few questions from newbie

[fancynancy]

hello everyone! i am nancy and currently living and working in uk.
reading everything around since 2 weeks but finally manage to register and use the forum.
i have few questions that looks odd to me and i would like to find the answers.
ive read there is a lot of scammers around and the community doing good job to catch and clean them
in other hand i read that scams are not moderated...
also, i see that some people are allowed by the community to run those "auto buy" links and locked/self-moderated topics, and some people are not.
i don't see connection or difference between how people decide who are welcome to run that kind of topics and not, and what is the best way to sell services/virtual goods around without being framed by the competition or the community itself by running self-moderated or locked topic?
that's not the end of my questions but the very first ones.
i have experience by other trading platforms like those ( not sure am i allowed to share names of different websites) but everything around confusing me a little bit.

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[jackg]

Don't make self moderated or locked topics. You'll turn away genuine custom.

I'm not sure on who can create autobuy links, I wasn't sure there was a limitation but I wouldn't trust them as much as dealing with a person.

As a new member of the forum you SHOULD (potentially must) use escrow. You might also want to have people vouch (give them a free or discounted products) to get reviews and aid your reputation in running something legit.

[fancynancy]

Don't make self moderated or locked topics. You'll turn away genuine custom.

I'm not sure on who can create autobuy links, I wasn't sure there was a limitation but I wouldn't trust them as much as dealing with a person.

As a new member of the forum you SHOULD (potentially must) use escrow. You might also want to have people vouch (give them a free or discounted products) to get reviews and aid your reputation in running something legit.

well, i see some new members are more than welcome from the community to open self-moderated/locked topics
and some seems like are not ( from your advice here to me )
who and how people decide which newbies can be accepted to open that kind of topics?
*edit: i see also "merit" under my activity, what is that

[Darker45]

Don't make self moderated or locked topics. You'll turn away genuine custom.

I'm not sure on who can create autobuy links, I wasn't sure there was a limitation but I wouldn't trust them as much as dealing with a person.

As a new member of the forum you SHOULD (potentially must) use escrow. You might also want to have people vouch (give them a free or discounted products) to get reviews and aid your reputation in running something legit.

well, i see some new members are more than welcome from the community to open self-moderated/locked topics
and some seems like are not ( from your advice here to me )
who and how people decide which newbies can be accepted to open that kind of topics?
*edit: i see also "merit" under my activity, what is that

When creating a new topic, you have the option to self-moderate it. That's under the "Additional Options". You may tick the box which says "Self-moderated."

As far as locking of topics is concerned, you can only do that with your own topic/thread. The lock button is found on your lower left hand corner beside the "move topic" button.

If I'm not mistaken, all these features are available to everyone regardless of rank.

As for merits, they are earned from making a constructive post or topic. Anybody from this forum who has available sendable merit can give you one up to any amount depending on the quality of your post/topic.

[jackg]

well, i see some new members are more than welcome from the community to open self-moderated/locked topics
and some seems like are not ( from your advice here to me )
who and how people decide which newbies can be accepted to open that kind of topics?
*edit: i see also "merit" under my activity, what is that

no one should be locking a post without replies. If you're below a member rank or have negative trust, you can expect to require some negative trust.

Scams aren't moderated by moderators but they may delete some topics if a scam looks obvious to them or has a very high chance of being a scam..

If you don't self mod and don't lock your topic then you'll be fine.

I think some members of higher rank and that are trusted self mod and lock topics without replies which isnt considered untrustworthy (it might limit how many people can respond to them though - eg newer members can't send many PMs a day).

Merit is a score that helps you rank up: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2766177.0

[DireWolfM14]

There's a lot to cover in your questions, and it's not a simple answer.

All those "newbies" who create locked topics with auto-buy links are scammers, and none are actually newbies.  They've been around a long time and only lock their threads so none of the legitimate members will post in them to warn real newbies about the scam for they're about to fall.  Also, I'm going to assume you're talking about all the locked threads in the digital goods section, which are mostly hacked accounts, stolen keys, and other ill-gotten offerings.  None of that is welcome here, but you're right about scams not being moderated.  It's unfortunate for some, but caveat emptor is the philosophy of the trading section of the forum.  As unfortunate as it may be for some, it is compatible with the philosophy of freedom from which bitcoin was born.  That doesn't mean it a free-for-all for scammers, however.  Through the trust system, the community does have the ability to expose scammers by leaving them feedback on their trust wall.

