This stops today. It has become almost a daily affair. "What do you guys know about ABC.com? They have GREAT prices!!"

It's no exaggeration that this has become almost a daily habit in this forum. As of today, any posts inquiring about the reputation of any site will be deleted as soon as I see it, and that shouldn't be necessary, because you guys are going to stop doing this.

Enough with this desire to save a few dollars. ENOUGH of it. Enough with using this forum to drive traffic to websites setup by scammers. I have had it.

I expect a fairly high degree of web sophistication from the members here. You should know better than to do this. When you post that kind of stuff in this forum, you are potentially sending scam victims to their scammer. Stop it.

How many times recently in this forum have we seen debates over whether or not a site is legitimate? You have to become more cynical and you have to become more sophisticated about these things. People will rip you off in a heartbeat and some of you lay your head back and show these thieves your throat. Wise up.

I don't care if you "know" they are legitimate. Stop doing this. I don't care if there is actually no doubt they are legitimate. Stop. Gun-related or not, don't ask about any website.

Is it ok to offer a website? For example, if somebody says they need a Knipex tool, and they’re $$ on Amazon, can I say that I’ve found them at www.xxxxx.com for less? I’ve never hawked for any site, but I have offered suggestions from my experience. If this should be obvious that it’s the same as asking about a site, then I apologize in advance.

Yes, that's OK, I suppose, but not one word asking about site reputation.

There are other websites besides SIGforum? Who knew?

I understand your annoyance, para. I don't have to read that stuff. You have to at least give it a cursory look.

But, with all due respect: This will reduce the utility of SIGforum and many such requests have nothing to do with trying to save a buck.

E.g.: I needed magazines (trying to follow the principle of "get 'em while you can") and none of my usual reputable sources had what I needed. I found two sources that appeared legit so where did I go to confirm that impression? Where else but the "SIGforum Oracle"

Found out both were legit, used them, and had good experiences.

I don't know the solution to the slew of members asking about sites that even a cursory examination should result in ringing big alarms, but I would hate to lose the ability to ask the people I most trust on the 'net about new vendors with which I've had no personal experience

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
I understand your annoyance, para. I don't have to read that stuff. You have to at least give it a cursory look.

But, with all due respect: This will reduce the utility of SIGforum and many such requests have nothing to do with trying to save a buck.

E.g.: I needed magazines (trying to follow the principle of "get 'em while you can") and none of my usual reputable sources had what I needed. I found two sources that appeared legit so where did I go to confirm that impression? Where else but the "SIGforum Oracle"

Found out both were legit, used them, and had good experiences.

I don't know the solution to the slew of members asking about sites that even a cursory examination should result in ringing big alarms, but I would hate to lose the ability to ask the people I most trust on the 'net about new vendors with which I've had no personal experience

If I'm picking up what Para is putting down, the concern is proliferation of shitty sites incidental to their mention here.

If you say, hey, is Optxxxxxxxxxt.com legit? Roughly half of us know it's a shitty drop shipper that will charge your card immediately for stuff they know they didn't have in stock. However, by merely mentioning the website, you are strengthening it's search rankings organically and in turn driving more traffic to the scammer.

Instead, say, hey, where can I buy some Knipex pliers? A half dozen of us will say that KCTxxx.com is the place to go, without ever needing to mention the shitty website.

Or, I could be completely off base and Para just wants us to stop talking about other vendors altogether, in which case just ignore the above.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Yes, that's OK, I suppose, but not one word asking about site reputation.

Can you post you own experience with a vendor?
Good or bad?

I’ll use one of, if not the best gun stuff vendor, Top Gun Supply. Members regularly post (jokingly) about TGS’ ability to have goods delivered before you realized you needed them.

Or the opposite case where an online vendor is ripping people off, and you, despite you best efforts were burned. I recall a certain scammer who ripped people off over batteries? Can we post legitimate expressions of outrage? In this case I would expect an email to you detailing the bad experience should be a prerequisite to posting.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
Can you post you own experience with a vendor?
Good or bad?

