posting replys in the classified section

[A383Cuda]

I think that the negatives far out weigh the positives on removing our ability to post replies in the classifieds. I understand the issue with broadband and wanting to keep idle chatter and posts to a minimum, however this removes our abilities to question condition and ask questions. It also does not allow us to know if the item has been purchased. The typical ad went like this:

Seller: I have part A for sale.
Buyer: What would it cost shipped to my town and what condition is it in?
Seller: Excellent condition, $ shipped to your town.
Buyer: I'll take it, payment sent.

Now we have the possibility of this happening:

Seller: I have part A for sale.
(the rest takes place, but we have no idea it does as it happens in private emails; part A is now sold)
Buyers B & C (other interested parties), now send private emails to Seller. An unscrupulous seller will now resell the already sold part to them as well. No parts are ever received by them and seller disappears or changes his name to go on doing it again.

We owe it to our members to make sure they have the ability to ask the pertinent questions and at the very least show or tell others if they have completed the transaction. Without these typesof measures in place you might as well remove the classifieds, which I would bet are one of our biggest draws.

[Troy]

You have some really valid points so I'll try to make sure I respond to them all.

The decision had absolutely nothing to do with bandwidth, "clutter", hard drive space, or trying to cut down on chatter. It had everything to do with people who can't manage to behave. I was tired of deleting posts, locking threads, posting warning after warning after warning, and losing members. From a different perspective, many ads went something like this:
Seller: I have something for sale
Response1: Location? Price?
Response2: Will it fit XXXX?
Seller: I'm in Sometown. Asking $$$$. Email me@someplace.com or phone ########
Response3: You're on crack if you think it's worth that much.
Response4: I have one in better condition for sale.
Response5: Really? How much?
Seller: Why don't you start your own ad. My price is firm.
Response6: What a rusty pile.
Response7: I bought one just like it for $3 in 1983.
Response8: I never pay more than $10 but I'd give you <some price around 1/100th of the asking price>.
Response9: My uncle had one but it was blue.
Seller: Still for sale.
Response10: Is it still for sale?
Response11: Is this item still for sale? How much? Where are you located?
Seller: Price lowered to $$$. Must sell.
Response12: Price gouger. You're an &*(*&$ if you think you can get that much.
Response13: This isn't Barrett Jackson, get real.
Response14: <brings up an exchange between self and seller from 5 years ago> Hey jerk why do you sell your junk somewhere else.
Seller: You never paid deadbeat. On top of that you expected free shipping on an engine, 4 bumpers, and a frame rail. This guy is a fraud!
Response15: I still hate you.
Response16: I only paid $5 for the one on my Ford. You rich guys and flippers are ruining our hobby!
Seller: Screw you guys, I'm going somewhere else.
Response17: Is it still for sale?

In between that mess I get three PMs from the seller complaining about the rude responses, three PMs from buyers who think the seller is rude, four reported posts from random readers of the ad, and then the seller responds to someone else's post in a rude manner because *I* allowed it to happen to him, which sets of another round of PMs and reported posts. Don't forget to add in the "trolls" who only post to insult others and sellers who are "one post wonders" and it becomes a full time job. I do NOT have the time or energy to babysit. Frankly, I shouldn't have to but it's obvious that many adults are hardly "grown up".

Sellers are supposed to post contact information. I can enforce that so there is a means of communication for every ad. I can't imagine why someone would post an ad with no contact information whatsoever and still expect to sell anything - but they do. Of course, these are usually the same people who complain incessantly about how selling parts here "sucks". Sellers are still allowed to update, modify, and respond to their own ads so they have the ability to mark it as sold or ask one of the moderators to delete it. Buyers still have the ability to ask questions - just not in the ad. If the seller would update the ad as more information is available then the only thing missing are the public responses - which are what caused all the problems in the first place. Honestly, whenever I see a good deal on something I want I contact the seller directly via phone or email right then. There's no value in waiting for them to respond to an ad if it's something I really need/want because their response will usually be that the item is sold. Maybe that's just me.

As for traffic, the Classifieds sections fall at or near the bottom of the list in views, threads, and posts. As much as I hate the comparison, Moparts manages to list about 100 times more classified ads and they strictly enforce their "contact information required" and "classifieds are NOT discussion forums" rules so it can (and does) work. Their ads have a much shorter lifespan as well.

The Classifieds have been a thorn in my side for the last three years at least. They are one of the largest sources of complaints (buyers and sellers). However, I do think they are a valuable part of the site or they'd have disappeared a long time ago. There are few "automatically" enforceable rules because they are part of the forum (ie. I can't have the software determine if an ad has contact information - I have to personally look at every one). It is possible - and probable - that the classifieds will change again. One of my goals is to move the classifieds to their own software which will make them more like true classified ads such as craigslist, AutoTrader, etc. The software can enforce posting rules and time limits without me spending 4-5 hours per week on it.

