MeFi buy/trade/sell site? October 29, 2008 1:38 PM Subscribe
marketplace.metafilter.com?
Probably been brought up before, and probably shot down before ... but wouldn't it be cool to have an open Craigslist/freecycle/cheapcycle-type thingie, but limited to the trusted MeFi family?
Probably been brought up before, and probably shot down before ... but wouldn't it be cool to have an open Craigslist/freecycle/cheapcycle-type thingie, but limited to the trusted MeFi family?
wouldn't it be cool to have an open Craigslist/freecycle/cheapcycle-type thingie, but limited to the trusted MeFi family?
No.
posted by Wolfdog at 1:42 PM on October 29, 2008
No.
posted by Wolfdog at 1:42 PM on October 29, 2008
Maybe
posted by burnmp3s at 1:43 PM on October 29, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by burnmp3s at 1:43 PM on October 29, 2008 [3 favorites]
Read through all the anonymous finance questions, and then ask yourself whether you'd like them to owe you money.
posted by smackfu at 1:49 PM on October 29, 2008 [13 favorites]
posted by smackfu at 1:49 PM on October 29, 2008 [13 favorites]
Metafilter doesn't have to solve every problem.
posted by Class Goat at 1:49 PM on October 29, 2008 [4 favorites]
posted by Class Goat at 1:49 PM on October 29, 2008 [4 favorites]
Eh, while I appreciate the "we all trust one another" aspect of this, it would be way too much liability and if it got big it could be a problem child all unto itself as people began signing up just for that, ala AskMe.
Maybe we could do some Cash Gifting instead.
posted by cimbrog at 1:50 PM on October 29, 2008
Maybe we could do some Cash Gifting instead.
posted by cimbrog at 1:50 PM on October 29, 2008
It would be interesting to see if this could work.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:51 PM on October 29, 2008
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:51 PM on October 29, 2008
Is there some function this would offer that Craigslist doesn't mostly do? I feel like for people who have nearby MeFites, they already likely have a decent CL/freecycle option. For people that don't -- more remote MeFites or folks in not-heavily-represented countries -- it wouldn't do much for them. Plus, being an admin of ANYTHING involving cash is a huge clusterfuck that I don't think any of us would relish. I think it's a near general idea, but not one we could deal with given the teeny staff and general broad geographic distribution of membership.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:53 PM on October 29, 2008
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:53 PM on October 29, 2008
Seller name: jonmc
Feedback: Great deal on Anthrax shirt. Will buy again . A+++++
posted by special-k at 1:53 PM on October 29, 2008 [4 favorites]
Feedback: Great deal on Anthrax shirt. Will buy again . A+++++
posted by special-k at 1:53 PM on October 29, 2008 [4 favorites]
The ability to buy a five dollar account on credit does not connote trustworthiness.
posted by ardgedee at 1:54 PM on October 29, 2008
posted by ardgedee at 1:54 PM on October 29, 2008
Maybe we'd getting a larger Nigerian contingent on the site.
posted by yeti at 1:57 PM on October 29, 2008
posted by yeti at 1:57 PM on October 29, 2008
The signup fee was a later addition, so early users got in free. What this says about their trustworthiness is...
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:00 PM on October 29, 2008
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:00 PM on October 29, 2008
I can envision controversial products that would make Mefi explode in glorious flameoutery. Great for the lulz, not so much for the mods.
posted by empyrean at 2:02 PM on October 29, 2008
posted by empyrean at 2:02 PM on October 29, 2008
It's not that a five dollar account would make someone trustworthy; it's the restraint generated by a link to the infamous Givewell thread and a statement that MeFi really really really likes to hunt down the appropriate parties and dissect everything. MeFi: Fear us, we have librarians.
posted by adipocere at 2:04 PM on October 29, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by adipocere at 2:04 PM on October 29, 2008 [3 favorites]
Mentioning Craigslist probably wasn't a good idea, as it calls to mind a geographically oriented thing. I'm thinking more topically oriented - if I've got a box of comic books I want to get rid of, chances are I know a dozen or more mefites who are into that and who I've chatted with in threads and kinda gotten to know. So the comfort level of making a transaction is much higher than with some total stranger on Craigslist.
