The MLP Arena
TCB => Trader & Shipping Support => Topic started by: ponylady on January 01, 2013, 09:29:30 AM
-
It is with great displeasure that we have to bring you this news on New Year's Day.
DJOctaviasymphony has been banned!
It was through careful investigation that it was brought to light that DJOctaviasymphony is in fact ponyadore. And as most of you will remember ponyadore caused much grief within our community, leaving members out money and items. I will add the previous links below dealing with ponyadore if you are not familiar.
We would like to please advise members that may have paid for their items through Paypal and not as a gift to file claims immediately. If you paid as a gift I would contact Paypal directly.
And we would also like to please ask members who may be members on other boards to spread the word. I know for a fact it was discussed on another board about the member in question going by email address's associated with DJ. The faster we can get the word out, the faster we as a community can stop this from happening to others.
Again we deeply regret having to bring you this news, especially for those who were waiting on items.
Here are the links as mentioned above.
http://mlparena.com/mlp/index.php/topic,293636.0.html
http://mlparena.com/mlp/index.php/topic,293426.msg157385.html#msg157385
-
Sigh... Twice in less than a year? Some don't learn.
-
Well if she does read this return my item ASAP because I will be looking into mail fraud and credit card fraud. I really appreciate that my suspicions have finally been confirmed. Ill take this as a lesson learned.
-
That is seriously disgusting and I am so sorry for everyone who had the misfortune to be involved with her.
I figured there was something fishy after she was offering plush Honeycomb (with someone else's pictures!!), though. What are the odds of a newbie American collector having something that rare?
Pony hugs to all those who were scammed by her and thanks to the mods for catching and banning her butt.
-
OMG, shocked.... I bought a Dewdrop Dazzle G4 off her, she was one of my first forum purchases. I thought she was ok, then I saw a thread saying she'd messed up some trades/purchases and owed money and ponies. Just thought maybe she'd gotten over her head and goofed. Never thought she was a banned member trading under a new name.... wow, guess I was a lucky one.
-
I'm not surprised given the giant thread and some suspicions.
Thank you mods for your amazing CSI skills - I appreciate it as a seller and buyer.
:hug:
-
I can't imagine what joy anyone would get out of scamming ponies. I'd feel guilty every time I looked at them! I hope all involved find a way to get reimbursed.
-
*sigh* I'm so sorry for all the people scammed by this person - again. The way that thread was going I did not have high hopes.
-
*siiiiiiiiiiiigh* I am very sad to hear this. I was really hoping that it could be worked out for people who are still waiting on items/money. :(
-
Wooooooooow...thanks mods.
-
OMG, shocked.... I bought a Dewdrop Dazzle G4 off her, she was one of my first forum purchases. I thought she was ok, then I saw a thread saying she'd messed up some trades/purchases and owed money and ponies. Just thought maybe she'd gotten over her head and goofed. Never thought she was a banned member trading under a new name.... wow, guess I was a lucky one.
Same here! I bought the four G4 Walmart posters from her as my first forum purchase and she was great. I wonder if she was just trying to build up good feedback so people would trust her? :( I hope everyone that got scammed by her gets their money/trades back. I'm so sorry this happened to you guys. Thank you mods.
-
Oh man, just found this thread, I'm saddened and disgusted! I feel weird that I had a transaction with her that eventually worked out okay, though it was a hassle. I had no clue at all that she was ponyadore!
Thank you mods for your help. Sorry I couldn't be more help in your research since I deleted my pm's with her once we finished our trade. -_-
-
Well, she took my money. I don't think i can do much now.
I only recently started buying over the arena so it kinda sucks to already get scammed.
I'm mostly disgusted by how she kept on lying though. Ugh...
-
This is shocking. I followed the threads about her, and was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Unreal. This woman is a nightmare.
Dj/ponyadore, leave this lovely community alone. You've done some serious damage to some very wonderful people. We all trusted and believed your ridiculous PayPal/bank story, and many of us cared enough to offer suggestion, help and support. Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of and stay there.
Way to go Mods! What a lousy way to spend your new year though.
-
They may do something IF everyone files a mail fraud charge against her and OR contacts paypal. If a large enough group gets together, paypal will go after her.
