Hello all,

For the sake of transparency, we would like to announce that we have permanently banned from the forum and suspended from trading user morph66 (he is still allowed to finis his ongoing trades).

We are making this post more because we wanted to announce our decision to be stricter with regard to users who are reported multiple times, who are aggressive or unfriendly, derail or flame threads, and generally prevent pleasant, friendly trading.

I am strongly in favour of freedom of expression and completely acknowledge that we're all different and should be tolerant and understanding. This has kept me from taking stronger measures that have been repeatedly requested. We have in the end though understood that unless we filter out incompatible users from the community, the unfriendly / uncivilised tone of conversation is driving valuable people away, and helping no one.

Aside from this complete ban, we (admins and moderators) will also more freely hand out temporary suspensions from forum posting to people who post flamebait, insults, or useless posts that only aim to disrupt constructive, positive and civilised conversation.

Thank you for understanding.

P.S. If you reply with comments / feedback to this thread, please do not go into specific users and situations, keep it abstract and analytical. We don't want to encourage any kind of accusations / judgement or fights again.

Ya'll do a heck of a job with a site this popular for having full time jobs. Thank you for trying to make the community a better place.

I am afraid that I do not agree with this decision. It was brought to my attention that people are using their profiles to make personal attacks on fellow traders. I even posted a question about this. Profile is where I posted it at.

Now I feel that you should be able to speak your mind, even if it is foul mouthed, IF you can bring your point across. But complete slander without proof, whether on your personal profile or in the forums, should not be tolerated. However, I am seeing this more and more. If admin (sebi) is going to stay TRUE to this as well as the rest of the admin, then that ban should NOT have been made and other parties SHOULD have been reprimanded. BUT this does not seem like a even playing field for some reason. Some people are ABLE to do and say what they want on the forums AND in their profile while others are getting kicked for things that are not seen properly by admin/mod.

I will admit that I am an offender as well, and don't give a DAMN if I get banned for posting this. If this does get deleted, it will be re-posted everywhere until I get banned. I will also be emailing any and every person on DB about this since admin/mod don't bother to keep the playing field even.

mrturk1001 wrote:I will also be emailing any and every person on DB about this since admin/mod don't bother to keep the playing field even.

You're entitled to your opinion, but don't e-mail it to me. Frankly I would think most users would consider e-mails like this as spam.

mrturk1001 wrote:I am afraid that I do not agree with this decision. It was brought to my attention that people are using their profiles to make personal attacks on fellow traders. I even posted a question about this. Profile is where I posted it at.

Now I feel that you should be able to speak your mind, even if it is foul mouthed, IF you can bring your point across. But complete slander without proof, whether on your personal profile or in the forums, should not be tolerated. However, I am seeing this more and more. If admin (sebi) is going to stay TRUE to this as well as the rest of the admin, then that ban should NOT have been made and other parties SHOULD have been reprimanded. BUT this does not seem like a even playing field for some reason. Some people are ABLE to do and say what they want on the forums AND in their profile while others are getting kicked for things that are not seen properly by admin/mod.

I will admit that I am an offender as well, and don't give a DAMN if I get banned for posting this. If this does get deleted, it will be re-posted everywhere until I get banned. I will also be emailing any and every person on DB about this since admin/mod don't bother to keep the playing field even.

Im not exactly sure where your idea of "uneven" playing field comes from. This particular banning comes from the people on the playing field voicing their opinion about said individual.

Helios52 wrote:Im not exactly sure where your idea of "uneven" playing field comes from. This particular banning comes from the people on the playing field voicing their opinion about said individual.

I have read most (if not all) of the BTRs and some of their decisions, including with the newly banished trader, have been one-sided even when they were not at fault at all. Some of the MODS comments in the forums and BTRs have been prejudice against a trader as well. That is not an even playing field.

And it starts from the top and goes all the way down to us traders. IF this is going to be "even" or level, then it has to start at the top. And it is showing bias from there all the way down.

It does NOT matter if you have 500 completed trades or 1, every one should be treated equal, EVEN if there is history between admin/mods/staff/traders in whatever combination that happens.

mrturk, I know you know what I'm going to say, but I will write it anyway, for future people reading this thread.

This ban was not based on the profile page incident, it was based on his behaviour over the last months. There have been constant reports, constant discussions, fights, BTRS, cancelled trades with vitriolic chats, threats and insults. I have been involved in many discussions with him over email, with his reporters, with his trade partners, with the moderators in the moderator forum. He has been warned many times, even suspended, but this continued nevertheless.

