idk if there has been threads about this but i wouldnt doubt it. allot of times when i offer up a trade to someone that they are not interested they respond with a “no” or not respond at all. I think its common courtesy to at least say “no thanks” when you dont want it. I feel just a “no” seems rude and not responding at all leaves me wondering if you ever got my message. how do you guys feel about this?
Well, you don’t HAVE to respond. I don’t respond a lot of times. It’s just awkward, like, “No thanks I don’t want what you have.” Some people like me just wait for exactly what they want for the exact price they want.
There isn’t a rule that says you have to respond. I mean I see where you’re coming from, but you don’t HAVE to respond.
well obviously i never sid anyone HAD to respond to my pms i just find it allot nicer of someone to go “no thanks. thanks for the offer though” rather than not responding at all
Yeah, that is discourteous, but not everyone holds manners in high esteem. Definitely not an excuse to be short or not respond at all by any means. I don’t know if this has been mentioned before but I don’t like it when someone says “you’re not going to get this” next to a throws description. There’s a section on the forums for the throws you’re not selling or trading called yoyo exhibition. Really ridiculous to me 
On the topic of annoying things on the BST…
People who can’t even bother to type out a full sentence in a PM. It’s like some people don’t even try.
“Hey i ofer g5 for ur triden?”
Stuff like that. I don’t even tend to reply to this kind of PM.
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“No thanks” would be preferred, but a simple “No” will suffice. Not answering at all is rude.
I was going to post a reply similar to this, if your pms are incredibly vague, poorly worded, or lacking details it is ridiculous to assume that others will respond in kind. It is possible that this could be the reason for other users ignoring or replying simply with no.
The only reason I can think of that anyone wouldn’t respond is if you’re either offering a trade or cash when they said they don’t want to do one of those things, or if you’re offering on a throw rather than agreeing to pay the asking price. Otherwise, they will probably want to respond.
Given that, I don’t think it’s rude not to respond. If you’re not offering what they asked then I don’t think they have any obligation to acknowledge the message. Maybe some will, but in this case they may think you’re wasting their time or being rude. You have to remember that you’re probably not the only one messaging them, and they’re probably dealing with a bunch of tire kickers and lowballers. When you sell a lot you’re likely to develop a streamlined system to reduce the annoyance and not responding to offers is one of the things that might follow.
Not always the case I’m sure, but it’s how I see it. Either way, I don’t really have a problem with it or find it offensive. It’s their ad and they can run it how they want. If I don’t get the yoyo, there are others.
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I don’t respond fairly often, and people don’t respond to me, i don’t mind. Seems to me the least rude message is one not sent at all. I’m on frequently or at least hear my emails so if i don’t get back to someone they should just take it as a thanks but no thanks. Similarly if i message someone and don’t hear back within a few hours, or a day or two at most depending on the time, or if they’re on infrequently if i don’t hear from them when they’ve been online, then i just take it that as not being interested, no big deal. They only thing i hate is when someone says i want “xxxx” and i message them with “xxxx” and don’t hear back, that annoys me just because i have what they said they want.
I can see not responding. But if you’re going to you should at least make it intelligible.
I always simply say “No thanks”
It’s kind of weird to give a detailed account of why you don’t want someones stuff when they offer it to you in a trade…
I agree with the OP. One of the main problems is that people will post an “asking” price, but even when a price is posted, if it is on the B/S/T, and it is not stated otherwise about it being non-negotiable, people browsing will see the price as negotiable. Posting a price, in my opinion, does not justify lack of response. I see a lot of the communication similar to one you would have in person.
Seller “I want $100 for this throw”
Buyer “Due to X and Y, would you be willing to take $80?”
In person, the seller would answer, or it would be rude. For some reason, on the internet, people think they can be rude and it won’t have consequences. A person ignored me once, and I remember them, and would never make a deal with them in the future because of it. One less person to offer on their stuff now. It takes seconds to type “no, thank you,”. That translates as no deal, but thank you for taking the time to offer. In person, you don’t HAVE to answer either, but it is clearly rude not to. The “No,” response is better than none, and less rude, but in my opinion still high on the rude spectrum. Especially with the written word, “please” and “thank you” go a long way, just like with the spoken word. It shows a lack of manners otherwise.
People need to specify if the prices are negotiable or not, and it will eliminate some of the excessive PMs. Also, sellers should appreciate that someone wasted their time and showed interest in the stuff they obviously want to get rid of. I would never perceive a lowball in and of itself as being “rude.” Some people see a lowball as a starting point for further negotiation. If the negotiability of the price was not made clear, potential buyers will counter-offer.
