Updated- Best Deal You *Haven't* Shared on OzBargain

Llukeacjm on 07/11/2015 - 18:47
Last edited 12/11/2015 - 17:09

Hi all,

Recently bought a bargain that was unable to be shared and it had me wondering: how many deals has there been out there that were consciously withheld on this site? With the seemingly cut-throat nature of some contributors here I fear that some genuinely good deals are being missed because of fear of rejection. It could also be that the bargainer did not have the time or convenience available to share.

These would be deals that would fit normal posting criteria (e.g. not clearance/one off lines). In the interest of encouraging an open and honest discussion I would encourage all to refrain from persecution. If you have one to share please add:

Deal:

Reason for not sharing:

Other relevant information:

If we get enough data we could start a poll and look at reasons as to why this happens and resolve to take our bargain sharing to the next level.

Update

Thanks for all responses so far; it seems as if the main reasons for not sharing are (in no particular order):

Fear of down votes/negativity
Lack of stock
inconvenient to post
complexity of deal aquirement
price error
Want to keep deal for self/don't want to spoil deal for continued use
Concerned about work repercussion
I think it would be good to continue this discussion about ways to overcome these reasons (e.g. give an option to post anonymously) to create a more inviting environment to post.

Site Discussion

Comments

  • nocure on 07/11/2015 - 18:56
    +4

    because of fear of rejection

    Is that your reason ?

    • lukeacjm on 07/11/2015 - 19:12
      +4

      There have been a couple of deals I have been close to posting but was not confident on the quality; this deal was one similar to that described by scrimshaw (purchased goods at auction for $15 that are valued at $300)

      • Scrooge McDuck on 08/11/2015 - 18:39
        +4

        I thought you were going to mention the tension between your own personal interest in benefiting from an ongoing deal and the joy of sharing it with everyone here, lest the deal became widely exploited and pulled.

        • AbbyL on 08/11/2015 - 19:16

          That's what I thought too…

      • hahaboy on 08/11/2015 - 21:00

        what auctions do you attend?

  • scrimshaw on 07/11/2015 - 19:00
    +5

    Not a bargain but close to it.

    There is a well-known dumpster diver where I work. He raids the skip bins of commercial shopping centres and business parks, and occassionally picks up some very good finds. I once had to throw out some very expensive (some were functional) equipment — an old Linksys router, a 48 port switch with fiber uplink, a Phillips DECT phone combo, an ancient laser printer, and a Snom M9R with 3 handsets.

    This guy rocks up in his ute and says if I were decomissioning these items, so he took them off me. He also took away some office chairs and LCD panels.

    And according to him he's picked up over $1000 worth of items simply dumpster diving over a 3 day period, as well as picking up some fully functional (but pretty old) Dell server units with dual Xeons and 64GB of RAM. These I gather would fetch about $200~300 on eBay.

    • Clear on 07/11/2015 - 19:46
      +2

      And you're not allowed to keep it? I've picked up a fair amount of decommissioned routers and managed switches in my time.

      • Scrooge McDuck on 08/11/2015 - 18:28
        +3

        And you're not allowed to keep it?

        I think that would generate a Conflict of Interest, if the person responsible for decommissioning equipment also stood to gain from that.

        • scrimshaw on 08/11/2015 - 19:43
          +5

          I could keep it if I wanted. So long as it doesn't contain sensitive data — as you can imagine there are privacy concerns.

          I also have to nuke and DBAN drives in the laptops before we donate them and any faulty drives that can't be read is securely destroyed (i.e. hammertime!)

          I haven't taken any company laptops as I believe they are better off being donated — we usually donate any working laptops to overseas e.g India and Vietnam

        • Clear on 08/11/2015 - 19:49

          They're usually very redundant or damaged and long out of warranty so there is hardly any gain from it. As long as there are no configurations its all good.

          Besides we have tens of thousands of these deployed across the nation, so its no biggy. Of course that'd be different for smaller companies.

        • moza on 09/11/2015 - 22:44
          +1

          @scrimshaw:

          Haha… I can just imagine the boss… "nope, thaf drive has private information on it. You need to place it in a dumpster "for security…."

    • altomic on 07/11/2015 - 21:16
      +3

      I used dumpster dive behind DSE when I lived in Albury years ago. Found some awesome stuff. Sometimes fully functional, sometimes needing a 2 minute fix. Good times.

      • Dr Techno on 09/11/2015 - 14:21
        +1

        Parents Xmas tree came from DSE dumpster. They were in the middle of moving premises and Xmas was over.. So still new boxed product.. Great score.

    • niknah on 08/11/2015 - 18:28
      +3

      I knew a guy who lived in a fancy apartment block.
      His hobby was to go to the garbage every week or so when they would dump the heavy stuff that wouldn't fit in the normal garbage.
      His eBay account had hundreds of sales.

      • Scrooge McDuck on 08/11/2015 - 18:31
        +45

        Good for these guys. They make profit, the buyers acquire discounted goods, the disposal costs are less and material is saved from ending up in landfill.

        Everybody wins!

