4 or 5 years ago AZB was a much different place to buy and sell cues. Bad deals were almost unheard of...it was a much closer knit community than it is now, and it just didn't really happen.
These days are much different. There are some sellers here that I would not hesitate, for even a minute, to do a deal with. AZB is so much bigger now, and with that growth came the deadbeats and the scammers...pretty much the way that eBay was affected with it's growth. Now it is not so easy for many to buy and sell here. It is much more difficult for the newer members in particular, as they are so much more of an 'unknown' now, and after many bad deals, not as easily trusted....especially when the bad/banned members continue to come back here with new persona after new persona.
Some tips:
If you find something you must have, make your offer via PM.
If you make an offer, be prepared to follow-through with it should the seller accept. He/she has likely turned down other offers to accept yours, so it is bad form to leave them hanging.
Make sure you have asked and received answers to all your questions pertaining to a cue. Keep all correspondence concerning your particular deal, and do not dispose of until you are completely satisfied with your deal and the cue is received in good order and you have decided to keep it.
If, for some reason, the deal does go south on you...try to work things out with the seller via PM's, emails, or phone convo prior to starting a thread here about the deal. Many sellers will wish to work something out to keep their reputation here. For those who are only out to scam, you will have all that saved correspondence to back your side of the case.
Ideally, if a seller is within a reasonable driving distance, check out the cue in person whenever possible. Better to be out a few bucks for gas, than out hundreds to thousands for a bad cue deal. Additionally, it gives you a chance to see a particular cue is even right for you....it may look great, but not play to your liking. Also, there are some members here that may live close to a seller, and may offer to go check out the cue for you, and give you their assessment.
Do your homework.....ask other well-respected members about sellers you may not be familiar with....generally this is done via PM's. Also, look at their iTrader rating, although this is not a guarantee....it can be a great barometer. You can also do a member search, and read all the posts they have been involved in, to see if there have been any 'issues'.
Make sure that method of accepted payment terms is clearly understood and agreed upon by BOTH parties. Many are not accepting PayPal these days...however, I would suggest that if you are going to use PayPal, that you use a credit card as opposed to your bank account/PayPal account. At least in this way, should it all go south and PayPal will not cover the loss...usually your credit card will.
BTW...NEVER post discussions about a seller's pricing on a cue in their For Sale thread...it is considered extremely bad form. If you feel compelled to discuss the pricing, then start a new thread over in the Cue Reviews section, where it will not have a direct impact on their FS thread.
Lastly, if you are unsure about the deal, or just want it to go as smoothly as possible, pay a few dollars extra, (or see about splitting the fee with the seller), and use an Escrow service. In this way, the cue will be throughly inspected to make sure it is as stated by the seller...it also makes sure that the cue and monies actually make it to their intended destinations. It can make the entire process much less stressful for both parties.
I am sure that there are more tips others can offer, but this was the best I could do coming off of a hangover...LoL!
Welcome to AZB and best of luck with your intended future purchases!! :wave:
Lisa