As for all the liability issues - I dunno. That's a valid point. I was envisioning a sheer matchmaking-type thing, any transaction that takes place would be offline and the responsibility of the two parties (and the site would clearly disclaim it as such).
posted by jbickers at 2:09 PM on October 29, 2008
As for all the liability issues - I dunno. That's a valid point. I was envisioning a sheer matchmaking-type thing, any transaction that takes place would be offline and the responsibility of the two parties (and the site would clearly disclaim it as such).
posted by jbickers at 2:09 PM on October 29, 2008
I'd love something like this. But then, I'd like to point out that my username has been associated with numerous comment about hunting strangers for sport or shipping fellow mefites large quantities of insects. So I don't expect my postings would generate a lot of positive interest.
posted by quin at 2:37 PM on October 29, 2008
posted by quin at 2:37 PM on October 29, 2008
limited to the trusted MeFi family
Yeah, uh... I got a bridge for sale, right here.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:40 PM on October 29, 2008
Yeah, uh... I got a bridge for sale, right here.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:40 PM on October 29, 2008
"Mentioning Craigslist probably wasn't a good idea, as it calls to mind a geographically oriented thing. I'm thinking more topically oriented - if I've got a box of comic books I want to get rid of, chances are I know a dozen or more mefites who are into that and who I've chatted with in threads and kinda gotten to know."
I dunno. Art had a whole box of comic books that he was giving away free at a meetup, and I kinda wanted them (because I collected comic books once, which means that any time anyone offers free comic books, I perk up), but then I was kinda drunk and forgot about them, and as far as I know they're still in the trunk of his car.
posted by klangklangston at 2:41 PM on October 29, 2008
I dunno. Art had a whole box of comic books that he was giving away free at a meetup, and I kinda wanted them (because I collected comic books once, which means that any time anyone offers free comic books, I perk up), but then I was kinda drunk and forgot about them, and as far as I know they're still in the trunk of his car.
posted by klangklangston at 2:41 PM on October 29, 2008
Yeah, uh... I got a bridge for sale, right here.
I'll take it! Should I make this check out to cash?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:46 PM on October 29, 2008
I'll take it! Should I make this check out to cash?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:46 PM on October 29, 2008
Yes, please!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:01 PM on October 29, 2008
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:01 PM on October 29, 2008
re: tags
classifi eDads? (electro-dads?)
classifie Dads?
Class I fie Dads?
I'm not sure I really want to know.
posted by blue_beetle at 3:33 PM on October 29, 2008
classifi eDads? (electro-dads?)
classifie Dads?
Class I fie Dads?
I'm not sure I really want to know.
posted by blue_beetle at 3:33 PM on October 29, 2008
I'm new (and therefore shouldn't be trusted), but have lurked forever. I was involved in designing one of these for an intranet a few years ago where similar issues came up.
Reading through the history of this idea, some people are dead keen, while others are meh - although Matt has appeared to be on the positive side of ambivalent in the past (which I guess counts towards the likelihood of it happening). Maybe he's looking for the users to define it a bit more beyond "kewl - do it!"...?
In any case, I wouldn't recommend that Mefi has any involvement in the transactional side of doing something like this - there are hassles (legal/moral) with putting something like that in place.
I imagine something could be put together around listings that would fit the existing data model for Jobs (for example), maybe add a user-defined expiry date and the ability to edit a listing status (sold/amount left) or self remove listings.
The tricky part comes around reporting & dealing with transactions gone sour - would it need something like contacts & flagging to show a transaction had been completed and the subsequent outcome? Negative flags could trigger a timeout or ban in the same way as everything else.
How do you trust people in the first place? Leap of faith, I guess. You might have a small listing fee fulfilled through PayPal that Mefi uses as some kind of unofficial insurance for bad transactions (Or - Mod's xmas drinks / first drink at meetups on Mefi / etc).
Happy to have a look through my old stuff & throw some ideas together if it's a go...
posted by MatJ at 4:06 PM on October 29, 2008
Reading through the history of this idea, some people are dead keen, while others are meh - although Matt has appeared to be on the positive side of ambivalent in the past (which I guess counts towards the likelihood of it happening). Maybe he's looking for the users to define it a bit more beyond "kewl - do it!"...?
In any case, I wouldn't recommend that Mefi has any involvement in the transactional side of doing something like this - there are hassles (legal/moral) with putting something like that in place.
I imagine something could be put together around listings that would fit the existing data model for Jobs (for example), maybe add a user-defined expiry date and the ability to edit a listing status (sold/amount left) or self remove listings.
The tricky part comes around reporting & dealing with transactions gone sour - would it need something like contacts & flagging to show a transaction had been completed and the subsequent outcome? Negative flags could trigger a timeout or ban in the same way as everything else.
How do you trust people in the first place? Leap of faith, I guess. You might have a small listing fee fulfilled through PayPal that Mefi uses as some kind of unofficial insurance for bad transactions (Or - Mod's xmas drinks / first drink at meetups on Mefi / etc).
Happy to have a look through my old stuff & throw some ideas together if it's a go...
posted by MatJ at 4:06 PM on October 29, 2008
Here is a list of MeFite shops, found via a MeTa thread about Etsy.
posted by anifinder at 4:08 PM on October 29, 2008
posted by anifinder at 4:08 PM on October 29, 2008
It's not that a five dollar account would make someone trustworthy; it's the restraint generated by a link to the infamous Givewell thread and a statement that MeFi really really really likes to hunt down the appropriate parties and dissect everything. MeFi: Fear us, we have librarians.
