Was I in the wrong?(edited to include a reply to my apology)

[swordwindtrtrtrt]

Well heres the story. Im trying to buy some yew longbows to alch from the RSOF. I meet up with a seller. The seller is level 66 combat and is wearing items like full Zamorak robes, pirate hat, a Zammy book, dragon scimitar, and others.

 

 

 

I look up his stats on the hiscores, telling him why hes having to wait (that I was looking up his stats). If he had had say only strength and attack ranked I would have declined the trade, believing him to be a drop trader. I had grounds for checking his stats, as he was wearing items that most level 66 combat players would be unlikely to have. I dont trade with drop traders or macroers, or anyone lese I suspect of being a rulebreaker.

 

 

 

Unfortunately I made a big mistake in telling him that I was checking his stats.

 

 

 

When I check his stats I see he has 88 fletching, so i think, fair enough, and trade. Whilst in the trade screen he says "What did I drop trade noob?". I decline the trade, and he says "You pathetic noob", "Reported". I walk away but he follows saying "In my 4 years of playing ive never seen someone do what you just did". I explain my suspicions and tell him I had good grounds for not going through with the trade. He replies with "Dont make silly stereotypes" and I tell him I dont, but I had suspicions based on what he was wearing.

 

 

 

I then say: "Would you buy from someone level 3 combat wearing default clothes, with a name full of numbers selling 500k flax?". he replies by accusing me of being a "wanna be mod", or "WBM", and then said "when you have a crown next to your name you can lecture me". He then trades me and shows large amounts of yew longs and magic longs, saying "owned" and "everyone look at swordhand20 (me) he thinks i drop traded what a noob". I say that I think hes feeding his fragile self esteem by calling me a noob, and that i'll buy the longs somewhere else.

 

 

 

Later I write this by way of an apology:

 

 

 

 

Was I just over suspicious, or did I do wrong by believing him to be a drop trader? Was I right to not go through with the trade after being insulted?

 

 

 

Discuss.

 

Edit:

 

 

 

 

Got this reply to my apology. Makes no sense, because it was me who declined the trade and tried to walk away. I had checked his stats and saw he had a high fletching level and would have gone through with the trade if he hadnt insulted me. The main reason he was so angry was because I had declined the trade. Also I dont see how I can see him fletching mage longs from the trade screen, lol.

 

 

 

Oh and thanks to everyone for replying with well thoguht out positive or negative comments. :)

[n4h]

Careful man is worth twice... you did well, I would have done the same.

[alcoolj]

I know level 40-50's with 200M+ in the bank, and who have never drop traded. Duelling can get players with decent pking stats very rich, and can get them some excellent items without drop trading.

 

 

 

I never look up a players stats prior to making a trade. I won't trade with someone who has 400k yews to sell, as the only place they could have got them is from bots, but yew longs? Sure the longs may be a by product of bots, but no drop trader is ever going to be making yew longs! I think you were over cautious on this trade, but had decent intentions.

 

 

 

He over reacted to your good intentions, simple.

[darkstar4441]

I personally think you were right. For him to say what he said was just wrong.

[icecube]

I agree with alcoolj, your intentions were good but I think you're were a bit too paranoid.

 

 

 

I personally wouldn't have looked him up, nor have I done it in the past but that could be because many of my friends are skillers so I'm used to seeing lower levels with good equips. So it could just be the environment we've played in differed.

[Chelseaboy11_Is_Tom]

i dont rly care who i buy from, id rather get it in 2 mins than waiting couple of hours and the sense of honesty

[jessy87]

first of all, you did it. its your morals, dont come here and ask if your morals are bad if some1 makes you feel negative. doing so means your reflecting on your self thinking some how you were wrong and 1 day may bend your morals. and that is more of an injustice then autoing.

 

 

 

 

 

i would have told him to go die in a fire.

[Wkw]

I always do what you did, but I never tell them I'm doing it.

 

 

 

If I suspect anything, I just log off for a while

[xSxqPowerx]

I think it was somewhat wrong to tell him that you suspected he was a drop trader and that you might not trade with him.

 

There wasn't any reason for you to tell him that, or for him to insult you for that matter, but it could have been avoided tbh.

[BloodArgon]

That was way too much of a stereotype. You knew nothing about him, his friends, what he did, or how he got his money. Any level 3 can make or have good friends, get donations, start merching, staking, or whatever. I feel your wrong in this place, trading with him and leaving was as far as it needed, but, questioning how someone gets what they got, and then fitting them to a certain class? No. Im sorry sir, what you did was wrong and just plain stupid. Now you have to go out and look for more things to buy too!

[oropher]

IMO you were wrong. I personally have richer low level pures, and I know what it is to be called a "drop trader." ALL the money on those accounts are either from donations or merchanting or pking or even skilling. You had NO right to act to that guy like that. ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT!