Through an election system, senior members of the forum are chosen to what we call the "Default Trust" system.  When a member from of the Default Trust system leaves a review on one's trust wall, that review has higher visibility and counts as part of the recipient's trust score.

If you have a legitimate product to sell, you shouldn't have any trouble selling through the appropriate board.  Don't lock your post, and don't make is self-moderated, when members do that (especially newbies) it's assumed to be a same.  I also recommend against using auto-buy links.  They may be convenient for sellers of of digital goods and access keys, but they are also commonly used by scammers.  So, again any time some newbie is directing forum members to an auto-buy link it's assumed that it's a scam.

[fancynancy]

There's a lot to cover in your questions, and it's not a simple answer.

All those "newbies" who create locked topics with auto-buy links are scammers, and none are actually newbies.  They've been around a long time and only lock their threads so none of the legitimate members will post in them to warn real newbies about the scam for they're about to fall.  Also, I'm going to assume you're talking about all the locked threads in the digital goods section, which are mostly hacked accounts, stolen keys, and other ill-gotten offerings.  None of that is welcome here, but you're right about scams not being moderated.  It's unfortunate for some, but caveat emptor is the philosophy of the trading section of the forum.  As unfortunate as it may be for some, it is compatible with the philosophy of freedom from which bitcoin was born.  That doesn't mean it a free-for-all for scammers, however.  Through the trust system, the community does have the ability to expose scammers by leaving them feedback on their trust wall.

Through an election system, senior members of the forum are chosen to what we call the "Default Trust" system.  When a member from of the Default Trust system leaves a review on one's trust wall, that review has higher visibility and counts as part of the recipient's trust score.

If you have a legitimate product to sell, you shouldn't have any trouble selling through the appropriate board.  Don't lock your post, and don't make is self-moderated, when members do that (especially newbies) it's assumed to be a same.  I also recommend against using auto-buy links.  They may be convenient for sellers of of digital goods and access keys, but they are also commonly used by scammers.  So, again any time some newbie is directing forum members to an auto-buy link it's assumed that it's a scam.

but why consider some rules says that "hacked/stolen" and that kind of things are not allowed, those topics are still there and not removed?
why there is an option "locked/self-moderated" if someone will point you as "scammer" just because many of them doing that.
i mean, yeah i can see there is many scammers around, but not everyone is such, and how you can protect yourself from the competition if you do not moderate your own topic?
and lets say someone had already experience in other platforms and it is familiar with the things around but not the things in this forum, why would some newbie rank will be called a scammer if he's not naturally stupid and can read how the things going around?
why should everyone be consider as scammer, if he use options provided by the forum no matter the rank ?
lets say people come in this forum only for sales but not valuable as knowledge posts, they will never rank up and earn that "merit" to get high rank.
why would that makes them less valuable than the other people?
many people may come to contribute in the marketplace but not the discussion sections.
that's like that kind of the forum the "marketplace" is being cut from ranking up

[malevolent]

but why consider some rules says that "hacked/stolen" and that kind of things are not allowed, those topics are still there and not removed?
why there is an option "locked/self-moderated" if someone will point you as "scammer" just because many of them doing that.
i mean, yeah i can see there is many scammers around, but not everyone is such, and how you can protect yourself from the competition if you do not moderate your own topic?

Newbies have a harder time demonstrating trustworthiness and there isn't much that they can do about it other than waiting until they have a better reputation, or having someone vouch for them.

and lets say someone had already experience in other platforms and it is familiar with the things around but not the things in this forum, why would some newbie rank will be called a scammer if he's not naturally stupid and can read how the things going around?
why should everyone be consider as scammer, if he use options provided by the forum no matter the rank ?

