How do you get references on sellers on BST???

bosco5041

I've never made a purchase on the BST forum before but thought I would soon. Some decent buys sometimes and I like to deal with fellow collectors. Do you ask the seller for references or what? Thanks.

smokincoin

<< <i>Do you ask the seller for references or what? >>

mrpaseo

Step 1: Conduct a pleasant trade with someone from the forums.

Step 2: Request to use that person as a reference.

Simple as that. Unless you know someone already on the boards and have interacted with them in some way, you will not be able to get a reference.

Ray

Lakesammman

Yep, but ask before you settle on the details.

mrpaseo

And reading your post again...lol. It looks like you are concerned with the person you will be buying from. Yes, ask them for a reference...lol. My bad.

mrpaseo

You can search a history of anyone's posts on here to see what type of person they are. Anyone with a lot of posts should have some references available as to their character at least. If they have only a few hundred posts (Such as yourself), start out with a few smaller trades/purchases to get your name out there (Or to learn about someone).

Of course you could facebook stalk someone...lol.

Ray

TomB

No one should be offended if a potential client asks for references and no potential client should be offended to supply references, either. Of course, if you are a regular reader of the boards you may have a more comfortable feeling about those board members who conduct themselves in certain ways on a day-to-day basis, so not every potential transaction may or may not be looked at with the same scrutiny

Flatwoods

<< <i>No one should be offended if a potential client asks for references and no potential client should be offended to supply references, either. Of course, if you are a regular reader of the boards you may have a more comfortable feeling about those board members who conduct themselves in certain ways on a day-to-day basis, so not every potential transaction may or may not be looked at with the same scrutiny >>



I like this answer. After hanging around for awhile you get a feel for who you do or don't want to deal with.
There are a few members who can provide a long list of references that I have no desire to deal with.

keets

you might just pose a question here such as "Has anyone ever purchased coins from so-and-so?" asking for PM's and i'm sure you'll get an answer.

papabear

I don't post alot been here over 10 years but my PM count is 3X my post count.
I know who is very active and good to deal with. (long list)
if a person has a low post count, I will ask for references and will probably do the deal.
if a person ask me for references, I provide them with them.

YOUR REPUTATION GOES A LONG WAY!!!!!!!!!!
let me say that again

YOUR REPUTATION GOES A LONG WAY!!!!!!!!!!

It takes a life time to build a good REPUTATION!!!!!!!!
Good, prompt communication is a MUST!!!!!!
Some times the USPS can mess with a deal ( like 2 weeks or longer to deliver a first class letter)


Thank You Papabear

PerryHall

If you limit your purchases to active participants here with fairly high post counts that have been here for a few years, you shouldn't have any problems. Otherwise, get references and use common sense.

Walkerguy21D

Looks like you have gotten a lot of good advice already.
I will only add that as a seller (generally), I have also occasionally asked for references from members I have not dealt with before,
who either want a coin sent on approval, or are sending a personal check (I prefer to ship upon or even prior to receipt of payment, and don't want to play the wait to clear game). I have never had a problem with this request.

I will also say that this forum is a great group to deal with. Other than one or two 'late' payments, I have had no problems whatsoever, with over 200 deals and 96 different members. Over the years it seems like the problems are with bullion related items (buyers and sellers), and the bad eggs get outed pretty quickly.

derryb

Doesn't hurt to check a couple of the references, the more you are spending the more references you should check. Keep in mind the list of references will not include bad transactions. I get an occasional PM checking up on a seller/buyer. If I have forgotten the transaction all I have to do is review my previous PMs with the member in question to jog my memory.

Biggest risk is as a buyer since most sellers will require payment first.