Knimrod
10-21-2006, 02:06 PM
Michigan Gun Owners is happy to provide a place where sellers and buyers can meet.
This service is provided free of charge. Consequently, Michigan Gun Owners does not endorse, sponsor, sanction, or guarantee any of the products, services, or ads that appear in the MGO Marketplace. All sales are private matters between the buyer and the seller. Buyers and sellers should do their own due diligence when buying or selling any item. This should include obtaining the proper licensing (if applicable) and verifying the legalities involved with the sale, purchase, and/or possession of any firearm, weapon or accessory.
MGO does not retain archives for information in the classified forums for any period exceeding 60 days.
Classified Ads
The classified "For Sale" forums in the marketplace are for private sales of private merchandise only. No ads for commercial merchandise or services are permitted in these forums.
Commercial Ads
Commercial Dealers that are Contributing Members may place ads for specific goods or services in the "Commercial Dealers" forum provided the ads offer such goods or services at a special rate or discount to all MGO members. Regular business advertising is not permitted in the Marketplace but can be achieved through our banner advertising program (http://www.migunowners.org/index.php?page=advertise) at very reasonable rates.
What defines a commercial dealer? Meeting any one of the following criteria will serve to define what constitutes a commercial dealer.
A "Commercial Dealer"...
...conducts a trade or business that is primarily operated in a typical commercial manner.
...primarily operates on a profit basis rather than a cost-recovery basis.
...primarily operates in competition with taxable entities carrying on in the same trade or business.
...offers goods and/or services being sold under an assumed name, or in the name of a corporation, a subchapter S corporation, a limited liability company, a partnership, or a limited liability partnership.
...collects sales tax.
...requires a form 4473 to be filled out when selling a firearm.
Interpretation of this criteria is at the sole discretion of the forum staff.
black
Rules and Guidelines
Here are some basic rules to follow:
If you want to sell here, please participate here.
Make sure your user profile is up to date with your contact information and location.
Do not post for sale or solicit the sale of any drugs.
Do not post for sale or solicit the sale of anything pornographic.
Do not post for sale or solicit the sale of anything that may be illegal.
If you are listing an item for sale, include the item's location in your ad.
If you are here solely to promote or sell your non-firearm related commercial goods, please do not advertise them here.
Once your item has sold or no longer for sale, please reply to your thread to update the status as "SOLD" or otherwise.
Please do not "bump" your classified advertisement more than once in a 24 hour period. You may reply to your ad with new information or pricing anytime. However, replying to your ad within 24 hours of your last reply for the sole purpose of moving it to the top of the listing is prohibited.
You must be in control of or have possession of the item you are advertising. You may not post a classified ad for a third party.
Here are some basic guidelines to follow:
Know who you are dealing with. It may be helpful to examine the post history of a user to see if they have contributed in a meaningful way to the other forums.
Communicate clearly. If you are the buyer, make sure that you know exactly what you are buying. If you are the seller, make sure you communicate exactly what you are selling. Most problems come up when users misunderstand something about the transaction.
The seller should always include an asking price in the ad. You can always ask for a higher amount and then take the best offer.
"Or Best offer" (OBO) is generally taken to mean best offer under the asking price. If an ad states a price along with "or best offer" ("OBO"), the price is considered to be the asking price that assures a sale and any offers lower than the asking price will be considered. Soliciting best offers over an asking price would effectively be an auction and not a classified ad. This is a classified advertising forum.
When the term "firm" accompanies a price, this means that the price is fixed and no lower offers will be considered at this time.
Use some common sense. People who feel comfortable sending money to someone they've never met for something they've never seen are bound to eventually receive a nasty surprise. That doesn't mean that you can't trade online. Just use some common sense precautions, like contacting the other party by phone and exchanging all the relevant contact information before proceeding with a transaction.
Be patient. There are few cons out there but the ones that exist online survive by moving the transaction along quickly. It is way better to miss out on a hot item at a good price than it is to lose money on a product that never arrives.
If something goes wrong, don't panic. Don't go public with a bunch of wild assertions. Use the contact information you got before the sale took place and put it to good use. Be friendly as you negotiate a resolution to the problem. If you put the other person on the defensive, your chance of working with that person drops to nearly zero.
Proceed with Caution
Be suspicious of anyone who is vague, uses delay tactics, seems inconsistent, or who is trying to motivate you to close on a deal faster than a reasonable person would expect. Because of the nature of the items typically listed here, be careful of any condition or request that may be considered illegal.