    • jellykingdom on 09/11/2015 - 08:56

      I made a nice bit of cash from used work PCs on gumtree. My work was getting rid of the towers, and my wife's office was getting rid of the screens. Paid for our christmas pretty nicely!

      I'm surprised that you couldn't keep any of that stuff! Seems to me that if they don't SAY that you can't, then its up for grabs

    • Tejas57 on 13/11/2015 - 11:59

      it's a good time to dumpster dive around student accommodation blocks as international students head home for the summer break

  • andy19363 on 07/11/2015 - 19:53
    +51

    There are many many people who do not share deals any more….. I myself have not shared any since 2011, largely because of the pointless negging system in operation on the site. That system has long since lost any usefulness it once had. I am too old to be justifying or explaining deals to idiots….

    • Lysander on 07/11/2015 - 20:17
      +37

      I agree. I reckon for every deal shared here I haven't shared five more, mainly due to the aggressive and vulture-like behaviour of some people. There are other reasons, too but since I do not want to start a deep philosophical discussion I will not got into those reasons.

      • DeafMutePretender on 07/11/2015 - 23:27
        +31

        Funny avenue of discussion taking place here, considering not too long ago, we were all circlejerking ourselves in another thread about how "friendly" the "community" is here while sticking up our noses at Whirlpool and Overclockers.

        Just sayin'

        • try2bhelpful on 08/11/2015 - 00:45
          +20

          I agree with the point about negging. I have put up a couple of deals where I thought something was a good price for the item and was given a hard time. It has made me backoff on posting things.

        • Lysander on 08/11/2015 - 14:01
          +19

          I missed that discussion. I have never viewed the community as friendly here. There are some great people here but unfortunately there is the same amount of people (if not more in numbers) that seem to have their life centered on OB and try to enforce every rule with an iron fist (according to their own interpretations of course), are inconsistent in enforcement, neg based on personal likes or dislikes of the OP and basically make the life of an OP hell more often than not where the OP has to justify himself or herself and is exposed to a barrage of negativity when all he or she wanted to do is share a deal with others, in the belief of helping and assisting them.
          The thanks obtained for that is quite often harassment etc.
          It is often not worth it.
          I am happy to share in closed circles and networks where people are not that aggressive.

          I wish that just the nice and friendly people from OB could be taken out and the rest somehow blocked or banned. I mean there are people here who are notorious for negging and being harsh and somehow everybody thinks this is hilarious and makes jokes about it. Not sure why.

        • GameChanger on 08/11/2015 - 14:39
          +6

          @Lysander: Why do you care if someone negs you? The OP purpose is just to post the deal, no need to reply to comments.

        • Lysander on 08/11/2015 - 15:05
          +8

          @gamechanger:

          Not the neg that is the problem but the aggression, hate, harassment and pettiness that come with the neg.

          Having a negging system like that on a fairly anonymous medium encourages such kind of behaviour. I am certain that 99% of those people being so aggressive etc. would never dare to be that way if actually facing the other person. But on the internet one is safe and anonymous which somehow makes such behaviour ok.

          So, I don't mind the negs so much but the aggressive (sometimes indirect/implicit) behaviour coming along with it.

        • GameChanger on 08/11/2015 - 15:15

          @Lysander: I see, why don't you just block them?

        • ShamelessBargains on 08/11/2015 - 15:19
          +8

          @Lysander:

          I agree with you in a sense.

          Even though you can't just mute people for expressing their opinion. If people are attacking the OP or the deal for the sake of it, then their comment usually gets reported or negged down. It is a relatively fair system in the scheme of things.

          I think the community is relatively friendly. The majority of deals I have posted are full of friendly members, people thanking me for the posting the deal and offering advice.

          I admit I have across as unfriendly in some of my comments but I stand by my opinion. I think its important everyone gets their voice heard and Ozbargain is a very free flowing community.

          Just my thoughts anyway :)

        • Lysander on 08/11/2015 - 15:46

          @ShamelessBargains:

          I am all for an open opinion. But would that not also mean that if you think a deal is great this opinion should be seen and heard and not be able to be suppressed by plenty of negative votes. This applies more so in the comments section where an opinion with negative votes is not shown (at least for me and I have not changed any settings).

          It goes both ways. I fully agree. But there are different ways of expressing an opinion - the friendly, non-aggressive way and then there is the other way. In my experience, too many people (often the same ones) choose "the other way", I suspect, because of the anonymity afforded through the internet.

        • Scrooge McDuck on 08/11/2015 - 19:01
          +8

          @Lysander:

          I think you're taking negative feedback too personally.

          Negative feedback is important to ensure the quality of deals posted here. Users want to know if others had a bad customer experience or if the deal isn't a bargain.

          In my experience, users who criticise are judged more harshly than others. So negative feedback is already intrinsically suppressed for that reason alone. We should be grateful to those users who are bold enough to express their criticisms.

          If you truly feel that anyone here is "making your life hell" then I kindly suggest that you take some deep breaths and think about how (hopefully) unimportant some people's opinions are to your life as a whole.

          I skimmed over your deal posting history just now and it looks quite positive. If you aren't happy with your outcomes, use that to motivate you to find better deals in future.

