Buy-Sell Experience/Question Regarding Nikonians.Org

This may be old news, but I have a negative experience to report regarding an attempted purchase at Nikonians.

Before you go "if you have a gripe about Nikonians, post about it there, why post about it here," just here me out.

I had a Nikonians membership--the free one--for awhile, used it for buy-sell. About a year ago or so, they started requiring you to have a paid membership to contact a seller about an item they were selling.

However, I have still browsed the buy-sell section anyway, and in fact have managed to buy products there anyway if the seller had their email address in there or an eBay/Fred Miranda/heatware reference listed. Even though I was contacting them that way instead of the Nikonians PM-email system, they still sold to me. (In fact I bought my Nikon D5000 that way last September.)

Today, I stumbled across someone selling a Nikon lens at a good price and they mentioned their eBay reference (same as Nikonians username) so I contacted them that way. They replied, but also said "if you wish to buy contact me via Nikonians."

I contacted them via their direct email (which was relayed to me in all of this) and did explain to them I had no problems contacting them that way in principle, but as I didn't have a membership I couldn't; however, I had eBay, Fred Miranda and heatware references if he had any concerns. (I also offered to refer them to the person on Nikonians.Org whom I purchased my D5000 from.)

He has totally refused to reply, and since then I've seen where someone else has managed to buy the product since.

Maybe I'm wrong--which is why I'm writing here, to see what others think--but to me, that seems a little elitist, snotty, stuck-up--whichever you wish to call it. I realize the seller has the right to sell to whoever they wish, and I understand their wanting references--but except for the sake of having references (which, again I do have in Fred Miranda, eBay and heatware) why would they insist they will only sell to someone who has a Nikonians membership? To me, that seems a little elitist.

If I am wrong, please tell me--and explain why, I'm just not getting it.

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LRH
http://www.pbase.com/larrytucaz
{ http://larrytxeast.smugmug.com/ (inactive) }