Arggghhhhhh!!!! Rant time!!!!!!!!

[DiebytheCubs]

I have had many positive experiences here on SCF and this website has really played a key role in getting me back into the card collecting hobby. I find most of the members here to extremely knowledgeable, helpful, understanding and just overall nice people. I have worked hard to gain a good reputation on this site and I'm glad that I have had the pleasure of interacting on this site.

That being said, I have one thing that I just have to complain about. What is up with people not replying to PMs and thread replies? I recently tried to sell a few cards and it was my first real experience selling and I'll admit I overvalued most of my cards. However, I feel that if I take the time to PM you or reply, even if you don't agree with my price, the least you can do is say "sorry I think I'll pass" or something similar. I have been left hanging by many different potential buyers who I am absolutely unable to get any kind of response from. I have sent multiple PMs to some people and I know they are getting them because I can see that they have logged on since I sent them. Even in trading, I reply to threads inquiring a potential trade and get no response. A few days later the thread gets bumped, while I still have not received a reply! I find the practice extremely rude and it bothers me to no end, especially because so many people seem to do it. It takes two seconds to say no. If I take the time to contact you, I expect you to do the same.

I hope nobody looks down on me after this rant, but it is something that has been bothering me for a long time and I just have to get it off my chest. If anybody else has any similar experiences or advice with how to deal with nonresponses, please let me know.

[sschind]

IMO its all part of the function of today's society. Everything is instant gratification and me me me. Common courtesy and mutual respect have gone out the window. It's strange that with technology making so much easier to stay in touch in some cases it seems to be making it easier to forget. There's the "I'll just check my messages real quick" and the "that can wait till later" mentality that often has people forgetting. There is the over popular dude who simply gets so many messages he doesn't have time to answer them all or he has trouble prioritizing. It's not just the youngsters either. So often you hear the phrase "kids nowdays" as if it the younger generation who has failed somehow. Sadly, just as many members of the older generations have leaned to be just as socially incompetent.

One thing you do have to be aware of though is what is a reasonable amount of time to respond. Some people think that just because a person was online that means they should have been able to respond. That may not always be the case. I know it seems that if a guy can log in to check the forums he should be able to respond but you never know the exact details. Yeah, if he is logging on and making posts he should have time to respond but if he is just checking in maybe he doesn't. Also, Some people seem to have the idea that if they send me a PM at 2:30 in the morning I should reply within a couple of hours. Many people only check the site once per day (which I think is the absolute minimum you should be checking if you are making sale or trade listings) some not even that often. Some seem to live here. Personally I think 48 hours is reasonable. If you hold people to anything less (24 hours for example) you may run into unforeseen circumstance that may prevent them from getting on line.

I doubt there is anything you can do so I would suggest trying to learn to live with it. Send every email and every PM and every reply with the attitude that it will get ignored. That way if you do get a response its a good thing rather than no response being a bad thing. Set a self imposed time limit to act on deals when things like this happen. For example if you are sending a PM about a trade or a purchase, send it today and give the guy 24 (or 48 IMO would be better) or whatever you feel is adequate time to see the PM and respond and if he doesn't respond delete any reference to the deal and move on. If he does contact you after a few days you can still decide if you want to pursue the deal or if it is a particularly good deal you can decide if you want to try to contact them again but if you send messages and hang on the response you will probably disappointed more often than you care to be.

The bottom line is you will drive yourself crazy worrying about stuff like this. There are very few cards that are worth the hassle of letting this bother you. The sooner you recognize that fact the sooner you will start having more fun buying, selling, trading and collecting.

Last thing, if such a thing really bothers you make sure that you answer all your own messages promptly.