The New Marketplace Rules are Too Restrictive

[Tin Can]

Some people do specialize in rip off, both ways.

What I don't like about PP is it's reach throughout the land, nearly every online store uses it. It has become a monopoly, just as Amazon has.

My first E-Bay sale went sideways on a set of encyclopedias.

The buyer was shocked when I suggested I would knock on his door the next day, give him a refund and want the books back. Since he was 700 miles away he thought he was far away...

[Jac@stafford.net]

The TW was actually the only item that I sold on ebay. [... snip hostility ...]

eBay disagrees. You have at least five completed sales there.

[DonJ]

eBay disagrees. You have at least five completed sales there.

I only see four recent sales, and only the Travelwide was LF gear.

[Jac@stafford.net]

I only see four recent sales, and only the Travelwide was LF gear.

So what?

[Vaughn]

...The bottom line is that we want a service that our regular members can use to trade stuff with people they know here on the forum. That's all we ever wanted. We will never measure the effectiveness of the for-sale forum here in terms of prices or volume.

Rick "who has opened a discussion with other mods on ways we can simplify the FS rules without changing them" Denney

I think this is the best way to look at our forum and its 'marketplace'.

Vaughn "reformed habitual maker of non-sale comments on sale postings" Hutchins

[sperdynamite]

eBay disagrees. You have at least five completed sales there.

In the context of this conversation, but nice try.

[Ari]

Who cares what happens on eBay? The point of this discussion is to underline the point that selling amongst ourselves has gotten more difficult and annoying.
I no longer bother listing things here; I had a gentleman's entire lens and camera collection to sell, and everything went to auction on eBay.
I posted a few of the items here, but stopped bothering once the listing went to page 2.
The motivation for selling here used to be to meet a new friend, do a little horse-trading, give and get a fair deal, and make some gear chit-chat; it added up to a positive experience that made the process very enjoyable, and strengthened the community.
Now that that's no longer the case, I actually prefer selling things elsewhere.
Two caveats: 1) Despite this, I'm aware that the mods have a tough job on regular days, I just wonder if they haven't made their job tougher. 2) I'm not a buyer/seller by trade, I just like to keep busy and try out a lot of gear.
Though I no longer will use the FS section, I still find it an enjoyable and helpful place to post and ask questions.

[stawastawa]

...
The motivation for selling here used to be to meet a new friend, do a little horse-trading, give and get a fair deal, and make some gear chit-chat; it added up to a positive experience that made the process very enjoyable, and strengthened the community.
Now that that's no longer the case, I actually prefer selling things elsewhere....

I think this describes something really well Ari. having some discussion on the FS threads made for a good exchange of information on how lenses performed or looked or whatever. It was a fun and active way to discuss items and learn about new and old gear - through the direct experience of members - and in a relevant and generally fresh way (either people saying how they had used the gear, or people posting updates on how the gear worked out for them when the got it).

More evidence which makes me think the FS threads should have a system for posting "[sold]" next to completed sales, yet allowing some discussion to continue.

[Leigh]

More evidence which makes me think the FS threads should have a system for posting "[sold]" next to completed sales, yet allowing some discussion to continue.

But Nicholas...

At present there is no discussion allowed at any time.

And of course that's the whole basis of the complaints in this rather long thread.

Someone recently posted a WTB for a Graflex item. I have one such NIB.
Without the dimensions, I don't know if mine will fit his camera.
In any other Forum's classified section I would have asked. Can't do that here.

I could have asked by PM, or given him my dimensions via PM.
But how does that help others who might have similar items or questions?

- Leigh

[Vaughn]

To repeat the forum's reasoning as I understand it -- such discussions in the marketplace might be informative, but are not archived, thus in the long run, such information will be lost. Thus discussing such info in the main forum instead of the marketplace will preserve those discussions...which is the intent of the owner(s) of this forum.

Inadvertent bumping of sale posts thru discussions (about and often not about) the item for sale, just buries the sale threads faster that did not get a bump -- requiring those OPs to bump their posts. In theory, the new guidelines will keep those post on the front page (or near it) longer.

It is all a compromise. Six of one thing, half a dozen of another and 3 pairs of something else...