Because too many newbie scammers abused this option other users are more wary now. Although if someone calls them a scammer without providing any more details why they're a scammer, such a post may be deleted.

lets say people come in this forum only for sales but not valuable as knowledge posts, they will never rank up and earn that "merit" to get high rank.
why would that makes them less valuable than the other people?
many people may come to contribute in the marketplace but not the discussion sections.
that's like that kind of the forum the "marketplace" is being cut from ranking up

Merits and forum ranks aren't given for making a set amount of posts or for seniority but for contributions to disincentivize making low quality posts. It's easier to receive merits if you post in Marketplace child-boards not dedicated to buying or selling. You can, for example, help other users solve problems they have using particular goods or services, e.g. in Service Discussion.

[fancynancy]

so in few words i get that:
newbies as me cannot protect their self from the competition using self-moderated/locked topics to prevent fake negative feedback just someone to cut their business
also newbies as me who like to sell things around and are not allowed the above, have zero chance to become trusted because there won't be any merit for market transactions.
that's not really a warm welcome to any new user coming up here.

[DireWolfM14]

but why consider some rules says that "hacked/stolen" and that kind of things are not allowed, those topics are still there and not removed?

If there is sufficient evidence that indicates the items being sold are stolen or hacked the post will be removed.  But like all free societies, everyone gets the benefit of the doubt.

why there is an option "locked/self-moderated" if someone will point you as "scammer" just because many of them doing that.
i mean, yeah i can see there is many scammers around, but not everyone is such, and how you can protect yourself from the competition if you do not moderate your own topic?

Form features aren't there to be abused by scammers, they have legitimate uses that have nothing to do with sales threads.  No one will support the removal of valuable forum features just because scammers abuse them.  And scammers will continue to scam even if those features aren't there.

and lets say someone had already experience in other platforms and it is familiar with the things around but not the things in this forum, why would some newbie rank will be called a scammer if he's not naturally stupid and can read how the things going around?

This isn't some other forum, this is Bitcointalk.org.  Every forum I've ever visited has it's own culture.  Take your time, get to know this one, and you won't aggravate the natives.  

why should everyone be consider as scammer, if he use options provided by the forum no matter the rank ?

It has nothing to do with rank.  There have been and likely still are plenty of high ranking members who are scammers.  The specific threads you're talking about are commonly created by newbies because they're previous account was red-tagged.  They create an account, get caught doing shady shit, get red-tagged, then create another account and start over.  It's a never ending cycle.

lets say people come in this forum only for sales but not valuable as knowledge posts, they will never rank up and earn that "merit" to get high rank.

Lack of merit and rank don't prevent you from selling your goods.  Use a trusted escrow, sell your goods only through the forum, don't sell stolen or hacked goods, and don't scam anyone.  I guarantee you that none of the member who would be your "competition" are on DT, so their reviews would be essentially invisible.  If any of them were to make allegations against you in your unlocked, non-self-moderated thread, they would need to show proof or no one will believe them.  And, no highly reputed member is going to risk his reputation by making false allegations against a competitor.

[malevolent]

so in few words i get that:
newbies as me cannot protect their self from the competition using self-moderated/locked topics to prevent fake negative feedback just someone to cut their business
also newbies as me who like to sell things around and are not allowed the above, have zero chance to become trusted because there won't be any merit for market transactions.
that's not really a warm welcome to any new user coming up here.

No. You can offer to sell through a reputable escrow or be the one to send first. When dealing with other newbies or potentially untrustworthy users use escrow (google 'bitcointalk escrow' for some suggestions whose services to use)

[fancynancy]

thanks for all the answers.
still, this is just a forum no matter it is bitcointalk or different name.
for you could be more, but for many newbies is just another forum with marketplace.
escrow is great option but still does not prevent people to shit post on your topic

[SFR10]

newbies as me who like to sell things around and are not allowed the above, have zero chance to become trusted because there won't be any merit for market transactions.

You can become a trusted seller while staying in your current "Newbie" rank...

• Merits are given to high-quality posts ^{[some users tend to give it to those that they agree with, even though that's not how it supposed to be used]}.
• You're not limited in regards to receiving the appropriate feedback ^{[positive/neutral/negative]} for your forum transactions or dealings.

escrow is great option but still does not prevent people to shit post on your topic

That's right but you still have the option ^{["Report to moderator" button is in the bottom right corner of each post]} of reporting each one of their posts ^{[most of those posts will most likely go against the "rules"]}.
While we're at it, take the time to read "this thread" as well ^{[it's outdated but still a valid one]}.