-
How disgusting... I was just reading through a thread yesterday in which a large group of people were having problems with her and I kept thinking "no, she's just unlucky, arena members are good people..." Makes me wary to buy from strangers again, ick.
I'm so sorry to everyone she ripped off. I just really can't believe someone would scam arena members like this and act so flippant about it, and do it twice! DJ/Ponyadore, stay off the arena. Take a hint, your smiles and lies aren't fooling everyone.
I really hope karma comes around and bites her in the butt. Hugs for everyone who lost money and ponies to this person. :(
-
Good job, mods! We're so lucky to have you.
And best of luck to everyone scammed by DJ/ponyadore. I hope she gets what's coming to her.
-
Same here! I bought the four G4 Walmart posters from her as my first forum purchase and she was great. I wonder if she was just trying to build up good feedback so people would trust her? :(
Thats possible. Sometimes scammers do that - a few years ago,I and quite a few others were scammed by someone who was no problem to deal with to start with... but then she stole our money, and she tried to come back twice more after she was banned to try and do it again. Thankfully these people are usually found out pretty quickly and we dont get many bad ones like that on here, but I'm very sad for all those who have been dealing with DJOctavia :sad: I hope that at least some of you will be able to get your money back
-
Omg, how awful.
Im sorry to all the people who she scammed.
I hope you can get your money back somehow! :(
-
Giving this a bump up!!!
-
Same here! I bought the four G4 Walmart posters from her as my first forum purchase and she was great. I wonder if she was just trying to build up good feedback so people would trust her? :( I hope everyone that got scammed by her gets their money/trades back. I'm so sorry this happened to you guys. Thank you mods.
I got the Walmart posters as my first purchase too! Gosh, I had no idea she had a history of being a scammer, everything went super smoothly! I wouldn't be surprised if the few of us who did get our product were used to build feedback to gain trust.
I'm so sorry you guys are out money and products. I really hope the best for you all.
-
Probably exactly what she was doing building her feedback up to scam at a later date. I am so sorry to all of you that lost anything. Is there a list of items people were scammed out of that we could use as a reference? I don't have much in the lines of non-G4 but I -will- keep my eye out :|
Same here! I bought the four G4 Walmart posters from her as my first forum purchase and she was great. I wonder if she was just trying to build up good feedback so people would trust her? :( I hope everyone that got scammed by her gets their money/trades back. I'm so sorry this happened to you guys. Thank you mods.
-
I posted this in the other thread about her, but thought it would be useful here too.
Well, looks like it could be time to bring up this link again: Internet Crimes Complaint Center (http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx) The IC3 is a division of the FBI. Filing a complaint with them will guarantee action will be taken. This is Ponyadore/DJOctaviaSymphony's second scam session with us. There is every reason to believe the second time was done with malicious intent, especially when she was offering to sell/trade items and using photos stolen from auctions.
If you are missing money or items from her, I highly recommend you file with the Internet Crimes Complaint Center.
-
Probably exactly what she was doing building her feedback up to scam at a later date. I am so sorry to all of you that lost anything. Is there a list of items people were scammed out of that we could use as a reference? I don't have much in the lines of non-G4 but I -will- keep my eye out :|
I backed out of a trade with her just a month ago because of the other thread. But what she wanted to trade me was a G4 Plumsweet. I acquired it from somebody else, but I still had other needs so I decided to do a custom trade with her for blind bags. She never seemed to remember what we were trading, it was kind of annoying but a red flag in my mind, which is why I called it off. I'm really glad I took so long to do that custom...
-
Thank goodness LadyS!
I am always a bit leary when someone joins and heads straight to For Sale. But thats me and its not always bad but I still am leary.
-
This is horrible to read. :(
I'm sorry for everyone involved who's been scammed.
I do hope you can get your money back.
-
Wow, just Wow.
She did seem really over eager and was replying to almost every sale/trade thread I would read. She contacted me about some gold trading cards but then her paypal had issues, needed more time, the excuses kept coming finally I just let it drop it sorta didn't feel right to me anyway.
I guess grabbing a bunch of free posters and then selling them to get feedback is now a sign of a potential scammer.
