Difference between sharking and misrepresenting a price

[Prince Lowell]

But is it worthy of a scammer tag and ban?

no, because it isn't a scam. A scam is when you get tricked into trading for something that is much less than promised

Awkward wording there. for example, if i am going to trade you a unusual batter's helmet for 2 buds, and then switch it out for a normal/lower priced batter's helmet, that is a scam

[>Sneaks]

no, because it isn't a scam. A scam is when you get tricked into trading for something that is much less than promised

Exactly. When people sell above or below bp.tf prices they:

1. Don't know the true value of the item (not everybody uses bp.tf)

2. Are trying to make a profit  (i.e. selling craft hats for .33 more than bp.tf)

3. Are trying to get metal quickly (selling below so that others take it)

 

It's not scamming, it's business.

 

Let's say you had an unusual valued at a bud, metalshiftlet. Would you consider yourself a scammer if you tried selling for 1.2 buds? Or for .8 buds? Based on your logic of ""price misrepresentation", you would be a scammer.

[Good Touch]

I'm proud to shark...

[♛ AlphaOmega ♛]

It's a really checkered line.

 

Sharking: Getting massive profit from a good deal. For instance, someone offers a 3 key item for 1 key only. You take the deal knowing full well you can make 200% profit. This is a very small example, but the idea is that it is different from scamming in that you havent attempted to completely bullshit IE 'Its not worth even a key. I'll ggive you a scrap".

 

Misrepresenting a price: Made a mistake.

 

As a comparison:

 

Scamming: Knowingly taking great amounts of money at a price that the seller does not know, the buyer does not intent to tell, and is well below the worth. IE: 1 bud for anywhere from a weather effect TC or Killer to Burnign or scorching.

 

That's how I see it.

[Dare]

I have no problem paying more than a BP price for an item that I like. And if seller values that item higher than it's current BP price I have no choice but to pay or keep looking. If the seller tells me that the price is higher than it actually is... well that's a different matter.

[♛ AlphaOmega ♛]

I have no problem paying more than a BP price for an item that I like. And if seller values that item higher than it's current BP price I have no choice but to pay or keep looking. If the seller tells me that the price is higher than it actually is... well that's a different matter.

[>Sneaks]

 

I have no problem paying more than a BP price for an item that I like. And if seller values that item higher than it's current BP price I have no choice but to pay or keep looking. If the seller tells me that the price is higher than it actually is... well that's a different matter.

 

[Mr. Bucket]

To me, sharking is pressuring an unknowing user to trade their item by misinforming them of the price. If, without outside influences, they wanted a certain item despite the large price gap they may or may not have known about, so be it. If both parties are happy at the time of the trade, it's a fair trade to me. Items are priced based on the demand for the item, so if someone wants a Cow Mangler 5000 for their purple hat, leave it. You would prefer a toque with flames on it, but maybe the person wants something actually functional instead. It's not up to you to decide what someone else can and can't trade for. There's a reason why it's called a trade. You trade your item(s) for someone else's item(s) you'd prefer.

 

That being said, I think sharking is fine on all levels. People do that for a living in real life, but can't do it in a virtual video game? All forms of scamming are terrible though, there's a difference between breaking the terms of a deal and making a good deal.

[Hipsta Jayzus]

Stop trying to quantify this. Some of it is blatant like scamming an item vs sharking

 

But sharking is pretty much case by case. You have to basically come to your own conclusions based on the items and the knowledge both parties had. If a dude had a 40 bud unusual and now has a bunch of fucking weapons and some other dude now has his 40 bud unusual, it's a shark the end. The "if you don't lie about the price, it's not sharking" is bullshit. Sharking is just taking advantage of newbs to get beyond good deals. Trying to put a % on it is also stupid. If we all went by tf2outpost's 20% profit or whatever the hell they quantify sharking as being, then if I accepted 90% of the offers I get on my threads I could just turn around and report them as sharks, but no, they're not sharks, they're dirty lowballers.

 

It's case by case. 

[>Sneaks]

If both parties are happy at the time of the trade, it's a fair trade to me.

This. Yes.

[Explosion-chan]

Exactly. When people sell above or below bp.tf prices they:

1. Don't know the true value of the item (not everybody uses bp.tf)

2. Are trying to make a profit (i.e. selling craft hats for .33 more than bp.tf)

3. Are trying to get metal quickly (selling below so that others take it)

 

It's not scamming, it's business.

 

Let's say you had an unusual valued at a bud, metalshiftlet. Would you consider yourself a scammer if you tried selling for 1.2 buds? Or for .8 buds? Based on your logic of ""price misrepresentation", you would be a scammer.

