Mastodawn

What's up with #TradeMe ? I can no longer log in on my desktop or my laptop (linux Mint on Firefox browser), with or without my VPN. The log-in pop-up comes up, but I get "oops! We couldn't log you in. Please try again" ..and that's it.
I'm wondering if it's to do with their security bot. Once this has happened, several other sites become unavailable to me as well. Am I being flagged as malicious?
Technically, I'm BOT malicious, but I will admit that sometimes I'm not a very nice person...

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Guy May 27

@Niall @phil_stevens
There is already #flohmarkt (German for 'flea market'), which is an #ActivityPub based private ads system.

https://codeberg.org/flohmarkt/flohmarkt

Now ... the problem is to get critical mass. Like the RNZ piece describes, Facebook is already quite embedded in many people's daily lives ...

#TradeMe #eBay #alternatives

flohmarkt

federated decentral classified ad software using activitypub

Codeberg.org

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Bob LeFridge

Mar 25

They seem to be using a lot more tracking / scripting on their pages these days. I've heard a few people moan about TM being barely usable.

As an example: you want to delete one item from lost auctions. You used to be able to do that with one click on the little X beside the auction. Now it takes four clicks -- enter EDIT mode, tick the box beside the auction, hit delete, confirm delete. I guess TM counts that as increased engagement, or something.

I must've seen twenty or more companies try to set up against TM over the years, but they all failed eventually. Unfortunately they are too dominant to topple.

This news will be of interest to anybody in NZ who uses TradeMe auctions. They're changing their fee structure in a major way.

For a start, they're killing their 7.9% success fees for ordinary traders. This is a response to Facebook Marketplace taking a big chunk of TM's bread and butter listings.

But it's not all honey and roses.

All sellers will now be required to accept both Ping and Afterpay. Ping (owned by TM) charges sellers a 2.19% fee. Bank transfers will be forbidden, which seems stupid to me. But then I've accepted over 5,000 of them with no problems.

And they're introducing a new "service Fee" for buyers, on a sliding scale.

$0.00 - $20.00 = Free
$20.01 - $100.00 = $1
$100.01 - $250.00 = $2
$250.01 + = $5

(I've rounded TM's annoying 99c increments to the nearest dollar).

Regular sellers confirm that TradeMe is going through a sluggish period during the current cost of living crisis, with listings attracting lots of watchers but few bidders.

TradeMe will have done the sums and must be hoping for increased turnover. But for 27 years, it's been possible to be a TM buyer without ever crediting any money to your TM account. How asking buyers to stump up a credit card and start paying fees will affect sales is anyone's guess.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/588674/trade-me-drops-success-fee-facebook-snapping-at-its-heels

#TradeMe #NZ

Trade Me drops success fee, Facebook 'snapping at its heels'

The new fee structure will remove success fees from next week with a Trade Me spokesperson saying casual sellers will be better off.

RNZ

Bob LeFridge

Feb 13

Today we have a converted Masonic lodge in Lumsden with a GV of $540k. Check out the unique interior styling -- there's 500m of floor space to fill -- then be amazed at the near original Masonic meeting room.

This unusual place is looking for a very special buyer. I'm told it's currently used as a tattoo parlour.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/property/residential/sale/southland/southland/lumsden/listing/5779997597

#NZ #TradeMe #Masonic #Lumsden

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Bob LeFridge

Oct 2, 2025

Just TM's latest step in enshittifying what was once a perfectly good trading site.

By mandating this, they guarantee themselves a handy 2.19% commission on all in-trade sales. That's on top of their success fees.

The 2.19% Ping fee applies to the *total payment amount including shipping*. They take a cut of postal fees as well.

If you sell $2 widgets Ping can be handy. But once you're selling items for hundreds of dollars, the ping fees really start to hurt.

Any warm feelings I might have had for TradeMe disappeared a few years ago. And they just keep making the site worse.

This looks like a step on the road to the #Enshitification of #TradeMe
They're locking you in to their payment system if you're 'in the trade'

Also when I copied the text for the alt-text on the photo, the headline image name revealed itself, "Ping mandate"...

Jack Yan (甄爵恩)Sep 30, 2025

Cannot find my way around #TradeMe—for anything, but especially cars. Auto Trader is still the better site for car shopping.

Bob LeFridge

Sep 24, 2025

Fancy a property with a difference? Well, channel your inner thesbian because the Omakau Community Centre is up for sale... 430 sqm of 1950's public meeting space, complete with a stage.

The GV is $255k and they're asking for offers over $279k.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/property/residential/sections-for-sale/otago/central-otago/omakau/listing/5541024398

#NZ #TradeMe #Omakau

7 Wilson Street, Omakau, Central Otago, Otago

Please note: This offering includes land & buildings. Refer full property pack for further information. Space? Street frontage? Central Otago? Town hall? You...

Trade Me

donkey Jun 5, 2025

Lowered the price and added some photos. iMac 27” 5K l for sale.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/desktops/apple-desktops/auction-5360591968.htm

#fediSale #forSale #Mac #Trademe #AotearoaNZ

iMac 27" 5K 2017, 4-core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 8GB Radeon Pro 850 | Trade Me Marketplace

My son's 2017 model year 27" Retina 5K iMac, was purchased brand new in January 2019. It has spent the last year powered off because he got himself a gaming PC....

Trade Me