Please, just use your head, and have mercy, will ya?

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
Can you post you own experience with a vendor?
Good or bad?

Please, just use your head, and have mercy, will ya?

Got it.

Anyone who has been on the internet for more than a year should have learned how to search for a vendors reputation. And learned how to search better, too.

"I can't find XXX" has been pretty common for the last two years, and exercising some effort determined how to up my game. There are actual search engines for guns in stock on the shelf - but we wouldn't know it from the responses to those posts asking. Same for mags, parts, ammo. And we have more than one search engine for examining the web, too - its NOT Google, which restricts listings they are fervently opposed to, which means anything gun related. And they also have the propensity to list the highest paying bidder in their results, then, the one with the most hits over time, whether it's related or even in error.

When looking for stuff, you need to go ten pages deep - that kind of effort will finally dig up the site you really want. If you then choose to examine their goods, check their pricing, know the tells. If there is no instock quantity listed, nope, it's a poorly run or even bundle ordering site. "Place in shopping cart for low price." is another dodge, albeit that manufacturer is playing with the price support system, ie forcing a higher retail on the market by limiting sales to distributors who support it. Yet discontinue the item and they pull out all the stops to dump it.

Tactics in shopping mix into this - Mossberg just changed up the Shockwave with an improvement to take 1 3/4 shells no adapter, and in NORMAL times the older models would sell off cheaper to clear inventory for the new (higher) priced models. Not so much in this panic. Sorry. But it's an option - do we really need all the gamechanging goodness of the incrementally different New! accessory? Not so much, we aren't completely turning over our inventory of self defense annually. For that, we even treasure and keep the older stuff - cause some things are so basic it's mostly utilty, not style. I've got a BM Osborne Risk, Im not selling it to buy an new 535 with FRN handles for $160. Its not $60 better, its arguably a $80 knife at twice the price.

There is another much more serious issue, too. OP points out these requests are actually low post members, in some other words. Paid posters to promote public participation in prominent product placing. IE SHILLS. We aren't some obscure outpost on the web and never have been. We are subject matter knowledgeable and some here are professional grade. The posts asking about "Is XXX a good source?" are not only trying to increase clicks and make sales, it's also assessing the publics opinion and ranking of that source, to generally improve it. And a clue is that site tends to be fairly new with a low number of members who interact, to that point in time.

We also have over 16 million all new to guns owners, so the idea that they are knowledgeable about gun sites needs some amendment, but it doesn't mean they are virgins at buying on the internet, either. Same practices as Ebay, etc. If you find a product and you think its fairly priced - no, if its too good to be true, then its not true, is it? - then you buy the seller. IE look at their location, their method of payment (NO BITCOIN, NO "mark this as a gift!") and you look twice if it's off shore. You research that seller - I did that buying a Seiko Orange Monster years ago from Singapore, there were hundreds of recommendations by knowledgeable buyers and the reputation was credible. Others, nope, not so much. I've got stung, too, mostly on Ebay in the day, now I trust it more than Amazon.

But that is never engraved in stone, and it will change. There's the problem - a once good site, or even bad, ups it's game or starts having internal issues. The goal is to understand their CURRENT status and furthermore, don't apply expectations as if they are upscale Mall retailers who should be picking you up at the airport in the company limo. Nope, it's the freaking internet, you are on it to undercut the brick and mortar. Asking for superlative treatment, your emails answered in minutes, your returns paid to be shipped back? Nope, this isn't in the price you are unwilling to pay. There be poseurs on the net who like to troll. I'd like to see posts complaining about those issues banned, too.

Nope, Para has it well addressed, if someone is looking for a site, it's basically lazy - or bait. No reason to support either. The posts are looking to get people a quick answer instead of doing their own due diligence. If the divorce rate is to be understood, we aren't too good at picking a spouse, either. Cheap and easy doesn't cut it.