As far as what "we" owe "our" members, well, that's an interesting statement. *I* honestly don't feel that *I* owe anything to anyone. Maybe that sounds a wee bit conceited or arrogant but... this site exists for the exchange of information and to provide a community for people with a common interest. At this time, this site is solely funded and maintained by me. I have a tremendous amount of help from the other moderators and they all volunteer their time as well. I do this (and I think the others do too) because I really enjoy it and I think that it is important for the owners/fans of these cars to have a place where they can find information, help, support, and even new friends. So, it's more likely that "we" owe the moderators some common courtesy and try to make their jobs as hassle-free as possible so they can enjoy all of the other great things that come with being part of the community.

I'm open to suggestions on how to make it better AND less of a hassle.

Troy

[Brock Samson]

 im rollin on the floor here and i'm only on response number six!
that's a classic Troy thanks! 

[RD]

fricken hilarious!!!!

[Charger_Fan]

IT'S TRUE, IT'S TRUE!

[bakerhillpins]

Is there any way you could make the thread's reply functionality an option that the lister can enable/disable.

Just like each of us can click on the notify button at the bottom of the thread to enable/disable thread post notifications? Or is that kind of functionality going to confuse folks?

[Khyron]

Is there any way you could make the thread's reply functionality an option that the lister can enable/disable.

Just like each of us can click on the notify button at the bottom of the thread to enable/disable thread post notifications? Or is that kind of functionality going to confuse folks?

that would take some coding 

[Troy]

Is there any way you could make the thread's reply functionality an option that the lister can enable/disable.

Just like each of us can click on the notify button at the bottom of the thread to enable/disable thread post notifications? Or is that kind of functionality going to confuse folks?

That would probably be very confusing. As Khyron alluded to, it would need to be something custom made since the forum software sets permissions based on the section you are in - not by the thread. Typically, only moderators can change the settings that affect everyone.

Troy

[69bronzeT5]

many ads went something like this:
Seller: I have something for sale
Response1: Location? Price?
Response2: Will it fit XXXX?
Seller: I'm in Sometown. Asking $$$$. Email me@someplace.com or phone ########
Response3: You're on crack if you think it's worth that much.
Response4: I have one in better condition for sale.
Response5: Really? How much?
Seller: Why don't you start your own ad. My price is firm.
Response6: What a rusty pile.
Response7: I bought one just like it for $3 in 1983.
Response8: I never pay more than $10 but I'd give you <some price around 1/100th of the asking price>.
Response9: my uncle had one but it was blue
Seller: Still for sale.
Response10: Is it still for sale?
Response11: Is this item still for sale? How much? Where are you located?
Seller: Price lowered to $$$. Must sell.
Response12: Price gouger. You're an &*(*&$ if you think you can get that much.
Response13: This isn't Barrett Jackson, get real.
Response14: <brings up an exchange between self and seller from 5 years ago> Hey jerk why do you sell your junk somewhere else.
Seller: You never paid deadbeat. On top of that you expected free shipping on an engine, 4 bumpers, and a frame rail. This guy is a fraud!
Response15: I still hate you.
Response16: I only paid $5 for the one on my Ford. You rich guys and flippers are ruining our hobby!
Seller: Screw you guys, I'm going somewhere else.
Response17: Is it still for sale?

SO TRUE!!!

I especially like the ones I bolded

[70charger_boy]

I'm guilty for posting

"Response15: I still hate you"

but, it wasn't in the cars for sale section 

[Khyron]

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,33599.0.html

[4cruzin]

 

[2Gunz]

How about creating a Classifieds Moderator?

[BMOTOXSTAR]

I think that the negatives far out weigh the positives on removing our ability to post replies in the classifieds. I understand the issue with broadband and wanting to keep idle chatter and posts to a minimum, however this removes our abilities to question condition and ask questions. It also does not allow us to know if the item has been purchased. The typical ad went like this:

Seller: I have part A for sale.
Buyer: What would it cost shipped to my town and what condition is it in?
Seller: Excellent condition, $ shipped to your town.
Buyer: I'll take it, payment sent.

Now we have the possibility of this happening:

Seller: I have part A for sale.
(the rest takes place, but we have no idea it does as it happens in private emails; part A is now sold)
Buyers B & C (other interested parties), now send private emails to Seller. An unscrupulous seller will now resell the already sold part to them as well. No parts are ever received by them and seller disappears or changes his name to go on doing it again.

