Silk Road forums

Discussion => Silk Road discussion => Topic started by: flaxceed on February 04, 2013, 06:20 am

Title: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: flaxceed on February 04, 2013, 06:20 am
Like many vendors, I have all of my terms spelled out in my profile.  Despite this, 95% of the questions I field here on SR are about issues covered very clearly in my profile.  I am curious why buyers don't take the time to read.  Don't you want to know what the seller expects of you, and how he ships?  I have been told my profile is long, but really anyone with a junior high school education should be able to get through it in five or six minutes.
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: Alchemister on February 04, 2013, 01:58 pm
Buyers don't always look at vendor profiles.

They look at listing descriptions.

If there are common questions relating to the service, I would just put them in the listing description.

Silkroad is slow and people don't like searching far for their information,

So stick everything you need in the item description.
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: flaxceed on February 04, 2013, 04:09 pm
Buyers don't always look at vendor profiles.

They look at listing descriptions.

If there are common questions relating to the service, I would just put them in the listing description.

Silkroad is slow and people don't like searching far for their information,

So stick everything you need in the item description.

excellent point!!!  if Tor was a lot faster it would probably make a big difference.  i might consider putting a "boiled-down" version on each listing.  good idea.
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: wasta on February 04, 2013, 10:18 pm
I tried to warn about Boss who had 96 positive feedback from 268 transactions.

But more then 250 of the 5/5 was for F.E.

Even the boss did not let see his face for 3 months , day after day the orders still came in.

I tried to warn them.but got a load of bullshit over me for speaking bad about him.

Guess what? He did never deliver and run with the money.

Good thing!
If people will not listen they have to find out for themselves.
Bust don't complain afterwards.
 They should have known.

I hope for a lot more people like Boss, who is undoubtedly already back to pull the same trick over again.
And as long the people keep losing their money, that long will their be scammers.

It pays to be a scammer. Bigtime !
Some people like to give their money away, it seems.
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: flaxceed on February 05, 2013, 02:17 pm
I tried to warn about Boss who had 96 positive feedback from 268 transactions.

But more then 250 of the 5/5 was for F.E.

Even the boss did not let see his face for 3 months , day after day the orders still came in.

I tried to warn them.but got a load of bullshit over me for speaking bad about him.

Guess what? He did never deliver and run with the money.

Good thing!
If people will not listen they have to find out for themselves.
Bust don't complain afterwards.
 They should have known.

I hope for a lot more people like Boss, who is undoubtedly already back to pull the same trick over again.
And as long the people keep losing their money, that long will their be scammers.

It pays to be a scammer. Bigtime !
Some people like to give their money away, it seems.

Interesting story but I am not sure it is relevant to this topic.
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: loniax on February 05, 2013, 02:43 pm
I read them, I scour them fuckers.
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: flaxceed on February 05, 2013, 02:51 pm
I read them, I scour them fuckers.

LOL- this is the kind of behavior i expected
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: connoisseur on February 05, 2013, 03:25 pm
Functional analphabets?
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: BenJesuit on February 05, 2013, 03:53 pm
Format is important. Short paragraphs with bold heading make it easier for the lazier reader to find info. But the best idea by far is to put pertinent info on the product page itself since Tor is slow and people don't want to hang around for long. They just want to get their drugs and move on.

The other problem is some vendor profiles look stale or copied from other vendors so some feel the need to double check.

One last problem I can think of is that they don't know that the vendor page exists. They use a search feature or category feature that takes them right to the product page. So what I would suggest is to put a link to your vendor profile on every product page. Buyer can right click it to open up in a new tab without having to fear losing the page they are on.

Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: TheJolllyRoger on February 05, 2013, 04:39 pm
This really annoys me too at this stage, repeating yourself constantly when the said questions are clearly on your vendors page already is annoying and costs time, sometimes im like "are you actually that fucking retarded?" Meet up for real life deals and all this shit....

