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Official Guide How do I become a SteamRep middleman?

Discussion in 'SteamRep Guides' started by Lava, Mar 27, 2015.

  1. Lava

    Lava Public Relations SteamRep Admin

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    SteamRep Admin:
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    First and foremost, SteamRep does not have middlemen. You can check the middleman list and see for yourself, there is not a single "SR MIDDLEMAN" listed. Middleman tags are given by SteamRep's partner communities, but never by SteamRep itself.

    With that out of the way... the first question you should ask is, Is this really something I want?

    Middlemanning is, by and large, a thankless and unrewarding task. A widely perpetuated myth is that middlemen can grow rich from tips while having to do little more than hold onto items, and sitting as gods among rich traders. There are no special perks given out to middlemen anywhere that I know of. Most patrons using a middleman to trade will not, in fact, give tips. Middlemen do their work for the good of the community, seeking only to help prevent someone from getting scammed, and tips are a once-in-a-while show of gratitude from a small handful of users. Patrons of a middleman often take the service for granted and won't even say "thank you", much less tip. Middlemen are widely impersonated, and impersonation victims more often than not relentlessly lash out at and harass middlemen, refusing to consider the remote possibility they were scammed by an imposter. Middlemen sometimes end up trade banned in Steam, either for unknowingly holding stolen goods (which looks bad to Steam Support) or because an impersonation victim wrongfully reported them to Steam Support. Middlemen (and admins to some extent) don't even get to trade very often because of the time they spend middlemanning. You might not have to "go first" very often, but your commitment to the community generally impedes your ability to trade more than helping it. Instead of spamming macros or bumping TF2OP/CSGOL trades, you're reviewing reports, getting to the bottom of who is lying, researching alt accounts, or breaking up arguments on a trade server.

    If you still want it, the next question is Do I have what it takes to be a middleman?

    So you have a 20-page reputation thread going on SourceOP, do you qualify? Not necessarily. If you're not visible within the community, having a rep thread may be a requirement in order to join a partner community as staff, but a reputation thread alone will not make or break you. What will make the difference is how things play out at the community you want a middleman tag from. If you are visible and well-behaved enough to make staff in a partner community, and then you hold a good track record as an admin, that will mean a lot more than your pages of PayPal and Bitcoin trades.

    The main qualities sought after from middlemen include deep understanding of how trading, SteamRep, various types of scams, and the Steam platform work; as well as a significant degree of trust and reputation both from the trading community at large and the community giving a tag. When I say you need a deep understanding and experience, I mean on a level comparable to community admins. If you aren't already a highly active and well-known staff member in a major trading community, who deals with fraud on a daily basis, chances are you aren't ready.
    • You need to be aware of pretty much all types of scams, how they work, and how to prevent them.
    • You need to be able to review a pending report, and know with a significant degree of confidence whether the report has merit.
    • You need to be able to identify scammer alts, and know when to refuse a trade or recommend someone back down.
    • You need to know all the ins and outs of both SteamRep policies and the policies at the community who tags you.
    • You need to know how to determine who is lying if someone claims they weren't paid while you're holding items.
    As someone with a green tag on SteamRep, you will be looked at by the community as a leader, and this also means any slight slip-up (e.g. trading with an unmarked alt) will almost certainly be noticed and reported by someone, and you'll have been expected to know better. Believe it or not, you're more susceptible to getting marked for stuff like that than a regular trader. If by chance you do slip up in a middleman transaction, maybe trading the items to an impersonator by mistake, then guess what? You're going to have to repay the victim! And even if you never make that particular mistake, if you don't do your homework everyone you middleman for, you could end up with a trade ban.

    If you still think you're up for a middleman tag after reading all of this, How do you become a middleman?