Sorry for everyone who was ripped off, this does indeed make me much more cautious and I don't necessary like that, I do like trusting people...sigh.
-
Thank goodness LadyS!
I am always a bit leary when someone joins and heads straight to For Sale. But thats me and its not always bad but I still am leary.
Nah you have a right to be cautious about that. Then again, the reason I joined was because I was looking for a Pink Glitter Twilight Sparkle XD
I'm so sorry for you guys being victims...that ain't right...on the bright side we can pass the experience to others on the arena and the mods will be able to crack down scammers easier.
Scammers in our arena?
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
-
Ugh...just disgusted. So sorry that one person can ruin the fun of collecting for so many people. *sigh* :hug: to all involved
-
Happy that we have great mods on this site! Sorry for all of you out there that had to deal with this stuff :(
-
Arg... I figured that this would happen eventually. I'm definitely out money (but not as much as a lot of other people). And this was my first scam experience after a year and a half of being on the boards. At least most everyone is pretty awesome :D
-
I was afraid this would eventually happen. I almost made a trade with DJ back in September but ended up calling it off because it seemed fishy. She wanted some g4 merch in trade for a number of trading cards...but kept forgetting what the trade was and for what items etc. I think there were three or four times where she asked what we were trading again, so I just got fed up and said never mind.
I am so sorry to the people who did get scammed by her. I hope you can all open up pay pal claims or find some way to rectify the situations she has put you all in. So sorry!
-
I followed the thread about her and was amazed at how crazy it got with all the different problems and excuses. It's so awful that people think it is okay to rip people off just because you can't see them. Behind the computer people think they can do what they like.
It's so great we have dedicated moderators to keep a track of these things and work hard to help stop these people continuing causing harm.
Hopefully many of you will get your money back at least and will never experience something like that again :heart:
-
:bump:
-
This girl is unbelievable! So sorry to the people who got scammed out of their hard earned cash.
-
Not excusing her, though I think that she could be a kid, and not in the know of how serious all this is. I just don't see an adult pulling some of this stuff (the 'TROLL' post and the blaming her sister.) Again, I am not making an excuse for her, but I just do not see this as coming from someone over the age of 21. If she is, then she is seriously immature, to a problematic (I mean in-need-of-professional-help) degree.
-
So what's the update? Has she been caught for fraud? Maybe go to a news crew about it, I'm sure they'd be interested in local fraud stories. I hope everyone got their refund, this just makes me blood boil.
-
I know this is 'too little too late,' but back when I made a post for card-pickup during EQLA (beginning of November I think), DJOctaviasymphony PM'd me, asking me to pick them up a set. I didn't see this post until after I told them it was too late, and was wondering where they would come up with the money for even MORE purchases, when they were having trouble refunding their previous buyers... :/ What a shame, I'm sorry for the people who got scammed! :hug:
-
Not excusing her, though I think that she could be a kid, and not in the know of how serious all this is. I just don't see an adult pulling some of this stuff (the 'TROLL' post and the blaming her sister.) Again, I am not making an excuse for her, but I just do not see this as coming from someone over the age of 21. If she is, then she is seriously immature, to a problematic (I mean in-need-of-professional-help) degree.
I think the "TROLL TROLL TROLL" post was meant to throw the blame on her imaginary sister. "Blame the imaginary relative" seems to be a favorite hobby of scammers!
I don't think she's crazy and I didn't get a sense she was young. Her actions were pretty logical, if you look at them from the point of view of someone with no morals: pretend to have valuable stuff, get people to send you money, and then string them along for as long as you can so you can continue stealing money.
-
Not excusing her, though I think that she could be a kid, and not in the know of how serious all this is. I just don't see an adult pulling some of this stuff (the 'TROLL' post and the blaming her sister.) Again, I am not making an excuse for her, but I just do not see this as coming from someone over the age of 21. If she is, then she is seriously immature, to a problematic (I mean in-need-of-professional-help) degree.
I don't think she's crazy and I didn't get a sense she was young. Her actions were pretty logical, if you look at them from the point of view of someone with no morals: pretend to have valuable stuff, get people to send you money, and then string them along for as long as you can so you can continue stealing money.
True...
-
According to both profiles, she is 26. Not a number I would expect someone to randomly choose twice. KWIM?
