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Downsizer Forum Index -> Small Business Questions, Ideas and Advice

Do you buy with limited contact info?

Yes

23%

[ 5 ]

76%

[ 16 ]

Total Votes : 21

Author

Message

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 8:03 am Post subject:
Even a classified for something you really wanted? Farm Sale, Derwent Valley. Troughs, feeders, hurdles must go, due to flock closure. Ring 07878 xxxxxx ?

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 8:07 am Post subject:

Nick Howe wrote:

Even a classified for something you really wanted?

Farm Sale, Derwent Valley.
Troughs, feeders, hurdles must go, due to flock closure.
Ring 07878 xxxxxx

?

That would be dodgy for a start- noone genuine would put flock closure

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 8:07 am Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

Thinking further on that, I'd never answer newspaper ads with just a mobile number either.

And yet you'll buy stuff off eBay.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 8:08 am Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

That would be dodgy for a start- noone genuine would put flock closure

Well, I'm not a sheep farmer, but you get the idea. People are pretty crap at communicating, so sometimes you have to go with your gut, I guess. As I say, depends on the item. Sheep hurdles, do I care about the source? Nowhere near as much as I do about the food I buy.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 8:08 am Post subject:
It depends on their feedback though

bagpuss

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 10507
Location: cambridge

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 8:08 am Post subject:
I guess it depends what I am buying I don't think I have plucked up the courage to order any food online which wasn't chocolate (or from tescos!) of course for other things like dvds, tshirts, etc I am much happier to trust websites though I will admit now that I am more pick about trying new online retailers which aren't ebay or one of the established groups

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 8:10 am Post subject:

Nick Howe wrote:

Hurdles, yes I care, they are portable so I wouldn't like to think I'm buying the neighbours hurdles he had pinched last week.

hedgewitch

Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Posts: 5834
Location: Daft wench GHQ

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 10:18 am Post subject:
I always check out a postal address and details. I don't like just mobile numbers. I have bought off e-bay once - a small-value item - but didn't like e-bay at all. I just don't feel comfortable with it. I'd be OK buying through an e-bay shop if I knew the seller in some other way, outside e-bay.

Stacey

Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 8380
Location: Kernow

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 10:38 am Post subject:
I'm twitchy about putting my address on anything as I trade from home. I had a situation with some weird people finding out where I lived and coming round for malicious reasons and I'm here, in the middle of nowhere on my own all day so I don't like putting my postal addy if I can help it. It works both ways.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 11:40 am Post subject:

Agree about putting contact address on website. Like Rob R, see a landline phone number as good for customer reassurance, but agree about answerphone drawbacks, seeing as much of the time I am either outdoors or working on something that cannot be interrupted midway.

Would definitely not buy from an online (or other) trader with no real address. And if the product has packaging, I'd want contact details on that.

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 11:45 am Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

It depends on their feedback though

I bought an item from someone a couple of years ago who had 100% feedback. I got ripped off as it was a dud.

When i checked recently their account had been deleted by e-bay as it had contravened etc, etc, etc. E-bay did nothing to help me get my money back.

Feedback counts for nothing on e-bay. Even someone with 99.5% has failed to keep a customer happy when something went wrong.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 11:52 am Post subject:

Jonnyboy wrote:

Feedback counts for nothing on e-bay. Even someone with 99.5% has failed to keep a customer happy when something went wrong.

I wouldn't go that far, but anything high value I only buy from 100% feedback. And some 'customers' are just malicious time wasters who will leave negative feedback regardless.

Helen_A

Joined: 26 Jan 2005
Posts: 1548
Location: MK, Bucks.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 3:03 pm Post subject:

Stacey wrote:

I'm twitchy about putting my address on anything as I trade from home. I had a situation with some weird people finding out where I lived and coming round for malicious reasons and I'm here, in the middle of nowhere on my own all day so I don't like putting my postal addy if I can help it.

Legally you do need a trading address on your 'site (but this doesn't have to be the same as your home or where you 'make' as you aren't a registered or ltd company). In your situation I have come across a couple of small co's (in very rural situations) where their friendly local post office has acted as such. Your local Trading standards could advise on other ways of fulfilling the laws.

Less legal, but I've yet to come accross anyone who was otherwise acted 100% legally being muttered at, would be to use the address of someone who is happy for you to have them as your 'correspondance' and setting up a mail forwarding service with the RM. Trouble with this is that 2 years is the maximum that you can use it for any one address, and it does cost about �50 per six months for a company name, or �50 per year for an individual.

Mind you you list your terrestial phone no. I suspect that this may be, um, sufficient... worth asking TS to confirm though.

Helen_A

wildfoodie

Joined: 05 Apr 2005
Posts: 2169

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 4:10 pm Post subject:

eewwww
hadn't thought of that... agree with stacey, it feels very exposed to put a postal address up especially as I only do admin at home, not courses.
I personally would only buy from secure sites or well known names, and feel quite comfortable with no human contact for buying stuff on line. I actually prefer it to slogging around town on foot.
does anyone think a PO box would get round this issue?

Stacey

Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 8380
Location: Kernow

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 07 4:19 pm Post subject:

Helen_A wrote:

Stacey wrote:

Thanks - but, you know, to be frank I couldn't care less if I'm breaking some law or other. If TS want to fanny about with a micro trader who doesn't have a contact address on the site then they can feel free. Hopefully they'ver got bigger fish to fry.

Thanks anyway

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