I certainly won't. I've been selling and trading a ton of stuff here recently. Not a single person has had an issue with sending me money up front. I honestly wouldn't care if your rating was 2000+ here, if you wanted me to ship an item first that I was selling, I would tell you flat out to go elsewhere. Buying an item *IS* different than trading. Try winning an auction on ebay and asking the seller to ship first. It ain't gonna happen.Its funny that most of the "buying is different" crowd have lower ratings. I bet when they get a higher rating they'll change their minds and want the lower rating to send first.....
My rating is only 28 here at the moment. I suppose that makes me a "noob". I did have (by far) the highest positive trade rating over on the PPS forum's Bodgers Scrapyard (65), a 27 rating (100% positive) on ebay, and a 13 rating over on Games on the Go. But here I'm a 28, (Which is really 14. I don't get the inflation of 2x the number of positive trades/sales.) I guess that "defines" me as a noob here. So be it. (NM the fact that if you add up all of that positive feedback and then double it (under the system here), my combined rating here would be a 212. ((65+27+13+14)*2) = 212.)
Noob indeed. <_<
For the record: I believe that a solid ebay rating IS a valid track record of someone's history in online dealings. The feedback is distinguished between buyer and seller. If someone has a low rating here, but a solid ebay rating then I'll go ahead, especially if their buyer feedback is good and it's not all from one or two sources. That may not be good enough for some of you, but I have yet to get burned by paying attention to such things.
Quite honestly, starslayer's (and some others) attitude on this topic has put me off a bit as well. I'm surprised at it to say the very least. Asking someone to provide goods on faith in a free market economy is foreign thinking to me. Trying to rationalize it away under terms like "I have a higher rating" is just silly. "But that's the way things are done on Bartertown." Again, pretty silly. Things change, so do people. This site will wither and die without infusing fresh blood, ideas, and metal.
MEDEVL: all of the items you cited as references (plumbing, restaurants, oil change, etc.) are indeed services. They are not goods, which is what is being discussed here specifically. Now if the topic were about painting for hire for example then you would have a valid comparison. As it stands, you've got apples vs. oranges. (I also require payment up front for commission painting, unless there's a specific legal contract in place. Then again, I'm an "established" painter so I can afford to do so.) I understand where you're going with your idea there, but if you're buying painted minis sight unseen then there's other issues to work out. Pics should always be provided upon request. No pics, no deal. Simple.
Will all of this deter me from being an active member of this site? No.
Will this have me thinking twice about who I will (and won't) deal with in the future? Likely.
I have to agree with DCToymachine. If you don't like the terms, then move along. Anyone who has worked a deal with me over the last 4 years has walked away satisfied with their transaction. That's not about to change now or at any time in the future.