          I for one have enjoyed reading your opinions in this thread, regardless of whether or not I agree with them. So thanks for contributing and have a great day. :)

        • andy19363 on 08/11/2015 - 20:16

          @Scrooge McDuck:

          Negative feedback is important to ensure the quality of deals posted here. Users want to know if others had a bad customer experience or if the deal isn't a bargain.

          absolutely….. this is the essence of the site…. sharing important information.
          However, when a deal gets enough negs, it becomes hidden to most users, along with all the important information, (and all the 'lol','spam','not a deal', 'where's the bargain?' and other pointless comments - which are usually what makes the deal disappear in the first place).

        • DeafMutePretender on 08/11/2015 - 21:30

          re: the "another thread"
          OzBargainers The Most Friendly Base around?

          Some choice quotes:

          No conflicts.
          We are a tolerant bunch
          It's all due … each member taking responsibility for there (sic) behaviour.
          most of the negativeness of OzBargainers manifest themselves as passive-aggressive negative downvotes. I guess OzBargainers are too lazy/busy to argue like Whirlpoolers do.
          I like potatoes.
          We're one big family

      • erroorfree on 12/11/2015 - 00:50
        -1

        i cant agree more. The other day i saw some awesome deals at DFO southwharf {Vic} but didnt bothered posting since some ppl have a stick up their @ss going about harassing and negging deals which according to them is not a deal (self righteous know all idiots)

    • ozhunter on 08/11/2015 - 01:40
      +13

      Negs?

      Barely any negs are given anymore. I doubt the amount of negs to pos votes are more than 1%

      • Tnetennba on 09/11/2015 - 01:00
        +12

        Yeah.. I think andy19363 and co are exaggerating a bit…

        First of all, no one is telling you to "explain or justify" a deal to "idiots" - if someone negs your deal, so what? It's not the end of the world and usually if the neg is invalid, someone else will go and report it as such..

        Using "too many negs" as an excuse to not share deals sounds like garbage to me, unless your deals were of utter shit quality I don't see why you'd be negged any more than anyone else (btw - look around, how many deals do you see get negged that aren't spam or a bad deal??).

    • MATTDAMON on 09/11/2015 - 15:49
      +5

      I dont bother sharing any deals or exploits i find now because of the same reasons, vulture members and some members using the place to gain monterary benefit from (and was recently confirmed as well)

      Good one recently of a misprice on the dell website for U3014 monitors for 169.90 rather then 1699, bought 2 and received them a few days after ordering. If i had posted it on here i wouldnt of got them.

      That and for whatever reason i have several members that neg every post i make, so its hard to get motivation to be productive.

      • spackbace on 09/11/2015 - 15:53
        +4

        and some members using the place to gain monterary benefit from (and was recently confirmed as well)

        I haven't seen evidence of this…?!

        That and for whatever reason i have several members that neg every post i make, so its hard to get motivation to be productive.

        Looking at your post history your last neg vote was in 2013. I see no retracted neg votes on any 'new' deals.

        Kinda cop-out excuses imo.

        • MATTDAMON on 09/11/2015 - 18:23
          +2

          yet look at my post comments.

          And TA was gaining a monetary advantage by blanketing the site and continually 'winning' the month prizes which have cash money attached to them.

        • spackbace on 09/11/2015 - 18:51
          +8

          @Copie:

          yet look at my post comments.

          If you throw accusations around like that then I'm not surprised!

          And TA was gaining a monetary advantage by blanketing the site and continually 'winning' the month prizes which have cash money attached to them.

          This has been covered to death, you realise how much it takes to get the monthly prize of $100? I've won a couple, and they take a lot to win!

          Just because you don't want to put the effort in doesn't mean you can just keep throwing accusations around like you do. You act like a spoilt 5yo wanting his piece of the pie, without putting in the work! Or the person in group assignments that just hopes everyone else will do enough work so the group gets an 'A'.

        • Utopian on 10/11/2015 - 11:58
          +2

          @Spackbace: Interesting discussion, until the personal attacks started flowing.

        • Rick Sanchez on 10/11/2015 - 13:45
          +1

          @Utopian: Not when the first poster called the majority of users on this site idiots, pretty much every comment has been passive aggressive in some way

        • Utopian on 10/11/2015 - 14:37

          @stingostingo: Where does it say anything of the sort?

        • pxrnm on 10/11/2015 - 15:00

          @Utopian:

          Look up, wayyyy upp…

        • spackbace on 10/11/2015 - 15:57
          +1

          @Utopian:

          By interesting do you mean making up fantastical lies to try to defend peoples thought processes? Because that's all I'm reading in this part of the post.

        • CheapCoffee on 10/11/2015 - 17:22
          +6

          @Copie:

          I mean TA put so much time and effort on Ozbargain that he was offered a job. Give that man a break.

          The monthly prices are just minor incentives for people to share deals and for community fun.

        • tomorrows_angel on 10/11/2015 - 17:30
          +3

          Spackbace on 09/11/2015 - 14:53
          and some members using the place to gain monterary benefit from (and was recently confirmed as well)
          I haven't seen evidence of this…?!