General Information
A sale will usually be made to the first person who says "I'll take it". However, the manner in which a transaction proceeds is really up to the seller. Keep that in mind. Sometimes, people get upset because a seller makes a deal with someone who doesn't appear to have provided the first response to the listing. The seller can sell to whoever he wants. He has to protect himself just like the buyer does, so it behooves him to sell the item to the person he trusts the most.
Likewise, some sellers get upset when a buyer backs out. The buyer might get cold feet because he decides the seller isn't trustworthy. Or it may be because he realizes that he can't spare the cash after all. It isn't unethical for the buyer to change his mind, even though it can be frustrating at times.
Keeping the above in mind, here is an example on how a transaction can logically take place:
The seller lists the item, providing a price or asking for "best offer".
Several buyers respond.
The seller communicates to each of them exactly what they are buying and answers any questions they may have.
One or several buyers commits to the purchase.
The seller chooses a buyer and posts in the thread to say "I am selling the item to ...". Since the buyer may be sending money during the next step, he should insist that the seller mention him by name in the post. That way the seller can't make arrangements to multiple buyers.
At this point, the buyer and seller can make arrangements for payment and shipping or a face to face transaction...
If the transaction is not going to occur face to face, the buyer sends payment by the seller's chosen means while the seller waits patiently for the payment. If the seller said he would accept a check (probably not a very good idea) then he should expect to wait at least a week. When the the seller receives payment in full (check must clear), he then ships the item and posts to the thread to say "item shipped". It would also be a good idea to PM the tracking information to the buyer.
It would be nice if every transaction went smoothly, but in real life people make mistakes. Sometimes people are even out to cheat other people. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. So you need to be on your guard.
Unfortunately, there isn't always much you can do when a transaction goes bad. So that means you need to be really careful about who you are dealing with. Never be afraid to back out of a deal if you start to feel like it isn't going to work out.
When something does go horribly wrong and you seem to be getting the short end of the stick, think constructively about what can be done to solve the problem. Focus on what you can do. Too many people get frustrated and angry way too quickly, destroying the possibility of reaching common ground.
Remember that the clearer you are in your communication with the other party the less likely it is that you will have a problem. And if you do have a problem, all that clear communication will come in handy.
Good luck!
This service is provided free of charge. Consequently, Michigan Gun Owners does not endorse, sponsor, sanction, or guarantee any of the products, services, or ads that appear in the MGO Marketplace. All sales are private matters between the buyer and the seller. Buyers and sellers should do their own due diligence when buying or selling any item. This should include obtaining the proper licensing (if applicable) and verifying the legalities involved with the sale, purchase, and/or possession of any firearm, weapon or accessory.
MGO does not retain archives for information in the classified forums for any period exceeding 60 days.
Classified Ads
The classified "For Sale" forums in the marketplace are for private sales of private merchandise only. No ads for commercial merchandise or services are permitted in these forums.
Commercial Ads
Commercial Dealers that are Contributing Members may place ads for specific goods or services in the "Commercial Dealers" forum provided the ads offer such goods or services at a special rate or discount to all MGO members. Regular business advertising is not permitted in the Marketplace but can be achieved through our banner advertising program (http://www.migunowners.org/index.php?page=advertise) at very reasonable rates.
What defines a commercial dealer? Meeting any one of the following criteria will serve to define what constitutes a commercial dealer.
A "Commercial Dealer"...
...conducts a trade or business that is primarily operated in a typical commercial manner.
...primarily operates on a profit basis rather than a cost-recovery basis.
...primarily operates in competition with taxable entities carrying on in the same trade or business.
...offers goods and/or services being sold under an assumed name, or in the name of a corporation, a subchapter S corporation, a limited liability company, a partnership, or a limited liability partnership.
...collects sales tax.
...requires a form 4473 to be filled out when selling a firearm.
Interpretation of this criteria is at the sole discretion of the forum staff.
black
Rules and Guidelines
Here are some basic rules to follow:
If you want to sell here, please participate here.
Make sure your user profile is up to date with your contact information and location.
Do not post for sale or solicit the sale of any drugs.
Do not post for sale or solicit the sale of anything pornographic.
Do not post for sale or solicit the sale of anything that may be illegal.
If you are listing an item for sale, include the item's location in your ad.
If you are here solely to promote or sell your non-firearm related commercial goods, please do not advertise them here.
