One post wonders

[nickliv]

I see there are quite a few requests on the buy / sell / swap board which are the first post from new members, and I've seen posts on <other> forums directing people to CA as a source for tickets, one quite clearly mentions our general ethos of not marking up tickets.

Now, it's personal choice whether to sell tickets on, and to whom I know, but it'd be nice for people to say hello first.

Rant off.

N

[DelBoy]

I see there are quite a few requests on the buy / sell / swap board which are the first post from new members, and I've seen posts on <other> forums directing people to CA as a source for tickets, one quite clearly mentions our general ethos of not marking up tickets.

Now, it's personal choice whether to sell tickets on, and to whom I know, but it'd be nice for people to say hello first.

Rant off.

N

I think the comment I highlight says it all, Nick.  If I've got tickets to sell, and a choice of potential buyers, then I'll choose the regular member over a 'one post wonder'.   Someone (forget who) actually said as much in a ticket-sale thread  a week or so ago. 

There was a suggestion a while ago that we should charge for adverts or a 'buying commission' for people with less than x posts - but the admin would not be worth the effort, and again, it goes against the ethos of CA.    I guess it's self-policing, and you never know, some of these people might like it and stay 

Del

[Lawnmower Man]

Now, it's personal choice whether to sell tickets on, and to whom I know, but it'd be nice for people to say hello first.

Rant off.

N

I think the comment I highlight says it all, Nick.  If I've got tickets to sell, and a choice of potential buyers, then I'll choose the regular member over a 'one post wonder'.   Someone (forget who) actually said as much in a ticket-sale thread  a week or so ago. 

There was a suggestion a while ago that we should charge for adverts or a 'buying commission' for people with less than x posts - but the admin would not be worth the effort, and again, it goes against the ethos of CA.    I guess it's self-policing, and you never know, some of these people might like it and stay 

Del

That sounds like my response to an offer to buy my T19 tickets.

I should also add that I aimed the advert at existing members  not new members.
Personally I think it's bad form to only join CA to get cheap tickets.

GE tickets are one thing. Grandstand and Camping (even BSJ) can be handed back at the rotunda and the ACO will sell if they can and you get your cash back.

So perhaps we should have a For Sale that is only available to those that are not "newbies"  Though that would mean the Moderators would have to clamp down on those that make trivial posts just to bump their status.

If you read SoS you do find a fair few who have only ever posted there.   Personally, I'd trim SoS of all posts over 6 months old but it's not my call.

t.

[Piglet]

The other side of that is that a couple of years ago I got MB tickets from a "lurker" with a low post count, so it works both ways! 

I tend to point people over here from other forums and I know some of them have stayed, they may not post very much but they take an interest in the forum.

As said, you choose who you sell your tickets to and often the "for sales" don't get to the board as they get dealt with beforehand!

[Lawnmower Man]

I agree there are the times when it goes the other way. 
But IMVHO it is easy to look in SoS and find that there are a lot of people that have only ever posted there.
In fact there are some that seem to pop up a regular intervals. 

t.

[termietermite]

My first post on the forum was in SorS and look where it got me.

Maybe it's one of the downsides but as said above, nobody forces you to sell to any particular individual.  I too point people in the direction of SorS when the time approaches, and some do stay and post elsewhere.  We don't have to make a meal of this, do we?  Just don't sell to them if you don't want to - it isn't a police state (I hope.)

[Brian(Liverpool boys)]

Some years back we sold an ACO stand seat to a one poster, as it was a numbered seat next to us, we offered to share a beer with him over the race week end in the stand, low and behold the guy sat in the seat was not the guy who bought our ticket, he had sold it on at a profit. So now we will not sell to low posters in SOS.

[nickliv]

Police state? Absolutely not, just thought that I'd get it orf of my chest. I'd be overjoyed if more people hung around and joined in with the fun.

[Fran]

I only posted on SoS asking to buy tickets for the first 2 or 3 years (before the forum changed). 

I also used a "male" name in those days because the place seemed a bit of a boys club and I appeared to be the only female.  How dodgy does that make me!! 

I remember going to buy one ticket from a "CA member" and having a rendez vous in Gordano services on the M5 with the driver of a Gregorys lorry, who actually turned out to be a scalper from the Porsche Owners Club and who tried to charge me a bloody fortune having said he was selling non-profit!! 

F

[termietermite]

Some years back we sold an ACO stand seat to a one poster, as it was a numbered seat next to us, we offered to share a beer with him over the race week end in the stand, low and behold the guy sat in the seat was not the guy who bought our ticket, he had sold it on at a profit. So now we will not sell to low posters in SOS.

I seem to remember selling an ACO grandstand ticket to somebody in the past.  He turned out to be OK....

Maybe we should just post a public health warning?  But I think it would be a pity to chuck the baby out with the bathwater as it's still the most honest and upright way of flogging our extra tickets that I know.  Do we post back on the forum if people turn out to be less than honest?  If not, maybe we should?

[Bob T]

Well, you could hardly call me a "regular poster" as I dont post a great deal on CA although I do pop in and keep up with the gossip.

Also a regular LM visitor and reasonably loyal CA'er camping with all the regular messy MG lot (perdu, garyfrogeye et al)

Does that make it bad for me to beg for tickets on here?

Hope not 'cos I'm gettin desperate to find a couple of HA camp tickets this year   

Help me! Pleeeaaaazzzzz.......

[Lawnmower Man]

My first post on the forum was in SorS and look where it got me.

Maybe it's one of the downsides but as said above, nobody forces you to sell to any particular individual.  I too point people in the direction of SorS when the time approaches, and some do stay and post elsewhere.  We don't have to make a meal of this, do we?  Just don't sell to them if you don't want to - it isn't a police state (I hope.)

Yes but you were selling. :-)   

t.

[Lawnmower Man]

Well, you could hardly call me a "regular poster" as I dont post a great deal on CA although I do pop in and keep up with the gossip.
Also a regular LM visitor and reasonably loyal CA'er camping with all the regular messy MG lot (perdu, garyfrogeye et al)
Does that make it bad for me to beg for tickets on here?
Hope not 'cos I'm gettin desperate to find a couple of HA camp tickets this year   
Help me! Pleeeaaaazzzzz.......

Well you do post in places other than SoS.

t.

[Lawnmower Man]

My personal experience includes one "One post wonder" who wanted some sort of proof the tickets weren't fake and that he would not have problems using ACO member tickets when he's not a member.

Given the account from Byan it's little wonder some of us have the attitude we have on the subject.

t.

[Snoring Rhino]

With the ticket cock up this year we have had to revert to agents to get our Houx Anexx passes - we accepted that we had to pay a premium and buy GE's as well, not chuffed with the ACO but thats life.

I am therefore selling my Blue Nord tickets on E****, I put the up at a starting price of £40 with free postage and then let them go at what ever the final price is, my description is, I think fair and honest. So far I have achieve a good price from them but not as yet covered my HA passes cost.

The covering my costs and the avoiding the low posters / proffitiers are the reason I am doing this, some of the descriptions on E*** are well over the top though, currently there is a BN pass described as "Le Mans, Blue nord camping pass, secure, marked pitch", - arnt they all now, obviouly hype to increase the price, it did have a "Buy it now" price of £150, ( which now seems to have disapeared). a Typical proffitier description and scam possibly, but I do not know how we could police SOS effectivly to avoide feeding them, so hence I am doing the other thing, but fairly.