          I have… I posted free tickets to the Good Food and Wine show, only to discover fleabay and gumtree full of people selling them within minutes. That's not what this is supposed to be about.

        • spackbace on 10/11/2015 - 19:19

          @tomorrows_angel:

          Fully agree, but it's not instances like that that copie was referring to

        • MATTDAMON on 11/11/2015 - 01:25

          @Spackbace:

          There was alot more to it then that, especially with all of the member 'specific' deals of late. He has no incentive to be truthful about gaining an advantage by posting up deals sourced by him, infact he had plenty of reason as to why he would keep anything he gained from them a secret.

        • spackbace on 11/11/2015 - 01:45
          +9

          @Copie:

          Right, so let's just pretend for a second that your wild conspiracy is true… TA posts up a deal that has his own discount code, providing an item for a cheap price. TA's track record generally shows that the item he's listed is the cheapest at the time, a true bargain if you will.

          So, along your line of thinking, you think he's getting some kickback from the promotion, some minor commission. Certainly wouldn't be much because otherwise the company in question would just post it.

          So, keeping along your line of thought, TA then walks away with a very minor commission from each deal post that gets a certain number of sales.

          But at the end of the day, so what?! Sure, the moral high-ground is "oh, he should be totally transparent and tell everyone", but so what?! Is he taking money out of your pocket, my pocket? No, he's actually helped people save money.

          You know people on here don't buy something just because someone says it's cheap, or a bargain? No because we're all trained to compare prices. The community wouldn't give him the votes they do if he did lousy deals.

          Anyone that has actually spoken to TA knows he takes this all very personally. He cares about every neg vote, about every store that ruins his rep (ecoolbuy recently did, and TA was livid).

          And the worst part is there's people like you in this community that I like to compare to leeches. You'll happily click through deals, happily purchase or get the freebie, without contributing yourself. You don't consider the whole 'pay it forward' mentality, nope you just take.

          If it wasn't for the TA's on here, there wouldn't be a 'here', 88 deal posts TA put up last month, I put up half that and it was a busy month for me!

          Oh and you know what, I won a monthly prize, not my first either, and I'm damn proud of it and I don't care what you think!

        • spackbace on 11/11/2015 - 01:51
          +5

          @Copie:

          Wow, I just looked at your voting record. Since the start of the year you've upvoted 6 deals! (plus your 1 deal post of the year)

          You've given only 6 deals a pat on the back basically, over 11 months!

          Wtf are you doing on here if you don't find more value than that?

          Or is it that you do really take advantage of more deals, but you're just such a negative person you can't give a poster the recognition they deserve?

          6 deal upvotes… Wow… Just wow

        • Lysander on 12/11/2015 - 09:23

          @Spackbace:

          I do not think this is the place to discuss the money thing again.
          I believe it is fair if people who post great deals could get money from the companies because as you said, it will not disadvantage anybody on OB.
          Oh, hang on a second, yes it does as the people who own the site use OB to make money to make a living.

          I do agree with you but I also believe that the logic and reasoning should be applied throughout the board, to all shops. For "some" reason in relation to the biggest shop of all, users cannot make any "referral" money. Personally I wonder why and can only come with the reason that allowing users to do so would be taking away too much money from the OB owners.

          Therefore, I think it should either be all or nothing. Allow referral or other monetary benefits for the users for all sites or for none.

          I (and other people I know) would certainly be inclined to share and post more deals if that was the case along with better control of the aggression and harassment dished out by some users (example: users arguing and becoming aggressive when insisting that for them no FB log in is needed to get a Steam key and yet admitting later in the thread that they are probably perma-logged in to FB which explains the absence of a separate prompt - yet no apology or better behaviour the next deal around). As I said right now my post to not post ration is probably 1:5 and I only post deals from certain sites ( mostly non-affiliate sites where no money can be earned as it is about the deal and the deal only).

        • spackbace on 12/11/2015 - 11:18
          +1

          @Lysander:

          I do not think this is the place to discuss the money thing again.

          Between you and copie, this discussion (and the consequent whinging) keeps rearing it's ugly head. Either you basically air your frustrations, and get answers, or you shut up. Don't just sit there murmuring between the 2 of you every time this discussion comes up. It's really irritating and it's been going on far too long now. It seems no matter how many times someone tells you you're wrong, you insist you're right, without any form of proof.

          Therefore, I think it should either be all or nothing. Allow referral or other monetary benefits for the users for all sites or for none.

          And there we have it folks, the real reason Lysander & copie don't post deals. Money and referral money. Plain and simple, you want to get paid to share a deal or you don't feel it's worth your time. Just ignoring the whole ethos of why this site (and community) were created in the first place. You want to try to add other things into the argument ('oh no they're being negative in my post), but those things can be dealt with pretty easily, and it's pretty easy to show someone for who they really are (like I'm doing right here).

          You want money to post/share deals. You can't understand why TA would post so much without an incentive. Thereby you point the finger at TA, figuring he's like you both and there must be something else, there just must be right? Well the thing is, you point the finger at TA, you point your finger at the other high posters, including me.

