Are there any good arguments against trading?

[Ali-g]

Trading is more likely to bring in bad users such as cheaters, or account/invite sellers (since monetary exchanges are a form of trading) than inviting a person you know and trust. I've known people who have unknowingly invited traders to trackers they were members on, and later felt the aftermath. People trying to acquire accounts by trading are more likely to have been banned from that tracker before, or can't get an invite any other way, as no one else trusts them.

+1
When u trade u dont ask for proofs speedtests, etc.
So u can invite ANYONE, its exactly as if it was OPEN SIGNUPs on the trackers

[Artemis]

It must be great for you traders browsing sites on accounts that aren't yours... a nickname that isn't yours, GBs that aren't yours, forum posts and torrent comments that you didn't make.

I bet it makes you really feel like part of the community...

Squizzle's post goes exactly to the heart of the matter (and he should know)
at the end of the rainbow when you have traded into all your trackers you end up at the small community sites, that want to be small, that want a tight community where everyone knows each other and that is what the site is actually about a small community the pre-times aren't that flash, it isn't warp factor 9 download speeds because there isn't a seedbox extravaganza. So many of you build up the chase to the next tracker and when you finally get to the summit it's not what you expected, in fact you traded away way better trackers (for what you want them for) on the way to these sites. I have seen so many comments from those that have traded who have managed to get into these sites, and they are usually pissed off at what they find (which I find highly amusing). Trading becomes something to do....for the sake of the trade itself, for the buzz, it has nothing to do with getting into the trackers that you want and being good members of the tracker, you pass them around like baseball cards, and that isn't being a good member of the tracker IT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY DON'T WANT. How many times does this need to be said, we are guests of a private site created by someone else, all they want from you is to follow a few extremely simple rules, and a biggie on most is only invite people you know and trust. So how exactly is trading your way in and then flicking off the next baseball card in anyway good for the community ?
To me the very fact that trading goes completely against what is trying to be achieved within the community,and negates the argument that traders will be good for the tracker. Trading ultimately is a selfish act, I want it now, I don't want to make an effort I'll just trade it quickly, and in being selfish, in saying I want it now, you are going against the spirit of the community and the hard work of the staff and coders who put the effort into making these trackers. In creating an identity , and if you spent any time in the forums a 'feel' for the tracker, and that is what the staff who created the websites in the first place really want, a community, that is the real thanks they get for the effort they put in, so this is the real argument against trading, it goes against the spirit of the community and the concept of a private tracker.

[disconny]

It is really weird to use someone else's name on a site. Every time you see yourself on that site you know it really isn't you, and the account isn't really yours. Animals like to urinate on stuff to claim territory and having your name on an account is like... urine o_O This probably wasn't the best analogy.

[mrnobody]

Trading is more likely to bring in bad users such as cheaters, or account/invite sellers (since monetary exchanges are a form of trading) than inviting a person you know and trust. I've known people who have unknowingly invited traders to trackers they were members on, and later felt the aftermath. People trying to acquire accounts by trading are more likely to have been banned from that tracker before, or can't get an invite any other way, as no one else trusts them.

Please give stats to that effect. I think it is the total opposite.

Suppose there is a user named A in tracker XYZ. Tracker XYZ has strict rule against trading.

Most, if not all, traders are likely to trade their invites for another tracker. Then the next guy, as a trader, is likely to trade his invite as well. So, the invite trend would be something like -

User A trades his invited with user B. User B buffers his accounts, waits to get an invite and when he does, User B trades his invite with user C. Like wise user C trades his invites with user D and so forth.

The possibility of catching this invite tree INCREASES with each new invitee.

In addition to that, most traders keep low profile, i.e. they would NEVER post in the forum or join IRC or even post thank you in torrent comments. In other words, they contribute nothing to the community. Yes they would prolly get a traded seedbox to buffer their account to a userclass that is eligible for invites.

edit: not to mention that trading usually, if not always, occurs with strangers. They could be anyone, for instance a cheater or ex-member of the site.

Please give stats to that effect. I think it is the total opposite.

A 2005 Harvard study concluded that trading tracker invite/account is the leading cause of erectile dysfunction. Furthermore, when surveyed leading tracker developers agreed that if your not on a 1337 tracker your peni actually shrinks. When pressed for a quote a top FileSharingTalk mod who chose to remain anonymous reveled, "9 out of 10 traders can only get hard when using the middle man section." Unfortunately, the only outcome for such a user is calloused hands and sticky keyboards.

wouldn't have bothered to reply if i read this before

[Night0wl]

It is really weird to use someone else's name on a site. Every time you see yourself on that site you know it really isn't you, and the account isn't really yours. Animals like to urinate on stuff to claim territory and having your name on an account is like... urine o_O This probably wasn't the best analogy.

Even if not the best analogy, it sure was funny to read

[flamers]

Yes, there are good argumants......which should be directed at fst staff, not everyone else just for doing it.

[Kyl3KK]

I'll put my 2 cents in. I didn't read much in this thread but I saw puckface post and I like him, so I'll post.

I don't care about invite trading, to be honest. I don't do it myself, but I couldn't care less about it. What I DO care about is account trading, and it really is an entirely different thing.

When you trade an invite, neither person has an account on the tracker (they might if they're dedicated traders, but for the sake of this, they don't). And really, they could be great users. So for all the trackers know, a friend did invite him. I highly doubt they're gonna cheat on their own account that they made for them on an invite. They wouldn't trade this account, after all. If they wanted to, they would've traded for an account.

Also, I dunno where this idea about "traders trade everything they get" came along. They don't. At least not the good ones. They have "goals" and when they get them, they keep those invites/accounts for themselves.

A smart trader will only trade invites, and only trade FOR invites as well.

ACCOUNT traders are different, in my opinion. They typically trade to trade, and it's MUCH easier to be caught.

I know people that are traders on ScT, FTN, and FSC, and they're GREAT users. They would NEVER trade anything for those accounts, ever.

That being said, if you ever try to trade an account used from an invite I gave you, I'll rip your head off and shove shit down your neck.

[c0njur]

Nice post KennyX.

I think the real question here is, why have invites in the first place? Kenny made some compelling arguments about how the invite system doesn't further security in the slightest, so why have invites at all? Why not have open sign ups and let everybody who wants in to join. Then there would be no traders for everybody to bitch about.

...But of course this would never happen. Then people wouldn't get the opportunity to feel 1337 in their hard to obtain trackers. But such is life, and the BT community is no different from the social systems in the real world.

[stoi]

We opened up, never again lol

Hit and Runners galore
Cheaters galore
Dupe accounts galore. (sign up loads of accounts on the offchance we close, then trade sell them, or just hit and runners downloading 4 things, going into KL, rejoining and repeating the process).

If potential members played fair and didnt fuck about, i would stay open, but life isnt that simple im afraid.

[That1Guy]

I didnt even read the whole post, but the reason not to trade is it is against the rules. There can be honor among thieves imo