Deleting messages and locking PDFs on Chinese mobile devices

One of the more engaging threads on Reddit - Mobile devices from China suffers from constant message deletions and thread locking by the admin for absolutely no logical reason.

A recent example involves the deletion of a post that mentioned (for the first time) an Amazon storefront specializing in phones with an incredibly high user rating of 99%.

That specific post was the direct catalyst for the entire thread being locked.

It is standard practice on this thread to daily list various stores featuring interesting phones, sales events, and so on. Some of them are frequently advertised, yet the administrator seems to operate under some very strange set of standards. For instance, there is eBay which runs an affiliate program and which one member constantly pushes to the forefront.

The admin ignores this behavior entirely, and on the main landing page for the thread,
they openly advertise said store:

eBay- reliable, ships via USPS using a US address (even though it's from China), so phones most often arrive without customs duties or sales tax. Delivery takes about 2 weeks duty-free.

(quoted from April 26, 2014)

Not only does the admin blatantly promote a specific store, but they actually encourage forum members to break the law—specifically by avoiding customs duties and sales tax. Furthermore, that old "trick" involving US addresses doesn't even work anymore, yet it remains posted as bait for the inexperienced...

What is the logic behind such criteria when it comes to occasionally mentioning diverse and interesting stores for Chinese mobile devices, while a diametrically opposed standard is applied to one particular store and the member who incessantly promotes it?

Does the admin's personal profit take precedence over the collective interest of the community?

Timothy Williams5, please be careful not to get yourself banned by the Governor, as I follow your contributions quite faithfully. :-) Even if I possessed Telekinesis, it would still not be enough for me.

To be perfectly honest, I didn't actually expect anyone to stumble upon this. I mostly just wrote it for my own satisfaction 🙂
A ban for what, exactly? 🙂

I am merely joking... I wasn't actually attempting to call out the moderator 😁 It was simply that I noticed the thread had been locked, so I thought I would venture out to see if there were any similar discussions elsewhere

And no, we aren't going to play games with broken phones here.
After countless failed warnings,
you simply wouldn't stop pushing advertisements and those unrealistic sign-ups.
In the very first post of this thread, you were given guidelines outlining a rule
that isn't explicitly written anywhere else on the site: "no embedding links,"
strictly to prevent Chinese spammers from latching onto our threads.
We have far too many deleted posts like that already, despite all the private messages sent out.

Your complaints about advertising are completely baseless, because besides eBay,
you also listed Pandora and Newegg, and it's really on you for not
taking the opportunity to coordinate with the moderators to include other retailers in the post.
The accuracy of what was written can be verified in the article regarding Chinese phones—generally speaking,:
(...so phones most often arrive without customs duties or sales tax. Shipping takes about 2 weeks with no extra fees.)
This whole mess was triggered by your refusal to stop promoting your referral links
and advertising the Telekinesis website, which I won't permit as long as I am responsible for this PDF.

This thread is now permanently locked, with an explanation provided in the final post,
and we won't be repeating this little experiment in overgeneralization again.

loneraven25 said:The matter is settled after several unsuccessful attempts to fix this,
so please, go ahead and start new threads about the specific phones you want to discuss,
and talk about mobile devices in the "Mobile Technology - Android" subforum.
Do not attempt to advertise, sell, or offer referral coupons,
because there is a dedicated subforum for that: Craigslist and Mobile Marketplace.
Continue any discussions regarding tracking on Package Tracking,
while here you still have Buying Phones from Overseas.

loneraven25 said:...
The validity of that quote can be verified by looking at any article regarding Chinese mobile phones—generally speaking:
(...so these phones most often arrive without customs duties or sales tax. Shipping takes about two weeks, duty-free...).

So I suppose I hit the nail on the head regarding the connection 🙂

You are quoting a Reddit user who was blatantly promoting eBay on this site just to pocket three dollars per referral, and now you’re presenting his website—which exists solely to shill for eBay—as a source of factual information.
That individual was widely recognized in a now-closed thread as being nothing more than a blatant commercial opportunist.
There is simply no way a moderator could have been unaware of that reality.

Real clever.

Promoting the Telekinesis site?

That 99.9% amateurish site Telekinesis served as a perfect supplement to this specific thread, certainly driving more traffic to the topic here on the forum.

And why do I call it 99.9% amateurish?
I’ll admit, quite sheepishly, that I sent out two referrals there myself and managed to snag a $6 bonus at the store over the last four months. 😁
A cursory glance at Telekinesis reveals an amateurish innocence so profound it’s actually painful to witness.

By shutting down the Mobile devices from China thread, you haven't done the community any favors; if anything, you've likely caused the site owner a bit of minor harm.

Deleting a highly active thread just because a few superficial users occasionally dropped raw links is utter nonsense.

That is all.

As far as I'm concerned, this discussion is over.

loneraven25, I find your decision to close this thread quite arbitrary, especially considering how valuable this discussion was for anyone looking to purchase a smartphone from China. It would be much more productive to open a new thread so we can continue to track all the latest offers and sales.