 

 

 

There was absolutely NO reason for you to act like that. I'm not saying how he reacted was good, but I understand him. How can you make an opinion about someone when you see what they are wearing???? It's not because I wear cheap stuff that I am a drop trader or a bot?

[viral_wulf]

I think that people should let Jagex deal with rule breakers and, for the most part, your typical player should mind his or her own business. Sure, if you see somebody blatantly breaking a rule, go ahead and report them, but I think that you are out of line when you attempt to figure out if somebody drop traded by checking their stats.

[Nero]

That's probably the grimiest apology I've ever seen. :lol:

[jaym112]

I don't think there was anything wrong in what you did. If you think someone may be breaking the rules then you have the right to not trade with them or to check their skills. I can understand him being a little insulted, maybe even scared that you would report him for drop trading, but I think he went a little bit overboard. In the end, your intentions were noble, and there was noting wrong with what you did.

[n64jive]

Why do you care who you buy from? Do you assume you're helping stop macroing by not buying from macroers? If you don't buy from them, someone else will. The solution to stopping macroers doesn't rely not buying from them in-game, but out of game. If people quit paying money for rs gold, the macroing problem would be reduced to people who macroed would actually play the game because they liked it, instead of as a profession.

[MooseHole]

1 day may bend your morals. and that is more of an injustice then autoing.

I disagree. I think questioning your own morals is much better than blindly following them. People like to demonize hypocrites, but isn't it better to be someone who has morals (or principles) and bend them rather than someone with no principles in the first place? Sometimes it's better to use your brain and your conscience at the same time.

 

 

 

Anyway, I think there's nothing wrong with what you did, or with what he did. Nobody got hurt, it's just a transaction that was never completed.

[Thus]

he was wrong in being an arrogant jerk

 

 

 

i would have done the same

[Chartres]

If you have criteria for trading with players why not make sure they meet it before engaging in a trade with them? That would save both parties time and frustration.

[Solidus_77]

You openly admitted to making very deep accusations about him and assumptions based on looks, now that's probably the greatest ways to offend people. Despite his immaturity, he could simply be taking his anger off on you (which I would have done, although not in that manner), or perhaps he really was a drop trader and wanted to take advantage of the situation by rubbing it in more. But even if he was, you shouldn't judge so much based on looks and if you're going to, don't openly admit it.

 

 

 

Also, why care so much about who the person you are trading with is? You're just here to get your item, and then most likely never see them again. It's not like you have sinned by trading with someone who may be a drop trader :roll: . Hell, it's his grave, not yours.

[warren211]

One big mistake here was that you told him. One of the worst things you can tell someone is that you are suspicious of them. Thats why I get very annoyed when people say "reported." Just report them quietly and leave if they break the rules. There's no need to start a big fight. same for telling them "hold on let me look you up." You might as well be saying "I don't trust you. I think you are a rule breaker." Next time, look him up quietly and if you suspect him to be a rule breaker, just report him and say "nvm" to the trade. Its ok to make up an excuse so you don't have to openly accuse him. even if his stats say hes a noob, it doesnt mean he didnt get them fairly and if you are wrong about your suspicions you look like more of a loser then the guy you accused him of, even if you had good reasons to suspect him.

[The Observer]

I think you did make some errors. You shouldn't have told him that you were looking him up. The other mistake that you made is that you didn't report him for misuse of customer support. Other than that, you did fine.

[Embraced]

Your morals are good, but i think it was a bad idea to let him know why you looked him up.

 

I understand his annoyance but he did act very immaturely about it.

 

And your apology was great, just out of curiosity did he reply?

[phata_elise]

You stereotyped him and that was a mistake on your part.

 

 

 

I don't want to get into a discussion about your morals, but there is one thing that is wondering me. Suppose his stats were much worse, you would have refused to trade with him? If you first agree you want to trade and then alter the trade, wouldn't that make you an item scammer? Sure, you're not in it for the items, but you're still deceiving the seller.

 

 

 

To me that is the definition. You both agree on a trade and then for some reason you alter the trade. By keeping your morals up, you have to break the runescape rules.

 

 

 

How do you feel about that?

[kido14]

 

Was I just over suspicious, or did I do wrong by believing him to be a drop trader? Was I right to not go through with the trade after being insulted?

 

 

 

Discuss.

 

Mostly you're just dumb. Even if he was a drop trader (and if he is, who cares?) or a macroer, he would make the sale elsewhere shortly after.

[Aneron]

Personally, if I want to buy something I just do it, and don't worry about who I'm buying from. If gold farmers have a monopoly on something, that doesn't change the fact that I plan to buy that something.

 

 

 

Aside from that, plenty of pures make money without drop trading.