          I (and other people I know) would certainly be inclined to share and post more deals if that was the case along with better control of the aggression and harassment dished out by some users (example: users arguing and becoming aggressive when insisting that for them no FB log in is needed to get a Steam key and yet admitting later in the thread that they are probably perma-logged in to FB which explains the absence of a separate prompt - yet no apology or better behaviour the next deal around).

          TL;DR - You can't deal with immature people on the internet.

          Seriously?! You find it difficult to either teach someone, or ignore them completely? If they left a neg vote, it would be quickly revoked once people realised they were wrong. It could also be reported as they proved that they were wrong in the end.
          But what, are you new to the internet? You're not used to the negativity that anonymity brings? When you're a prime example of it? You and copie bagging TA out without even saying anything to his face, just leaving it to a random forum post? So you're doing what people do in your posts, yet you complain about that, but do it yourself? Ever understood the meaning of the word hypocrite?

        • Lysander on 12/11/2015 - 12:10

          @Spackbace:

          Did I say anything about TA?

          All I said was that it is OK if TA gets some kind of incentive (whether he does or not I don;t know).
          And then I say it should be applied consistently across the site. If I was after money I would have a referral link for the relevant sites. I do not have ANY.

          All I disagree with is that there is no consistency - some sites are OK, others are not.

          And sorry, we are voicing opinions. How can you say that mine or anybody's opinion is wrong? One can be wrong about facts but not about opinions. Should not everybody be entitled to voice their opinion without being attacked. In fact, you are demonstrating what I have said above about aggression, harassment, attack.
          Look at the tone and words you are using and please honestly tell me this is not aggressive. Would you talk like that to a stranger in a face to face situation?

          We differ in opinion what this site is about.
          I post to share deals without expecting remuneration. However, at the same time I do expect that no-one else is getting rich through my efforts as I consider that morally wrong.
          I invest my time to help other people for free but not to make them money. That is called a job and one gets paid for it.
          There are sites where the people who operate them really do it for love, and they do not get any money.

          And just to make it clear to you: I do not know TA. I don't know whether what copie said is true and anyway that is beside the point as I believe he should be rewarded and even remunerated for his efforts. In fact I believe he should get $50 for every deal reaching the front page and which has affiliation or referral (read: money earning) possibilities for OB.

          Exposing oneself for attack and harassment for posting deals and "doing that for free" - wow, that is a lot to expect.
          Either no attacks, or compensation for the attacks. That is my OPINION and no barrage or aggression will change it.

          So, have a good day and please don't get upset further. Life is too short for that and you could channel your energy into something positive like helping people or animals in need. Don't waste it on me please.

        • paaj on 12/11/2015 - 17:42
          +1

          @Spackbace: ugh… group assignments. I remember those angry days.

        • MATTDAMON on 13/11/2015 - 15:35
          +2

          @Spackbace:

          TA doesnt keep this place afloat, he is a very small piece of the pie, and you are a fool to think otherwise.

          As for the money, i dont have a problem with people earning money from posting kickbacks, it just needs to be declared as per the rules of the site, I couldnt care less, i can earn more then what any kickbacks would give just by showing up to work. Given that a few particular members blatantly break this rule and the admin/owners turn the other way because it makes the site look better.

          I dont vote because there is enough shills on here vote manipulating as it is, nor do i rarely purchase from deals on this site, most things posted on here i already know about before it hits this site, things like the 20% ebay sales etc are just regurgitating their front page.

          Its about a fair and even playing field, members sneaking referals and kickbacks is not an even playing field, not everyone is a cave dweller, some people you know actually need to contribute to society.

        • spackbace on 13/11/2015 - 15:41

          @Copie:

          But what you don't realise, and what you don't seem to be able to comprehend, is that not everyone is like you. What you're saying, you're treating like fact, when you have no actual evidence to base anything on. Just because there's discount codes advertised, and a member advertises them, doesn't mean that there's any financial kickback to do so. It's your twisted view of the world, or just your thinking of 'thats what I would do' that is causing you to keep going with this.

          Admin/mods aren't looking the other way, there's nothing going on but you just cant/wont accept it.

          TA doesnt keep this place afloat, he is a very small piece of the pie, and you are a fool to think otherwise.

          I'm not saying he keeps it afloat, but as the highest poster month in month out, he certainly helps support it.

          But that's why I use the word community when referring to this site, and some get that, some dont. We're all the product of everyone's contributions, no matter how small and relatively insignificant some members may like to actually contribute.

          most things posted on here i already know about before it hits this site,

          Of course you do…

          Its about a fair and even playing field, members sneaking referals and kickbacks is not an even playing field, not everyone is a cave dweller, some people you know actually need to contribute to societ

          And your contribution to this site is what exactly?

        • Moderatorneil on 13/11/2015 - 15:46

          @Copie:

          Given that a few particular members blatantly break this rule and the admin/owners turn the other way because it makes the site look better.

          That is completely false.

          I dont vote because there is enough shills on here vote manipulating as it is

          We work on a regular basis both by the automated system and manually to check voters.

          members sneaking referals and kickbacks

          Referral Limits.
          Referrals

          Feel free to provide any evidence.

