for sale etiquette?

From: der Mouse <mouse_at_Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>
Date: Tue May 25 15:22:12 2004

> What is the view of folks posting items for sale on the list?

I am in favour of it, for what that may be worth - at least assuming
the item is on-topic, or at least topic-appropriate; "I have a 1992
Ford Mustang to sell" would, I think, be a bit much. :-)

> Do most readers of the list also frequent VCM (my guess is a definite
> maybe)?

That would be my own guess too. :-) I don't, but I suspect I am
exceptional in this respect.

> What if VCM posted a summary of all new items received for
> sale/auction at the end of each day?

That would be of value only to those people that _do_ do VCM, and for
them, I'd say it would be more appropriate for the VCM to generate
individual mail to VCM members who have asked for it. I don't do VCM
(the VCM's terms of service are unacceptable to me for reasons starting
with but by no means limited to requiring me to agree to foreign legal
jurisdiction), and as a result my reactions to VCM postings are about
the same as to eBay postings: "gee, might be nice, too bad the seller
has chosen such an unacceptable venue".

I haven't kicked up a fuss about the various posts that basically just
point to a VCM or eBay listing for two reasons: (1) the annoyance is
small compared to the positive feeling I have towards my
co-lovers-of-old-computers, small enough that I've been content to
ignore it, and (2) I feel sure I am in a small enough minority in
finding them smacking of "nyaah nyaah, look what you can't have" that I
would be told to shut up and stop making a fuss rather than anyone
else's behaviour changing, so there's no point in irritating people.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with posting a for-sale here when the
item is being sold directly, especially when it's, by intent, being
sold by or to collectors rather than random computer dealers or
(shudder) scrappers.

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Received on Tue May 25 2004 - 15:22:12 BST