On price gouging and the free market system...

[TGO David]

Folks;

As we stated originally, we have been struggling with the best way to handle the issue of price gouging. The final evolution of our stance on this issue is simply this.

 

The market will decide what an item is worth.

 

Prices for firearms, ammo, magazines, etc. are completely chaotic right now. There is no way to predict or police what an item should be worth, nor is it right for us to attempt to do so. From this point forward, we acknowledge that things are worth what people will pay for them. If the people do not want to see items listed at 500% markup, then the people should simply stop buying them and force the market to balance itself.

That being said, this statement absolutely does not negate our policy against interfering with another person's Trading Post ad. As stated in our Trading Post policies:
 
 

...you may not make a public reply to a Trading Post thread designed to interfere with the sale or trade of an item. Examples are replies stating that an item can be found cheaper elsewhere, or that the price is too high, or that you have a similar item for sale for less, etc. If you wish to haggle, do it privately with the seller. No one cares what you think about the price or availability of an item.

 

 

 

Thank you for your understanding, cooperation and patience while we sorted this mess out for ourselves. While we acknowledge this policy shift may not make everyone happy, we believe that it is the right thing to do and reduces the absurd number of rules and guidelines that we were being forced to erect around how people could use the Trading Post.

This keeps it simple.

Carry on. :)

[JG55]

Good Call ! Thank You !

[TGO David]

Thanks.  So let me elaborate a little and just put this out there.  The staff and I are pretty much worn out.  Between the server problems that I've been fighting for almost 30-40 hours a week on top of my normal 40-50 hr job and then all of the chaos surrounding the political climate, we've been burning the candle at both ends and in the middle.  Something had to give.

 

It didn't take long for me to spot the fact that regardless of our good intentions and desire to not allow people to post a bunch of crap on TGO at ridiculous mark-ups, the bottom line is there was just no practical way for us to police that stuff.  And furthermore, we shouldn't.

 

If somene wants to list PMAGs for $100 each, I will be the first to agree [privately] that they're out of their minds and that sooner or later the market WILL correct itself and those things won't be worth near that much money.  But we see this in the stock market every day and no one complains if they make bank off of Google stock today after paying a fraction for it a few months ago.  This is the free market and that's just how people make money.

 

That being said, I'm sure some folks are getting sick and tired of the rules changing every week or two. Believe me... so am I.

 

That's why this is the final word on pricing in the Trading Post.  The market will determine what is a realistic price from here on out.  But we're absolutely not going to tolerate people crapping in each other's threads either.  If something is priced high, so be it.  Keep the comments out of those threads and let them die on the vine.

[dralarms]

David,

You run a tight ship. Many thanks. :D

[tnhawk]

An item is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. 

[RED333]

Wait, What, 30 hours here and 40 hours at work, get some rest man.

We need you in the long run.

[Hotrod]

Well said..

[TGO David]

Wait, What, 30 hours here and 40 hours at work, get some rest man.

We need you in the long run.

 

No joke and no exaggeration.  The past month has sucked.  A lot.

[runco]

You do appear to be edgy, get some rest!  I do think you (TGO David) do an excellent job, and thank you for providing this forum and keeping the atmosphere and rhetoric in check to my liking!  THANK YOU!  Heck someday I just might want to become a benefactor just for the heck-of-it, I just do not sell or trade or I would have already.  I did order some decals though!  :pleased: And I do recruit people at work to visit your forum.

[TGO David]

You do appear to be edgy, get some rest!

 

Refer to my new (as in just now) avatar.

 

 

Oh yeah, decals... just FYI for folks who are reading, those will be mailed out this weekend.

[RED333]

Oh yeah, decals... just FYI for folks who are reading, those will be mailed out this weekend.

No worries or hurry on this end.

[Guest Torrin]

Nice job keeping things running David, you run a good site and you have been dealing with a bunch of crap you don't need to deal with.

 

I agree totally with your stance.  I HATE gouging and really wish it did not happen, however, if folks want to sell and others want to buy, that is the law of supply and demand.  I overpaid for .223 ammo early on, since I was a bit short.

 

Good luck and get some rest.  :)

[TMF]

I'm doing my job to normalize the market by not buying anything right now.

[TGO David]

I'm doing my job to normalize the market by not buying anything right now.

 

You and me both.  :)

 

And seriously, I can't read your posts without hearing H. Jon Benjamin's voice.  That's awesome.

[TMF]

[quote name="TGO David" post="893499" timestamp="1358940256"]You and me both.  :)   And seriously, I can't read your posts without hearing H. Jon Benjamin's voice.  That's awesome.[/quote] Kinda makes you wonder how my posts would read if my avatar was Morgan Freeman.

[TGO David]

Kinda makes you wonder how my posts would read if my avatar was Morgan Freeman.

 

I wish I could tell you that Andy fought the good fight, and the Sisters let him be. I wish I could tell you that - but prison is no fairy-tale world...

[Guest sL1k]

[Fourtyfive]

[quote name="TGO David" post="893260" timestamp="1358906728"]Refer to my new (as in just now) avatar.     I did notice your avatar changed , but it is back to it's old one now ?

[TGO David]

[quote name="TGO David" post="893260" timestamp="1358906728"]Refer to my new (as in just now) avatar.
 
 
I did notice your avatar changed , but it is back to it's old one now ?

 

Avatar Watch 2013 starts... Now!

 

Yeah, I went back to my old one.  Fry was confusing OldShoot [sic].

[NoBanStan]

 

 

I just spit coffee on my monitor.....

[E4 No More]

I think that it's a good call, David. Price gouging pisses me off too, but it is between the purchaser and seller; not a 3rd party. If one is dumb enough to pay the price then so be it. But I also think that if someone openly asks another member's opinion about whether they think a price is reasonable then said member should be free to opine.

[Oh Shoot]

  Fry was confusing OldShoot [sic].

 

Hey, watch it, I resemble that!

[strickj]

Thanks.  So let me elaborate a little and just put this out there.  The staff and I are pretty much worn out.  Between the server problems that I've been fighting for almost 30-40 hours a week on top of my normal 40-50 hr job and then all of the chaos surrounding the political climate, we've been burning the candle at both ends and in the middle.  Something had to give.

 

It didn't take long for me to spot the fact that regardless of our good intentions and desire to not allow people to post a bunch of crap on TGO at ridiculous mark-ups, the bottom line is there was just no practical way for us to police that stuff.  And furthermore, we shouldn't.

 

If somene wants to list PMAGs for $100 each, I will be the first to agree [privately] that they're out of their minds and that sooner or later the market WILL correct itself and those things won't be worth near that much money.  But we see this in the stock market every day and no one complains if they make bank off of Google stock today after paying a fraction for it a few months ago.  This is the free market and that's just how people make money.

 

That being said, I'm sure some folks are getting sick and tired of the rules changing every week or two. Believe me... so am I.

 

That's why this is the final word on pricing in the Trading Post.  The market will determine what is a realistic price from here on out.  But we're absolutely not going to tolerate people crapping in each other's threads either.  If something is priced high, so be it.  Keep the comments out of those threads and let them die on the vine.

 

Take some 5 Hour Energy.

 

Then you will be able to work your 9-5, while fixing TGO, while knitting a sweater, all in the plane you're skydiving out of, while writing a book on your favorite flavor of titty sprinkles....

 

True story!

[TGO David]

Worth noting...

 

Member Spicy McHaggis has been shown to the door because he couldn't grasp that we're dead serious about not crapping in people's Trading Post threads.

 

We're not going to put up with folks giving sellers a ration of crap over pricing.  Free Market, baby.

[TGO David]

Mmmm.  Sprinkles.