We owe it to our members to make sure they have the ability to ask the pertinent questions and at the very least show or tell others if they have completed the transaction. Without these typesof measures in place you might as well remove the classifieds, which I would bet are one of our biggest draws.

What happened to the WTF emotionicon? 
I wanted to use it for this.
I smell a MOPARTS spy here.

[70charger_boy]

I'm still waiting for the brown nose one   

[nh_mopar_fan]

Hey, I've been in the position where I wanted to reply to a for sale ad.

Usually, it's about something trivial like,

<FLAME ON>



HOW ABOUT A FRIGGIN PRICE AND LOCATION?

<FLAME OFF>



I feel better now, thanks.

[Troy]

Hey, I've been in the position where I wanted to reply to a for sale ad.

Usually, it's about something trivial like,

<FLAME ON>



HOW ABOUT A FRIGGIN PRICE AND LOCATION?

<FLAME OFF>



I feel better now, thanks.

Yep, that's why it's posted at the top of all of the Classified sections but... if the person can't bother to post a price or location do you think they read the instructions? I thought long and hard about deleting any ads without contact information but decided it was a lot of work for the Mods. I'd like to turn that whole section into a form-based application that has required fields and an automatic end date so I don't have to do maintenance. Oh well, just one more thing on my list...

Troy

[hemigeno]

Troy,

Can the rank-and-file members report a classified ad that does not have contact information?  If so, that might catch the odd thread or two without contact info so that one of the other Mods can remind the OP that the contact info is missing.

It's a sad testament to the reading comprehension level of most guys that they can't follow your simple instructions, but it does happen.

I know I'm guilty of not spending much time either perusing or policing the Classified sections, but I still appreciate having that feature available on the site.

[Troy]

Troy,

Can the rank-and-file members report a classified ad that does not have contact information?

Absolutely! I guess if we asked politely our members who read the Classifieds regularly would be happy to report these threads.

Troy

[69bronzeT5]

You said Troy twice. . I read the classifieds a lot so I'll do that when I see one.

[Troy]

Sleep deprivation will do that...

Troy

[chargerkid01]

What about kids like me who are new to restoring cars and selling extra parts, who base there price on what we see them selling for and then some one gets pi$$ed because they say it is to much?? Instead of getting mad Why don't you help us out in finding the right price and not try to screw us!!! It is a 2 way street!

[Troy]

What about kids like me who are new to restoring cars and selling extra parts, who base there price on what we see them selling for and then some one gets pi$$ed because they say it is to much?? Instead of getting mad Why don't you help us out in finding the right price and not try to screw us!!! It is a 2 way street!

Which is why the replies are disabled in the first place (see my first reply).

Troy

[chargerkid01]

Ok, I read it a little slower this time and I agree, but you know really makes me mad is I post my contact info and people think My cell number is a joke or a scam I know it is a odd number, but there is a reason it is that way and its not a fake!! Or another thing is trying to post pics and I know this is part my fault; but we haven't gone to digital and every time I try and post it is to large. If someone could teach me how to fix this that would be great.

Thanks,
Keith

Oh yeah the cell is 7402751111

[quapman]

Troy,

71-74 Charger has a minimum legitimate post requirement before placing a classified. I thought this would be a pain, but then I became one of the more active members over there. (It's a much smaller community, no offense to DC.com intended...I like it here, too!)

By legitimate, they mean that posts like "me too" or "I agree" don't count.

I still didn't sell my car there, but it was a great lesson and it might work here. I'm not sure if the software checks it or if it's on the honor system. (We remember the honor system, right? LOL)



chargerkid01......

If you list your phone number with the hyphens like us old folks are used to, you might get more action.   740-275-1111

The other way looks like a zip code in Europe.

[Troy]

Yep, I can make it dependent on post count - but most of the worst offenders were long time members. If you want evidence of this look no further than Cuda-Challenger.com. There's a whole group of "regulars" who feel the need to police the Classifieds. I love the site but anyone new posting an ad gets raked over the coals (especially if they are a bit high priced). Heaven forbid they don't post magazine quality photos, a toll free phone number, directions to their front door, the times they are home, and their SS number so prospective buyers (who never buy anything) can do a full background check.

The other way looks like a zip code in Europe.

Troy

[74roadrunner440]

i have bought stuff from members one here and posted items im looking 4 how har is it to put a ph # and a email adress im not trying to complain but people get real i have no problems on the way this site runns or have yet to be taken for either i wish somtimes they made a ph# mandatory that way u have a way of realy contacting that person its alot easier by phone than waiting for a reply by email in that time the item probaly could  a would be sold three times over