Re: Beta testing Enthusify as a new Marketplace platform
Virtually all the scammed transactions had a name, phone number, email and even a "valid" paypal account. Requiring someone to list that to post an ad provides no true protection. Every Nigerian scammer has a phone, email, name and snail mail address.
And do you really think it is harder to "lie in voice" than in texts or emails? Scammers are very good at what they do and most are very proficient at conning you on the phone and even in person just as well as through emails.
There is a blacklist and it continues to grow at at alarming rate. Very few here even know the existence of many of them since they are stopped and blocked very early by observant members reporting and flagging suspicious posts.
These scams work because many do not do their due diligence but also because they are good at creating identities that at first blush appear to be legit. However, do you honestly think that if you ask a seller if the item is stolen you will get a true answer if it has been stolen?
I'm not trying to sound arrogant, but it would be a cold day in hell before I would fall for a Nigerian or any scam that involved more than $50. I would still be upset if I loss $50, but that is not be enough for me to lose sleep over. I would initiate the dispute on paypal and if I get my money back in 45 days, sweet. If not, o well, I tried and $50 is a horrible dinner date. I honestly don't see how hard it is to detect something is off when talking to the seller over the phone for longer than a minute or two. It could just be me though, but you said yourself that if you do your due diligence, it would not happen. Another thing is buying cars completely online without seeing it in person. For a 1-2 grand car, sure, but an NSX? Don't be silly.
Anyone buying a 20 year old car for $20-$30K or twice that amount if it 10 years newer should know better than to frivolously throw their money around. I agree if the seller does ship the item(s) and it is not as described/pictured or it may end up being a stolen, then those are harder issues to avoid and will provide a headache. However, these things rarely happen and I fortunately have not had that occur yet. The scams where people are running off with money, that just seems really dubious, but then again, holding a lot of money in the bank does not naturally make you a smarter person.
It is a shame that the other trivial threads have a priority over some underlying, but real issues. I think a solution will be found that is better than Enthusify's currently proposed plan. I respect this site's concern for protecting the consumer, but it really is getting to the point of ridiculous as far as considering a radical solution IMO, but I can understand the stress that has lead to this point.
OK, time for phase two of this thread.
I feel at this point I've made my position clear: Either I will find a way to make the classified section safer, or I will close it. The "buyer beware" approach was generally OK for years, but the environment has changed so it is no longer personally acceptable to me to operate that way. I'm not going to argue it back and forth.
Please use the rest of this thread to evaluate the Enthusify platform and make suggestions as to how it can be improved to possibly solve this problem in a useful way, or present alternatives I can integrate into the website somehow.
For example, the comments about the escrow period for international transactions and the other questions people are asking about the details of the escrow / dispute process are great. THAT kind of stuff is the point of this thread!
My hope is that the Enthusify platform can help, so do me a favor and let's see if this solution can work for us with more good questions and requests for changes / features / fee modifications. If not, let's move on to try and identify another candidate.
I think you feel the landslide of an opposition to the proposed radical change, and your values ultimately will lead you to the better choice. As far as Enthusify, it still hinders the process because it will be hard to make it efficient and I use this term as the idea where a compromise can be met with maximum results for all parties. If most sellers are only occasional sellers, they would like to get their money ASAP also.
-14 days would be the ideal limit for that wait, but there should be options for quicker release if the buyer receives the item sooner and confirms the delivery. This will also entice the seller to ship fast. International waiting periods may need special consideration.
-Enthusify should also CALL the buyer and not just email for quick verification at the 14 day mark. This may make it harder on the company to do, but I find it impersonal that a little email is all that stands between the seller and their money. Some people are horrible at replying to emails and I could see a few buyers screwing around with that aspect intentionally or unintentionally.
-If bank accounts can be used to avoid the 3% credit card fee and only 2-3% fees for Prime and Enthusify are accumulated, that is perfectly acceptable then. I would probably use the system then if it becomes a reality. I suppose I can wait an extra few days for the funds to clear before the buyer ships it out. That was the only appeal of using credit cards to pay instantly.
-Also not charging the fee to shipping charges could also be very attractive. I would go the extra mark and provide receipt copies to verify how much I paid for shipping to get that discount.
The talks of 10% or even 5% fees are absurd. I would not pay someone that much to hold money for me when there are better alternatives and I believe almost everyone agrees with me there. Paypal essentially does the same thing but with a different process and I have not had an issue with them yet over the many years I've been using them.
It seems that Enthusify would come in handy for more expensive items that have a high risk if they are stolen or are not as described/pictured. However, the talks of higher fees for the more expensive items are going to be very unattractive. People bite their lip now with the 3% when things get expensive. Perhaps you could implement a way to only mandate these transactions if the selling price is more than $xxx amount. I see many of the times though, used parts go for $50-$100 more or less. Some people just want to get rid of $20-$30 items quickly. I don't think it would be worthwhile to impose the process for such lower priced items.
