while the G-1 didn't?

The thread just got deleted without any explanation. It would be much better and clearer if the thread was closed instead, including a reason for doing so.

I also don't see anywhere where it states that such threads are not allowed. Please point me to it, thanks.

[bahibo]

huh , i'm not involved ,but how come excelglsi got deregistered already ?

[eow]

what happened ? so far we heard only one side of the story.

[weishengg]

wah, why on earth did he get deregistered?

[dorts]

Those who didn't see his thread. It was about the Panasonic G-1 and it's pricing. I think he said something regarding MO of the G-1, and trying to get a better price. I can't remember what exactly he said though.

[shuee88]

cs have change since taken over by the newer generations.. so for our side what we can do is get permission frm the mods first and of course if it is nt in our favor then we should do somethigns else or even try to mind our own biz liao... too bad the world is like tat.... =| just sharing my opionion, if i gt deregister or acct susspended then i really gt nthing to say liao.

[roygoh]

OK, let me address the 2 main questions in this thread:

1. Is CS holding double standards against MO organizers?
2. Why is excelglsi deregistered

Our policy is that any commercial sellers should register for a subscription based "Advertiser" account. The reason is simple. If a member makes money through CS then it is only fair that some of that profit is contributed towards keeping CS up and running. For members intending to organise non-profit group purchases we request them to get clearance from the admins first.

The LX-3 MO thread referred to by excelglsi was allowed to run because it was stated clearly upfront by the TS that it was to gather enough members to buy that camera from a particular shop as a group for a better price. Based on that we did not ask the TS to seek explicit clearance from the admin.

excelglsi's original thread titled "MO for Panasonic Lumix G1" was not clear enough to us that it was non profit. That's why it was deleted. By "delete" I mean the thread was removed from public view but still exists on the server. A reminder was sent to him, requesting him to get clearance from the admins first.

Instead of doing that, he created another thread within the same day titled "Got Lobang on panasonic G1" and declared that he does not gain from the sale, plus comments like "my earlier thread got deleted ALL BECAUSE of I put the word MO" and "So ADMIN will I stil get a second warning?"

At this point since a request has already been made for excelglsi to contact the admin before posting the MO, the thread was removed again. The issue was brought up to the attention of our admin Darren and he agreed that if it is non profit it is allowable but he wants to get more information from excelglsi to verify that it is non profit for real.

A mod sent a PM to excelglsi:

Quote: hi, please contact CS Admins Darren or Edmund regarding your 2nd-attempt at posting a MO thread. i believe i have advise you to contact them after your prior thread. they would like to know more details before moving your thread back into view. your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

And our friend gave the following response:

Quote: Helo, dont u get it... I did not gain a single cent out of this info... Do wat ever u like...

On top of that, he started this thread in feedback accusing CS of holding double standards.

All it would have taken was a PM from him to the admins explaining the situation and things would have turned out a lot differently. His account was deregistered not because he tried to organise a non profit MO, but mainly because of his refusal to coorperate with the admins and mods.

-Roy

[roygoh]

Originally Posted by zaxh81 Last time when there is any deletion of threads, mods will explain why. Now got new generation taking over, i guess different handling.

That's a baseless accusation. See my post above.

To add to that, we are not obligated to give reasons for thread deletion as stated clearly in our terms of use. Having said that we do try our best to provide reasons but only to the TS most of the time.

[roygoh]

Originally Posted by dorts The thread just got deleted without any explanation. It would be much better and clearer if the thread was closed instead, including a reason for doing so.

For certain threads that contain posts in violation of guidelines, we can simply close and leave visible, but others have to be deleted for obvious reasons.

For example, there is no buying or selling of non photography related items allowed anywhere on CS. If there is such a thread then isn't it obvious that it has to be deleted instead of just closed?

[roygoh]

Originally Posted by shuee88 cs have change since taken over by the newer generations.. so for our side what we can do is get permission frm the mods first and of course if it is nt in our favor then we should do somethigns else or even try to mind our own biz liao... too bad the world is like tat.... =| just sharing my opionion, if i gt deregister or acct susspended then i really gt nthing to say liao.

This post does nothing but to spread negative feelings. If you are still visiting CS that means you are getting something out of it. So why focus only on the negative side?

[vince123123]

One question I have, if there is an exception for non-profit MOs, should this exception be stated clearly in an official statement or rule somewhere (maybe in the thread regarding paying to start MOs) so that there won't be further misunderstanding? I wasn't really aware there was such an exception.

On an enforcement part, how does the Admin/Mod ensure that the MO is really non-profit?

If this works out well, it will be good, because I have wanted to start such non profit MOs for quite a while with an intention to share shipping/bring unavailable products in Singapore to other CSers.

Thanks!

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

Originally Posted by vince123123 One question I have, if there is an exception for non-profit MOs, should this exception be stated clearly in an official statement or rule somewhere (maybe in the thread regarding paying to start MOs) so that there won't be further misunderstanding? I wasn't really aware there was such an exception. On an enforcement part, how does the Admin/Mod ensure that the MO is really non-profit? If this works out well, it will be good, because I have wanted to start such non profit MOs for quite a while with an intention to share shipping/bring unavailable products in Singapore to other CSers. Thanks!

Transparency is the key, for most MOs that are non-profit, the easiest way is to be transparent and state upfront the cost involve, the shipping charges, etc...

For eg,

MO for xxx.
Item cost - $9.90 per item before shipping
Minimum number to go ahead - 20
Maximum number for this MO - 30 (dun wanna incur gst, etc)
Shipping cost - $20

Then you can scan the invoice to show everyone that you don't profit from it.

Its like the post refered by the TS, the other guy just consolidate the list and money was not given to him for deposit or otherwise, list given to the vendor and the nicks in the list will be given the discount.

Anyway, this is just my idea... you guys may offer some ideas of how to be transparent in the ways to conduct non-profit MOs in CS. Pm me if needed, then i consolidate and propose. If its a win-win situation, and nobody is exploiting anyone of us, i think its definitely better for the entire society.

[roygoh]

Good questions Vince123123.

If we are going to discuss about how we can conduct non-profit MOs on CS I'd relly hate to have that discussed in this thread...the thread title is just too offensive.

I believe I have addressed the 2 main questions raised in this thread, so I am hereby closing it.

If anyone has good suggestions about how to conduct non-profit MOs on CS please start a new thread in feedback. I am not promising anything on behalf of the entire admin/mod team. But a healthy discussion is always welcomed.

Thanks!
-Roy