Which is comforting in a sort of community mythology way, but we see spammers and SEO motherfuckers come through here on a weekly basis trying to pull off bonehead linkspam hijinks that have fairly indirect, low-incentive payoffs, despite the (largely internal) reputation for said vigilance. Throw in an immediate quick-buck cash incentive and I can only see that sort of thing getting worse.
We've talked before about more of a Mefi Shopping Channel idea, with folks who make like crafty stuff selling that stuff, and that I think is more manageable and more likely to happen than any sort of generalized swap/listing service, but even at that I don't know where we are on making it happen.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:10 PM on October 29, 2008
Which is comforting in a sort of community mythology way, but we see spammers and SEO motherfuckers come through here on a weekly basis trying to pull off bonehead linkspam hijinks that have fairly indirect, low-incentive payoffs, despite the (largely internal) reputation for said vigilance. Throw in an immediate quick-buck cash incentive and I can only see that sort of thing getting worse.
We've talked before about more of a Mefi Shopping Channel idea, with folks who make like crafty stuff selling that stuff, and that I think is more manageable and more likely to happen than any sort of generalized swap/listing service, but even at that I don't know where we are on making it happen.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:10 PM on October 29, 2008
Remember when questions were asked to establish a "typical Mefite" profile? Did anyone tell the truth then? Now you want to do business with ±80,00 skilled liars entertaining untruth tellers?
posted by Cranberry at 4:32 PM on October 29, 2008
posted by Cranberry at 4:32 PM on October 29, 2008
Top quality snark only 4.55$/lb! Act fast! [more inside]
posted by Rinku at 5:01 PM on October 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Rinku at 5:01 PM on October 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
I'd be down with this, so I can pay people to people to favorite me. I mean, sure, I'd technically just paying just for their reviewing service, but just like those ads for companionship, We'd all know it was for the egostroke/electronic wankjob.
posted by piratebowling at 5:14 PM on October 29, 2008
posted by piratebowling at 5:14 PM on October 29, 2008
We've talked about this before, and I've been for it before, but I've come around to the idea that it definitely should be off-site.
fwiw
posted by pineapple at 5:37 PM on October 29, 2008
fwiw
posted by pineapple at 5:37 PM on October 29, 2008
Nearby Users
Sort By:
- Distance
- Personal beliefs
- Attractiveness
- Fetishes
- Shit they have and want to get rid of
posted by turgid dahlia at 5:52 PM on October 29, 2008 [2 favorites]
Sort By:
- Distance
- Personal beliefs
- Attractiveness
- Fetishes
- Shit they have and want to get rid of
posted by turgid dahlia at 5:52 PM on October 29, 2008 [2 favorites]
Metafilter doesn't have to solve every problem.
QFT. No website can fulfill every need. And no website should try.
People here get pissy and aggravated enough about petty little online slights, about words floating by on a screen.
Now imagine how much drama and uproar you'd have if people started coming to MetaTalk about disputes involving actual money.
posted by jason's_planet at 6:19 PM on October 29, 2008
QFT. No website can fulfill every need. And no website should try.
People here get pissy and aggravated enough about petty little online slights, about words floating by on a screen.
Now imagine how much drama and uproar you'd have if people started coming to MetaTalk about disputes involving actual money.
posted by jason's_planet at 6:19 PM on October 29, 2008
MeFi Travel couldn't even get off the ground. You think the admins have time to put together a completely different pony?
posted by mkultra at 7:14 PM on October 29, 2008
posted by mkultra at 7:14 PM on October 29, 2008
So we have swapmeet.metafilter.com and you can only post there after X favorites and X comments.
I mean, with this move and all I'm about to literally give away or sell almost everything I own, I'd love to see some of my goofy ass stuff wind up in the homes of some mefites.
Of course, I'd want to be able to sort buyers by comments, because and for example, I don't want any of my crap to go to anyone who contributed to politicalfilter here in the last 30 days and who exists very far astride the proverbial middle of the fence.
I sorta dig the "I've got a box of hummingbird beaks" and someone posts "I'll give you 5 quid" and then I get to press his username and read his last 100 comments and decide "sure" or "go piss up a rope."
posted by TomMelee at 7:25 PM on October 29, 2008
I mean, with this move and all I'm about to literally give away or sell almost everything I own, I'd love to see some of my goofy ass stuff wind up in the homes of some mefites.
Of course, I'd want to be able to sort buyers by comments, because and for example, I don't want any of my crap to go to anyone who contributed to politicalfilter here in the last 30 days and who exists very far astride the proverbial middle of the fence.