Seller “I want $100 for this throw”
Buyer “Due to X and Y, would you be willing to take $80?”
Seller, “no thanks due to Z, but I would take $90.”
Buyer “deal.”
The person who perceives Buyer’s offer of $80 as a lowball, and does not respond, or says no, will never know how far the buyer is willing to move, or how fast he might change his mind. I see this as not only potential missed opportunities, but the person you don’t respond to will skip over all your BST threads in future. If you ignore a lot of people you may wonder why people don’t respond to your threads.
Seller “I want $100 for this throw” (price not negotiable). No one will PM you.
Further, a response of any kind is like a receipt, not only that someone got a message, but that they read it. For that reason alone, a response of any kind is warranted.
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As far as price negotiation all the prices on the BST are negotiable. They would not be so high or get lowered after lengths of time if not. If you don’t want something you will take what you can get. Five dollars will never break someone’s heart if they have a clear head. Asking price is a wish and negotiated is a reality.
I think the least some people could do is respond. Even if it’s a complete lowball I’ll take the time to say “No, but thanks for the offer”
I also get irritated when people say stuff like “This yoyo will be IMPOSSIBLE to get from me.” Why even put it on the BST? Also when people hike up prices due to sentimental value.
Actually, when using the bst I’ve encountered very few rude people. I’ve utilized the bst on other forums to a much greater extent than this one but still people are generally polite and courteous.
I like to see an asking price. I’m more likely to make an offer when I know what someone feels their yo is worth. Often times I’m interested in things I haven’t seen or tried before and they are often a blast from the past, so value is a bit forgotten. I also really appreciate pics, good clear pics with nice descriptions that make sense. I don’t mind links but it’s another step to see what they have, sometimes I click it and sometimes I’m just to lazy 
.
Usually if they’re “testing the waters” or “try to get this from me” or “offer big” I read it as “You can have anything I own if you’re willing to pay enough, sucker!” and I pass on by.
Often I find threads that say things like “text or pm me for pics.” I read this as “you want to see what I have? Alright jump through these obstacles and I might show you.” I find threads like these to be rude, more so than not getting a response. I know that this isn’t always the case as some individuals might not have a camera or whatever but it does provide a bit of a rude tone to the bst.
Yeah! I hate rude people.
Oh, REEEEAAALLLLEEEE.
It goes the other way too. On the internet, you get messages from all sorts of people who are either lowballing you, not actually interested, they make offers and don’t follow through, they agree to deals and don’t follow through, they ask 15 questions and then disappear, they message you 10 times in a row even when you’re not online…they do all sorts of rude and annoying things because the internet provides a buffer they wouldn’t have in real life. Not everyone, for sure, but more than enough for it to become very tiring.
I sell hundreds of items privately online every year through many different forums and ebay. I’m not saying I’m special or unique in that way, but when you sell this much, this idea of being “rude” is just not a practical concern. I’ll put up one item and get 30 or 40 messages about it in one day, and I might have 5 or 6 items for sale, all like that. Each time I message someone back, whether I’m going to accept their offer or not, it usually ends in at least one more message from them, if not more. This extra chain of messages is just not worth it since it’s not going anywhere. I have nothing against these people and I don’t intend to insult them, but I’ve got a life outside of selling.
Ultimately, it’s the seller’s yoyo. You do not have rights in this scenario and not really any valid expectations. They may decide to work with you, or they may not. It is self defeating to take this any more personally than that until a deal is made.
one thing i do when i send a message to someone about their B/S/T, is at the end add p.s. even if your not interested can you please let me know, it just makes things easier for me. And so far it has worked. Thats just what i do,
Thanks,
FlyCaster
Some interesting notes I’ve noticed about BST:
1: Back in 2011, I asked for an “asking price” on an item. I was basically told I was an idiot and go make an offer. I can’t make an offer on an item I don’t have an asking price of. I think it’s common courtesy to list an asking price.
2: Poor responses, or rather NO responses. If you reject my offer, TELL ME. Don’t keep logging in and ignoring my offer. I’m not think skinned. You can flat out reject my offer. I’ve rejected offers. I tend to be nice about it.
3: Unlabelled photos of throws for sale or for trade. Let’s keep it clean what is what. I find unlabeled photos to be very rude.
4: Poorly done BST listings. Too much for sale or trade and poorly organized.
5: Testing the waters stuff. Either commit to selling it or not.
6: “Offer Big”: Give asking prices, even if too high. Again, commit to the sale.
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