Buying from Sailroom

gandy

gandy

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I've almost managed to buy something from Sailroom, so that's a start. I like the idea of supporting it in preference to Ebay, but there's a way to go yet.

I think the key has to be getting traders to list "buy it now" items on the sort of scale that you see on Ebay. I don't know what sort of incentive would be needed, maybe some sort of tool to help them put up great loads of stuff?
 
Please be patient - it is coming soon, or so I believe........can't say more at the moment - nudge, nudge, wink, wink /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
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"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"
sailroom <span style="color:red">The place to auction your previously loved boatie bits</span>
 
I've bought and sold things on there and so far it has gone pretty smoothly and I have been impressed.
I agree I hope that more and more "ebay" traders start selling on sailroom, I find it a lot easier to find stuff than on ebay where there is so much cr8p.

Marc.
 
As you have commented I'm allowed a short reply and as Cliff says , please be patient . I've got plenty of plans in line to do just as you suggest and once other minor adjustments are completed there are a few nice surprises coming , I'm not going to go into too much detail , but the clock is ticking and once everything is right , I think you'll be more than satisfied with the results . Put simply ,,,, watch this space /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Hi
I guess the reason its easy to find stuff is that it is still in its infancy. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
That said, I wish the owners all the best in this.
I hate ebay - too many slimy thieves who aren't policed properly by an organisation you can't get hold of. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
I've had pretty good service from the traders and private sellers on Ebay, and have saved loads of cash compared to more traditional routes.

As I said, there's a way to go before the same range is offered on Sailroom, but meanwhile I'm quite happy to check there first before turning to Ebay. From what has just been said it sounds like it will be starting to really get going.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hi
I guess the reason its easy to find stuff is that it is still in its infancy. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
That said, I wish the owners all the best in this.
I hate ebay - too many slimy thieves who aren't policed properly by an organisation you can't get hold of. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Not sure how you are supposed to police the slimy thieves amongst millions of auctions. I have bought and sold some fairly expensive stuff on ebay and find that the feedback system tends to identify the honest traders.

I have had fairly quick responses to emails regarding various issues, and have seen traders/auctions shut down as a result of some of my communications.

I have also received 1 paypal refund as a result of a non delivered item, (the only one in 4 years, and that was because the guy was a prat rather than a slimy thief).

As far as finding stuff.... never had a problem with most things... even quite obscure stuff.

Plenty of dodgy dealers on the high street... e.g. If you buy a mobile phone from a high street shop that opened yesterday, and you give them a deposit, only to find the shop isnt there when you go to collect.......

or you buy some insurance from a "reputable" firm, and find it doesnt cover your loss when you come to claim, due to some well disguised small print....

"You have won a prize! Call 09xxx xxxxxx to claim"

and so on......

all I'm saying is that it is not only ebay which has these kinds of issues.

If sailroom gets as big as dave would probably like, it will probably have similar issues.... just part of lifes' rich pattern.

Cheers

Richard
 
Why does every item have "no bids" against it?

Are there really no bids or is there some issue with the software

Not sure I'd want to put stuff on a site where nothing has a bid.
 
On a thread recently there were a few comments about the fact that there was never anything on the site so this problem has been dealt with thanks to the loyalty and continued perseverance of those willing to sell on the site , and expectations are high that there will be quite a few nice surprises coming soon . But people seem to be waiting until the auctions are due to end before going in and bidding , a bit like they do on e bay but it's just more obvious on a site like this . The recent rush on the sale of thread gribleys shows what happens towards the end of an auction and this has happened on quite a few items , and the sellers will probably be in a better position to comment on this than I am . But as plans progress the level of activity is expected to dramatically increase , it's a case of which came first , the chicken or the egg . The sellers are now there , and the buyers are on the way , but there's no point promoting an auction site that's empty . Judging by the level of users joining in , it's all coming together nicely .
 
Sorry, I've said it before but if I have something to sell I want it to be seen where the maximum amount of prospective buyers will see it and at the moment that is not Sailroom. I don't see the point of sentimentally supporting an internet auction site because it is owned by someone I vaguely know from an Internet forum.
I also want to be able to look at people's feedback score that will actually show more than one or two transactions if even that.
I have been very pleased with all transactions that i have made on Ebay (selling and Buying) and have not yet been ripped off. I don't see problem with finding things, they have an excellent search facility.
I think you have to be a careful buyer and do your research first before bidding on any item. Yes there are idiots who will pay more for an item on ebay than you can buy it brand new with a guaranteer, thankfully I'm not one of them.
I know it is very difficult for something like sailroom to get off the ground but once the rest of the world has decided to go with one thing (remember betamax versus vhs) then it is very difficult for other players to get a foothold in the market.

Long live ebay.
 
Personally I hate this bidding business. I reckon the "buy it now" or "best offer" type deal is the way to go.

Maybe Sailroom could fix some gripes that I have with the Ebay bidding system?

