What's happening with BHW?

[umbreno]

Improve the sales thread approval by implementing a more strict policy.

Which would include what policy chages exactly?

 

[CreativeDaddy]

You can use any escrow service on the planet. It doesn't have to be implemented in the forum in the same way that BHW doesn't have to be connected to a central bank via API so you can wire a BHW seller.

The idea behind 2.0 implementation would be to facilitate marketplace experience through a safer environment, using bhw escrow between seller & buyer and not a third-party which they have to discuss later

Which would include what policy chages exactly?

Understand what flaws exist and implement best practices for a safer user environment.

Escrow is a starting point indeed, however bhw could strict how members achieve free ranks, add a identification process for those who dont mind ofc, implement more ways to verify sales thread autenthicity (it would require more manpower but bhw could apply a fee for each sale through escrow service to cover that cost) etc

 

[umbreno]

No I don’t think sellers here would appreciate Rigorus KYC and payment method checks given the nature of a lot of the products and services - Won’t work
Escrow - Already explained above. Won’t work.
‘Verify sales threads authenticity’ - I thought they do this already

 

[CreativeDaddy]

No I don’t think sellers here would appreciate Rigorus KYC and payment method checks given the nature of a lot of the products and services

I understand your position, I'm just talking about ways to improve the current system, if anyone have any ideas please share them.

This thread is about adding value to the forum, not otherwise.

‘Verify sales threads authenticity’ - I thought they do this already

Yes they do, I'm talking about improving it in ways to verify authenticity on a new level to improve both service quality and user experience.

 

[Spicy Chromosomes]

Accounts created less than three years ago should not be allowed to sell services worth more than $200.

 

[PHPInjected]

Accounts created less than three years ago should not be allowed to sell services worth more than $200.

That's an absurd statement and will solve nothing.

however bhw could strict how members achieve free ranks, add a identification process for those who dont mind ofc,

We are not the FBI. We have a process that's currently in place.

ye thats why you use escrow as well as its safer as well which the forums hasnt bothered to do for some reason

We do not have plans for an escrow service at this very moment, as far as I know. However, marketplace 2.0 aims to work through some of these concerns you're having.

It'd be wise to not make assumptions regarding the staff about the best practices for transactions on the forum.

Agreed. As a parent it should also regulate the best practices to improve the user experience, improving the forum legitimacy is improving user experience.

Something needs to be done and the 2.0 Marketplace yes will somehow solve that with hold payments until results are showed, however it will not fix other things and I feel that regular users and promitent service buyers, each day it passes, feel that bhw is not as trustworthy as before with all this stuff.

So, I'm sure you've seen the posts by Z, DD, BTB, Echo, and other staff members about the current developmental plans for the new marketplace.

So, you know it's being worked on and aiming to put pressure on the staff isn't going to go over well.

Normally, I'd move this to the forum suggestion section & lock the thread. However, I'm going to leave it up at this moment as the concerns of members are definitely important and worth hearing.

But please, keep it civil fellas.

 

[CreativeDaddy]

We are not the FBI. We have a process that's currently in place.

Well looks like "the process" does not work properly does it boss.

So, you know it's being worked on and aiming to put pressure on the staff isn't going to go over well.

Just saying it's obvious that something must be improved because a platform with this size should not have such regular cases of scammers.

I don't feel confortable anymore buying from sales threads here and much more promitent buyers are in the same situation, it should be a controled environment and it's not.

Really, don't want to be that guy because I'm here to add value to this forum but something is not right.

