I've been associated with this band of misfits since 2008 through the third message board. When the time came to pony up the money I wrote my check to become a Life Member. The folks who built this place in a day deserved my support. And yes it happened in a day. The previous forum was sold to Canadians and a mass exodus happened very shortly after that.
Most of the mods around here are pretty chill until you take a dump in the punch bowl. You have to earn your time out or total ban from the place. It's fun to watch. Hang around long enough and you'll see it happen.
As for the sellers who are here just for that. A little detective work will be required. Start with their join date. Is it recent or are they a long time member. Check their posting. Are they solely here to hang out in the buy sell trade or do they post in other areas of the board and not just a minimum post kind of deal. It doesn't take too much time to get a sense if you might need to use some caution.
As for pissing contest, some of the most epic fights have been over banana pudding and mayonnaise. This place is what you make it. You can be here as little or as much as you want to be. I've never sold anything here but have bought a lot of different stuff. Now the rest is up to you. In for a penny, or a pound?