Bloody trademe

**firefighter** · 16th June 2009, 13:51

I don't know why i've posted this up, just felt like a whinge!

An email from trade me I recieved today:

Dear .....,

Regarding the listing for SHOEI RAID BLACK HELMET Listing no. 223588301

It's come to our attention that you may be placing or requesting contact information in the Q&A section of one or more listings.
It's against our terms and conditions to place your email address, physical address, phone number, web address or other contact details in listings on Trade Me.
It's also against our terms and conditions to ask someone else for their contact details via an auction.

This rule was created due to a high number of sellers attempting to sell their item outside of Trade Me to avoid success fees.
If you've been asked to provide your contact details so people can take a look at the item please tell them you can't do this as it's against Trade Me rules.

To help buyers get the most information about the item as possible make sure you are: - Writing a thorough description of the item- Providing good, detailed photographs- Disclosing any damage (and including photos of the damage)- Answering questions left on the auction

We'd appreciate it if you could review our terms and conditions before placing further listings. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Help/Topic.aspx?help_id=143

If you have any questions about this policy please let us know.

Regards, Trade Me Customer Support

My response:

Dear idiotic system,

A SAFETY device as important as a motorcycle helmet needs to be tried on to ensure it fits correctly, and you cannot try on an old model helmet by looking at a picture....this model is not available at stores for me to try on.

My intentions were to try it on, and if it fit, click buynow and be happy with my new purchase. Only an absolute moron would buy something such as this without first trying it on, especially second hand as they mould to peoples heads.

Maybe you ought to reconfigure your system, rather than try and bully and tell off regular customers, who pay outlandish fees to use your website in the first place?

Perhaps with items such as this, where fitting/trying on being so important, the rules could be adjusted so that contact details are ok, and you could get rid of the withdraw option, therefore you can still collect your dis-proportionate bounty?

Feel free to contact me and talk to me on this issue over the phone:

....

09 123456

Now I realise that yes, these are the "rules", but really, I pay them mega bucks in sale fees from the last 8 vehicles iv'e sold on there....and the rest of my purchases and sales have all made them very good money, that they've had to do nothing to contribute to.....I fail to see what this email has achieved other than pissing me off? I mean who am I to want to actually see something before I buy it?!

(me asking to view it was a one off BTW)

I personally think trademe's boots have become too big, and with no serious competition there is not much that can be done about it........I just wish there was another local online auction site with the same variety i'd be using it in a heart beat.....

oh well back to ebay I guess! Sorry local sellers........

**allycatz** · 16th June 2009, 14:09

Sellers need to say in their auction that buyer is welcome to try on item after purchase and is able to back out of purchase if not suitable. Ive always done that...tis a pain relisting and yes trade me needs to sort the issue out. Ive also given out cell number in q & a but stated item won't be sold outside of Tm. TM were probably alerted to your question by another seller

**Korumba** · 16th June 2009, 14:10

Start using Craigslist http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites
It is huge in the states and growing world wide... best part it free..... Only the help wanted adds have a charge.
I brought and sold my bike in the US on it friggin magic!

**CookMySock** · 16th June 2009, 14:18

Tighten the screws on trademe as much as you like, I say. They will really go to any length to suck any last dollar out of people, right down to plain lying about things. Fuck them.

Steve

**cambridgedan** · 16th June 2009, 14:20

you just gave me an idea man, lets make some competition to trademe, and not charge for people to list or sell

well not untill loads of people know about it

this just might work

and we will let people view the products before buying

and that will deal to trademe

**Quailboy** · 16th June 2009, 14:25

Another alternative is Sella, all totally free.

And if people start using that more then TM will have to drop its fees to compete... I mean, couldn't you just put it on sella also and say 'advertised elsewhere'?

Screw TardMe and their monopoly!

**firefighter** · 16th June 2009, 15:15

Originally Posted by Quailboy

Another alternative is Sella, all totally free.

And if people start using that more then TM will have to drop its fees to compete... I mean, couldn't you just put it on sella also and say 'advertised elsewhere'?

Screw TardMe and their monopoly!

I had no idea there was so much on there! I'll be going there first from now on.

**KiwiKat** · 16th June 2009, 16:37

Originally Posted by Quailboy

Another alternative is Sella, all totally free.

And if people start using that more then TM will have to drop its fees to compete... I mean, couldn't you just put it on sella also and say 'advertised elsewhere'?

Screw TardMe and their monopoly!

I agree totally. Trade does need good competition. Found the following bike in Sella. Nice listings. http://www.sella.co.nz/motoring/cars...riumph/4ngfxb/

**mynameis** · 16th June 2009, 16:54

Did someone report your listing? That's when they usually send stupid emails like that.

I've found them to be a bully as well and a bunch of mindless twits replying from their end.

Had to close one account because TradeMe staff just weren't listening or being helpful. They warned me if they'd catch me opening another one they would close it.

21 positive feedback at 100% and they are still looking

**mynameis** · 16th June 2009, 16:56

Problem with using other sites is, they don't have anywhere near the amount of hits like TM and if you're like me who puts everything on $1 Reserve then you won't get much out of other sites.

**BiK3RChiK** · 16th June 2009, 17:06

http://www.dealing.co.nz/index.php?do=index

What about these guys? They advertised on here a while back.... I don't have any experience with them myself but there were a few on here welcoming them.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=99582

**k14** · 16th June 2009, 18:04

Yeah I had a similar experince to them. I had a brand new cellphone advertised as "unopened". They sent me an email asking me to prove I had the goods by sending a photo of it with a recent newspaper. Ok I thought, and took one of the phone box with paper. But no, the fairly prompt response was that I had to take the phone out of the box (undoing its "unopened" status) and take a photo then. This was after being a pretty solid trademe user of 5+ years with over 100 positive feedback and never a bad one. Totally rediculous if you ask me, but sadly they have the monopoly and probably won't be pushed by the other sites anytime soon!