 

[Chris Newman]

a buyer should use secure payment methods such as PayPal to pay the money

Well, as far as internet marketing goes, many related services or products are NOWADAYS considered as counterfeit, by Paypal, Stripe, etc.
For example, NOWADAYS, social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc are considered as counterfeit, by Paypal, Stripe, etc and sellers of these kind of services NOWADAYS very commonly get their by Paypal, Stripe, etc accounts suspended for violating by Paypal, Stripe, etc policies (there are literally hundreds of threads in BHW about this and sellers around the world mentioning the same in Reddit as well).
Ofcourse, Paypal, Stripe, etc will not explicitly say that the mentioned services are considered as counterfeit, Paypal, Stripe, etc for such account suspensions simply say that one has violated their policies.
Why does Paypal, Stripe, etc do the above ? Because internet scams have increased a lot and such scammers are known to use proxies, blackhat seo, etc. Social media marketing is often done using bots, automation, etc ... So, Paypal sees all this as counterfeit in nature.
But, all the above is fine.
Now, let us see what NOWADAYS happens to a BUYER who BUYS social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc and PAYS using Paypal, Stripe, etc and then has some issue(s) with the product or service and raises a dispute with Paypal, Stripe, etc :-
In the above case, NOWADAYS, Paypal, Stripe, etc will EVEN SUSPEND the accounts of the BUYERS for violating Paypal, Stripe, etc policies because of BUYING a product or service which is in violation of Paypal, Stripe, etc policies !!!
So, NOWADAYS, even for BUYING social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc, Paypal, Stripe, etc are NOT safe, as the BUYER stands a chance to get his or her Paypal, Stripe, etc account(s) suspended (as explained above).
Any seller selling social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc AND who is legit and responsible, should NOWADAYS educate their buyers about the risk of losing their (BUYER'S) Paypal, Stripe, etc accounts, if they will use Paypal, Stripe, etc to BUY services & products such as social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc.
Sorry, but, NOWADAYS, Paypal, Stripe, etc are NOT SAFE for buying services & products such as social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc.
My comment(s) above are not intended as an offence to you ( @Techpreneur ), but I just wanted to point out what is happenning NOWADAYS as far as Paypal, Stripe, etc are concerned with reference to even BUYING of services & products such as social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc.

 

[Techpreneur]

Well, as far as internet marketing goes, many related services or products are NOWADAYS considered as counterfeit, by Paypal, Stripe, etc.
For example, NOWADAYS, social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc are considered as counterfeit, by Paypal, Stripe, etc and sellers of these kind of services NOWADAYS very commonly get their by Paypal, Stripe, etc accounts suspended for violating by Paypal, Stripe, etc policies (there are literally hundreds of threads in BHW about this and sellers around the world mentioning the same in Reddit as well).
Ofcourse, Paypal, Stripe, etc will not explicitly say that the mentioned services are considered as counterfeit, Paypal, Stripe, etc for such account suspensions simply say that one has violated their policies.
Why does Paypal, Stripe, etc do the above ? Because internet scams have increased a lot and such scammers are known to use proxies, blackhat seo, etc. Social media marketing is often done using bots, automation, etc ... So, Paypal sees all this as counterfeit in nature.
But, all the above is fine.
Now, let us see what NOWADAYS happens to a BUYER who BUYS social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc and PAYS using Paypal, Stripe, etc and then has some issue(s) with the product or service and raises a dispute with Paypal, Stripe, etc :-
In the above case, NOWADAYS, Paypal, Stripe, etc will EVEN SUSPEND the accounts of the BUYERS for violating Paypal, Stripe, etc policies because of BUYING a product or service which is in violation of Paypal, Stripe, etc policies !!!
So, NOWADAYS, even for BUYING social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc, Paypal, Stripe, etc are NOT safe, as the BUYER stands a chance to get his or her Paypal, Stripe, etc account(s) suspended (as explained above).
Any seller selling social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc AND who is legit and responsible, should NOWADAYS educate their buyers about the risk of losing their (BUYER'S) Paypal, Stripe, etc accounts, if they will use Paypal, Stripe, etc to BUY services & products such as social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc.
Sorry, but, NOWADAYS, Paypal, Stripe, etc are NOT SAFE for buying services & products such as social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc.
My comment(s) above are not intended as an offence to you ( @Techpreneur ), but I just wanted to point out what is happenning NOWADAYS as far as Paypal, Stripe, etc are concerned with reference to even BUYING of services & products such as social media marketing, proxies, backlinks, seo, etc.

