Yeah I started the thread. What of it? I also posted the last few posts. So? If I recall, and since the thread has been removed I can't confirm it, there was no slander, just opinion about how highly priced certain sellers are compared to the market and other sellers who sell similar items for far less. I've seen far worse opinion on this site regarding Microsoft and Apple. Obviously Microsoft doesn't feel threatened by 68Kmla. And Apple probably could care less if we exist or not.
I don't recall any flat out accusations, rather, humorous musings and theories regarding the intent behind the exorbitant prices. If Google turns the spotlight on such sellers vis-a-vis this forum, it only demonstrates to potential buyers what we in the vintage Mac community think about the prices being charged and their relation to the market, not necessarily what we think of the seller or his selling practices. This is no different than the thousands of comments made about Microsoft all over the internet. Nor is this much different than the dozens of negative reviews I have read on Amazon pages, many targeted at the manufacturer. eBay enjoys a uniquely protected environment where only the two aspects of the transaction are rated: did the item ship, was it as advertised, with the seller protected against any unrelated negative feedback. eBay has even removed neutral feedback, leaving a conscientious buyer who is also trying to build their own feedback with little choice but to mark a less than satisfactory transaction as positive in order to avoid the last un-trumpable word by the seller.
So, clearly I think any threats of slander against this website are humorous at best. If someone posted "seller X IS a lier and a cheat", well then maybe there would be some cause for worry, but simply saying "seller X charges more than anybody else on eBay" is a legitimate statement of fact and speculating why that might be is no more slander than wondering if Steve Jobs is really sick and will soon leave Apple rudderless.
Oh well my two cents. Perhaps the "politically correct" thread should be titled: "Collecting Macs". Rather than point out how outrageous certain eBay auctions are, post a list of eBay sellers who specialize in vintage Apple products as a "service" to our members who are looking to acquire vintage Macs for their personal collections. Such a thread could then list the market prices one should expect to pay and the conditions that exist and what to watch out for rather than pointing out any specific examples. That of course does not prevent us from posting any find we think notable, without further commentary. Certainly we could comment on the quality of the item being listed without mentioning the seller specifically or whether it was overpriced? That would certainly be just as helpful as the rancorous tone the other thread tended to take on.
UPDATE:However, I have to conclude by saying, I feel a first amendment right (even though this is an international forum to which that term does not universally apply) has been violated by outside individuals by not being able to freely express opinion in a membership-based forum and discuss anything I damn well please within the accepted guidelines of the on-line community in which I participate. Certainly the moderators are well within their rights to protect themselves, but for any public individual to think they have the right to censor what is said about them always insults me – and lets face it once you start a business and put yourself out there in an international market, you are a public figure who has forfeited most of the personal rights a private individual possesses (at least in the US).[/u] Frankly if anyone feels something slanderous is being said about them, calling forth the lawyers without first directly challenging the person who made the accusation in the first place, is simply wrong. That's what's wrong with the world. It is a simple matter of becoming an anonymous member, as JDW points out it has likely been done before, and PM-ing the offending party. Most likely to avoid trouble, any seemingly improprieties might have been edited out by most of us. But I don't think that is the goal here. I think avoiding any hint of criticism about eBay practices is what is sought here and the entire thread is therefore "slanderous", specific references to names is what in their eyes make it possible to go to the moderators and have the whole thing quashed once and for all. Besides, that person or persons would have to contact an awful lot of us to remove specific remarks, which begs the question ... if so many people are individually complaining about the same thing, how can it be slander?