-
I'm sorry to all who got burned and I guess I'm lucky she gave me the cold shoulder on a deal I was trying to set up for some G4s.
-
So what's the update? Has she been caught for fraud? Maybe go to a news crew about it, I'm sure they'd be interested in local fraud stories. I hope everyone got their refund, this just makes me blood boil.
Or contacting her city's police department about being ripped off? This many people and this much money it's worth reporting.
I still have the poster tube my posters were mailed in. I don't know if it has a return address on it (it's in my dorm so I can't check for another week or so) but if it does would I be allowed to let who got scammed know what city she is based in so they may call the city police?
-
If anyone is seriously thinking about making a police report, I have her address. ;)
There should be something they can do considering she has done this numerous times and to numerous people. I mean I see cases on Judge Judy all the time where people take people to court over fraud on a single item on ebay. So surely there must be something they can do.
-
w.o.w.
I'm deeply sorry to everyone who got scammed by her.
-
If anyone is seriously thinking about making a police report, I have her address. ;)
There should be something they can do considering she has done this numerous times and to numerous people. I mean I see cases on Judge Judy all the time where people take people to court over fraud on a single item on ebay. So surely there must be something they can do.
It is a case of fraud, everyone should get together with their evidence and submit it.
-
Oh man, this is awful. :( I'm sorry everyone had to deal with this and I hope you get your money back and things turn out alright.
-OctoberFlash
-
Really annoyed about this as Ponycon was dealing with her for a large number of the G4 posters. We're out of $130 which is no small amount :P Plus we didn't get the stuff for our attendees. The really annoying thing is the way that she led people on past the time window on paypal with her stupid excuses. *Not a happy pony right now*
I'll give pony hugs to all those that also got scammed by her :)
-
Really annoyed about this as Ponycon was dealing with her for a large number of the G4 posters. We're out of $130 which is no small amount :P Plus we didn't get the stuff for our attendees. The really annoying thing is the way that she led people on past the time window on paypal with her stupid excuses. *Not a happy pony right now*
I'll give pony hugs to all those that also got scammed by her :)
Wow that is quite the large amount of cash to be out please report her.
-
I would just like to thank the MODS for their continuous effort to get to the bottom of problematic members and scammers in order to make our community a better place to enjoy all things pony. Thank you for your hard work and for investigating this. I am happy to know no one else here will have to cope with them again.
-
That's awful. I bought posters from her and no issues at all. Sorry to everyone that got their money stolen from them. :(
-
That's awful. I bought posters from her and no issues at all. Sorry to everyone that got their money stolen from them. :(
I think something simple like that was a way to get her feedback score up, in order to take advantage of others and steal their money :huh:
Though, it's more of a "Thank goodness" moment for you with those posters^^
-
That is certainly not a person I was hoping to see on the arena anymore. I'm so sorry she's done this to the lovely folks of this community again and I hope that further legal action can be taken against her. Ugh.. :/
-
Looks like I was lucky with not trading with her first time around as Ponyadore but she got me the second time. The sneaky little *insert your own insult word here* even got herself some feedback and a different address before approaching me; she knew from first time around that I was cautious about newer members with no feedback >_< The only positive thing I can say is that our trade wasn't high value so I'm only out by a few dollars plus postage. I hope that others who have lost more than me are successful at getting back what is rightfully theirs.
-
Wow! :shocked: Thanks Ponylady and all the other Mods for watching out for us! :hug: So sorry to all who were scammed :(
-
That's awful. I bought posters from her and no issues at all. Sorry to everyone that got their money stolen from them. :(
I think something simple like that was a way to get her feedback score up, in order to take advantage of others and steal their money :huh:
Though, it's more of a "Thank goodness" moment for you with those posters^^
That's exactly what happened, because when she sold to me she had 0 feedback, and I was taking a chance on her. :\
-
I have extra posters if someone wants them.
-
That's awful. I bought posters from her and no issues at all. Sorry to everyone that got their money stolen from them. :(
I think something simple like that was a way to get her feedback score up, in order to take advantage of others and steal their money :huh:
Though, it's more of a "Thank goodness" moment for you with those posters^^
That's exactly what happened, because when she sold to me she had 0 feedback, and I was taking a chance on her. :\
Same story here; bought from her when she had 0 feedback. I just assumed she was a newbie like me trying to build up some feedback to sell better, not to scam people.
I checked my poster tube and there's no return address, just a stamp from the city it was mailed from (which is 2 hours away from me, explains the fast arrival!)
Really annoyed about this as Ponycon was dealing with her for a large number of the G4 posters. We're out of $130 which is no small amount :P Plus we didn't get the stuff for our attendees. The really annoying thing is the way that she led people on past the time window on paypal with her stupid excuses. *Not a happy pony right now*
I'll give pony hugs to all those that also got scammed by her :)
130?! Yikes! I'd report her for that!
-
Ugh can't beleive she's done it again :(
Please everyone report her, even if it is a small amount. The Arena is probably the safest place IMO for people to buy and trade because the Mods are all amazing!
I do forget what I am trading with people sometimes, especially if I am in a few trades! :blush:
-
So sorry to everyone who had to deal with her :( Thankfully I managed to avoid her. But yes, I think filing for fraud would be a very good idea.
-
Going back through my messages I was supposed to do a trade with her but she dropped off the radar, lucky escape there :(
-
Going back through my messages I was supposed to do a trade with her but she dropped off the radar, lucky escape there :(
No doubt Pink!
-
Really truly hope everyone else gets their money/ponies back...does anyone have any news yet?
-
I have no way to get back what I lost. So I'm out what I'm out. Reported her, so I'm a little happier about it.
-
Why do these people always try to come back with a differnt name. I was looking threw the list and some tryed over 5 times to be on this site. Its sad :( Just be honest people!!!!
-
I have no way to get back what I lost. So I'm out what I'm out. Reported her, so I'm a little happier about it.
What were you out, kake? I could check around and see if I have any of it in my sales pile. If I did I'd be happy to send it your way.
-
I have no way to get back what I lost. So I'm out what I'm out. Reported her, so I'm a little happier about it.
What were you out, kake? I could check around and see if I have any of it in my sales pile. If I did I'd be happy to send it your way.
aww that is so sweet thank you for the kind offer. *hugs*
I'm out a Shine Bright Rarity. It'll be okay though I still love trading and selling on the arena.
-
Aw, dingle! I JUST sold my only SB Rarity! :(
OH! OH WAIT! I have a loose one I was wondering what to do with - she won't stay on my tiny G4 shelf with her giant wings. Do you want her? It's the pony only, no accessories. Just PM me your addy if you do, I can ship on Saturday with some other stuff I need to send out. :)
-
Aw, dingle! I JUST sold my only SB Rarity! :(
OH! OH WAIT! I have a loose one I was wondering what to do with - she won't stay on my tiny G4 shelf with her giant wings. Do you want her? It's the pony only, no accessories. Just PM me your addy if you do, I can ship on Saturday with some other stuff I need to send out. :)
I think you're referring to Glimmer Wings Rarity here? Unless I missed some cool variant, Shine Bright Rarity doesn't have wings.
-
Oh crud, you're right. I r not G4-smrt.
Sorry to disappoint, kake. :(
-
To summarize my dealings with DJOctaviaSymphony:
Sent her:
Favorites Collection with Nightmare Moon set $43
loose blind bags (no bag or card):
Rainbow Flash $5
Amethyst Star $6.50
Minuette $6.50
Sassaflash $6.50
Trixie Lulamoon $6.50
Twilight Velvet $6.50
Fashion Style Twilight Sparkle $10
$18.38 shipping
=$108.88 value sent
Received from her:
playful pony Applejack with bangs (was supposed to be Fashion Style Applejack)
=$8 value received
Never received:
playful pony Cherrilee no bangs $18
$82.88
=$100.88 value scammed.
Anyone that has it please PM me the identity details you have for her, I'll reply with the version I have.
-
Bronley, that's terrible! Wow, she sure has scammed a lot of people :( This is why I'm hesitant about trades. There is no way to ensure you'll get what you traded for and there's no money exchanged so you can't get a refund through Paypal :(
-
Bronley, that's terrible! Wow, she sure has scammed a lot of people :( This is why I'm hesitant about trades. There is no way to ensure you'll get what you traded for and there's no money exchanged so you can't get a refund through Paypal :(
It's a shame scammers ruin the experience of a great trade. I love trading and all of my recent trades have gone very well and I"m so happy to have traded. Just make sure you always check your trade partners feedback to minimize the risk, although yes, even with stellar there is still some risk. I also tend to check a members post counts AND post content. Are they actively contributing to the community or just trying to trade/sell? Again, not fool proof but helps minimize the risk.
-
Bronley, that's terrible! Wow, she sure has scammed a lot of people :( This is why I'm hesitant about trades. There is no way to ensure you'll get what you traded for and there's no money exchanged so you can't get a refund through Paypal :(
One way to approach doubtful trades in the future might be for both parties to decide on a given value of the trade. If you are sending $100 worth of items and receiving $100 worth of items, then you could first trade cash. They could send you $100 as payment, and you can send them $100 in payment and you can both list the items you are expected to receive.
Neither of you are out money, but now, if the items do not arrive, you have recourse to file though PayPal to get the $100 back.
It does require at least one of you to have the cash on hand for it though. The other one can always pay with the money they receive from you. But still, if they refused, then you would at least be saved losing out on money. Im sure it isn't perfect, but it is at least better than a blind trade.
-
I recommend the mods look into a way to track and record IP addresses. If you simply block the IP address, this will prevent most scammers creating new accounts.
There are ways around this of course but most people aren't internet-savvy enough to figure them out.
Other suggestions:
-Trade through ebay. Simply create a lot with your item and list it as WAY overpriced. Example: $100 for a pony worth only $20. List it as "Buy it now or best offer." Then you will receive offers of lower amounts. Tell your trading partner to offer whatever amount you agreed on and then you'll know to accept only her offer.
Ebay keeps good track of buyers and sellers and will refund your money if anything goes wrong. Ebay also has the feedback system tracking which sellers are trustworthy and which are not. So though ebay is usually overpriced for buying, simply using it as a gateway for trades could save alot of hassle.
-
I recommend the mods look into a way to track and record IP addresses. If you simply block the IP address, this will prevent most scammers creating new accounts.
I wish it were this easy but sadly not really. Here is why. People can use many different computers and all computers have a different address. There is simply no way to stop a scammer with IP addresses. Certainly you can keep a list of the ones they have used but if they get another one and register their item under another name..presto you have nothing. I have seen forums charge for membership which has helped in some cases. Who wants to pay an annual fee just to scam, but one or two still will. Most often they go for free places. The best way to stop someone is for people to have their eyes out on members trading and leaving appropriate feedback when problems arise as well as contacting a mod. Being afraid to report a problem or leave feedback leads to scammers just scamming until someone has the guts to hold them responsible.
-
I recommend the mods look into a way to track and record IP addresses. If you simply block the IP address, this will prevent most scammers creating new accounts.
Kagura the Mods are the one's who busted her. We have a system but we do not share details on the way we track down these people. It would defeat the purpose.
Other suggestions:
-Trade through ebay. Simply create a lot with your item and list it as WAY overpriced. Example: $100 for a pony worth only $20. List it as "Buy it now or best offer." Then you will receive offers of lower amounts. Tell your trading partner to offer whatever amount you agreed on and then you'll know to accept only her offer.
Ebay keeps good track of buyers and sellers and will refund your money if anything goes wrong. Ebay also has the feedback system tracking which sellers are trustworthy and which are not. So though ebay is usually overpriced for buying, simply using it as a gateway for trades could save alot of hassle.
I am going to point this out as it is against ebay rules and it is also unfair to the seller.
-
-Trade through ebay. Simply create a lot with your item and list it as WAY overpriced. Example: $100 for a pony worth only $20. List it as "Buy it now or best offer." Then you will receive offers of lower amounts. Tell your trading partner to offer whatever amount you agreed on and then you'll know to accept only her offer.
Ebay keeps good track of buyers and sellers and will refund your money if anything goes wrong. Ebay also has the feedback system tracking which sellers are trustworthy and which are not. So though ebay is usually overpriced for buying, simply using it as a gateway for trades could save alot of hassle.
