Crikey! This thread seems to have exploded somewhat. I certainly didn't mean to ignite a controversy but I did think it would be helpful to add some perspective. Hopefully this will add some more - you’ll have to take my word for it that I do it with the best of intentions.
As a new member interested in ukuleles (for you rainbow21
) one of the first places I looked was at the “for sale ads” and King David’s warning was one of the first posts I saw. It’s a perfectly sensible warning and more importantly
very specific to scammers jumping on WTB ads to offer to relieve honest people of their money. He also pointed to the fact that there had already been victims. Absolutely nothing wrong with the warning. People will have different views of how prevalent scammers are based on their own experience but regardless King David’s warning was specific and valuable.
The reason I added to the thread was a) because it’s a subject I know a little about and b) to warn against taking the clear and specific warning King David made to extremes in relation to new members. A scammer can only scam someone by getting something valuable from them.
One of the first things I saw on this site was an ad for a uke I was interested in. As it happens I’d just spent the last few weeks agonising over a ukulele and eventually blown my budget and spent double what I intended on a very nice ukulele which is scheduled to arrive tomorrow – so the last thing I need or can afford is to buy another uke effectively tripling my spend.
Nevertheless there was the uke staring at me so – I’m sure you all know this feeling - so I inquired after it when my resistance crumbled (about 30 mins). The seller very politely replied that he/she wouldn’t entertain dealing with a new member because of all the scamming. I MAKE NO CRITICISM OF THE SELLER –
BUT for my part I couldn’t make sense of the objection since in this case I would be handing over money and entirely trusting the seller to send me a ukulele as described. Not the other way round.
So it occurred to me that despite King David’s very clear and specific warning the injunction against scammers might be misinterpreted as a general warning against dealing with new members in situations of little or no risk or making people overly nervous. I would imagine the two ways in which a new member would build their reputation initially would be by making purchases rather than selling and getting to know other members by making lots of posts (although there would still be a leap of faith when buying from them) selling to them poses little to no risk except as I described.
rainbow21’s comment confirmed that I was right to think the general concern about scammers might be going a little far but King David certainly didn’t advise being suspicious of all new members in all circumstances and where people are being scammed of $1000 that is a real and serious issue.
Anyway I thought I’d add what I considered a sensible and helpful perspective and I hope it still is. There’s a risk buying from a new member, there’s little risk selling to one apart from shipping scams as I described and there’s certainly no risk from a new member posting a comment.
I hope that’s of some help. Sorry for going on and I certainly didn’t mean to get anyone’s back up. I genuinely believe that as people it helps to understand different perspectives and as a community everyone should be looking out for each other. The original warning is a valuable one but we should also be sensible in assessing risk.
Best wishes – and thanks for all the contributions. It’s a great forum.