People were considering leaving this forum because of his personality and aggerssivity.

My only regret is not banning him sooner, as I was repeatedly advised. Hence this post I made, with our decision to be stricter moderators of this forum.

mrturk1001 wrote: I will admit that I am an offender as well, and don't give a DAMN if I get banned for posting this. If this does get deleted, it will be re-posted everywhere until I get banned.

This was a very easy wish to grant, no need for threats.

Good to know you all will be keeping everything in order! =)

While I'm sure you don't need any further justification of the matter, the user refereed to in the OP was one of the first traders I came across on this site and nearly drove me away from it. I handled it the best I could and went forward with DeckBox and have since come across many great people. Would be a shame to think users like the before mentioned could so easily dissuade people from using this site. So thanks for keeping on top of things.

-Phillip

sebi wrote:

mrturk1001 wrote: I will admit that I am an offender as well, and don't give a DAMN if I get banned for posting this. If this does get deleted, it will be re-posted everywhere until I get banned.

This was a very easy wish to grant, no need for threats.

Also, LOL

hilarious that some people can't seem to figure out that Deckbox is a platform that exists for their benefit. yeah get mad at the people who spend a shitload of time keeping this website up and running, that makes sense. i'm all for strict rules, keep up the good work sebi.

Thank you Sebi & the Deckbox team for handling this :)

So glad we no longer have to read mrturk's scam hawking in reddit now, too.

I guess some people don't realize that this being a free service means it is a privilege and one to be respected. As always, behind you 100% Sebi.

So I just agreed to a trade with mrturk1001 last night. Apparently he sent his cards out today. How should I proceed in light of this?

BlackMageWins77 wrote:So I just agreed to a trade with mrturk1001 last night. Apparently he sent his cards out today. How should I proceed in light of this?

wait until you receive the cards and send your end of the trade to him? seems like that'd be the fair thing to do if he kept up his end of the bargain.

I think Sebi and the team are on the right track, I will go to the BTR's just to get a feel for how certain traders act and its certainly helped me avoid some really tricky trades, or trades with people who are looking to shark. That aside highly aggressive traders, or traders who try to enforce the rules through intimidation really had me looking for another site to trade on, I'm not as active as others on here, but traders like that will give a site a bad name and will draw out the kind of community you don't want to have. While Sebi said they don't want to restrict expression, there is a difference between expression and being a trade shark. Anyone can trade and not be an asshat.

At any rate, I think they made the right call, and looking more carefully into how trades are conducted is certainly a step in the right place.

Jesse_Custer wrote:I think Sebi and the team are on the right track, I will go to the BTR's just to get a feel for how certain traders act and its certainly helped me avoid some really tricky trades, or trades with people who are looking to shark. That aside highly aggressive traders, or traders who try to enforce the rules through intimidation really had me looking for another site to trade on, I'm not as active as others on here, but traders like that will give a site a bad name and will draw out the kind of community you don't want to have. While Sebi said they don't want to restrict expression, there is a difference between expression and being a trade shark. Anyone can trade and not be an asshat.

At any rate, I think they made the right call, and looking more carefully into how trades are conducted is certainly a step in the right place.

Keep in mind that this was a result of more than just being uncivil during trades. The user(s) in question were also being disruptive and were essentially harassing other users in the forums. It's a simple problem to avoid. Simply put, if you're not directly involved in a posting (are mentioned, are interested in the trade/buying opportunity, etc.), leave it be.

TyWooOneTime wrote:

Jesse_Custer wrote:I think Sebi and the team are on the right track, I will go to the BTR's just to get a feel for how certain traders act and its certainly helped me avoid some really tricky trades, or trades with people who are looking to shark. That aside highly aggressive traders, or traders who try to enforce the rules through intimidation really had me looking for another site to trade on, I'm not as active as others on here, but traders like that will give a site a bad name and will draw out the kind of community you don't want to have. While Sebi said they don't want to restrict expression, there is a difference between expression and being a trade shark. Anyone can trade and not be an asshat.

At any rate, I think they made the right call, and looking more carefully into how trades are conducted is certainly a step in the right place.

Keep in mind that this was a result of more than just being uncivil during trades. The user(s) in question were also being disruptive and were essentially harassing other users in the forums. It's a simple problem to avoid. Simply put, if you're not directly involved in a posting (are mentioned, are interested in the trade/buying opportunity, etc.), leave it be.