You didn't offend me. You have all the rights to express your opinion.

But SEO services are not against PayPal and Stripe's T&C. I have been selling links and SEO-related services using both PayPal and Stripe for years. Stripe checked my backlink-selling website and approved my business account. So far, I haven't faced any issues. The issue will start only if someone creates a dispute. If your service quality is good and you avoid scammers buying your services, you'll never face any such issues.

It's the same for SMM, or proxies. I personally know various websites that have been using Stripe and PayPal for years to sell proxies.

It doesn't matter what service you offer; as long as you maintain the quality of the service, you'll unlikely face any problems. Of course, the accounts will be suspended if you receive too many disputes irrespective of the business.

For selling black hat services, the seller must take all the precautions to protect his account from getting suspended. That's it.

 

[ArmpitFunk]

The place will never see its heyday like it had back in the early 2010s. Fact is, the marketplace should close completely. Between the convoluted rules and the fact that since I've come back to BHW (which my old account was deleted for inactivity but I got my name back) I've gotten most of my services on Fiverr or via Telegram groups. SMM panels by googling. This obsession with crypto regardless that most Americans can't use it via exchanges or alt payments like Payeer is enough for me to just slum in the Twitter forums and ignore the rest. I've had 8 straight WTB threads closed within 10 minutes of posting.

I can take my business elsewhere with less rules and better results.

 

[Techpreneur]

@BassTrackerBoats I see many valid replies with respect to the title of the post. Do you have anything to say against their opinions?

 

[BassTrackerBoats]

@BassTrackerBoats I see many valid replies with respect to the title of the post. Do you have anything to say against their opinions?

@PHPInjected is monitoring this thread and I stand with him.

 

[Rufai]

What's left to talk about? I believe that every single detail was discussed several times in the dozens of different threads users opened about him.

I think it's safe to say that it took everyone by surprise. No one saw it coming, and blaming the mods for promoting a guy that later went rogue after they promoted is a bit unfair. No one passes psychology tests before they are promoted.

It's up to users to do their own due diligence. You pay upfront with crypto to a seller you've never seen before? You have only yourself to blame.

Don't pay upfront, then.

Again, apply common sense before you spend a lot of money on a service from a seller you never heard about.

Nothing prevents you from using an escrow service. There are even threads that require that.

I don't think there was ever a shitlist against T0mmy.

Again, you can use an escrow service, but always apply common sense before you do business with someone. Does it sound too good to be true? Move on.

You think about due diligence and common sense because you have been doing IM for years / you've been on BHHW for a while.
The problem is that most users getting scammed are newbies (either to IM or BHW). And some of these people found this problem while searching for something on Google and they end up on BHW. And when they see someone with a Jr VIP tag, they will think they are a trusted/verified member and they will not give a second thought when dealing with them.

Some even end up getting scammed by members who are being shitlisted/banned because these members have their contact details in their sales thread or posted it in the HAF/WTB sections.

In my opinion:

1. When someone is banned or being shitlisted, all their BST threads/replies to HAF/WTB should be hidden or deleted
2. Their contact details/website links should be removed from their BST + their replies to HAF/WTB
3. All transactions/communications should be done on BHW

The idea behind 2.0 implementation would be to facilitate marketplace experience through a safer environment, using bhw escrow between seller & buyer and not a third-party which they have to discuss later

When will this marketplace 2.0 be implemented? Because I've been hearing about it for God knows 2 years or so

 

[roydan]

I can take my business elsewhere with less rules and better results.

I think that overall, the rules are pretty balanced. With those who want them to be more strict on one side and those from the other side, wanting them to be more casual, BHW remained relevant in world where every 2 weeks there's a new social media platform. This is impressive, and it says a lot about the way it's moderated.