Once your item has sold or no longer for sale, please reply to your thread to update the status as "SOLD" or otherwise.
Please do not "bump" your classified advertisement more than once in a 24 hour period. You may reply to your ad with new information or pricing anytime. However, replying to your ad within 24 hours of your last reply for the sole purpose of moving it to the top of the listing is prohibited.
You must be in control of or have possession of the item you are advertising. You may not post a classified ad for a third party.
Here are some basic guidelines to follow:
Know who you are dealing with. It may be helpful to examine the post history of a user to see if they have contributed in a meaningful way to the other forums.
Communicate clearly. If you are the buyer, make sure that you know exactly what you are buying. If you are the seller, make sure you communicate exactly what you are selling. Most problems come up when users misunderstand something about the transaction.
The seller should always include an asking price in the ad. You can always ask for a higher amount and then take the best offer.
"Or Best offer" (OBO) is generally taken to mean best offer under the asking price. If an ad states a price along with "or best offer" ("OBO"), the price is considered to be the asking price that assures a sale and any offers lower than the asking price will be considered. Soliciting best offers over an asking price would effectively be an auction and not a classified ad. This is a classified advertising forum.
When the term "firm" accompanies a price, this means that the price is fixed and no lower offers will be considered at this time.
Use some common sense. People who feel comfortable sending money to someone they've never met for something they've never seen are bound to eventually receive a nasty surprise. That doesn't mean that you can't trade online. Just use some common sense precautions, like contacting the other party by phone and exchanging all the relevant contact information before proceeding with a transaction.
Be patient. There are few cons out there but the ones that exist online survive by moving the transaction along quickly. It is way better to miss out on a hot item at a good price than it is to lose money on a product that never arrives.
If something goes wrong, don't panic. Don't go public with a bunch of wild assertions. Use the contact information you got before the sale took place and put it to good use. Be friendly as you negotiate a resolution to the problem. If you put the other person on the defensive, your chance of working with that person drops to nearly zero.
Proceed with Caution
Be suspicious of anyone who is vague, uses delay tactics, seems inconsistent, or who is trying to motivate you to close on a deal faster than a reasonable person would expect. Because of the nature of the items typically listed here, be careful of any condition or request that may be considered illegal.
General Information
A sale will usually be made to the first person who says "I'll take it". However, the manner in which a transaction proceeds is really up to the seller. Keep that in mind. Sometimes, people get upset because a seller makes a deal with someone who doesn't appear to have provided the first response to the listing. The seller can sell to whoever he wants. He has to protect himself just like the buyer does, so it behooves him to sell the item to the person he trusts the most.
Likewise, some sellers get upset when a buyer backs out. The buyer might get cold feet because he decides the seller isn't trustworthy. Or it may be because he realizes that he can't spare the cash after all. It isn't unethical for the buyer to change his mind, even though it can be frustrating at times.
Keeping the above in mind, here is an example on how a transaction can logically take place:
The seller lists the item, providing a price or asking for "best offer".
Several buyers respond.
The seller communicates to each of them exactly what they are buying and answers any questions they may have.
One or several buyers commits to the purchase.
The seller chooses a buyer and posts in the thread to say "I am selling the item to ...". Since the buyer may be sending money during the next step, he should insist that the seller mention him by name in the post. That way the seller can't make arrangements to multiple buyers.
At this point, the buyer and seller can make arrangements for payment and shipping or a face to face transaction...
If the transaction is not going to occur face to face, the buyer sends payment by the seller's chosen means while the seller waits patiently for the payment. If the seller said he would accept a check (probably not a very good idea) then he should expect to wait at least a week. When the the seller receives payment in full (check must clear), he then ships the item and posts to the thread to say "item shipped". It would also be a good idea to PM the tracking information to the buyer.
It would be nice if every transaction went smoothly, but in real life people make mistakes. Sometimes people are even out to cheat other people. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. So you need to be on your guard.
Unfortunately, there isn't always much you can do when a transaction goes bad. So that means you need to be really careful about who you are dealing with. Never be afraid to back out of a deal if you start to feel like it isn't going to work out.
When something does go horribly wrong and you seem to be getting the short end of the stick, think constructively about what can be done to solve the problem. Focus on what you can do. Too many people get frustrated and angry way too quickly, destroying the possibility of reaching common ground.
Remember that the clearer you are in your communication with the other party the less likely it is that you will have a problem. And if you do have a problem, all that clear communication will come in handy.
Good luck!