Sharking is one of those buzzwords in trading that brings about different definitions, emotions and community policies, depending on what individuals or trading communties you ask.

An easy example of varied opinions on sharking, take Pyroman's example. If someone trades 1 bud, a couple laser weapons, stranges, or vintages (doesn't matter on what the junk item is, take your pick) for a Burning TC, and both traders happily agree is this a shark?
There's so many factors to consider here:
- Did the buyer SEEK OUT the owner of the tc through an item search engine, or did the Seller of the TC put it up for sale somewhere (trade site or in-server)?
- Did the buyer lie about/manipulate the value of either items in the trade?
- Is the buyer trying to quickly flip it for profit, or is he planning on keeping it for a long time?
- Even after the seller of the TC is informed he made a trade that most people would consider back, he still is okay with what he got in the trade and isn't scrambling for a trade back?

Questions like these are important to most people when investigating a potential shark case. The answers of these kind of questions may have different repercussions in different trading communities, too. Some people will tell you a shark only a shark when there is PROVABLE evidence of lying/deciet/manipulation about item value.
Other people will tell you a shark is any unbalanced trade where a percentage (often 20%, but this number varies from person to person), regardless of the answers to questions like the ones I wrote above.
Many people feel very strongly about their personal position on sharking, and that's fine. I personally think it's never a good idea to quickly jump to conclusions and say "Oh, did you hear about Trader X sharking that Burning whatever?" In each potential shark case, theres plenty of factors to consider.

Originally posted by Shinichi Kudo S> Glitched hats:

Wow that is such a dumbass move. I remember shadow buying a NnB noh for 10 buds and my friend just sold his NnB noh for almost twice that.

Shouldn't shadow be banned by that logic?. I also remember shadow trying to offer very low(sharking prices) on my friend's nuts noh.(I might have this wrong)

What about the guy who bought burning beak for 20 keys?

You bring up two situations, the latter is easily addressed: The person who put the burning flames beak up on outpost on 20 keys, in MY opinion, didn't get sharked because he:

• Stated what he wanted (and got it)
  
• Was on a TRADE SITE to begin with. He could have easily searched up Unusual Blighted Beak, Burning Flames in the search section and found out the true value of his hat in under a minute.
  
• The seller went forth with his own items and put them up for sale. He wasn't seeked out by someone using a backpack viewer/item search.

Your first situation you bring up is a very poor example, and quite honestly, insulting. Back when I was actively seeking Noh Mercies, I contacted many owners, one being Starburstman.

At the time of be contacting him, a Nuts Noh had not been sold in months, and the next sale wouldn't BE for another few months. He told me his price that he'd accept: 10 buds. At the time, I told him I didn't want to pay that much, especially since buds were so high at that point (I was selling at $42).

A few months time passes, I have a few more Noh mercies (over 10 at this point) and I eventually decide to pay HIS PRICE of 10 buds. He was obviously not a newb by any standards, he owned other promo items and other unusuals for many months.

When I bought that Nuts Noh for 10 pure, it was over 3x any amount it had ever sold for in the past. Think about that. Your friend that you mentioned, Yomigama, paid UNDER 3 buds worth of HATS for his, and you're saying I should be banned when I paid 10 buds pure? Do I also need to remind you that your friend said he'd "never sell it" & "no matter how many buds you offer", yet couldn't resist the buds another collector offered him?

Yes, it is true that Yomigama's Nut's Noh did sell for ~19 a month or two after I bought mine for 10 buds pure, but how could anyone have known it would sell for ~19 months down the road? I don't have crystal ball to know that information. Nor did I buy my Nuts Noh to instantly try to flip it like your friend Yomigama did.

The entire premise of you trying to accuse someone of paying a buyout of 10 buds who isn't trying to resell of sharking, vs someone who paid under 3 in hats and DID resell for ~19 is laughable, to say the least. Complete backward logic, but it's no surprise you're trying to take this personal jab at me though, after I rejected your lowball offer of overpriced 3rd gen hats on my Nohs after I told you they were not for sale.

I can't do that either.

This is my mistake, I thought you had listed the same hat twice. I did not realize you owned two of the same hat+effect (two Blizz BoA).

Your trade cannot be re-opened, though. You'll have to remake it.

Again, my apologies for this mistake.