Timothy Williams5 said:Quote a forum member who is... I mean, can you believe he was just out there openly shilling for eBay like it’s some kind of holy mission? It was honestly pretty blatant. Does anyone else ever find themselves scrolling through Reddit late at night, wondering if there’s actually a way to turn all that digital noise into some actual cash? I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about how people try to squeeze a little extra income out of online communities and forums. It makes you wonder, doesn't it—is it even possible to build a steady side hustle just by being active in these niche corners of the internet, or is it mostly just a fool's errand? I'm curious if anyone here has actually managed to pull it off without losing their mind in the process.

If you happen to stumble upon that controversial quote floating around the internet, just keep in mind it actually dates all the way back to November 18, 2013.
Just so we’re all on the same page here—that post you guys are currently tearing me apart for? I actually went back and edited it on March 10th, 2014, just to add some extra details and flesh things out.
Honestly, those two have absolutely nothing in common besides what’s actually inside them.
You won't find a single advertisement here because the listing actually includes several different retailers at once.

Timothy Williams5 said:So, are we actually talking about running ads for the Telekinesis page now? Seriously?

The SuperModerator in charge of PDF files is going to take a look at the profile.

Timothy Williams5 said:So, I guess that’s it then—this thread is being shut down. Why does it always feel like things get pulled from under you just when they're getting interesting? So, I’ve been spending way too much time lately falling down the rabbit hole of mobile devices coming out of China, and honestly, where do you even begin? It feels like every single week there’s some new player stepping onto the scene, promising the world for a fraction of what you'd pay at a big-box retailer here in the States. You look at these specs on sites like Amazon or eBay and you have to wonder—is this actually a steal, or am I just being lured into a digital trap? I mean, don't get me wrong, the sheer variety is staggering, isn't it? One minute you're looking at a budget device that seems almost too good to be true, and the next, you're staring at something that looks like it could give an iPhone a run for its money. But then you start thinking about the fine print, the software support, and whether or not that "premium" feel is actually going to hold up after three months of heavy use. Is it worth gambling your hard-earned cash on a brand you've never heard of just because the price tag looks delicious? It's a constant tug-of-war between wanting that cutting-edge tech and the nagging feeling that you might just be buying a very expensive paperweight. What do you all think? Are we actually getting high-end performance for pennies, or is the hype just incredibly well-engineered? Honestly, you haven't done a single thing to actually benefit the members here on Reddit, and if anything, I’d argue you’ve probably caused more harm than good for the owner.

Users were free to talk shop about phones all they wanted, but you just had to go and drag this whole topic out into the stratosphere, didn't you?
Even now, they aren't being held back from jumping into a heated debate whenever they open up a thread about the specific models they're obsessed with.

Robin Hall9 said:Look, loneraven25, I think you really missed the mark by shutting down that thread. It was actually incredibly helpful for anyone looking to pick up a new phone from overseas via sites like Amazon or eBay. Honestly, why kill the momentum? We should probably just start a brand new one so we can keep a close eye on all the latest deals and upcoming sales.

And honestly, this one will probably just end up in a landfill too, because apparently, some of you still don't seem to get the point.
So, just to make things crystal clear for everyone here—you can't just go around dropping links and pitching your products whenever you feel like it, right? If you want to run an ad or promote something on this platform, you absolutely have to get official approval first. It’s not exactly a free-for-all, is it? The administrators..

Just so we’re all on the same page from the jump, there are a few things you absolutely cannot do here on Reddit:

• Look, let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate: if you're planning on dropping links to your products or trying to hawk your services here, please don't just go rogue. We aren't running a free billboard for your side hustles, are we? If you actually have something worth showing off and want to talk about advertising, be a grown-up and reach out to the marketing department first. Otherwise, let's keep the clutter to a minimum, shall we?

loneraven25 said:The rules on Reddit are quite clear regarding what isn't allowed:
Advertising products or services here without prior authorization from the administration is strictly prohibited. If you are interested in discussing paid promotional opportunities, please reach out to our marketing department directly.

I know I’m essentially patting myself on the back here, but I simply couldn't let this go unsaid. 🙂

Administrator loneraven25When it comes to online retailers, if you're looking for the most reliable options, there aren't many you can actually trust without some level of skepticism. If I had to narrow it down, the heavy hitters like Amazon are generally the safest bets for getting what you actually ordered.
I’ve found that eBay is actually quite reliable; they ship via USPS using a US address, even though the items are coming all the way from China. Most smartphones typically bypass those pesky customs duties and sales tax hurdles entirely. It usually takes about two weeks to arrive, and you won't have to deal with any customs headaches.

Source

Anthony, a member of RedditeBay is actually pretty reliable if you know how to work it. Since they ship via USPS using domestic addresses—even though the items are coming straight out of China—you usually manage to dodge those annoying customs fees and sales tax on most phones. You can expect the package to show up in about two weeks without having to deal with any extra taxes.