    If you're asking this question, chances are you aren't ready yet. You need to be pretty visible and active in the community in which you apply. Generally, the head admin will approach you and not the other way around, but if you're already an admin and you truly feel after reading this you're up to it, you should consider asking your head admin, or community owner. Most middlemen are also senior admins in their respective community, or in some cases retired admins. The decision of whether you are tagged or not is something discussed personally with the admins of that respective community, usually in staff meetings, and not taken lightly. It may require a unanimous vote from all existing admins, it may require an extra in-depth field challenge and vetting process followed by a delay, it may require giving the head admin a lot of personal information and agreement to some super-strict guidelines you have to follow both in and out of the community, and there may be other requirements depending on the community. If you've read this far, you have reputation, and you still want to be an asset to the trading community, my recommendation is to reach out to other communities and volunteer. You won't be a middleman right away, but if your heart is in the right place it will be a good first step.
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  2. Akame

    Akame New User

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    Thanks :p
    i_i52i_i likes this.
  3. JGamersZone

    JGamersZone New User

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    Im ready to become one.I now pretty much most of the scam types.Im level 10.Im an honest trader and anyone who trades me alot knows it.Where do i sign?
  4. Lava

    Lava Public Relations SteamRep Admin

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    SteamRep Admin:
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    Re-read the first post in this thread. All of it.
    Kosimi likes this.
  5. JGamersZone

    JGamersZone New User

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    Steam:
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    I probably read it like 100000 times and all.I have a special way to not get impersonated.Also im pretty sure how i can catch others scam accounts.
  6. Lava

    Lava Public Relations SteamRep Admin

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    SteamRep Admin:
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    No you didn't. You'd know the answer to your question if you did.
    Flying Anonymoose and Salmon like this.
  7. Salmon

    Salmon Caution on SteamRep

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    Steam:
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    Would you care to share it?
  8. JGamersZone

    JGamersZone New User

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    Steam:
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    OF course.I watched a tutorial by middleman.You have to inform also make the group chat your self.So you wont get kicked and replaced by someone else.
  9. JGamersZone

    JGamersZone New User

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    Steam:
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    K then as you wish i ll read it again.All of it
  10. Salmon

    Salmon Caution on SteamRep

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    Steam:
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    That's not how impersonation works.
  11. JGamersZone

    JGamersZone New User

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    Steam:
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    erm.Pretty much i didn't said all of it.Impersonator is a partner to scammer.He tries to copy as much as info as possible from you.Thats why steam level can help in this kinda situations.Like scammer impersonators are most likely going to be atleast level 2 or 3.You know low levels.I think its an easy scam method to detect.
  12. JGamersZone

    JGamersZone New User

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    Steam:
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    Yeah i got a small quetsion.How can i make admins notice me? so they can contact and all
  13. StrikeR 3

    StrikeR 3 New User

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    Steam:
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    hi admin i want to be a middleman and i want a command that can i ban scammer who scam me :( and i really really promise i`ve be good and honest trader
  14. Flying Anonymoose

    Flying Anonymoose New User

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    Steam:
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    I'd suggest that you read the original post.
    Salmon and Hitman Sparky like this.
  15. Horse

    Horse Administrator SteamRep Admin

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    Naw see that is too easy... this thread is like a giant BUG ZAPPER - the pretty light attracts you and wants your attention, then you get close and close and even closer till ZAPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!
  16. SilentReaper(SR)

    SilentReaper(SR) Retired Staff

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    schmed, Cyborg, Enstage and 1 other person like this.
  17. lolry

    lolry New User

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    Leogendary ♂ likes this.
  18. deductioNN

    deductioNN New User

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    I might can donate SR admins some keys and not to donate money via paypal? I preffer that probably. and I didn't get answer yet...
    Thanks in advance!
    Leogendary ♂ likes this.
  19. Horse

    Horse Administrator SteamRep Admin

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    SteamRep Admin:
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    http://forums.steamrep.com/account/upgrades

    It clearly says what is accepted on the front page when you go to donate. I see no where on that page where SR accepts Keys of any sorts.
  20. SilentReaper(SR)

    SilentReaper(SR) Retired Staff

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    SteamRep Admin:
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    Due that SteamRep is part of the NPO Online Fraud Prevention Foundation, we cannot handle such donations. For the administration required by USA law would be way too much.