General discussion thread - keep the other threads clean 29 29

[shadroch]

[comicalgems]

 

 

New rule.

 

Quote:

Mystery boxes are not allowed. You must list everything you are selling exactly as the buyer will receive it.

 

 

These have been problematic, and they too often lead to things that smell like raffles / lucky winner syndrome. They were never explicitly allowed, but were sometimes tolerated as a way to move low value books in low value transactions. The spirit of that forbearance isn't really being maintained, so we're moving on.

 

 

 

 

I just did some checking. I sold a bit over $4,000 worth of mystery boxes in the last year. Had exactly one complaint, and I offered to make good or refund the price. I've spent about $5,000 on books directly from the boards and another $3,000 on books I first saw here that were on ebay from board members.

If my products are no longer welcome, I'll vote with my wallet and no longer buy here either.

Not exactly a win-win situation for anyone.

 

Last year I did about $100,000 in sales of Mystery Boxes...but y'know one guy with a grudge and a refund can really stir up a mob...

[comicalgems]

 

 

New rule.

 

Quote:

Mystery boxes are not allowed. You must list everything you are selling exactly as the buyer will receive it.

 

 

These have been problematic, and they too often lead to things that smell like raffles / lucky winner syndrome. They were never explicitly allowed, but were sometimes tolerated as a way to move low value books in low value transactions. The spirit of that forbearance isn't really being maintained, so we're moving on.

 

 

 

 

I just did some checking. I sold a bit over $4,000 worth of mystery boxes in the last year. Had exactly one complaint, and I offered to make good or refund the price. I've spent about $5,000 on books directly from the boards and another $3,000 on books I first saw here that were on ebay from board members.

If my products are no longer welcome, I'll vote with my wallet and no longer buy here either.

Not exactly a win-win situation for anyone.

 

Looks like I also spent about $95,000 roughly here on the boards in 2014 give/take...so yeah I don't know guys, is it really so super awesome that mystery boxes are gone?

[comicalgems]

Looks like I've spent only about $43,000 so far this year here...Not quite on pace to meet last year, but ironically I've issued far less refunds this year than I did last year, both in quantity and dollar amount, so it must mean overall I am improving.

[EC ed]

If my products are no longer welcome, I'll vote with my wallet and no longer buy here either.

Looks like I also spent about $95,000 roughly here on the boards in 2014 give/take...so yeah I don't know guys, is it really so super awesome that mystery boxes are gone?

 

How precious.

I've spent over $7,000 on books from boardies within the last 7 days, and I support the 'no mystery box' rule. Who cares.

 

I, for one, would hate to see you guys go. Hey...instead of leaving, why not just list individual books/prices for books or lots you want to sell and run normal sales threads, like the rest of us?

[crassus]

 

 

New rule.

 

Quote:

Mystery boxes are not allowed. You must list everything you are selling exactly as the buyer will receive it.

 

 

These have been problematic, and they too often lead to things that smell like raffles / lucky winner syndrome. They were never explicitly allowed, but were sometimes tolerated as a way to move low value books in low value transactions. The spirit of that forbearance isn't really being maintained, so we're moving on.

 

 

 

 

I just did some checking. I sold a bit over $4,000 worth of mystery boxes in the last year. Had exactly one complaint, and I offered to make good or refund the price. I've spent about $5,000 on books directly from the boards and another $3,000 on books I first saw here that were on ebay from board members.

If my products are no longer welcome, I'll vote with my wallet and no longer buy here either.

Not exactly a win-win situation for anyone.

 

Last year I did about $100,000 in sales of Mystery Boxes...but y'know one guy with a grudge and a refund can really stir up a mob...

 

Considering that the people who have posted have shown great care to NOT make it personal and indeed many specifically tried to be understanding about your situation, again makes terms like "a mob" inappropriate and overly dramatic.

 

I have been here long enough to have seen a few mobs and this is not even close.

[comicalgems]

 

 

New rule.

 

Quote:

Mystery boxes are not allowed. You must list everything you are selling exactly as the buyer will receive it.

 

 

These have been problematic, and they too often lead to things that smell like raffles / lucky winner syndrome. They were never explicitly allowed, but were sometimes tolerated as a way to move low value books in low value transactions. The spirit of that forbearance isn't really being maintained, so we're moving on.

 

 

 

 

I just did some checking. I sold a bit over $4,000 worth of mystery boxes in the last year. Had exactly one complaint, and I offered to make good or refund the price. I've spent about $5,000 on books directly from the boards and another $3,000 on books I first saw here that were on ebay from board members.