          P.S. I don't know why you continue to shitstir on OzBargain if you dislike the site so much. I know you are capable of making good contributions as I've read some of your transport stuff on Reddit.

        • GameChanger on 13/11/2015 - 16:11

          @neil: A thread was created on this topic, but you closed it. I'm glad there are other people who're suspicious of certain users behaviors.

          Possible evidence is that a high quantity poster was given a 1 day penalty box, whilst the other guy was given weeks for the same amount of disruptive posts. I do understand past history comes into play in deciding penalty boxing, but highly suspicious a big contributor was given so little time.

        • Moderatorhamza23 on 13/11/2015 - 16:47

          @gamechanger:

          Penalty box placement (and the ban length) is based on both the offence type and past offences (as per our specific guidelines). So yes two members can commit the same offence, but if it is member ones 2nd offence and member twos 5th offence, then member two will receive a ban period that is much greater than that of member one. Although that wasn't actually the case here, those 2 members received bans for incidents that happened in completely different threads, the member in question here was already banned when that forum topic was made (and closed). I think you have assumed that both members were banned for incidents that came out of that deal post argument and the forum topic that proceeded, but that isn't the case.

          If that 'big contributor' committed another offence then yes their ban would be dramatically increased since the last for the same offence type, and it would increase thereafter (the last straw being a permanent ban). Whilst I want to emphasis that this isn't the case with the incident you are referring to, you are correct in saying that in general yes Member A can attack Member B and Member B can attack Member A in the same way, but due to past history they may receive different bans.

          Thanks

        • GameChanger on 13/11/2015 - 17:19

          @hamza23: Thanks for the clarification Hamza, where can I find the specific guidelines?

          Is the ban length set or up for interpretation and so can be at the discretion of the mod?

        • MATTDAMON on 13/11/2015 - 17:21
          +1

          @Spackbace:

          And yet when he was eventually outsed as a Gearbest rep and did not change his marker what happened? a slap and tickle on the wrist and off you go, if it was anyone else they would of felt the wrath of the community, yet because koala he was praised universally.

          So he has already proved that in the past that money drives him, so its not a difficult or out of concept link to make that all of a sudden there is all of these posts with specific discounts on items posted specifically by TA rather then the stores reps (and all of the discounts he got those stores had their own reps) isnt that the whole idea of reps? so they are the point of contact with the company, by using a well known member to post up these discounts they are circumventing the sockpuppeting rules.

          When the same company has multiple front page 'bargains' posted by 1-2 members who arent reps, speaks volumes, especially when they are specific discount codes for that member.

          Im sure Neil can provide how many unique views the front page gets on any given day, and im sure that number is in the thousands, if not tens of thousands. Alot is at stake, especially for businesses built on high volume low margin business plans (which is the majority of tech stores) Companies and members will exploit this.

        • MATTDAMON on 13/11/2015 - 17:24
          +1

          @neil:

          And yet looking at a few particular members 'deal's its always the same members bidding within a certain time frame, and always hit the front page within minutes of posting.

          You have no vote fuzzing system at all, or no counter for vote shilling, and having multiple accounts on the go is quite simple as you use similar code to Whirlpool for pointing out duplicate posters, and anyone with a vpn or dns pointer can get around this (hell even a dynamic RSP account you can reset your IP within seconds)

        • GameChanger on 13/11/2015 - 17:27

          @Copie: I have suspected that some top posters, have been paid by companies to get their 'deals' on the front page. If you can get paid for instagram posts, it is very naive to think a poster haven't been approached by a company or went to a company and exploited their status.

        • Moderatorhamza23 on 13/11/2015 - 17:32

          @gamechanger:

          Our general commenting guidelines are here, sorry the specific guidelines I was referring to as the ones moderators use for implementing bans, we have a table or similar with the list of different offences and the ban length that each carries for each (and for each subsequent time it happens). It means that the ban lengths are set, as are the amount of offences a user can commit before the ban is permanent.

          The ban length is set, generally interpretation won't be needed (unless past record keeping is unclear, the offence type is split between two or something unusual occurs). For example if a member commits offence type 1 and it is the third time they've commited offence type 1 then our table will say how many days/weeks/months they should be banned for based on that offence type and the number of times they have committed it in the past. Should also add that most offences have a final warning as the first step, apart from more serious offences or things like spam.

          Thanks

        • MATTDAMON on 13/11/2015 - 18:18
          -1

          @gamechanger:

          No different to reddit really, they have quite a bit of viral social media marketing happening all the time, to go on the front page there on a default sub means hundreds of thousands of unique views to a site (aka known as the reddit hug)

          Whilst this site isnt anywhere near as big, the potential and ability to exploit it is there and let there be no mistake, it is happening. The admins/mods/owners are either in on it or know about it but dont care because page views and ad serves is what drives this site, its what makes them money and makes the site look busy and profitable.

          SEO and social media marketing 101.

        • Moderatorneil on 14/11/2015 - 02:32

          @Copie:

          The admins/mods/owners are either in on it or know about it but dont care because page views and ad serves is what drives this site, its what makes them money and makes the site look busy and profitable.