(1) On Ebay a bid is a one-way commitment. You can't withdraw your bid except under special circumstances, but the seller is free to end the auction and withdraw the item from sale.

(2) The commitment doesn't end once you're out bid - you still may be expected to honour your bid if the high bidder defaults. So if you're outbid on one widget then you're not yet free to place a bid on an alternative.

Neither of those two apply in a real auction.
 
I'm sure (2) is not correct. If the winning bidder defaults it does not impose an obligation to purchase on the next bidder. The seller has a binding contract with the winning bidder, no-one else.
The seller can send a second chance offer to the next lowest bidder but that bidder is not obligated to purchase.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Sorry, I've said it before but if I have something to sell I want it to be seen where the maximum amount of prospective buyers will see it and at the moment that is not Sailroom.

[/ QUOTE ]Understand what you are saying, but don't lose site of the fact that since the end of Feb, Sailroom has had over 30,000 visits, with more than 1/3 Million pages viewed... so far from insignificant....
 
[ QUOTE ]
I'm sure (2) is not correct. If the winning bidder defaults it does not impose an obligation to purchase on the next bidder. The seller has a binding contract with the winning bidder, no-one else.
The seller can send a second chance offer to the next lowest bidder but that bidder is not obligated to purchase.

[/ QUOTE ] The Ebay outbid notice contains the following wording ...

"Reminder: Even if you don't bid again, you could still end up as the winning bidder if higher bids are retracted or cancelled. Continue to check the status of this item until it ends.

I actually questioned this with Ebay, and their response was as follows :

"Thank you for taking the time to write to eBay. I understand that you are concerned regarding your obligation to buy the first item on which you were outbid.

Please note that when a user places a bid on eBay, that user is committing to honour that bid and follow through with the commitment. Sometimes as a listing progresses, a user is outbid. However, this does not mean that the bidder's obligation has ended.

Remember that listings remain dynamic right up until the end. Because of this, until a listing ends, there is a chance that the high bidder may retract their bid or the Seller may reject a bid. If this happens, the second-highest bidder will become the high bidder. Thus, once a bid is placed, that bid becomes a legally binding commitment until the end of the listing."
 
Yes, once the auction ends and you are not the winner your obligation ends. I understood you to believe that once the auction ends you are still reponsible even if you are not the winning bidder. The key statement is "until the end of the listing".
 
[ QUOTE ]
Personally I hate this bidding business. I reckon the "buy it now" or "best offer" type deal is the way to go.

Maybe Sailroom could fix some gripes that I have with the Ebay bidding system?

(1) On Ebay a bid is a one-way commitment. You can't withdraw your bid except under special circumstances, but the seller is free to end the auction and withdraw the item from sale.

(2) The commitment doesn't end once you're out bid - you still may be expected to honour your bid if the high bidder defaults. So if you're outbid on one widget then you're not yet free to place a bid on an alternative.

Neither of those two apply in a real auction.

[/ QUOTE ]

A lot of items currently listed have a buy out option already but in response to your suggestions

1-Do you mean you would like to be able to retract a bid or do you mean that once a bid has been placed the vendor should not be able to withdraw the item ?

2-If the auction goes to end of listing and the winner of the auction defaults on payment , the previous high bidder no longer has any liability unless he accepts a second chance offer made by the vendor .

We are trying to make Sailroom as user freindly as possible so all feedback is welcome
 
[ QUOTE ]
1-Do you mean you would like to be able to retract a bid or do you mean that once a bid has been placed the vendor should not be able to withdraw the item?

[/ QUOTE ] The latter. Once a bid has been placed the seller should be bound, the same as the bidder is. You see a lot of items where the seller specifies that the item is advertised elsewhere and may be withdrawn. I've seen traders pull items as "no longer available" only to re-list an identical item .. presumably they weren't happy with the price they were getting the first time.

[ QUOTE ]
2-If the auction goes to end of listing and the winner of the auction defaults on payment , the previous high bidder no longer has any liability unless he accepts a second chance offer made by the vendor .

[/ QUOTE ] My feeling is that the bidder should no longer be bound once he's been outbid. That's the case at a real auction - for example agricultural auctions. In the Ebay scenario this means that if there are several items that you're interested in, then you can only have a bid on one. If you're outbid then you still need to wait to the end of that auction before you could bid on an alternative. Of course, that could be a number of days.

[ QUOTE ]
We are trying to make Sailroom as user freindly as possible so all feedback is welcome

[/ QUOTE ] Nice to hear.
 
Thanks again for the feedback
I've withdrawn the bid retraction facility so if anyone wants to retract a bid they'll have to contact admin first because we agree that once a bid has been made it should be binding , and I'm looking into the aspect of binding the vendor for the same reason
 
[ QUOTE ]
If sailroom gets as big as dave would probably like, it will probably have similar issues.... just part of lifes' rich pattern.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, but we know where he lives. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
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