I think it's a good idea in theory but I have been a member since 2002 and don't have the required 200 posts so I cannot share info. Couldn't there be a provision for long time members? I know I should have posted more over the years so I guess I'll just try to get more involved.

I'm sure noone will think this is funny.....
but I do!
I think it would be great if there was a button, like a buzzer (yes it would have to make a buzzer noise!) that all viewing posters could hit to show negative response to the scammers and shills posts! With enough negative button hits, the post would automatically be removed - -
I don't know I think it would work, and how much fun would that be??
Stupid. I know.

I agree with what admin is doing. I know that there are alot of old timers that dont have 200 posts (heck I lost over 200 posts lately) I didnt know that i was that bad at posting off topic but it really doesnt take that long or that many topics to get to that amount.

We can debate over and over what the count should actually be and not everyone will be happy but i think it is a move in the right direction.

dixiechick - You're right. It is a move in the right direction. I often just look for established member posts before I order and take what newbies say with a pound of salt (no offense to newbies).I just didn't know the Rules had changed and I told someone I was ordering from that I would give him some positive feedback here, (as soon as I receive my order). No big deal, others have already done that and I will as soon as I have another thirty-something posts. I just want to keep my word.

I agree with both of you. I was around earlier in the year for quite a bit and now I can't reply to ask questions about certain sites. I've been gone too long. I enjoy reading though.

yea i am a newbie and i thank its a swell idea

OIC - while this new rule has some folks in a tizzy - there is a reason for it. Admin, watches this site, which is his job.

I, for one, do not know what that entails. But I can imagine if no problems existed, this new protocol would not be necessary.

To have threads named "blatantly illegal", well, the category speaks for itself, eh?

If people have obtained meds from these sites - well - I am not about to judge them. But, the tenor of the board is important. And not just for admin. It is important to me.

My advice (tho not asked for) is to accept the new Rules on their face. I say this because I trust that admin has some experience with this and has determined this is needed.

It is somewhat similar to derivatives - unregulated - the financial house of cards collapses. To keep this site legit, IMHO, some regulation is required.

OK, I've said my 3 cents. Hope this does not offend anyone. Certainly not intended.

Alas, alas, I am definitely a thread killer. Don't mean to be.

Your not a thread killer. Maybe people have realized that no amount of comments are going to change the rule.

No, you aren't a thread killer. I just think people realize the new rule really will help cut down on the [censored] being posted on those forums and for those who don't like it there isn't much they can do except post more and get more involved here or go somewhere else.

xxx do not play Moderator xxx

The fact is, if you check these sites now there are virtually no posts at. Not from shills or from people many of us were waiting to hear about shipments. On one site "George" one of the last posts was that 13 people would get their meds the next day. But that was the day this rule was put in and no one was able to post whether they got or not. When I pointed this out to Admin (See my post above and Admin response), I was referred to a link to post at. The chances of all these people actually going here and reading my question and posting is basically nil. So the end result is, I suspect, people are still getting scammed by George. I think this rule is an absolute failure and has only led to even more people being scammed. But, I am slowly making my way up to 200, so in a month or two I'll again be able to share the good and the bad of my experience with some of these sites.

Admin comments: I answered your question above... you can post the same complain 100 times but it will continue to be one opinion from one poster...

Admin,

Would joining as a VIP waive the 200 post rule?

Thanks!

VIP is not available ATM...

PharmaKarma posted:

I respect your opinion and your right to voice that opinion but this is a discussion board. What's wrong with people discussing this? It doesn't mean Admin. has to change anything.

xxc give those fingers a rest and do not play Moderator xxx

Just one more thing. I don't understand the thinking that members with over 200 posts can be trusted more than members with less than 200. It isn't very hard to rack up a lot of posts in a short time period. Look at PharmaKarma for example, over three hundred posts since registering on 6/25/09.

And if you are want to give and receive accurate feedback on these sites you can try another forum at the overseas pharmacy web site.

I know what you mean. I've been reading and posting little by little here for nearly 3 years and haven't reached 200 posts yet. Guess I'll have to work on that if I want to contribute my experiences!

You are right. If there is something that I think will be beneficial to others or if I have questions, I will write about it. Otherwise I am not going to blah,blah,blah just to run up my post count.

because many times people who work for competitors or shady companies will sign up and immediately start schilling a company or badmouthing another. the 200 posts gives people and admin a little time to figure out if someone is being straight up or just making stuff up about certain sites.

also, people with these motives want to get a quick plug or post in and many times are not willing to stick around for 200 posts. if they are, a lot of them are found out by that time.

we have all seen the infamous first post from people that state "order received, excellent quality...etc" only to have people start using said site and get ripped off. or the reverse...

PharmaKarma wrote: Well...you are still here posting. You could lead by example and go help others on the board. If you are unhappy with this topic and feel it should not be discussed then you don't have to discuss it. People apparently still want to discuss this topic, no one is getting disrespectful of anyone and Admin. hasn't closed the topic. Some people may have just come across this thread or just realized the rule change. Not everyone has time to come here every day or even every week.