I sorta dig the "I've got a box of hummingbird beaks" and someone posts "I'll give you 5 quid" and then I get to press his username and read his last 100 comments and decide "sure" or "go piss up a rope."
posted by TomMelee at 7:25 PM on October 29, 2008
No website can fulfill every need. - jason's_planet
O RLY?
posted by Mister_A at 7:28 PM on October 29, 2008 [2 favorites]
O RLY?
posted by Mister_A at 7:28 PM on October 29, 2008 [2 favorites]
Seller name: jonmc
Feedback: Great deal on Anthrax shirt. Will buy again . A+++++
Heh. Funny thing is, I ordered an Anthrax t-shirt 2 weeks ago. They sent me a Miami Vice t-shirt instead. I would love to know how that happened.
posted by jonmc at 8:06 PM on October 29, 2008
Feedback: Great deal on Anthrax shirt. Will buy again . A+++++
Heh. Funny thing is, I ordered an Anthrax t-shirt 2 weeks ago. They sent me a Miami Vice t-shirt instead. I would love to know how that happened.
posted by jonmc at 8:06 PM on October 29, 2008
This is a bad idea. A forum where I hang out during downturns in MeFi has a buy/sell section where people can advertise bits for sale. There have been a couple of issues where people have paid for parts and not got them or got the parts and not paid them. Because the contact was made on-site even though the transaction itself was not, parties sometimes feel entitled to use the site to make all sorts of claims about each other that drag others in and lead to all sorts of bad shit.
If you want to give stuff away, use craigslist or freecycle or whatever. If you want to buy/sell stuff, use eBay. Don't try and reinvent the wheel.
posted by dg at 9:24 PM on October 29, 2008
If you want to give stuff away, use craigslist or freecycle or whatever. If you want to buy/sell stuff, use eBay. Don't try and reinvent the wheel.
posted by dg at 9:24 PM on October 29, 2008
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keywords: # a, a-, a1, a/1c, aa, aaa, aaal, aaas, aachen, aafp, aah, aahed, aahing, aahs, aaiun el, aaiun, el, aalborg, aalst, aamc, a and m, a and r, aar, aarau, aardvark, aardvarks, aardwolf ...zymase, zymases, zymo, zymo-, zymogen, zymogens, zymogram, zymograms, zymosan, zymosans
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posted by maxwelton at 10:09 PM on October 29, 2008
if I've got a box of comic books I want to get rid of
E-mail in profile. Unless it's a box of Youngblood #0, in which case I have plenty of firewood for winter already, tyvm.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:54 PM on October 29, 2008
E-mail in profile. Unless it's a box of Youngblood #0, in which case I have plenty of firewood for winter already, tyvm.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:54 PM on October 29, 2008
My credit card number is
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
11 12!
The ! is a digit
posted by dirigibleman at 5:45 PM on October 30, 2008
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
11 12!
The ! is a digit
posted by dirigibleman at 5:45 PM on October 30, 2008
Dear marketplace.metafiler.com
There is a neighbour across the street who has a continual stream of gentleman callers. Can MarkMe readers please:
a.) advise on the best way of ascertaining whether she actually is a prostitute.
b.) advise on the best way of getting her evicted from her house.
c.) suggest ways of approaching her, post-eviction, in order to suggest she become the 'bottom ho' in my new stable
d.) suggest some advertising copy for marketplace.metafilter.com that ensures a maximum response from Metafilter's potentially enormous john population.
Current ideas include:
- having her wear a lifelike Barack Obama mask
- photographs of her wearing stilleto heels as she steps on the testicles of Cory Doctorow
- posing naked, with nothing but an enormous donut to conceal her modesty
This woman *is* a backtagging superstar -- if you know what I mean and I think you do -- so I'm pretty sure she'll fit in real well as amember of product aimed at this community.
Hivemind, I await your wisdom in this regard. People who have a problem with pimping, please take it to MetaMarketplace rather than shitting in my thread.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 6:05 PM on October 30, 2008
There is a neighbour across the street who has a continual stream of gentleman callers. Can MarkMe readers please:
a.) advise on the best way of ascertaining whether she actually is a prostitute.
b.) advise on the best way of getting her evicted from her house.
c.) suggest ways of approaching her, post-eviction, in order to suggest she become the 'bottom ho' in my new stable
d.) suggest some advertising copy for marketplace.metafilter.com that ensures a maximum response from Metafilter's potentially enormous john population.
Current ideas include:
- having her wear a lifelike Barack Obama mask
- photographs of her wearing stilleto heels as she steps on the testicles of Cory Doctorow
- posing naked, with nothing but an enormous donut to conceal her modesty
This woman *is* a backtagging superstar -- if you know what I mean and I think you do -- so I'm pretty sure she'll fit in real well as a
Hivemind, I await your wisdom in this regard. People who have a problem with pimping, please take it to MetaMarketplace rather than shitting in my thread.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 6:05 PM on October 30, 2008
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Yes.
posted by matthewr at 1:40 PM on October 29, 2008