No, but that's backpack price, which is technically variable. The situation I'm speaking of the price is totally set. Also, if I'm selling it at 1.2, am I claiming that I'm selling it for backpack.tf price? If so, then yes, it's a scam. If not, then it's fine

[Klappar]

Stop trying to quantify this. Some of it is blatant like scamming an item vs sharking

 

But sharking is pretty much case by case. You have to basically come to your own conclusions based on the items and the knowledge both parties had. If a dude had a 40 bud unusual and now has a bunch of fucking weapons and some other dude now has his 40 bud unusual, it's a shark the end. The "if you don't lie about the price, it's not sharking" is bullshit. Sharking is just taking advantage of newbs to get beyond good deals. Trying to put a % on it is also stupid. If we all went by tf2outpost's 20% profit or whatever the hell they quantify sharking as being, then if I accepted 90% of the offers I get on my threads I could just turn around and report them as sharks, but no, they're not sharks, they're dirty lowballers.

 

It's case by case. 

[Hipsta Jayzus]

Indeed, I said that.

[Heated Bread]

Sharking is the deliberate exploitation of someone's ignorance of the value of one or more items for one's own personal profit.  So if you target a person and are hoping to get one or more items off of them for a cheap price, and the reason you're getting it is because they're apparently not aware of their true value of the item(s) you are offering and/or the value of their own item(s), then you're the shark.  You're seeking areas where you have pricing knowledge which they lack for the sole purpose of exploiting them.

 

Sharking does not require lying, but proof of sharking does, which is one of the things that makes it so annoying to deal with.

 

In short: if you're trying to take advantage of someone's ignorance of item value(s) in order to rip them off, you're sharking.

[Neobenedict]

There is a fine line between an exceptional deal and sharking, let's agree that we'll all disagree on where it is.

[Heated Bread]

There is a fine line between an exceptional deal and sharking, let's agree that we'll all disagree on where it is.

 

The line is here: when you're getting a fucking fanatastic deal and you're not sure whether the person you're trading with actually knows it, take a moment to check with them before going through with the trade.  That's called allowing the person to make an informed decision, something you aware that you are doing, while they may not be.  That's the distinction.  Informed decision vs uninformed decision.

[rico]

ITT: people try to set distinct definitions for arbitrary slang

 

gr8 b8 m8 i r8 8/8

[Explosion-chan]

ITT: people try to set distinct definitions for arbitrary slang

 

gr8 b8 m8 i r8 8/8

Arbitrary slang... do you know the definition of arbitrary? If you do, then you'll know that it isn't arbitrary as a distinction needed to be made in a report. If you don't know the definition, define words before using them please.

[AlfieOmega]

 

I have no problem paying more than a BP price for an item that I like. And if seller values that item higher than it's current BP price I have no choice but to pay or keep looking. If the seller tells me that the price is higher than it actually is... well that's a different matter.

 

[JayTuut]

If someone says their item is worth this price (which it is) and then say for a item higher price (This) and they agree I don't think its a shark.

 

e.g.

(counting these as their prices, not actually cause cbf to check)

 

Steaming big eflin for a Burning TC.

 

He knows his Burning TC is 150 buds but the elfin he knows the trader said is 14 keys. But he really wants the elfin so he takes it

 

 

Jokes that would never happen but u get my point

[Explosion-chan]

If someone says their item is worth this price (which it is) and then say for a item higher price (This) and they agree I don't think its a shark.

 

e.g.

(counting these as their prices, not actually cause cbf to check)

 

Steaming big eflin for a Burning TC.

 

He knows his Burning TC is 150 buds but the elfin he knows the trader said is 14 keys. But he really wants the elfin so he takes it

 

 

Jokes that would never happen but u get my point

I'd totally agree... But that misses the point. To say this in the most concise way possible, I think it is sharking if the price is implied, but not stated, but it is misrepresentation (and worthy of a ban) if the seller makes an actual claim that the item they are selling is worth a certain price according to a certain site, but the price is much less on the actual site.

[kkörgi]

 

 

I have no problem paying more than a BP price for an item that I like. And if seller values that item higher than it's current BP price I have no choice but to pay or keep looking. If the seller tells me that the price is higher than it actually is... well that's a different matter.

 

[Explosion-chan]

 

 

 

I have no problem paying more than a BP price for an item that I like. And if seller values that item higher than it's current BP price I have no choice but to pay or keep looking. If the seller tells me that the price is higher than it actually is... well that's a different matter.

 

That's my whole point in this post

[JayTuut]

I'd totally agree... But that misses the point. To say this in the most concise way possible, I think it is sharking if the price is implied, but not stated, but it is misrepresentation (and worthy of a ban) if the seller makes an actual claim that the item they are selling is worth a certain price according to a certain site, but the price is much less on the actual site.

thanks 4 agree

[Neobenedict]

The line is here: when you're getting a fucking fanatastic deal and you're not sure whether the person you're trading with actually knows it, take a moment to check with them before going through with the trade.  That's called allowing the person to make an informed decision, something you aware that you are doing, while they may not be.  That's the distinction.  Informed decision vs uninformed decision.

 

>tf2 trading

>people actually caring that the person they are trading with is getting a fair deal too

 

capitalism/10