If my products are no longer welcome, I'll vote with my wallet and no longer buy here either.

Not exactly a win-win situation for anyone.

 

Last year I did about $100,000 in sales of Mystery Boxes...but y'know one guy with a grudge and a refund can really stir up a mob...

 

Considering that the people who have posted have shown great care to NOT make it personal and indeed many specifically tried to be understanding about your situation, again makes terms like "a mob" inappropriate and overly dramatic.

 

I have been here long enough to have seen a few mobs and this is not even close.

 

Oh I've seen worse too.

[skypinkblu]

I hope you and Bill take a step back, Jason. You are both great board members and I'm sure that your participation, both of you...was not just about mystery box sales.

 

Think about what you'd both be telling your kids to do and say here.

[skypinkblu]

Besides, if you have ever read through Arch's posts, you have to know that this was not based on one post by one person, not a chance. I think if someone called fire in a theater he's be reasoning it out and thinking about it as he walked slowly to the door, taking his own path and not following the crowd.

There have been threads about mystery boxes and raffles for years.

 

[comicalgems]

Besides, if you have ever read through Arch's posts, you have to know that this was not based on one post by one person, not a chance. I think if someone called fire in a theater he's be reasoning it out and thinking about it as he walked slowly to the door, taking his own path and not following the crowd.

There have been threads about mystery boxes and raffles for years.

 

 

I totally get it. Arch and I have had PM conversations on the topic several times. Basically what it boils down to is if it creates an overburden on the moderators then it's a problem. Which is understandable, it's a resource and one that's not to be taken for granted.

 

I didn't say I was going to bounce out of here. But my obvious preference on selling is mystery box...it allows me to receive and move a heavy volume in a short amount of time. What I do, while the numbers sound big, does not take the place of primary income so I'm still working this stuff on the side. There for a brief while last year I thought about going full time, but then realized that the pool of buyers for these types of items was finite. So I was in that weird place where my volume was high, but not high enough to go full time, but still high enough to warrant doing the sales. Honestly, when I saw loot crate take off I was kicking myself for not trying to do that model first.

 

The reason I did three pricing tiers was because it was suggested by buyers. The reason I do a minimum of $150 is because it allows me to pack a medium flat rate box full of stuff.

 

Also, if you look at the boards terms of use guidelines, one of the first things that it says it that this place is supposed to be a place of positive interaction and experiences, so if enough people are saying that these types of sales are a burden on upholding that mission then it's understandable.

 

I'm not mic dropping and walking out, I'm just saying, that this platform, these boards, generated a lot of sales for me, and in turn those sales generated a lot of income for sellers here...so if I'm not able to do this platform here then maybe I can find somewhere else to do it...maybe not...if I can then sure I'll keep sourcing the boards for product when I spot a good deal, if not then I'll just be decreasing my volume of purchases. For the most part my collection has everything in it that I want so most of my purchases ultimately end up in my Mystery Boxes. So I guess that the real trick is finding another place to offer the product and if it succeeds then great, if not then at least I'm not doing it full time.

[seanfingh]

 

 

New rule.

 

Quote:

Mystery boxes are not allowed. You must list everything you are selling exactly as the buyer will receive it.

 

 

These have been problematic, and they too often lead to things that smell like raffles / lucky winner syndrome. They were never explicitly allowed, but were sometimes tolerated as a way to move low value books in low value transactions. The spirit of that forbearance isn't really being maintained, so we're moving on.

 

 

 

 

I just did some checking. I sold a bit over $4,000 worth of mystery boxes in the last year. Had exactly one complaint, and I offered to make good or refund the price. I've spent about $5,000 on books directly from the boards and another $3,000 on books I first saw here that were on ebay from board members.

If my products are no longer welcome, I'll vote with my wallet and no longer buy here either.

Not exactly a win-win situation for anyone.

 

I would suggest you buy some more toys for your pram, you've thrown all the others out.

[shadroch]

I hope you and Bill take a step back, Jason. You are both great board members and I'm sure that your participation, both of you...was not just about mystery box sales.

 

Think about what you'd both be telling your kids to do and say here.

 

I'm not leaving. I just won't be reinvesting the money I made here back into the boards. The main reason I sold the mystery boxes was to be able to use the money to buy stuff here. The more I sold here , the more I bought.

I've PM'd Arch several times about this and he never once responded to me.

I had been beta marketing a monthly mystery box subscription, and gotten most positive response to it from the people in the loop. I imagine word of mouth will continue to get to the folks that are interested in it.

