Online Communities: Trade & Socialization V.S Scams & Blackmail

The growth of the Internet has speed up communications throughout the world. Through this, communities and cities have been developing more faster ways in socializing as well as buying, selling and trading goods faster. However, this technology has developed more hazardous risks of scam artists, crooks, criminals and creeps in the process.

Never the less, the Internet has been a key role in knowing what's out there faster. It has been a vital source of finding the stuff that you need and want with just a click of a mouse.

I'm going to do something a little different. Instead of showing the Good first and then the Awful, I'm going to play a little role reversal. Trust me. You'll thank me that I've saved the best things for last. Also, I've added multiple stuff on both the Good and Awful.

Awful: Ebay


Don't get me wrong, Ebay has helped people in getting some good deals on great items. However, there are reasons why Ebay has been slowly losing the majority's trust. The first problem that is greatly noticed is that Ebay charges a fee simply to list an item, and then it charges a second final value fee if the item actually sells. People who sell on Ebay are now complaining that those fee's have been increasing greatly.

The second problem is Ebay's environment. There is an expression "Give a piece of cheese to one rat out of six and five of those will likely die of hunger. Give a piece of cheese in the middle of an obstacle and it's more likely all six of them will likely die by slit throats". What I mean by this is when you make any form of necessity (major or minor) into a game or a sport to go against someone else with the same needs as you, then it's no longer a social system. It would then be all about a society that only the most aggressive, the most deceiving and the most brutal should survive. In truth, as that may be the case in the animal kingdom, we as evolved Homo-sapiens have prospered by breaking out of this cruel cycle through cooperation and socialization.

The Ebay auctions have turned this market site into a wild fight to the very last second of available bidding. Five times I have been dooped by these people who look at the time just to bid an outrageous price at the very last minute, like vultures watching every last breath of a dying animal. It is hard to buy the things you want to purchase in a low price while being outbid in a cutthroat environment.

The most problematic part of this site is it's sellers. Some sellers are able to buy expensive stuff that everybody wants (like a PS3) only to put it on Ebay at a more expensive price. I find that beyond disgraceful. Even though "legally" they're not doing anything wrong, but "socially" this is a form of extortion.

Awful: Penny Auction Sites


At first when you hear about an auction that bids on pricey items with pennies, you would be jumping and shouting for joy. Right? That's what I did until I found out how most of these sites work. These so called penny sites are corrupt with false advertising. Some of them are sites made by con artist waiting for every drop of information from your name, account to your address. Even actual penny auction sites are not what they seem. When you sign up for an account, you pay a big monthly fee every month for your membership. Just when you think a penny finally means something, you find out yet again the penny doesn't do squat at this day in age.

REALLY AWFUL: Sex Sites

Note: These are fake names. These are just examples of the kinds of sites you would encounter. I made these fake titles on Photoshop (if you were curious).

I can tell you straight up. All of them are scams (one way or another). Even the legitimate sites would care less if your hookup happens to be a scammer as long as they have some cash in their pockets as well. Most of these sites (whether real or not) will promise you a free account, only to say later that you need to sign up for another account that pays a monthly fee with your credit card if you want to "Upgrade". The difference between the real sites and the unreal sites is that the unreal site would turn you into a victim of identity theft when you expose your credit number. This ocean of sites have high risk of sharks if you are planing to take a dive on this any time soon. Another problem with the legitimate sites is that most of the actual members would be searching for only attractive people and are more likely to brush you off (whether you are a woman or a man).

Good: Amazon


Amazon gives prices on new and used items and precisely gives you details of percentage, price and condition of each item. It's less risky in buy and sell auctioning, making for a less cutthroat environment.

REALLY GOOD: Craigslist


Craigslist is a network of online communities, featuring free online classifieds, forums and ads by individuals for other individuals to respond to. There are Craigslist posts in many cities and countries around the world. You can look around in any place or city close, near or in your area. The reason why this deserves a really good on the good list is that not only do you have the chance to give your post/ad to possibly millions of clients and more likely to respond to something that fits your need, but Craigslist has categories for almost every specified need. That's why Craigslist mops the floor with Ebay, Penny Auctions and yes, sex sites.

Financially, the best thing about Craigslist (compare other forms of homemade postings and advertising) is that it’s free. No item fees, no cutthroating, quick buck, easy as pie.

A word of warning though for the casual adult section.
There will be scammers and creeps that will try to dupe you. But the great part to this is that Craigslist gives you information on spotting and reporting them before they get to you. You just have to be street wise to recognize those con artists. Also, Your email remains hidden with an alias email, so the responders will not know your email.

Another problem I would like to point out.
Some rude people will give you hate mail if they hate your particular fetish. But those can be easily spammed once you get them. Another thing to keep in mind is your location. It can be hard to find a responder if the majority in your area doesn't share the same casual needs as you do. Example, If you have a BDSM fetish and your living in Boise Idaho, there's about 1% chance someone would respond. But if you have a Laptop and some transportation like a car or a trailer, more power to you.

Other than that, It's still a crazy world out there. Be smart, be safe, and play it safe.