 90% of the questions i get in my inbox are literally on my vendors page, at the top. On every Ad i have up too, it  says "READ MY VENDORS PROFILE BEFORE ORDERING" but still, no, they don't read it so i just delete these instead of wasting my time because their too lazy to take 2 minutes and read a neat and very very clear Profile, Terms & Conditions etc.

Rant over, aaaarrrgh!
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: fuckingACE on February 05, 2013, 07:41 pm
I second that. Although it is part of the service we provide as good vendors I really do wish people would save me an hour every day and just read what i took time to write. 90% of all questions that I receive are answered fully on the profile page!! argggg

ACE
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: Foxy on February 05, 2013, 08:48 pm
I hear you flaxceed!
All of my listings state on the page with the product picture, "You are required to read our main vendor page prior to placing an order."
and yet every day I get 1 to 4 orders from people who DID NOT EVEN GO TO IT!
How do I know this?
Because I have clearly stated on the top of the page, "new users and users with low stats must purchase from my other account..."
and yet they order from the account they are not allowed to order from.
so I  have a copy/paste response I send them all with their canceled order.
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: Slicksuit on February 05, 2013, 11:13 pm
Buyers don't always look at vendor profiles.

They look at listing descriptions.

If there are common questions relating to the service, I would just put them in the listing description.

Silkroad is slow and people don't like searching far for their information,

So stick everything you need in the item description.

excellent point!!!  if Tor was a lot faster it would probably make a big difference.  i might consider putting a "boiled-down" version on each listing.  good idea.

Yeah - as a vendor it's the best we can do really.

Along with writing in caps on every listing - "Please read our vendor page before placing an order"

Not much else we can do really! #SilkRoadVendorProblems
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: flaxceed on February 06, 2013, 05:10 am
Wow I am surprised to get so many comments from vendors on my thread.  Sometimes here on the forums it feels like everyone is a consumer who is ready to pounce on me!  LOL.  I require FE so that is a big part of it.  I would love to know how some of you got the "SR Vendor" designation.  I have asked and asked but nobody seems to be able to give it to me so I can access the vendor subforum.  I've been here over 10 months, have 99.7% positive feedback and thousands of transactions.  I am top 20% in earnings.  Some people say Indigo is the guy to ask but all of my requests get ignored.

At any rate, glad I am not the only person whose profile is not being read!  That makes me feel a little bit better.

LONG LIVE FE, THE LOWEST PRICES WILL WIN IN THE LONG RUN!
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: Foxy on February 06, 2013, 05:18 am
yes just ask again and have your store in your signature and list the stats like you just did and you should get you approved.
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: flaxceed on February 06, 2013, 04:41 pm
yes just ask again and have your store in your signature and list the stats like you just did and you should get you approved.

No luck so far...
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: TheJolllyRoger on February 06, 2013, 05:29 pm
Hi Flaxceed mate, when i came here first, waaaay after you! i wondered the same and i just sent dread a PM asking how id get it on my ID, and it was on my ID on the forum the next day and i had access to the vendor forum!
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: XXXotica on February 08, 2013, 01:28 pm
Buyers don't always look at vendor profiles.

They look at listing descriptions.

If there are common questions relating to the service, I would just put them in the listing description.

Silkroad is slow and people don't like searching far for their information,

So stick everything you need in the item description.

This is such a great tip! Thanks, definitely would alleviate alot of the questions.
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: android465764E on February 08, 2013, 01:55 pm
I always read the vendor profile because, a) it has their pgp key on it.
b) it details the postage options.
c) Sometimes has special offers on it.

Why anyone *wouldn't* read the profile is beyond me. (Ō_o)
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: BenJesuit on February 08, 2013, 03:36 pm
Some vendor profiles are read by potential buyers but have convoluted and sometimes contradictory/outdated policy info. Or worse, makes a buyer not sure they are welcomed to do business with. Then again, so almost scream "buyer beware!"