The last box I sent weighed 24 pounds and I could have sold MCS 12 of the books for $216. Buyer got another 23 pounds of books and only paid $200 for the box , shipped.

I pretty much lost money on every box, but liked the community feeling of it. Every time I get a box that I'm uncertain of what's in it brings me back to the Christmas and birthdays of my youth.

If money was that important, I'd have consigned the stuff to any number of places. I put a good deal of time and thought into each box and enjoyed doing it. It was much more fun than pulling comics from a list somebody ordered from.

Pulling fifty books that someone ordered isn't fun. Putting together a mystery box is. It's really that simple. Its just a shame some people don't get it.

 

 

 

Just to clarify- By losing money, I mean I left money on the table. That I could have sold the contents for more, not that a $200 box cost me $210 or anything like that. I tried to maintain a 15-20% profit level on each box.

Edited July 21, 2015 by shadroch

[thehumantorch]

 

 

New rule.

 

Quote:

Mystery boxes are not allowed. You must list everything you are selling exactly as the buyer will receive it.

 

 

These have been problematic, and they too often lead to things that smell like raffles / lucky winner syndrome. They were never explicitly allowed, but were sometimes tolerated as a way to move low value books in low value transactions. The spirit of that forbearance isn't really being maintained, so we're moving on.

 

 

 

 

I just did some checking. I sold a bit over $4,000 worth of mystery boxes in the last year. Had exactly one complaint, and I offered to make good or refund the price. I've spent about $5,000 on books directly from the boards and another $3,000 on books I first saw here that were on ebay from board members.

If my products are no longer welcome, I'll vote with my wallet and no longer buy here either.

Not exactly a win-win situation for anyone.

 

Last year I did about $100,000 in sales of Mystery Boxes...but y'know one guy with a grudge and a refund can really stir up a mob...

 

Why do you keep blaming him? Clearly you've made mistakes and buyers have waited too long for their boxes.

[porcupine48]

I would like some advice on a situation I am having. I sold some fairly high dollar books and the buyer put the on the books. I still have not received payment. I know about the 30 day probation wait nomination. The problem is when I ask for info. about payment for the wire transfer all I get is "The bank/I am looking into it". I ask for copies of the receipt with no result.

I sent the buyer a copy of the paper work I received by the bank via PM and e-mail to him when he bought the book's.. I have not once been bad tempered in my PM's with the buyer. It has been 20 days.

Is there any something else I should be doing? Or is this most likely ending up with a probation nomination?

This seems to have been lost due to the mystery box knocking of some sox.

Should it be elsewhere?

Also comicalgems,ive heard nothing but great about your m.b.s and hope you and a certain specia fellow are stilll enjoying the Destro set!

[comicalgems]

I would like some advice on a situation I am having. I sold some fairly high dollar books and the buyer put the on the books. I still have not received payment. I know about the 30 day probation wait nomination. The problem is when I ask for info. about payment for the wire transfer all I get is "The bank/I am looking into it". I ask for copies of the receipt with no result.

I sent the buyer a copy of the paper work I received by the bank via PM and e-mail to him when he bought the book's.. I have not once been bad tempered in my PM's with the buyer. It has been 20 days.

Is there any something else I should be doing? Or is this most likely ending up with a probation nomination?

This seems to have been lost due to the mystery box knocking of some sox.

Should it be elsewhere?

Also comicalgems,ive heard nothing but great about your m.b.s and hope you and a certain specia fellow are stilll enjoying the Destro set!

 

Goes great with the terrordrome :-)

[comicalgems]

 

 

New rule.

 

Quote:

Mystery boxes are not allowed. You must list everything you are selling exactly as the buyer will receive it.

 

 

These have been problematic, and they too often lead to things that smell like raffles / lucky winner syndrome. They were never explicitly allowed, but were sometimes tolerated as a way to move low value books in low value transactions. The spirit of that forbearance isn't really being maintained, so we're moving on.

 

 

 

 

I just did some checking. I sold a bit over $4,000 worth of mystery boxes in the last year. Had exactly one complaint, and I offered to make good or refund the price. I've spent about $5,000 on books directly from the boards and another $3,000 on books I first saw here that were on ebay from board members.

If my products are no longer welcome, I'll vote with my wallet and no longer buy here either.

Not exactly a win-win situation for anyone.

 

Last year I did about $100,000 in sales of Mystery Boxes...but y'know one guy with a grudge and a refund can really stir up a mob...

 

Why do you keep blaming him? Clearly you've made mistakes and buyers have waited too long for their boxes.

 

Well considering I had remained in contact with everyone with circumstances explained...doesn't matter it's moot.

