Change to For Sale section

[BarryS]

I'm not sure I understand this change. Has there been a running problem with fraud? As a moderator on a very large forum, I've grappled with similar suggestions, but looking at the forum stats-- an open classifieds section drives a lot of traffic to a site. Many users will only come to sell or buy, but a number of users will stay and end up contributing to general forums. A restricted classified section will have fewer buyers and sellers--making it more difficult to buy and sell equipment--which I think is a minus for long time members. Taking the classifieds out of the unified view is a real inconvenience and will further starve off the classifieds.

I came here as a new user and ended up buying a lot of gear from long time members. Isn't that a positive thing? It was good for them and good for me. I can more easily understand a rule to keep classifieds to primarily large format and large format-related gear. I realize it's a gray area and it does take some moderation to run the classified ad forum. I'd be happy to help moderate if you need extra help.

We already have a good fraud deterrent-- having the post count visible. This is a very reliable gauge for trustworthiness. The actual level of fraud is usually very low, but some people will take the extra precaution of not dealing with low post-count users.

[EuGene Smith]

Dang! I bought an 8x10 camera plus some parts and accessories for it from established members, and then I gave away some un-needed film and a few plate holders to other folks. Even if I fly the coop now, I will hardly be leaving any wreckage or grieving widows in my wake.

Oh, well, I'm a hillbilly and we grouse a lot . . . but I do understand.

Hey, folks, be nice to me and don't sell anything for a couple weeks until I can get back into the marketplace with my next GAS attack!!

EuGene

[Tom Westbrook]

For those who want a "Unified View" to include all forums, you can use this URL

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...tdaily&days=30

to create a link for yourself in your browser (change the days number to adjust how far back to display). Make sure you right-click the link above and copy the URL to the clipboard and then paste it into your browser bookmark/button--if you click on it, the site converts it to another URL with a limited lifespan.

BTW, users who can't see a forum/section in the regular view won't see it anywhere, including in the Unified view. You can test that by using our site as a logged off user.

[mccormickstudio]

As a new-joiner myself (okay, I've been occasionally lurking without joining for a couple of years) I certainly don't mind the 30 day wait to participate, but I think it would be a benefit to the site to let newcomers see the WTD/FS section. I think it's an incentive to hang around and become more active.

Another thought about the WTD/FS section - is it possible to let the originator of the post close their own thread? This would be a nice way to communicate that the deal is done.

Thanks, Craig

[Ralph Barker]

- is it possible to let the originator of the post close their own thread? This would be a nice way to communicate that the deal is done.

Sellers are encouraged to post a final follow-up indicating the item has been sold.

[Mark Carstens]

My only concern is that there shouldn't be a # of posts requirement in order to view the FS section. There are a lot of members who lurk and never post much, but who may still want to buy something. I know when I've sold stuff here on occasion, many of the buyers were people with only 1 or 2 posts, even if they'd been members for years.

I do agree with the 30 day limit, though.

My sentiments mirror Sheldon's. 30 day limit...good. Number of posts threshold...not so much.

Thanks for taking this step in the right direction...let's give it time to see how things plays out.

[Darryl Baird]

This is very helpful for those, like me, who tend to check quickly in the morning before running out the door... thanks. I can only sit and read posts at night, after ALL the good deals are gone. Being in the eastern time zone has some disadvantages too...but this is something I appreciate, Tom.

For those who want a "Unified View" to include all forums, you can use this URL

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...tdaily&days=30

to create a link for yourself in your browser (change the days number to adjust how far back to display). Make sure you right-click the link above and copy the URL to the clipboard and then paste it into your browser bookmark/button--if you click on it, the site converts it to another URL with a limited lifespan.

BTW, users who can't see a forum/section in the regular view won't see it anywhere, including in the Unified view. You can test that by using our site as a logged off user.

[John Schneider]

Looks like someone's already found a way to breach the 30-day waiting period:
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ad.php?t=35836

Such a deceptively simple way around that I hadn't thought of it...

[vann webb]

The vast majority of posters here are extremely well behaved in comparison to other forums. I hope that the for sale section will remain, and that posters will behave themselves. I think that they will. As a photographer, I'm sick of losing my freedom to people who vandalize and destroy things, resulting in my lack of access to areas that I have roamed freely throughout my life. I can buy my needs on Ebay, but it's more than that. Nothing irritates me more than giving in to the worst in human nature. There are enough good folks here to make it work and weed out any prospective bad apples. JMHO.

[Rob Champagne]

would it be possible to allow deletion of fs / wtb ads.
I know it can be done within 1 hour and that they get deleted after a month anyway, but if you've sold your item, its pointless being left in the fs forum for any longer.