I think not flaming and being a douche falls under common sense, and should go without saying. I know I commented on a btr that wasn't mine not to derail but because I had a legitimate question about the rule(s) that were in question during that report. I think the whole idea is great and will lead to much more civil discourse. I'm sure you guys have your hands full managing this site and all the drama and that can and does go along with it, so anything that can help you and the community as a whole is a solid plan.

Well, mrturk1001 just got my cards today....so hopefully mine are going to be in the mailbox...It's going to be very sad if I get effed on my first trade ever on this site...especially for those cards...

So....I'm guessing I won't get feedback for a successfully completed trade with someone if they get banned while it's still in the process of being completed? lol

Thank you, nuff said.

Sounds Great to me!! I'll make sure to keep myself friendly!! Thanks again for all the awesomeness that you provide free to me. I'm only sad that I didn't find this site, and community sooner!!!

Thank you for everything you do for the community.
Been on here for a year plus and it has made trading online a breeze and I feel very safe using deckbox for all my trades.

I am complete agreement with the MODS / Sebi. I have been on the site for about 6 months now, and almost all of my interactions have been positive experiences with the many friendly users of deckbox. This community has a ton of great people and magic players that treat each other with respect.

My only exception to this was the user (morph66) who demanded I gave him value in the trade, then blamed me that he lost out on another trade, and did his best to bully and belittle me as a result of asking if he would be willing to ship first (as he only had 1 completed trade / feedback) at the time. I love visiting the forums, but I did notice a trend of this type of behavior in other posts.

Worst of all, in the recent thread where he started fighting with Kei_Asaki (James), I must say that Kei_Asaki is probably one of the nicest, friendliest traders on deckbox. I have traded with him multiple times, and even one time where I asked him if he would be willing to make a consideration after we had a committed trade and he was accommodating and friendly.

I'm just shocked that morph66 trading BAN isn't permanent.

I do have a question, will he be able to change his user name, or will his account be flagged as having been previously banned when he returns?

Thanks for keeping us in the loop. I fully agree and support these changes.

Mike_Machine wrote: I'm just shocked that morph66 trading BAN isn't permanent.

I do have a question, will he be able to change his user name, or will his account be flagged as having been previously banned when he returns?

The ban is indeed permanent, and for all accounts he will make in the future that we will know about.

sebi wrote:

Mike_Machine wrote: I'm just shocked that morph66 trading BAN isn't permanent.

I do have a question, will he be able to change his user name, or will his account be flagged as having been previously banned when he returns?

The ban is indeed permanent, and for all accounts he will make in the future that we will know about.

Is his name and info going to be added to bad traders list in case he does make another account?

Helios52 wrote:

sebi wrote:

Mike_Machine wrote: I'm just shocked that morph66 trading BAN isn't permanent.

I do have a question, will he be able to change his user name, or will his account be flagged as having been previously banned when he returns?

The ban is indeed permanent, and for all accounts he will make in the future that we will know about.

Is his name and info going to be added to bad traders list in case he does make another account?

Yeah I have a similar question. Is there some sort of system in place to check that he doesn't simply create another account and continue his actions on this site?

i.e. Is there a way for traders, new and old alike, to protect themselves from previously banned traders?

well played.

Mike_Machine wrote:Worst of all, in the recent thread where he started fighting with Kei_Asaki (James), I must say that Kei_Asaki is probably one of the nicest, friendliest traders on deckbox. I have traded with him multiple times, and even one time where I asked him if he would be willing to make a consideration after we had a committed trade and he was accommodating and friendly.

Careful now, I plan to slow down/take a break when it hits December. I don't want TOO many new offers during that month (postal rush during Christmas, resulting in horrid delays and a much higher chance than normal of mail going missing... does not make me happy. :(). :P

I am honestly torn on the ban decision concerning the main problem user mentioned in this thread. When I first encountered him, he was incredibly abrasive and, well... terribly unpleasant. However, after his suspension, I ended up engaging him in a trade and chatting with him a bit. I have a feeling that he's been a bit misunderstood. He is aggressive, and a bit short tempered, but overall I don't think he was a bad guy. That's just been my experience, though. As Sebi had said, there were many occasions that there were issues being raised with him. It is unfortunate, as he seemed like a decent guy once I got to know him a bit, but I guess he didn't take suggestions and advice to heart and just kept on as he was. :/

Overall, I do believe that it's a good move to increase the standards of behavior on this site. Better trades, better communications, and repeat business always come from pleasant interactions. :)

I thought people from Canada were supposed to be friendly...

GalisDraeKon wrote:I thought people from Canada were supposed to be friendly...

I know I am! I can't speak for most other Canadians, though. :cool: