Would you be interested in having a "Retro Marketplace" here?

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

(Sorry for putting this here... the relevant forums wouldn't let me start a poll, for some reason).

Hello, dear members!

I'll keep this short n sweet: since we have had at least a couple of people showing interest in buying/selling retro hardware, would you be interested in this being a feature on the site? This wouldn't be anything crazy (nor would it clash with the philosophy of RGT), but a way for people to buy/sell hardware to fellow users, like it was done in many sites of the past.

One thing to note before casting your vote, though: this will all be user-to-user, with no staff intervention. We will ask for no commission, nor play any role other than that of moderators to ensure that posts are actually real.

Other than that, we are probably going to lock the board for anyone under level 2 to guaranteeing that only regulars can use this feature.

What do you guys think?

 

[_oBSOLEte_]

No.

How many alts from handheld sellers are going to cast their vote I wonder. XD

 

[RageBurner]

I voted yes mostly for the sake of keeping things organized, should it come to pass.

 

[destinyduelist]

Voting yes now, but I have a feeling this could be a bad idea if implemented in a bad way.
I suspect there could be scammers or an influx of users just grinding to level 2 quickly/donating to just be able to use the feature. There's really no way for you guys to be sure scammers won't happen so a decent way of going about it MIGHT be a requirement of some kind to link to an eBay seller page or a different source so we can see the seller is refutable so it isn't just "trust me bro"

 

[RageBurner]

I'll start by saying that I am somewhat of a game collector, however. Roundhouse kick game collectors into trash cans.

Ah yes, the highly scientific Norris method.

 

[J.F.C]

Like i told Spike i don't think it's an good idea. It attracts unwanted attention to the site.

 

[Glimbo]

I voted no.
It's another opportunity for scammers. Level 2 and even 3 are not that hard to obtain and says nothing about the trustworthiness of a person.
Could also lead to unnecessary drama between users. Like buying an electronic, new in box, from someone and it doesn't work.

 

[RageBurner]

Like i told Spike i don't think it's an good idea. It attracts unwanted attention to the site.

That's a very good point. I believe I will change my vote.

 

[PrismRed]

While I voted yes since it is a good idea on paper, I want you guys to take note there are a lot of intricate details that need to be made clear before attempting stuff like this, mainly how to handle neutrality, member security, possibility unsupervised deals, and lots of other things that would be too long to list.

 

[AnonymousCookieMonster]

Unless you have a good way to keep scammers from causing issues, i would vote no. Probably best to stick to other marketplaces like Ebay.


But let me be honest, such a marketplace sounds enticing, especially if you could do other things like offer replacement covers/sleeves for games. But i've seen way too many scams (in general) to be comfortable with it.

 

[Nebulon_Galaxy]

Absolutely no. I hate to see this place flooded with bots or worse polluting the place with fake ads for their not existent hardware or scammers.

 

[AnonymousCookieMonster]

it is a good idea on paper

Lots of things are good ideas on paper, especially getting everyone on the same page and in good faith.

Implementation on the other hand...

 

[PrismRed]

Lots of things are good ideas on paper, especially getting everyone on the same page and in good faith.

Implementation on the other hand...

Yeah, it always goes well until someone suddenly become a dick and ruined it for everyone.
Not saying that it's impossible, I did have experience managing forum marketplace twice before and thankfully it went well, its just extremely hard and complicated, more so that it involves real money.

 

[destinyduelist]

Voting yes now, but I have a feeling this could be a bad idea if implemented in a bad way.
I suspect there could be scammers or an influx of users just grinding to level 2 quickly/donating to just be able to use the feature. There's really no way for you guys to be sure scammers won't happen so a decent way of going about it MIGHT be a requirement of some kind to link to an eBay seller page or a different source so we can see the seller is refutable so it isn't just "trust me bro"

After deliberating, I'm changing the vote to no. Just generally seems like a really bad idea. I agree with pretty much everyone's comments on why it's a bad idea, not only scammers and influx of members that won't use the forum at all, but also unwanted attention and by extent losing the purpose for the repo.

 

[pHoeniX_WRIght]

Hmm, I mean can't u just DM the person and work it out yourselves, or something like that?

At first I voted yes, but I'll probably change it

 

[PrismRed]

Hmm, I mean can't u just DM the person and work it out yourselves, or something like that?

At first I voted yes, but I'll probably change it

Simple, security risk, if the both parties are going to make some deals through DM, why not just do it outside RGT altogether?

 

[AnonymousCookieMonster]

Not saying that it's impossible, I did have experience managing forum marketplace twice before and thankfully it went well, its just extremely hard and complicated, more so that it involves real money.

If i were to do it (and had the money) I'd have a central arbiter who would act as a middle man, making sure stuff is in good condition, cleaning/restoring, etc, and then would ship out said products after they've been vouched for. It does make shipping costs double on top of whatever small fee he/she takes.

This of course still comes down to a certain level of trust and who to trust. Now if someone already ran a gaming retro gaming store that was trusted for some years already. Someone like LGR who is already a semi-public figure and far as i know has a good reputation.

The only other solution i suppose is sticking to say Facebook Marketplace where you would see the hardware in person. Scammers have a much harder time when you have to meet up in person. And expensive shipping costs are out the window too.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

Voted yes because it'd never affect me and I wouldn't care either way

Post automatically merged: Mar 7, 2025

Absolutely no. I hate to see this place flooded with bots or worse polluting the place with fake ads for their not existent hardware or scammers.

Actually never mind, I never thought about this
I do not need another site turning into 2020 Twitter

 

[Aerith]

I'd likely be against it.

As a longtime eBay seller, the idea is enticing. However, moderation of sales can be a headache when it comes to user-to-user interaction with no middleman. It would be advisable that PayPal goods & services protection be strictly used when purchasing if the marketplace comes to pass.

 

[pHoeniX_WRIght]

Simple, security risk, if the both parties are going to make some deals through DM, why not just do it outside RGT altogether?

Yeah, I meant it kind of like that, like, if I'm going to sell something and I HAPPENED to
mention it in here and get contacted via DM, I would direct them to some other form communication, or a store (like Amazon, eBay) etc

 

[Deleted member 171852]

This could possibly ruin this forum. No

 

[bjork]

I like the idea of things changing hands between like-minded users, but there are ways to make that happen without dedicating space and attention to it.

 

[LiberoVulpesLiberoVulpes's icon]

Very against it, the concerns i have have already been mentioned by the posts above this one.

 

[Johnathan Smikey Johnathan Smikey]

You would need a lot of stuff figured out to get the desired effects of it. However, if you do get this to work, I am all for this. This sound fire.

EDIT: I understand where people are coming from. Bots and all using this forum to sell junk. However, I feel that these would be addressed coming from the impression of the OP's post. I am still in favor of this, but it does require a lot of work to get it to work well.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Thank you everyone for your valuable input!

I wanted to make a poll and ask you about your feelings before deciding to go ahead with this idea because I needed to know where we all stood as a community regarding the jump to "real life" matters. I'm glad you are all giving me your honest thoughts.

And while it IS true that I have seen this kind of thing working flawlessly in the past, it is also true that the internet itself was an entirely different beast.

I will wait until everyone has said their piece before canning this completely, though.