Source

It’s honestly a shame that there isn't some sort of oversight committee or higher-level moderator tasked with policing the admins who treat Reddit like their own personal billboard for peddling services and products. 😢

Order is necessary, I agree. But this idea of blindly "worshipping" the rules under every possible circumstance simply doesn't exist anywhere. We make exceptions when they are actually justified, for instance:

1. That Amazon link was a lifesaver because I couldn't find a decent price on an iPhone anywhere else. (I was previously burned by DealDash)

2. It’s useful to check Reddit to hunt for an eBay coupon. The ones I usually know about aren't always active online. I don't see what the problem is with that.

A slightly more "flexible" interpretation of the rules actually helps expand the scope of the discussion. More people involved means more knowledge shared.

Timothy Williams5 said:Source
Source

Aside from the fact that you’re making these totally baseless accusations by twisting the very links I provided as evidence,
you seem to have completely missed how the moderation tools actually work here.
That specific post was drafted ages ago and held in moderation—essentially hidden from view—
back when the original thread about Chinese smartphones was still active,
strictly following our protocol to coordinate with the rest of the mod team in case any adjustments were needed.
It wasn't until we all sat down and agreed on the opening direction of this new thread
that the post was finally set to visible for the rest of the community.
And just to be crystal clear: there is absolutely zero talk of advertising here, especially since I explicitly mentioned two other retailers.

Isn't it just textbook behavior that the admin has never once cracked down on the biggest affiliate member on this site? Now I see the admin has gone ahead and opened a dedicated thread for a phone Samsung Galaxy which Anthony and eBay have been hyping up to the heavens. 🙂
How charming 🙂

I mean, what else is there to discuss in a thread about Chinese phones if not the devices themselves and the shops selling them?
Perhaps Thomas doesn't have any ulterior motives; it might just be that this specific topic pushes the boundaries of the forum rules a little too far
and since the admin has such thin skin, he decided it was easier to blame the members and finally wash his hands of the whole thing 🙂

Is there any actual reason why we couldn't just start a related thread over in the Android section or somewhere else entirely?

Timothy Williams5 said:So, I see the admin finally decided to spin up a dedicated thread for the Samsung Galaxy that Anthony and eBay just went absolutely overboard hyping up. 🙂

Honestly, I’d suggest scrolling back through the old thread starting from page,
just so you can satisfy your own doubts and realize I'm not just being paranoid here.
The whole discussion there was about how we're totally free to start our own threads for specific models,
and hey, I actually did exactly that myself just to make things a bit easier for everyone else.

Quote: olembe said:All these headaches with Customs have really dragged a bunch of 'shadow players' out into the light—people who ordered the Samsung Galaxy—so I figure we've got plenty of folks now to justify opening a separate thread for this model and its relatives, rather than just cluttering up this space and bothering everyone else here..

loneraven25 said:You're more than welcome to do that, following the previous recommendations
on the (sub)Reddit section reserved for Android devices.

Timothy Williams5 said:What else is there to talk about in a thread about Chinese phones if not the actual handsets and the shops selling them?

There’s really no need for massive catch-all threads on the MIT subforum for Chinese mobile tech,
since individual model threads are regularly opened over on the Android PDF,
where the general consensus still holds true regarding the usefulness of posts about tracking,
promotions, and buying phones through online retailers from overseas.
I'll leave it to the moderators to decide how to handle this situation.

Alright, my apologies for kicking off a thread specifically about the Samsung Galaxy.
It only makes sense to have a discussion on Chinese smartphones since you won't find a major global community where they aren't treated as a primary focus or at least a dedicated sub-section.
Even over in Spain, they have entire communities like MovilesDualSIM dedicated solely to dual-SIM devices.🙂
The Chinese themselves have massive forums centered entirely around their own tech.
And here in the States, we have plenty of niche boards focused on this exact topic.

If the moderators over at Reddit decide this isn't worth the space, then so be it.

Later.

I have a bone to pick. Honestly, my absolute favorite part of the day is waking up, grabbing a coffee, and opening this thread on my tablet only to find two or more pages of new posts waiting for me. I don't bother with those evening news sites or clickbait portals anyway.

I totally agree, honestly, this whole thread being shut down is such a bummer, I guess it’s just because like two or three people were totally abusing it and making things messy.

I’m totally with you on this one... I spent forever digging through some massive threads over on Reddit and found a ton of solid intel on phones coming out of China, so I actually pulled the trigger and ordered one based on all that research...

Look, as someone who’s super active over in the "Mobile Tech & Phones" section, I really feel like we’d all be better off having one big mega-thread for phones from China, rather than opening a brand-new topic for every single model under the sun. It just clutters up the "Android" subforum—which, let's be honest, is actually a pretty awesome part of this place! We all know there are like, a billion different Chinese phones out there, right? Seriously, it feels like a new one pops up every single day. Do we honestly even need a million separate threads that only end up having two or three posts each? It just feels like overkill!

+1 for a reopening.

+1 in favor of reopening.