Many people trade here because there are a LOT of problems with ebay. In addition, doing it this way would mean having to pay listing fees, final value fees, fees on shipping... it would end up making everything more expensive. Not to mention being extremely against eay rules.
-
I recommend the mods look into a way to track and record IP addresses. If you simply block the IP address, this will prevent most scammers creating new accounts.
There are ways around this of course but most people aren't internet-savvy enough to figure them out.
Other suggestions:
-Trade through ebay. Simply create a lot with your item and list it as WAY overpriced. Example: $100 for a pony worth only $20. List it as "Buy it now or best offer." Then you will receive offers of lower amounts. Tell your trading partner to offer whatever amount you agreed on and then you'll know to accept only her offer.
Ebay keeps good track of buyers and sellers and will refund your money if anything goes wrong. Ebay also has the feedback system tracking which sellers are trustworthy and which are not. So though ebay is usually overpriced for buying, simply using it as a gateway for trades could save alot of hassle.
No offense, but you're here for like 10 days and you're telling the Mods, who have been keeping us safe for years, what they should be doing. Please.
Trades are apart of this community, and how most good people establish a positive reputation. Unfortunately, there are some really bad apples who take advantage. That would be where Ponyadore fits in. Trading through eBay won't solve any problems, only create more for honest people.
Maybe instead of offering advice, you should understand how this community works first.
-
I recommend the mods look into a way to track and record IP addresses. If you simply block the IP address, this will prevent most scammers creating new accounts.
There are ways around this of course but most people aren't internet-savvy enough to figure them out.
Other suggestions:
-Trade through ebay. Simply create a lot with your item and list it as WAY overpriced. Example: $100 for a pony worth only $20. List it as "Buy it now or best offer." Then you will receive offers of lower amounts. Tell your trading partner to offer whatever amount you agreed on and then you'll know to accept only her offer.
Ebay keeps good track of buyers and sellers and will refund your money if anything goes wrong. Ebay also has the feedback system tracking which sellers are trustworthy and which are not. So though ebay is usually overpriced for buying, simply using it as a gateway for trades could save alot of hassle.
No offense, but you're here for like 10 days and you're telling the Mods, who have been keeping us safe for years, what they should be doing. Please.
Trades are apart of this community, and how most good people establish a positive reputation. Unfortunately, there are some really bad apples who take advantage. That would be where Ponyadore fits in. Trading through eBay won't solve any problems, only create more for honest people.
Maybe instead of offering advice, you should understand how this community works first.
Michelle, KaguraPony only meant well. Ten days or not, she offered some good advice. Tracking IP addresses is almost a given in many places online anymore; and, it does add to security. Also eBay is a business and able to give securities that this forums owners and moderators may just not be able to for whatever reasons. I think you shouldn't blow her off so brazenly.
-
-Trade through ebay. Simply create a lot with your item and list it as WAY overpriced. Example: $100 for a pony worth only $20. List it as "Buy it now or best offer." Then you will receive offers of lower amounts. Tell your trading partner to offer whatever amount you agreed on and then you'll know to accept only her offer.
Ebay keeps good track of buyers and sellers and will refund your money if anything goes wrong. Ebay also has the feedback system tracking which sellers are trustworthy and which are not. So though ebay is usually overpriced for buying, simply using it as a gateway for trades could save alot of hassle.
It was already brought up that the fees involved for the party selling would be HUGE. It's really actually quite safe buying from the forums so long as you pay with protected methods -paypal, not as a "gift" payment, you're organized and not afraid to open a case should your claim time come to a close when you're not getting communication or proof of shipment. I never want to file against a seller, but I've had to twice on ebay when I got the sense that excuses were time delaying tactics to allow my paypal window to run out (low and behold, both never did ship like they said they did, both went naru under a sea of negs).
For my forum stuff I keep a binder with sales/purchases/trades. I fill in with pen the details and dates- so I can easily keep track of my paypal window. If a purchase is getting close to the cutoff I highlight that line. Also, I remember easily exactly what I bought and from whom when I go in spending sprees. :) I find it a lot safer having those details down on paper as one can have a "delete all" boo boo with pm's.Of course, leaving honest feedback for sellers and traders helps us all.