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Thread: Hyperbole on the For Sale/Wanted Forum

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Fidalgo Island, Washington
    Posts
    4

    Hyperbole on the For Sale/Wanted Forum

    I've been watching the "BEST! 8x10 setup money can buy!" thread over on the For Sale/Wanted with some perplexity. For some reason the header stirred up the wrath of certain members who thought it was hyperbole. For the record, I thought the outfit was a reasonable start for a shooter, overpriced perhaps but the whole point of forums like this is to establish actual values: what will an actual buyer actually pay.

    The real hyperbole to me is stuff like this, seen all the time:

    "Shutter speeds sound accurate" (to my scientifically calibrated ear)
    "Scratches on glass do not affect image quality" (unless you're aiming for quality images)
    "CLAd a few years back by the previous seller" (and only used in church by a little old lady)
    "Bellows appear to have no pinholes" (there's a sure way to find out)
    "Last chance before I send it to eBay" (don't make me drown these kittens)
    And my current favorite:
    "Paypal only. Add 3% for Paypal" (?)

    I'm quite happy to step around these little stinkers because I've found and purchased some amazing stuff on this forum. Bargains, yes, but more than that things that would be otherwise impossible to find, like the $5 rangefinder cam that matches my Horseman 65mm. This is the Long Tail effect of the internet, and it's what makes this forum, and those like it, so valuable.

    So caveat emptor. Let the feedback continue but let's be civil about it. There is, after all, a certain dignity that goes with large format work.

  2. #2

    Join Date
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    Posts
    1,475

    Re: Hyperbole on the For Sale/Wanted Forum

    Quote Originally Posted by tenny69 View Post
    "Last chance before I send it to eBay"
    "Add 3% for Paypal"
    I find these two especially repulsive.

    It really doesn't matter how nice it is or how well priced...as soon as I see either of these...I click the back button and never look back. Interestingly, items that have this kind of bullshit in their listings always seem to have very optimistic pricing anyway.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Dec 2005
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    Re: Hyperbole on the For Sale/Wanted Forum


    [...]

    "Add 3% for Paypal"
    Quote Originally Posted by BradS View Post
    I find these two especially repulsive.

    It really doesn't matter how nice it is or how well priced...as soon as I see either of these...I click the back button and never look back. Interestingly, items that have this kind of bullshit in their listings always seem to have very optimistic pricing anyway.
    Why does the PayPal line bother you? This is usually done by the sellers who accept other methods too (such as money order).

    PayPal does charge the seller a 3% surcharge (more for international transactions) and all it does is offer greater security to the buyer. Why should seller have to pay for it?

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    954

    Re: Hyperbole on the For Sale/Wanted Forum

    There is nothing wrong in adding 3% for paypal provided the seller discloses it up front. If more merchants added a fee for credit cards, it would eventually prevent the banks (U.S.) from being so goddamn greedy.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    1,952

    Re: Hyperbole on the For Sale/Wanted Forum

    Quote Originally Posted by BradS View Post
    I find these two especially repulsive.

    It really doesn't matter how nice it is or how well priced...as soon as I see either of these...I click the back button and never look back. Interestingly, items that have this kind of bullshit in their listings always seem to have very optimistic pricing anyway.
    Why should the PayPal fee listing bother you? It's an indication that the buyer is giving you the best price on an item that he/she thinks they can give and giving an un-inflated shipping price. I just think the seller is being honest and why should the seller pay for the PP fees?


    Don Bryant

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Dec 2000
    Location
    Tonopah, Nevada, USA
    Posts
    6,334

    Re: Hyperbole on the For Sale/Wanted Forum

    We don' need no stinkin' hyper bully. We got little green men.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    59

    Re: Hyperbole on the For Sale/Wanted Forum

    just in case context is lost to contest:
    OED: "exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally."

    to understand it as hyperbole means "you understand 'both' "

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    789

    Re: Hyperbole on the For Sale/Wanted Forum

    I started to post a bunch of personal crap about how truly shitty life can be but I erased it. No one wants to hear a bunch of "oh pitiful me" crap. Suffice it to say this is very petty stuff. Think about the folks in Haiti!!

  9. #9

    Re: Hyperbole on the For Sale/Wanted Forum

    Quote Originally Posted by tenny69 View Post
    I've been watching the "BEST! 8x10 setup money can buy!" thread over on the For Sale/Wanted with some perplexity. For some reason the header stirred up the wrath of certain members who thought it was hyperbole. For the record, I thought the outfit was a reasonable start for a shooter, overpriced perhaps but the whole point of forums like this is to establish actual values: what will an actual buyer actually pay.

    The real hyperbole to me is stuff like this, seen all the time:

    "Shutter speeds sound accurate" (to my scientifically calibrated ear)
    "Scratches on glass do not affect image quality" (unless you're aiming for quality images)
    "CLAd a few years back by the previous seller" (and only used in church by a little old lady)
    "Bellows appear to have no pinholes" (there's a sure way to find out)
    "Last chance before I send it to eBay" (don't make me drown these kittens)
    And my current favorite:
    "Paypal only. Add 3% for Paypal" (?)

    I'm quite happy to step around these little stinkers because I've found and purchased some amazing stuff on this forum. Bargains, yes, but more than that things that would be otherwise impossible to find, like the $5 rangefinder cam that matches my Horseman 65mm. This is the Long Tail effect of the internet, and it's what makes this forum, and those like it, so valuable.

    So caveat emptor. Let the feedback continue but let's be civil about it. There is, after all, a certain dignity that goes with large format work.
    2 posts and you're already whining about this place?

  10. #10
    Kirk Gittings's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Albuquerque, Nuevo Mexico
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    9,864

    Re: Hyperbole on the For Sale/Wanted Forum

    Quote Originally Posted by Henry Ambrose View Post
    2 posts and you're already whining about this place?
    Thanks,
    Kirk

    at age 73:
    "The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep"

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