Trader Rating vs Sponsor Status

amicably AbsoluteApril suggested the discussion would be suitable for the General Business forum, so i'm posting it here.

Trader Rating, or Sponsor Status?

i'm a newbie (1 week) here and have only a couple fauna to care for (am more a flora fanatic=).

but, this forum is chock full of pics of and info about the husbandry of many, many beautiful critters!

i already find myself checking out the Classified quite often several times a day and even enquired on some of the individual animals advertised. the one i most liked so - the 'White 5inch Pardalis Leopard Tortoise' - (offered by a 'Vera'; i dont recall the FCer's username, but think they did have a Trader rating of 1 rather than 0) was full of stunning pics but the ad disappeared almost as quick as it posted.

did it sell that quickly? or did the lister quickly change her mind? or, was it flagged/deleted that quickly by forum staff?? or maybe it's still there somewhere but i'm just kinda blind. no i'm not so much asking what exactly happened to it, but more wondering how often that happens here and if i'll eventually get 'burned' in an animal purchase from here or heck, anywhere online for the matter.

until i found this forum last week, i more relied on limiting myself to local ads on CList and the like but there are hardly any rare exotics on there that tickle my fancy.


anyways, can anyone chime in? which one has more bearing on a vendor you would be more apt to buy from/trade with: trader rating, or having sponsor status/ads?

preferably to me would be vendors with both, the best of both worlds: a trader rating decently above 1 as well as a paid sponsor since they are at least supporting in part, the service(FC) which helps them list and place their valuable critters in viable homes all from the convenience of their own desk, couch, bed, smartphone, touchpad.. or toilet seat, even.

Out of the two, trader rating. Sponsorship status doesn't sway me much one way or the other. I see it for what it is, paid advertising for name recognition and a link so folks can check out their product. I realize that sponsors are endorsing this site, not the other way around. I give more weight to trader rating and what I dig up using the search function on the BOI. While I often window shop from the sponsor links, I still feel obligated to research the seller.

This forum doesn't play favorites, least not from what I've seen. Posts aren't altered/deleted on the BOI, moderators merely enforce the forum rules. Read the rules, realize that anybody is welcome to use the tools of this site so long as they adhere to these rules. Utilize the BOI and search function and make up your own mind who deserves your business.

If I had to pick one, over the other, trader rating would be first/over Ads, hosted on a website, or sponsorship Ads.
However, I would not place heavy weight on either.

Of course, a high/positive trader rating does have some value. Problem is that there are some very good people/sellers/buyers who may not have a high trader rating or even have a zero trader rating. Reason being is that not many buyers/traders/sellers leave a trader rating on someone that they have done business with. Plus, (and I could be mistaken so someone correct me if I am), I believe someone must be a contributing member in order to leave a trader rating.

Sponsorship Ads are just that... a sponsorship. Meaning that the business sponsors the site, or section of a site, by paying to have their Ad placed in a sponsorship section (not that the site, or site owner, is sponsoring them).
As far as a regular business Ad, hosted on a website (and usually paid for), one should never assume that it (that business) has the site's, or site owner's, personal endorsement. Always do your research.

As far as here, at FC, one can check the BOI (during research). Not everyone posts a BOI thread, about someone they have done business with, but there are those who have and will. So, the BOI is a great tool, to use, in someone's research process.

Originally Posted by Skinker

This forum doesn't play favorites, least not from what I've seen. Posts aren't altered/deleted on the BOI, moderators merely enforce the forum rules. Read the rules, realize that anybody is welcome to use the tools of this site so long as they adhere to these rules.

This is true.

The ad that interested you is still there... The problem you're having is that it was posted in April, so it's buried under all the ads that have since been posted. You'd have to enter the same search, or do a lot of digging, to find it.

As far as the question at hand - sponsorship is advertising. It is intended to gain attention; but it's a paid service, and should not be construed as anything else.
Trader rating - honestly, is of limited value. The rating can only be given by paid members; and you can't tell from the score whether the was buying or selling when they received the point. (You'd have to actually review the entries to discern that.) Further, not only are most members ineligible to give a rating, but some won't give a rating even if they've received one for the transaction.
The best option is to search, or inquire, on the BOI prior to purchase. It's not a guarantee, by any means, but it's more telling than either of the 2 previously mentioned options.

The BOI is not your only tool to check on folks who are Faunaclassifieds members, either. The information listed under your name on the left side of your posts is also very helpful. I feel much more comfortable conducting business with someone who has a long-standing Faunaclassifieds account than someone with a brand new account, because then I know the person has been around for a while, is probably accountable, and probably won't disappear if things go wrong during a purchase, sale, or trade.

In addition, you can search for the posts an individual has written and judge the content of the person's character yourself, even if no BOI thread has been written about that person. To see someone's threads or posts, you can click on that person's name, which will take you to that person's Faunaclassifieds profile. Then click on the "statistics" tab. You will then see three links: "Find all posts by ****, Find all threads by ****, Find all classifieds by ****."

In general, when I want to do a trade with folks, I generally say that I don't ship first in trades unless I have heard good things about the business you represent, and/or you have been a member of Faunaclassifieds longer than me and you have a positive reputation on the forum. Otherwise, since I've been around on Fauna for almost a decade now, I ask the other person to ship first.

Originally Posted by neilg

if i'll eventually get 'burned' in an animal purchase from here or heck, anywhere online for the matter.

There is always risk in any purchase. Even face to face local purchases carry some risk- unseen health issues, the possibility that one might be buying a stolen animal, and so on.
Online purchases can be very risky, the BOI provides information to allow a more informed decision of who to deal with.

Originally Posted by neilg

i'm a newbie (1 week) here

The value to you of this site depends a lot on you. If your expectation is that by arriving you have transported yourself magically into a risk free zone, you will be disappointed. There are no risk free zones anywhere.
If you take the time to look around, understand, read and think about the information, you can make a more informed decision, and in my opinion, the more informed you are, the less risk you will have in any given situation.

Originally Posted by neilg

anyways, can anyone chime in? which one has more bearing on a vendor you would be more apt to buy from/trade with: trader rating, or having sponsor status/ads?

preferably to me would be vendors with both, the best of both worlds: a trader rating decently above 1 as well as a paid sponsor since they are at least supporting in part, the service(FC) which helps them list and place their valuable critters in viable homes all from the convenience of their own desk, couch, bed, smartphone, touchpad.. or toilet seat, even.

To me, neither of those choices would have as much bearing on my aptness to buy from a particular vendor as the threads available in the BOI where those who have already had transactions with a party relate their experience.