[rodskee]

well, i see some new members are more than welcome from the community to open self-moderated/locked topics
and some seems like are not ( from your advice here to me )
who and how people decide which newbies can be accepted to open that kind of topics?
*edit: i see also "merit" under my activity, what is that

having self Moderated topic means you are limiting the chance of Having Good conversation and also Giving impression to the community about your hidden agendas ,so this will less the Opportunity to grab what you really tend to do.

I don't usually engaged in Self moderated topics specially if the one created this thread is newbie,Red trusted or account that has Nothing proven in the forum ,I first look at the History of this account and if i find some flags in making Self controlled topic ,then i will either ignore this and deny the thread even if this looks legit and worth reading , because why need a control over Posters if you are not hiding anything ?and besides if the Posts looks like irrelevant ,you can just report to the Mod and let them decide if need to delete or not.

[FaucetKING]

Welcome amoung us Nancy!
I would like to say that you're the one and only responsible for your interactions with these members and with the whole community whether we're talking about projects or entities or even individuals. There's a trust system, a ranking system and that enables you to know who's a newbie and who's highly trusted. You can find alot of newly signed up accounts selling stuffs without any vouch copies or without any trust, those aren't the ones you might want to trust.
In the other hand, you can always browse and search using that tool at the top right for subjects, feedbacks and opinions about anything. You can even use this section to post any questions before doing any financial trades. Be safe and have a nice day/ new year beginning.

[nakamura12]

Do you mean that there are people who are doing their best effort to bust those scam projects and expose scammers. Anyway, creating a self-moderated threads doesn't mean you have hidden agendas. Just make sure you mentioned it in your thread that you are making a self-moderated thread so you can delete the shit posts made in your thread. It is true that some may think that you have hidden agendas so, it's your responsibility on what will hapoen to your account.

[Bholutefe]

In my own point of view, I think creating a self thread connotes that the post wants a significancy among other posts provided that the contents relays a very good and useful explanation. It also depends on the composer's intentions towards earning some amount of merits, why would anyone make a self thread topic in the first place? I believe we are answerable to our individual actions here.

[Jawhead999]

In my own point of view, I think creating a self thread connotes that the post wants a significancy among other posts provided that the contents relays a very good and useful explanation.

True, this is some reason why people creating self moderated thread because many members here is spamming with low quality post or off topic... this also help moderator to reduce more post that has been reported by member. But some people misusing this option by a scammer (deleting post that can destroy/attack their reputation

It also depends on the composer's intentions towards earning some amount of merits, why would anyone make a self thread topic in the first place? I believe we are answerable to our individual actions here.

Creating self moderated topic wouldn't make you earn more merit, it's based on your quality post.

[fancynancy]

sorry for my 99 questions but i have more..
lets say i start a digital goods selling topic.
how the escrow could verify microsoft key/steam/amazon or anything like that
i know there is few ways to verify some of those without being used, but some cannot be verified/check
and what stop the buyer if the keys cannot be verified by the escrow to say they were already used or invalid?

[nutildah]

sorry for my 99 questions but i have more..
lets say i start a digital goods selling topic.
how the escrow could verify microsoft key/steam/amazon or anything like that
i know there is few ways to verify some of those without being used, but some cannot be verified/check
and what stop the buyer if the keys cannot be verified by the escrow to say they were already used or invalid?

First of all, I highly doubt you're gonna find an escrow for that kind of thing around here. Second of all, one important thing you skipped over was how do you know you are dealing with an honest escrow? Whatever you do, don't fall victim to an escrow scammer such as this guy.

There's a particularly dumb scammer on the forum who keeps pretending to be trusted forum escrows like monbux and SebastienJu on Telegram, even though they don't use Telegram and have been largely inactive for years. So if someone recommends them as an escrow to you off-forum, make sure they contact you via PM here on the forum before agreeing to any kind of deal.