It gives people enough credit to make their own decisions while not holding users by the hand with every single transaction.
It's a forum first, and the marketplace lives within it.

 

[ArmpitFunk]

I think that overall, the rules are pretty balanced. With those who want them to be more strict on one side and those from the other side, wanting them to be more casual, BHW remained relevant in world where every 2 weeks there's a new social media platform. This is impressive, and it says a lot about the way it's moderated.

It gives people enough credit to make their own decisions while not holding users by the hand with every single transaction.
It's a forum first, and the marketplace lives within it.

It's pretty jaded to favortism if you ask me. The place isn't as thriving as it once was, and ask the wrong question and you're booted.

 

[NirvanaWolf]

BHW is a business and is a place of business for others. Suggestions like removing the marketplace completely are absurd to say the least.
Apart from escrow for bigger transactions there is practically nothing more that can be done to mitigate the risks of scammers. BHW can't introduce rules that reduces their own profitability.
Scammers lurk on every large platform and everything in the end comes down to your own due diligence. BHW rules are robust as they are and I don't think any other IM forum takes care or even tries to take care of their members like BHW does.
Some people are having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that BHW is technically an independent company that aims to maximize their profit. Any member being here is a voluntary act on their part. Other tech companies take all their decisions unilaterally. We are at least given a chance to be heard.
OP had genuine points of concern, but the replies turned this thread into a wall of unreasonable shit posting.

 

[roydan]

You talk about due diligence and common sense because you have been doing IM for years / you've been on BHHW for a while.
The problem is that most users getting scammed are newbies (either to IM or BHW).

You can't teach common sense. There is no rule or any action you can do to help people that their first action after they sign up is to buy something.

And some of these people found this problem while searching for something on Google and they end up on BHW. And when they see someone with a Jr VIP tag, they will think they are a trusted/verified member and they will not give a second thought when dealing with them.

This is a good point, but again, once you sign up, you get a link to the rules (I'm not sure, but I've seen it being mentioned a couple of times in the past). Once you read them, you understand how things are working.

The newbie guide literally has a whole topic about how to not get scammed.
You can only take the horse to the water, you know...

Some even end up getting scammed by members who are being shitlisted/banned because these members have their contact details in their sales thread or posted it in the HAF/WTB sections.

This is true, but again, how can someone not look into a seller they never seen anywhere? If you take no precaution as a buyer, there's nothing that will keep you from getting scammed.

The place isn't as thriving as it once was, and ask the wrong question and you're booted.

Read the rules and you won't ask the wrong question. How can you not break rules if you don't read them?
If you think you didn't break any rule, ask the mod who deleted your thread for clarifications.

 

[ArmpitFunk]

Read the rules and you won't ask the wrong question. How can you not break rules if you don't read them?
If you think you didn't break any rule, ask the mod who deleted your thread for clarifications.

It's bigger than the basic rules and YOU KNOW IT. But hey, keep caping for the dying dinosaur. We're all just wasting time on here until exposed comes back anyway.

 

[roydan]

It's bigger than the basic rules and YOU KNOW IT. But hey, keep caping for the dying dinosaur. We're all just wasting time on here until exposed comes back anyway.

I don't, and I get the feeling that you abandoned the topic and started throwing random punches, so if you have a point you want to make (and it sounds like you do), go for it.

 

[GringoMonkey]

I think a big part of the problem is bhw has not updated at anywhere close to the pace of the problems it now needs to solve. Basically it is pretty much the same as it was when i joined.

The problem with that is from a tech point of view not a single piece of tech i used when i joined 10 years ago works well anymore, i had to update it all, most multiple times, since then.

The mythical marketplace 2.0 update has been coming for years, but isnt here.

Until the tech is updated bhw just isnt built to deal with the issues most are experiencing, so cannot solve the problems of now, anymore than an elite sportsman of 30 is not an elite sportsman at 40.