Buying, Selling, & Trading for New Members

Getting started in a Buy/Sell/Trade community as a new comer is tough. Here’s a guide to help get started without having any vouches in the past.

FOR NEW MEMBERS WITHOUT VOUCHES

You just joined the vape community, and you see so many gorgeous items and accessories that you want to buy or trade for. But nobody wants to deal with you because you don’t have vouches. What can you do to get started?

A new member typically joins the community without vouches. If you have someone local to you, or an online friend, who will vouch for you from the very first deal onward, then you’ve already got half the job done. A reputable member is one who is not only well-known, but also has a substantial amount of reputable vouches, and is willing to help or guide you. The more deals you make, the more vouches you accumulate. The better you communicate and execute those deals, the stronger and reputable your vouches will be.

For a newbie, it is important you have your first few deals with a more reputable, long-time member who has a considerable amount of vouches. Me personally and a number of people I know have done this for beginners, who have now gone on to have a bunch of deals and have accumulated their own vouches in the process. Following points should be kept in mind.

Buying Items Without Vouches

These days there’s a high number of people paying G&S and just raising bogus claims to PayPal to ensure both the item is shipped and en route to them, plus they get the cash back as well. This is scamming as well. And people are right to ask for buyer vouches.

Start off by buying from a reputable seller with vouches. Once you agree to a price, you can pay F&F as a sign of good faith. Do this ONLY after confirming the validity of this member’s reputation, checking their previous deals, and maybe even PMing people who have dealt with them in the past. Once a purchase is agreed, do not simply cancel because you found a better price. Either hold off agreeing or keep your word.
Do not be pushy, do not keep annoying the seller for tracking, be patient, and await tracking information for your shipment. As a baseline, I usually allow for at least 48 hours of leeway when dealing with someone I personally know, because life is difficult and we all have jobs, families and other commitments to deal with besides vaping. The more eloquent and well-spoken you are, the more the seller is inclined to vouch for you as a buyer.
Once the item arrives, inform the seller you have received said item, and thank them for a deal well done. A simple ‘Thanks bud’ is so underrated; being polite goes a long way in this community.
Congrats, you are now one step closer to being a verified buyer. Please remember that it is entirely up to the seller to choose to vouch for you as a buyer. You cannot force them, nor involuntarily use their name as a vouch without having them say so first.

Selling Items Without Vouches

This is where the bulk of scamming takes place. But of course, if your’e a beginner, you don’t have a host of vouches. So how do you sell your gear?

Pick the more reputable buyer to sell to. Even if their asking price is a couple of dollars lower, their vouch is worth it in the long run. Negotiate a deal nicely, and agree on a price. Once a sale is agreed, do not simply cancel because you found a better offer. Either hold off agreeing or keep your word.
Take pics of packing the item, the condition of all items (individual pics), clearly show the buyer if there’s anything wrong. DO NOT SHIP USED ITEMS UNLESS CLEANED. This will most definitely get you a bad name.
Be sure to stick to your timelines and ship on the agreed-upon date. Do not be late. If you have other commitments holding you back, pick up your phone, and explain it to the buyer. DO NOT IGNORE THEM OR BLOCK THEM because you don’t like notification sounds. You wanted to do this deal, you have to take responsibility for it.
Now when it comes to payment; you can either accept G&S from the reputable buyer, who will then release the funds once they receive the shipment, OR, you can wait until the buyer receives the item and then accept F&F. I would recommend the latter, as it’s a cleaner process with no room for complications. Everyone wants a guarantee they’ll get paid, but taking a leap of faith shows the buyer that this person is patient, trustworthy, and understanding. You’ll get a much stronger vouch.
Once the buyer receives the item, if there is any disparity between the condition before shipping and the condition once the item is in the buyer’s hands, listen to them and figure it out together. Each case is different. If you have forgotten to inform the buyer of some damage or wear, be sure to promptly offer a partial refund or replacement, or reach a compromise of some kind. The more understanding and approachable you are, the stronger your vouch. If you hold your hands up and say, “Hey, you saw the pics, that’s on you”, you won’t be getting any brownie points.
Once the deal is successfully concluded, you have now earned a vouch for being a seller! Once you start accumulating vouches, you can start accepting payments before you ship, as is the norm. But pace yourself.

Trading Items Without Vouches

This one’s the more common scamming method of the past and is harder to trace until the package arrives in your hands, by when it’s already too late to do anything about. There is no PayPal claim, there is no bank refund. So be very careful here.

Find a reputable trader to exchange gear with. Make sure you exchange an excessive amount of pictures and detail the condition of your item(s) before agreeing to a trade. Once a trade is agreed, do not simply cancel because you found a better offer. Either hold off agreeing, or keep your word.
You ship your side of the trade first. No matter the time taken, you wait until the other party receives the package. Once received, they will confirm everything is as agreed, and then they will promptly ship their end. They should be shipping ideally within 24 hours of receiving your package, but allow 48 hours just in case. Remember, patience is key.
Do not badger the other party to check tracking everyday, or to pick up the item from the post office because you’re in a hurry for them to ship their side out. Once they receive your package, do not badger them to immediately send their side of the trade out. The more patient and soft-spoken you are, the better chance you have a strong vouch.
Once the other party has shipped their side of the trade, you wait until you receive it. Once received, confirm the contents of the package as being what was agreed upon and conclude the trade.
You now have a trading vouch!

IMPORTANT POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND

This is information I have compiled based on personal experiences and the experiences of my friends. This is not the ONLY way to do BST. If you have a better option or idea, feel free to discuss with the party you’re dealing with. The intention is to feel safe yourself, while also make the party you’re dealing with feel safe.

Reputation and respect in this community are EARNED the hard way; through time and effort. The more you speak to people, the more you interact with the community, the more people will recognize you, in turn making it easier for you to make deals. Do not throw your name around and demand things, because I assure you the number of people agreeing to deal with you will drastically decrease. The more agreeable and nice you are to deal with, the more vouches and recommendations you get.

Happy Trading!