Quoted from Zitt:Have you read the entire thread from all view points?
I have ZERO compassion for a person whom USES an internet community to further only their short term goals. I don't care if it's Facebook, Pinside, or a random forum somewhere. I make it a point of "contributing" to nearly every discussion I participate in... is the human thing to do.
Sorry; but unsolicited, unreasonable priced for sale ads by ANYONE new to a community is just … well... disrespectful borderline fraudulent. I wouldn't interrupt a conversation between friends on the street and offer them anything for sale... much less at a ridiculous price. The OP did the equivalent and well; that kind of rudeness needs to be called out. Simple as that.
I understand where you're coming from on the "you need to be a contributor if you want help from a community" POV. I really do. I agree with it for the most part.
What I don't agree with is "I have ZERO compassion for..."
You don't know the seller's story. You don't know anything about him, really, other than he priced his pinball machine "too high." We've learned he may not know as much about pinball machines as many folks here. We've learned he either thinks his machine is worth way more than it is, or he's simply using an outrageous price to get attention (I'm pretty sure it's the latter, and I'm really sure it worked).
What I know is that it's entirely possible there are valid reasons for his price (even if the price isn't realistic). It's entirely possible he could become a valuable member of the community. It's definitely true that there's simply no reason to be mad at someone who only finds pinside because they are looking to sell a pinball machine and their first post is the advertisement for that sale. In fact, I'd bet there are plenty of people who made their first post that way and became valuable members of the community. Yet because you're put off by this person's first post and because you have "ZERO compassion", you're writing this guy off completely. And you aren't alone. Many people have done it.
Sure, some of the responses the OP has made have been a tad inflammatory. That's in line with my guess that he threw the outrageous price out there just to get a reaction. And he's sitting around laughing at most of these posts. He's got thick skin, or you guys would have run him off already for sure. I applaud that.
But what I *know* is that this place is full of keyboard commandos who would NEVER say the kind of stuff in person that they post here. If you're walking through a flea-market and you see this game with a $65k price tag, almost every negative poster here would simply take a quick pic and post it here to make fun of online. None of you who are being jerks would walk up to the seller and start spewing the stuff you've posted here. Sure, a few might ask "hey, is that the real price or a mistake..." with a much nicer tone. I'd wager pretty much none of you would just go laugh in the seller's face and call him names in real life.
This is why there are a lot of folks who are actually put off by this "community" and DON'T post here or pay much attention. Sure, you'll cry "their loss" and whatnot and that's fine. You're entitled to say that. But it's really your loss.
--Donnie
St Louis, MO
Penrith
