Not much point reporting trades, Outpost have openly admitted that is low on their priority list, and it's doub tful anything will be done about it, unless a their is a scam identified.

I don't enjoy complaining, however, you do need to say something, or service just gets worse, people get lazier, and standards drop.
I love trading for the same reasons you do, being a wheeler and dealer in my day to day employment, makes for the most interesting times, and I do enjoy that interaction. Should I tell my customers to concentrate on other things if they complain about the service my company offers, or should I take it on board, and address the issues, and stay a market leader in what I do, or just settle for mediocrity?..
The point I am trying to make, is this is a great website, but don't fall back opn excuses, and become an ok site, be the something better.

The single biggest failing of all the major websites, is the lack of staffing of them, and the unwillingness of the owners to trust a few extra people to help out around the place. The same issue hampered the progress of the TF2WH website for over 18 months or more.
I have always been a website owner, or helper since '99, and have never expected any form of remuneration for my efforts, and none of the others I shared a post with, expected it either. Surely there are bountiful numbers of people willing to do the same for you guys?.

The standard answer "we are busy" falls on deaf ears with me sorry, I am a dad, a husband, a company manager, a gym junkie, and an avid mountain biker, but I still find the time for everything that needs doing, as long as I ask for a bit of help. I hope this is not one of those webistes where the few admins that are here, are so over protective of their "status", that they shut down all mention of "extra help", to make sure they stay in the elite group.

I tend to agree with eddy. Why not have an admin dedicated to closing empty trades?.

All of the empty trades i surveyed, were from auto-bumping donators. Even the ones I reported a month ago, are still there, and still have no stock on them.

Back when I first discovered Outpost, I was genuinely impressed at the clean format, the fact that admins actually did something about idiots, and sleazy traders, and it ran very well.

The sum total of my Outpost experience in the last 2 months, upon returning to trading, has been quite different. All I see is page after page of empty trades.
What is an empty trade?. One where the trade says "Selling ToD tickets for 2.33", but they have no stock, and havent had any stock for weeks. I have taken a survey of trades I have visited in the last 2 weeks, and can report back,. that 47.6% of the trades I visited, for items I actually needed, or wanted, were empty trades.
47.6%.

I cannot speak on behalf of the rest of the outpost users, but this is a huge waste of my time, and all because of lazy traders, who cant be bothered making new trades each time they get more stock, and indifferent Outpost admins who won't shut them down. Yes, I have reported plenty of them, and not one has been actioned.

The Steam markets at least understand that a person must have an item first, before it can be sold, and then quarantine that item, to ensure time and money are not wasted.

I am disappointed.

I've been saying for 3 years or more that they should do this, it makes perfect sense. None of these hats have any real rarity attached to them while you can still uncrate one. There is a massive oversupply of all hats, and way too many types out there, I think this is a great idea, one of the few from valve in 2 years or more.