I have accepted the new rule and understand it but I think, judging from the continued posting, people are still interested in discussing it. I am happy other people are posting here and glad to see different points of view I hadn't considered like the fact that, as Browser6252 said: .

No one except Admin or maybe a Moderator has the right to decide it is time to end a topic.

I hope this does not offend anyone as that is not my intention.

The Rules make pretty good sense if you assume all sites in the "enter at your own risk" forums are crooked until proven legit... assume they do not deliver till proven reliable... that is when the reviews of members you trust come to play...
Obviously there are no members with just a few posts whose advice is good to make you part with your monies...

Why 200 posts? We felt 300 was too much and 100 too little :-)

Also note that when we put a restriction to a certain group, like posters with less than 200 posts, we are not going to pay much attention if the people with less than 200 posts do not think it is fair... after all we are trying to restrict them in certain areas... if the people with more than 200 posts complain we will pay more attention...

As you can all see on the first page two of the complainers ended up being one user with two ID's...

Not all those that disagree are shills and scammers but you can bet crooks and scammers do not like this new rule one bit...

The idea is to help our visitors avoid the crooks and scammers... best is to assume all vendors are crooked until proven legit... and to know that a bit of homework like reading poster histories decreses your chances of being taken for a ride...

I applaud the Admin's attempt to stop shills and scammers but setting an arbitrary number of 200 posts is throwing out the baby with the bath water and unlikely to do much good. A scammer or Shill could make 200 posts in just a few days. And many of the long term scammers who have run one scam after another have way more than 200 posts and their sign up date is also several years ago.

On the other hand, an honest person who has real experience and advice on scams could be on this site for four or five years and only have 100 or less posts and yet saved many people a lot of money.

With a 200 post limit people will now consider these posters as more reliable. In some ways the long term scam operators have now been given the upper hand.

It really doesn't make a lot of sense.

What part of you have to assume they are all crooks until proven legit does not register?
Your post makes sense only if what you say in it was true... but show me three links to "many of the long term scammers who have run one scam after another have way more than 200 posts and their sign up date is also several years ago." where this new rule would have not been a blessing to their many victims...

Nobody can make 200 posts in a just a few days without calling attention and not ending in our watch list... our members will pick up on them the moment they start shilling after 200 posts... we have a lot of very savy menbera that like to help, enjoy ID'ing shills, and are not easy to fool...

Do you have any idea how much work it takes to have multiple accounts with 200 posts? A lot more work than multiple accounts with just a few posts...
They may be smart but can make mistakes and when they do... we can delete them or ban them with one click... that puts the ods in our favor...

Odman - why are you having such a difficult time with this new rule? It makes a great deal of sense to me. Shills - and there have been quite a few - cloud the water, make it difficult to discern what is a good site or a scammer. If admin can do "anything" to help us members out, I applaud that.

It is disheartening that there are those whose only goal is to separate you from your money. It would be joyful if everyone was honest to the bone, but it is not so - and will never be.

When any company - and this site is a company - looks out for its "clients" - to me, that is a good thing.

AND, as admin has stated, you can read and you can post positive or negative comments in other forums. And, when you reach the magic 200 mark of "legitimate" posts, voila, you're in!

You still have options, Odman, but hopefully the shills and scammers will have much much less options. Be well.

I agree 100% with the sentiment. And I agree with Admin's solution to the problem. Nothing is perfect.

Administrator wrote:

...No but I know how hard it is getting to 200 posts with just one account and not just making a bunch of frivolous posts to up the count.

Even before this new rule I always looked for people who have been here a long time and had a lot of posts before putting any stock in what they said. I figured most people that weren't brand spankin' new here did that. So this rule really helps out everyone but especially people new to this site who are legitimately seeking assistance finding medications and don't realize how Shill infested the waters can be.

Thank you to Admin and all those working so hard to keep these scammers off this site.

If you think about it, it's not that hard for someone who wants to do it, especially a Shill or scammer who stands to make thousands of dollars from their activities. There are so many threads on this site all one has to do is to start working down the threads and replying to sites with simple responses like: "You're right" or "I agree or "I got mine." It wouldn't take them long to rack up 200. And its a lot easier than going to work every day like most of us.

I find it difficult because many of us have information to share and can't. I have a number of things I would have liked to pass on about "George" and "Pablo", et al, since this rule was passed. But I can't now. And at the sites where Admin says I should post them it is very unlikely that the people still going to those 200 post limit sites and getting scammed are going to see my post.

For example, how many, if any, of the 13 packages George said people would get on July 8th, actually did? I posted that question at several of the sites that Admin suggested. Anyone see any responses? I haven't. And I suspect people are still buying from George, especially since there's no posting activity any more at his site since the new rule went into effect.

I do assume they are all crooks until proven legit. Anyone who has read my posts will find that I actively warn people about these "too good to be true" posts and tell them to wait awhile if ever, before buying. While I have certainly been scammed a number of times, neither George nor Pablo scammed me for a penny and a lot of the reason was the posts of people with far less than 200.