Poll: Should Rubberslug curators be able to use their galleries as sales sites?

[sensei]

In my capacity as moderator/admin-in-waiting, I recently received a query about the appropriateness of using one's Rubberslug gallery as a sales site. An observant Betarian had noticed a growing number of sites that were doing this openly or more-or-less openly, and asked if this was still considered an inappropriate use of the Rubberslug platform, which has its own sales app, though this has become less used over time and increasing difficult to browse.

I checked with Jason, who suggested that I raise the issue with a broader group of collectors who were still active and committed to the RS community. He does not have a strong position now on either side, for the site is being maintained not for his own profit but for the benefit of the collectors who use it. But I do recall that in past years this was considered an iffy practice, particularly as private sales do not come with the protections that sales made through eBay or other such sites typically provide. Hence the possibility that RS could gain a reputation for less-than-honest transactions.

So -- what think? Vote, and then explain your vote. I know that Jason will take your opinions seriously, and will do what's best for everyone.

[ReiTheJelly]

I think it is something that people have always done, to some extent or another. I believe the only rule (once upon a time) was that you couldn't put prices in the description on Rubberslug, but if you linked to the page from a sale on A-B or wherever that it was OK. Personally, I'm OK with it. I think many of us have been around long enough to know who is trustworthy to buy from and who isn't. The newer members of the community can ask around if they're uncertain. Buying using Paypal gives people a certain amount of protection anyway.

[Jadeduo]

I don't have a problem with private collectors doing this, however, I would take issue with a dealer doing it. Private collectors have less avenues if they want to avoid eBay, and unless they have their own personal gallery it is much harder to put together a for sale post on Beta.

And I don't know if anyone has noticed but the insane amount of re-sellers on eBay is making it harder and harder to figure out where prices are actually or if someone just bought a piece to flip it at 300-1000% profit. Private collectors generally are not flipping at these insane margins and eBay is taking 2.5% generally and PayPal 4% making it harder for private collectors to even make back what they spent in the end, and so having this forum and RS to try and save that little bit of money is very helpful.

It does also, take some of the guesswork out of the whole is this person still around thing, because then the for sale posts are dated. The RS Sales App is super clunky and when you take something down it goes away in the app but does not leave your personal for sale page so then you are personally confused as to what is going on if you are trying to clean up a larger portion of your collection. You also have no idea if the piece is still available in said app I can think of several instances where the cel is on the for sale page on RS, but it is in actuality in my personal collection. Just my three cents...

[Keropi]

The only time it bothers me a little is when a gallery is created just to sell their stuff.

[zerospace]

I tend to agree with Keropi. I have no issue with people using RS to sell as long as the gallery wasn't created for the sole purpose of selling (e.g. dealers or folks who set up a gallery just to sell the stuff in it). Of course, I could pretty much give two ****s about RS in general, as it hasn't been the same since the "upgrade" years ago. So, take that for what it is.

EDIT: with regards to the poll, a more specific option regarding "yes" would be nice. As in "yes, under certain conditions".

[sensei]

I'd hoped that responses like zero's and others in this thread would handle the "under certain circumstances" issue. In any case, I'm doing this at Jason's request, and I believe his question is not "what circumstances should I set?" but rather "should I stop automatically banning RS curators who sell directly from their sites?" I'd say a "yes" to the question implies a "yes" to that question as well. Obviously someone who flagrantly abuses the RS platform still should and would be banned.

[zerospace]

I'd hoped that responses like zero's and others in this thread would handle the "under certain circumstances" issue. In any case, I'm doing this at Jason's request, and I believe his question is not "what circumstances should I set?" but rather "should I stop automatically banning RS curators who sell directly from their sites?" I'd say a "yes" to the question implies a "yes" to that question as well. Obviously someone who flagrantly abuses the RS platform still should and would be banned.

Makes sense to me (hence why I opted to actually write a post rather than just respond to the poll).

[majinuub]

As previously stated, I don't mind as long as the gallery isn't being used as mainly a sale site.

[Jadeduo]

Some examples for you:

http://celsales.rubberslug.com/gallery/home.asp

http://animationvalley.rubberslug.com/gallery/home.asp

Which is a mirror of this dealer site:

http://www.animationvalley.co.uk/

These are just some of them I'm sure there are more, it's this type of thing that bugs me but having an offer or for sale page of 10-20 cels, when you have over 100+ pieces in your personal collections seems reasonable. ^_^;;

Not that it messes with me much as I have an offsite For Sale page, and I post to the forums as well, but I also move the pieces on my For Sale page to an Offer/For Sale Gallery cause once I mark them For Sale I personally don't consider them as part of my main collection they are marked for a new home as far as I am concerned! I will zap it if someone says something, but I only keep RS up to keep in touch with the community and even then I don't update as much as my main site... There are probably at least 30+ pieces that have been put up on my main site that have not yet made it over to RS yet, because keeping up two galleries is exhausting... ^_^;;

[kamidake]

Missed the polling deadline, but I would say no to that. Like many others said, it just doesn't feel right for someone to create a site just to sell. Plus it seems like it would create confusion for people to assume that everything on RS are for sale. Even now I've had people ask me in the past "how much for ___", because why would i otherwise post pictures of my cels.

[Jadeduo]

I don't know if I clarified this earlier, but I don't think an entire Rubberslug should be dedicated to sales. I do however think, especially if you are active, that if you have pieces in the market you should be allowed to have a category on your Rubberslug that says that these pieces are available and in the market.

I know I'm not the only one who is very confused about what is actually available in the market. There are multiple pieces there that I personally now own. So if you see a category on someone's RS that says in the Market that should totes be allowed as long as every other category on the page is dedicated to your collection.

[xiaolungbao]

Saw this topic and wanted to vote but it does not work.

Why was the poll closed? Any chance or reopening it please?

Since I am new I wanted to voice my vote of NO sales in rubberslug galleries.I feel selling on rubberslug is not what Jason originally intended when he created rubberslug. I feel Jason created rubberslug from scratch a complete labor of love, so I greatly respect and admire him for his dedication and contribution to our hobby. IMO for collectors seeking to sell cels and artwork, doesn't the rubberslug Market already provide an opportunity to list sales? So why post another set in an rubberslug gallery? One day if I want to advertise my sales (still drafting the gallery), it can be achieved on announcing on facebook groups and anime-beta. I feel we should honor the rubberslug rules clearly posted in the forums and throughout the site.

[Startyde]

I also agree the galleries shouldn't be for sale in an official capacity. Use the official sales section or if you really want, just send the owner a private note. It never hurts to ask and to make that effort to see if a deal can be had, respectfully of course.

The cel community is definitely in the sunset days. To ask for RS to become a hot bed of sales will turn the majority of the entire site into ppl desperate to cash out and I dont think that is a healthy image. Like buying a house in a neighborhood where everyone around you is boarded up.

Keep RS a site for cel collectors. If you dont like the RS sales site, use eBay. If you dont like eBay, use YHJ. If you dont want to use any of of them, aka, the most popular markets on earth to sell cel art, then I have no advice for you.