For instance: SouthStar - http://silkroadvb5piz3r.onion/silkroad/user/30089046e2

Who would do business with this outfit after reading the page or who would not need to ask questions to verify information or eligibility?
It's these kinds of convoluted vendor pages that are the reason buyers need to ask questions which seem to be answered but really aren't.
Explains partly why they have been around for 6 months but only have 18 sales, most of which are PDF instructions to do a CWE (a process that is illustrated for free by PureO - http://silkroadvb5piz3r.onion/silkroad/user/57537569ae)

Plus, what kind of a vendor posts the farewell message of a vendor that has been out of business for over a month on their page?

And then when you look at forum reviews of the vendor and their responses, one is further confused and/or turned off:

http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=94109.0

Don't be like this vendor. Keep it simple. Keep it inviting and friendly. And adding a link to your vendor profile to each product page or at least adding the most pertinent details to each product page is the way to go.
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: flaxceed on February 08, 2013, 04:42 pm
Some vendor profiles are read by potential buyers but have convoluted and sometimes contradictory/outdated policy info. Or worse, makes a buyer not sure they are welcomed to do business with. Then again, so almost scream "buyer beware!"

For instance: SouthStar - http://silkroadvb5piz3r.onion/silkroad/user/30089046e2

Who would do business with this outfit after reading the page or who would not need to ask questions to verify information or eligibility?
It's these kinds of convoluted vendor pages that are the reason buyers need to ask questions which seem to be answered but really aren't.
Explains partly why they have been around for 6 months but only have 18 sales, most of which are PDF instructions to do a CWE (a process that is illustrated for free by PureO - http://silkroadvb5piz3r.onion/silkroad/user/57537569ae)

Plus, what kind of a vendor posts the farewell message of a vendor that has been out of business for over a month on their page?

And then when you look at forum reviews of the vendor and their responses, one is further confused and/or turned off:

http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=94109.0

Don't be like this vendor. Keep it simple. Keep it inviting and friendly. And adding a link to your vendor profile to each product page or at least adding the most pertinent details to each product page is the way to go.

This is troubling because my profile is convoluted and probably turns a lot of people off.  It is decidedly unfriendly in parts.  I don't know how to change it so that it still scares away the people I hate, but is more welcoming.  This gives me plenty to think about so thanks BenJesuit.
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: Crazy Eights on February 09, 2013, 12:10 am
When I was a buyer I never, ever read the sellers profile page - now being on the other side of the fence, it is like "for the love of God", it is listed clearly in my profile page the information you've requested
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: zerik on February 09, 2013, 05:29 am
I used to get frustrated with this too when I sold on auction sites. I would spend time answering questions that were clearly answered in my listing. Some days I wanted to impale myself with a Sharp object rather than answer another idiotic question. I def feel your pain and I do read vendor home pages.

People on the forum do advise new people to contact sellers before placing an order and asking questions. Could be some buyers way of feeling you out. If you take time to answer questions and have good communication skills it might put some buyers more at ease.

Sadly we live in the Facebook age were some people just won't read more than 4 lines. (sigh) 
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: brusselsprout on February 09, 2013, 06:23 am
flaxceed, I just checked your profile, it's a bit long and angry. If I were you, I'd try to make it a little more concise and, for me, the large sections all in caps became a little hard to read because of the SR font.
Title: Re: Vendor profiles: why don't people read them?
Post by: JezuzWazaMushroom on February 09, 2013, 11:20 am
Like many vendors, I have all of my terms spelled out in my profile.  Despite this, 95% of the questions I field here on SR are about issues covered very clearly in my profile.  I am curious why buyers don't take the time to read.  Don't you want to know what the seller expects of you, and how he ships?  I have been told my profile is long, but really anyone with a junior high school education should be able to get through it in five or six minutes.

Fucking well put mate!

We could avoid so many of these stupid posts and questions on here if people only bothered to do some fucking reading!