Back when people were selling Wii's on ebay, there was a lot of fraud. Ebay required that sellers post photos of their Wii's with a handwritten sign in front that said 'Ebay' and the number of their auction. Perhaps buyers can request something similar -- a sign in front of the uke that says 'ukulele underground', the username, and the date, just as suggested. That extra requirement of writing 'ukulele underground' and username on a sign in front of the uke might make it tougher than just requiring a date stamp, bc that sort of thing can be more easily photoshopped.
Back when people were selling Wii's on ebay, there was a lot of fraud. Ebay required that sellers post photos of their Wii's with a handwritten sign in front that said 'Ebay' and the number of their auction. Perhaps buyers can request something similar -- a sign in front of the uke that says 'ukulele underground', the username, and the date, just as suggested. That extra requirement of writing 'ukulele underground' and username on a sign in front of the uke might make it tougher than just requiring a date stamp, bc that sort of thing can be more easily photoshopped.
The handwritten sign can be pretty easy to photoshop as well ... good intention but I suspect if someone were really wanting to scam somebody, this will not deter them by much.
The handwritten sign can be pretty easy to photoshop as well ... good intention but I suspect if someone were really wanting to scam somebody, this will not deter them by much.
I agree. we're currently working on a new service for those looking to buy and sell ukes with confidence on UU. Sorry its taking a little longer than we'd like to roll it out, we need to get approvals from some companies first. Hopefully once we get it up though, it will make everyone feel a little safer buying things from people here in the uke marketplace
The handwritten sign can be pretty easy to photoshop as well ... good intention but I suspect if someone were really wanting to scam somebody, this will not deter them by much.
Require a video and you should be OK. It doesn't even have to be played. Just video it. Have the buyer ask for unusual angles or videotaped with a dated newspaper.
phone quality being what it is, it would be just as easy to hold the phone up to the speakers and play a youtube vid.
Let's not get carried away here folks, there should be steps taken to protect buyers and sellers, yes, but the nature of the beast is such that no matter how many hurdles there are, if someone is determined enough, they'll jump through all of them. Let's just set the bar high enough to filter out the idiots and the spammers
Why don't we wait and see what Ryan comes up with. At that time, maybe he can implement some of the suggested ideas. Think about this, prior to this incident, how many instruments have changed hands?. As far as I know, all the transactions taken place on UU through the Marketplace have been successful and problem free. This says a lot about the integrity and honesty of the folks here on UU.
Thanks but I think you’re referring to Ronnie haha
My hats off to Ryan and UU for wanting to make as secure an environment as possible for people to transact. Just be careful that it’s a level playing field – that the seller has as much obligation as the buyer. At the end of the day though, this is a private party transaction and anyone that goes into it without the usual caveat emptor of “buyer beware” probably should not be transacting in the first place.
You guys (UU) can only do so much ... don’t bother moving mountains just to get an ounce of salt.
People should have an absolute right to return any instrument (or anything else for that matter) purchased through the UU as long as they pay the return shipping. This should be always, every time, non-negotiable.
People should have an absolute right to return any instrument (or anything else for that matter) purchased through the UU as long as they pay the return shipping. This should be always, every time, non-negotiable.
So the owner pays shipping to a buyer of, say, $50+, and when the buyer tries it out and doesn't "like it", he only pays return shipping? Pretty costly for the seller.
I think the rights of a buyer should include a public posting by seller of ukulele brand, price and photos on UU Marketplace. Sounds common sense, right? Well, there have been many recent postings with no price (what is this, a UU auction?), no photos at all, and now, no mention of what instrument is even being sold. These should be mandatory, not suggestions or "good ideas". It's common sense to most, but apparently not to all.