          We are neither involved in a conspiracy nor are we not caring about a conspiracy that is supposedly happening. WYSIWYG.

          OzBargain 101.

        • Moderatorneil on 14/11/2015 - 02:51

          @Copie:

          You have no vote fuzzing system at all, or no counter for vote shilling, and having multiple accounts on the go is quite simple as you use similar code to Whirlpool for pointing out duplicate posters, and anyone with a vpn or dns pointer can get around this (hell even a dynamic RSP account you can reset your IP within seconds)

          I've spoken to the mods at Whirlpool but have never gotten down to what moderation tools they use. Might be a good exercise to share our tools.

          no counter for vote shilling

          Yes, we do. The system flags accounts regularly. From our stats from last month, we removed 17 deals for sockpuppeting.

          It goes beyond checking IPs but sorry can't reveal the secret sauce. Automated systems can only go so far in intelligence gathering and detecting fraudulent voting which is why we rely on investigations by the moderation staff as well as reports from users.

      • 01011010 on 10/11/2015 - 10:01
        +1

        Copie: yeah don't post misprices on here, post real deals and real bargains. that's what we are after.

    • TightAssDrake on 10/11/2015 - 20:18
      -1

      They should removing the ability to down vote and just have up votes. Like Facebook.

      • yacman on 11/11/2015 - 17:10
        +3

        Sorry but I disagree, the neg system is regulated in being restricted to only people who comment (forcing them to provide a reason for the neg) if the neg is not justified it is quickly picked up by ozB community.

        If it is justified it provides easy to distinguish warning to potential purchasers i.e. great price but seller is known for selling fake products or long delivery times, poor customer service etc. the system works, people just need to be less sensitive about negative votes.

        • andy19363 on 11/11/2015 - 18:40

          If it is justified it provides easy to distinguish warning to potential purchasers i.e. great price but seller is known for selling fake products or long delivery times, poor customer service etc.

          That was the original point of the neg vote….However, if there are enough negs, the whole post disappears for most users, meaning that none of that information is available….

  • Davo1111 on 07/11/2015 - 20:46
    +5

    insufficient quantity. I usually put it on the forums if it's okay, but not great

    • Tnetennba on 09/11/2015 - 01:02
      +1

      This is the big one for me :( sucks seeing people go out of their way to go to store xyz only to see that it sold out after 1 minute of being posted on ozb.

      Especially those "clearance" deals some people snap in very specific stores, and other people go looking to see if it's state/nation-wide.

  • Baysew on 07/11/2015 - 20:46

    and resolve to take our bargain sharing to the next level.

    Would the next level be the bargain basement ?

  • iridiumstem on 07/11/2015 - 21:14
    +1

    I've seen few baragains that require some kind of shipforwarding. As I have no clue whatsover in shipforwarding and since it'd probably benefit very small number of people given that my interest is in niche products (headphones, tablets etc), I usually don't share those.

    The latest one I've seen was Sennheiser HD600 Headphones + Focusrite 2i4 + Samson MTR101 Mic for USD $399 (+ over $100 USD for shipping, which you'd be able to bypass using a ship forwarder).

    • CheapCoffee on 10/11/2015 - 17:23

      Haha, still worth it!

      • iridiumstem on 10/11/2015 - 17:43

        It's a niche bundle. USB interface probably is not really something many people would want along with a microphone. The headphone is expensive by itself (I've seen it come down to $300 AUD region). I also know that there will be dicks expecting me to do a complete research on ship forwarding and service stuff. So I'd rather not share it.

        • CheapCoffee on 10/11/2015 - 17:44

          Ye fair enough. I already have a USB interface + couple of mics for recording purposes so it isn't necessarily for me, but focusrite 2i4 is a nice gear that's for sure :)

        • iridiumstem on 10/11/2015 - 17:54
          +1

          @CheapCoffee: Eh, it's more of I hate seeing dicks being dicks, some people simply act as if posters owe them everything and I personally think they show no respect for people who went out of their ways to share the deals. I've come across many dicks in my life so it's nothing new, that said I rather not see those kind of people or interact with them. I have better things to do in my life.

          Anyways, the bundle looked reasonable. I once wanted an USB interface simply because it was the most cost effective way to set the system (they actually work well as a DAC/AMP if you want one and HD600 don't require that much amping to begin with, despite what people might say). So this bundle should be reasonable if you just want a headphone and a DAC and an AMP (besides, DAC and amp would cost you $200~$300 at least).

          The deal is still on, I found, it has free shipping to US addresses, so ship forwarding probably would come out much cheaper.

        • Lysander on 12/11/2015 - 12:12

          @Oversimplified:

          Great comments. I do agree with your comment about "dicks being dicks" and the expectations. And that is the main problem I have with that as well.

  • spackbace on 07/11/2015 - 23:15
    +6

    I don't care, quite a few of mine target a select few and don't make it to the front page. Not saying I spam everything with .5% off lol just what I think is a bargain.

    Same with competitions, I share what I care about. There's many more I could put up but who wants to do the work, give out your details to win a DVD?

    Maybe I'm just naive lol but I couldn't care less about the neg votes, only when they're really not justified.