 

You think I'm not aware of my own faults while I'm the first to admit them, all I'm saying is that there wasn't an issue until someone made it a point to make it an issue.

[porcupine48]

I would like some advice on a situation I am having. I sold some fairly high dollar books and the buyer put the on the books. I still have not received payment. I know about the 30 day probation wait nomination. The problem is when I ask for info. about payment for the wire transfer all I get is "The bank/I am looking into it". I ask for copies of the receipt with no result.

I sent the buyer a copy of the paper work I received by the bank via PM and e-mail to him when he bought the book's.. I have not once been bad tempered in my PM's with the buyer. It has been 20 days.

Is there any something else I should be doing? Or is this most likely ending up with a probation nomination?

This seems to have been lost due to the mystery box knocking of some sox.

Should it be elsewhere?

Also comicalgems,ive heard nothing but great about your m.b.s and hope you and a certain specia fellow are stilll enjoying the Destro set!

 

Goes great with the terrordrome :-)

by me,but care to pm some pics?love to see it.

Now baxk to our regular scheduled mystery...i uh...

Dr X...his location.....

[Ryan.]

Besides, if you have ever read through Arch's posts, you have to know that this was not based on one post by one person, not a chance. I think if someone called fire in a theater he's be reasoning it out and thinking about it as he walked slowly to the door, taking his own path and not following the crowd.

There have been threads about mystery boxes and raffles for years.

 

 

I totally get it. Arch and I have had PM conversations on the topic several times. Basically what it boils down to is if it creates an overburden on the moderators then it's a problem. Which is understandable, it's a resource and one that's not to be taken for granted.

 

I didn't say I was going to bounce out of here. But my obvious preference on selling is mystery box...it allows me to receive and move a heavy volume in a short amount of time. What I do, while the numbers sound big, does not take the place of primary income so I'm still working this stuff on the side. There for a brief while last year I thought about going full time, but then realized that the pool of buyers for these types of items was finite. So I was in that weird place where my volume was high, but not high enough to go full time, but still high enough to warrant doing the sales. Honestly, when I saw loot crate take off I was kicking myself for not trying to do that model first.

 

The reason I did three pricing tiers was because it was suggested by buyers. The reason I do a minimum of $150 is because it allows me to pack a medium flat rate box full of stuff.

 

Also, if you look at the boards terms of use guidelines, one of the first things that it says it that this place is supposed to be a place of positive interaction and experiences, so if enough people are saying that these types of sales are a burden on upholding that mission then it's understandable.

 

I'm not mic dropping and walking out, I'm just saying, that this platform, these boards, generated a lot of sales for me, and in turn those sales generated a lot of income for sellers here...so if I'm not able to do this platform here then maybe I can find somewhere else to do it...maybe not...if I can then sure I'll keep sourcing the boards for product when I spot a good deal, if not then I'll just be decreasing my volume of purchases. For the most part my collection has everything in it that I want so most of my purchases ultimately end up in my Mystery Boxes. So I guess that the real trick is finding another place to offer the product and if it succeeds then great, if not then at least I'm not doing it full time.

 

You can always start a website and advertise it here. I'm sure your customers will follow you.

[Jeffro.]

If my products are no longer welcome, I'll vote with my wallet and no longer buy here either.

Looks like I also spent about $95,000 roughly here on the boards in 2014 give/take...so yeah I don't know guys, is it really so super awesome that mystery boxes are gone?

 

How precious.

I've spent over $7,000 on books from boardies within the last 7 days, and I support the 'no mystery box' rule. Who cares.

 

I, for one, would hate to see you guys go. Hey...instead of leaving, why not just list individual books/prices for books or lots you want to sell and run normal sales threads, like the rest of us?

 

I you

[crassus]

I would like some advice on a situation I am having. I sold some fairly high dollar books and the buyer put the on the books. I still have not received payment. I know about the 30 day probation wait nomination. The problem is when I ask for info. about payment for the wire transfer all I get is "The bank/I am looking into it". I ask for copies of the receipt with no result.

I sent the buyer a copy of the paper work I received by the bank via PM and e-mail to him when he bought the book's.. I have not once been bad tempered in my PM's with the buyer. It has been 20 days.

Is there any something else I should be doing? Or is this most likely ending up with a probation nomination?

This seems to have been lost due to the mystery box knocking of some sox.

Should it be elsewhere?

 

Since he is not yet at an actual nomination, and is seeking advice, this seems like the right place to post. I am reluctant to comment directly as I have no experience dealing with wire transfers, maybe someone who knows how this works can help out, I don't know the difficulties involved.