  • werdnanostaw on 08/11/2015 - 00:03
    +7

    About 2 months ago I bought a $2 plastic trowel at KMart. It scanned at 2 cents. The self-service terminal wouldn't accept cash so I had to pay by credit card.

    • try2bhelpful on 08/11/2015 - 00:48

      You can get similar with Supermarkets that have "no cash" self service checkouts. Although "tap and go" have made this less painful.

    • Scrooge McDuck on 08/11/2015 - 19:08
      +2

      So why didn't you share it?

      I'm guessing you didn't need a truckload of plastic trowels, and the profitability of Brodening them would be low. The deal could've been a hit and you could've earned the much coveted "Popular Deal" badge. :)

      • Lysander on 12/11/2015 - 12:14
        +3

        Seriously? A badge? What has this world come to when badges meaning nothing are "coveted"?

    • amkssg on 08/11/2015 - 07:30
      +27

      It wasn't legit at all. I know what offer you are talking about. It's an article about how you can get a free ipad, with hundred of "comments" of how good the offer was.

      IT'S A SCAM!!!! All the comments are fake.
      Also, you have to provide them your credit card details, and in the T&C you acknowledge that you will be charge $119/month until you cancel.

      This fake offer is by "FunkyClock".

      Just FYI.

      • [Deactivated] on 08/11/2015 - 10:28
        -6

        As I said it 'seemed legit', and I had no time to research, so I couldn't post it.
        Yes It was funny clock.

        have to provide them your credit card details,

        Nope, I gave them debitcard details for the $1 w/drawl. Of course $1.06 was taken.

        Sorry I mentioned it here. Thanks bsmsg for your comments.

        • amkssg on 08/11/2015 - 17:01
          +7

          Nope, I gave them debitcard details for the $1 w/drawl

          It's obvious that you didn't get my point.
          Oh well, you will soon see more and more money disappearing from your bank account.

        • [Deactivated] on 08/11/2015 - 18:35
          -2

          @bsmksg:
          Debit card has no money left in it. That was my point.

        • [Deactivated] on 10/11/2015 - 18:20

          @bsmksg: No I wont. Not possible.

      • rodinthink on 08/11/2015 - 16:12
        +5

        When you see the web with free ipad banner/ads, you know what to do with that x close button

        • amkssg on 08/11/2015 - 17:06
          +3

          Nope, this wasn't a banner ad. It was a carefully crafted "new" article posted on facebook and many other websites.
          When you click the facebook (or other) link, it brings you to a "News website" and one of the articles was on how to win a free iPad. Looks totally legit. It even has a comment field at the bottom where tons of people claim to have received the free iPad and other stuff.
          The news article then has a link to the competition website, where they tell you all about how you can win for just $1.

          You will only know that it is a scam if you bother reading the "Terms & Conditions" (which I believe, 99% of people won't bother reading).

        • rodinthink on 09/11/2015 - 08:55
          -1

          @bsmksg:

          neg not from me

        • smartazz104 on 09/11/2015 - 16:34
          +3

          It even has a comment field at the bottom where tons of people claim to have received the free iPad and other stuff.

          Definitely no way those could be faked…

        • [Deactivated] on 10/11/2015 - 18:21

          @bsmksg:

          Looks totally legit.

          Because it was legit.

        • [Deactivated] on 10/11/2015 - 18:24

          @gokhanh:
          Other legit forums discussing it are also not faked.
          Claiming Ipod received.
          http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Security-matters/funky-c…

      • [Deactivated] on 10/11/2015 - 18:13

        After all, it seems IT IS LEGIT. It's not a fake offer. It's a intentional con.

        "BSMKSG" can you please provide proof now of your popular unsubstantiated claims? Will need proof to deal with this if sued by funnyclock for non payment.

        Some people have recieved there Ipod shuffles. And I may in several weeks as well, though not holding my breath.

        As example see: http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Security-matters/funky-c…

        It is a bad con. Crooked as. But real and genuine.
        I was conned, but used my moneyless debitcard.

        • amkssg on 10/11/2015 - 20:50

          It's not a fake offer. It's a intentional con.

          What???? LMAO!!! If it a con job, then the offer is not legitimate. You are just contradicting yourself. The fact that people received their ipod shuffles does NOT make this a legitimate offer.
          Why? Because the actual cost of the ipod was NOT $1, but an ongoing payment of $$$.

          So…. funkyclock's claim that the ipod cost $1 is simply not true, which makes this offer fake/fraudulent.

        • [Deactivated] on 11/11/2015 - 00:43

          @bsmksg:
          I still think it is legal (in fact), therefore legitimate.
          One definition of Legitimate: conforming to the law or to rules.
          No contradiction at all.

          It is deceiptful, a con, but not fake.
          The goods are provided according to their agreement.

          Well dude, I appreciate your efforts very much, I agree overall, but, well leave it at that.

          funkyclock sucks

    • GameChanger on 08/11/2015 - 14:37
      +14

      lol I really should get into the scamming business, seems to be good demand.

    • donga100 on 08/11/2015 - 15:32
      +5

      Lol, that didn't require "graduate degree research" to determine it was a scam…

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