Classified Section

Lynn · 08-22-2005, 01:53 AM

Hi Guys. Would you guys prefer a Classified Section in lieu of the Buy Sell and Trade Subject in the Forum????

xman · 08-22-2005, 03:12 AM

I'd be skeptical of an auction settup. How would that work?
I was looking forward to seeing how the Classifieds worked.

X

showme1or2 · 08-22-2005, 02:24 PM

I like the idea of a classifieds. I am thinking of a page of short descriptions followed by a pic. Then if you click on it you can learn more about that item.

The problem I see with our buy and sell forum is the thread form of it. Threads start getting pushed down and they are there forever. So, you might find be looking for something, search all the thread topics, find one at the bottom only to discover it has been sold long ago.

I think of classifieds being put up and taken down at will by the seller. I don't know how feasible that is, but 'twould be nice. And I like to shop via pictures more than words sometimes, ala ebay.

Speaking of ebay, I don't know how well an auction format would work here but if we had one could it run for free? If it did that might be an incentive for members to post here first rather than ebay. I know I'd rather sell a razor to a brother here than a random person on ebay. And that goes double, if not triple, when buying one.

Another thought on the auction format: if we had a really good auction format, perhaps word would get out and we would attract other razor sellers. That might be good if it attracted quality razors, but would we be inundated by Paki importers? I mean, all they have to do is join and sell right?

Just random morning thoughts,
showme

dwessell · 08-22-2005, 04:08 PM

The auction would most likely function just like Ebay.. And I'm guessing it would be free, although that's Lynn's call, not mine.. He makes the decesions, I just code 'em....

Classifieds would be a listings, with pictures and descriptions..

It really all depends on what you guys wants..

And if you want something else, let me know.. We're just a bit away from the switch to VB.. I've got the import scripts all ready to go. Just waiting on one more thing to make it 'visually pleasing' and we'll be up and running.

Joe Lerch · 08-22-2005, 06:12 PM

How would it be different from posting in a sale directory the Gallery?

Quote:

Originally Posted by adjustme69

Hi Guys. Would you guys prefer a Classified Section in lieu of the Buy Sell and Trade Subject in the Forum????

PapaBull · 08-22-2005, 07:17 PM

It would have helped if you had a chance to check them out, but generally speaking, classifieds are easier to manage, use, search, etc. Forums are a poor format for trading - better than nothing, but not very good.

sensei_kyle · 08-22-2005, 07:20 PM

Why not make it the responsibility of the person who posts the message to delete it once the transaction is complete? I don't see any reason to have lots of messages in the forum for stuff that's already sold.

dwessell · 08-22-2005, 08:06 PM

Right on.. Or we could auto delete posts after 30 or 60 days.. Something like that...

Or classifieds.. Or an auction..

I'm ambivalent on this one.. Just whatever everyone else wants.

dw

Quote:

Originally Posted by sensei_kyle

Why not make it the responsibility of the person who posts the message to delete it once the transaction is complete? I don't see any reason to have lots of messages in the forum for stuff that's already sold.

Joe Lerch · 08-22-2005, 08:34 PM

I understand the difference between a forum and classifieds, but what would be difference from having this in a directory in the Gallery?

That seems to be particularly effective, since it's like walking through a shopping mall.

08-22-2005, 10:22 PM

I like the idea of the classifieds especially for individuals selling one of a kind items. You get much more room for text than or Gallery which limits you to very basic descriptions and you get the photo too.

My reasoning is that one piece sales, one razor, one strop will probably sell in a few days or a week and it is easy to update. The Gallery is better I think if kept to display our collections. I do appreciate the place to show my strops and sets there but I don't get as much business through that as I do on eBay.

Maybe a set time limit for ads to run before they are deleted to keep it current. I fellow could post his wares and if he forgets to delet it when sold it automatically vanishes in 10 in days. If not sold he could always relist and maybe edit the price, etc... and let it run again. This way the classifieds always stay current.

I think the Gallery is nice for long running items. I show my strops and kit there which are always available. Members like George could show his strops, John Crowley his nice NOS razors, maybe Ray could show his special stuff or new additions to his website. Sort of a Vendors Corner and drop the Buy, Sell Trade forum altogether or use it just for trades or to announce eBay listings.

I would not be adverse to a small fee for vendors (myself included) in that area to help support the site and let the classifieds be free but limited to members.

Tony

08-22-2005, 11:50 PM

I like the idea of classifieds the best. Let auctions stay on ebay. A caution, however... classifieds can take a fair amount of moderator resource to mediate conflicts and manage/delete the bogus stuff (porn, viagra, etc. -- those people always seem to find ways to infiltrate and post their listings).

Joe Lerch · 08-23-2005, 12:08 AM

Why would that be aby more than a forum?

Since we started this site, I haven't had to intervene even once on the sal forum. Our members deal like gentlemen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by azjoe

I like the idea of classifieds the best. Let auctions stay on ebay. A caution, however... classifieds can take a fair amount of moderator resource to mediate conflicts and manage/delete the bogus stuff (porn, viagra, etc. -- those people always seem to find ways to infiltrate and post their listings).

08-23-2005, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Why would that be aby more than a forum? ... Our members deal like gentlemen.

I am confident we'll continue to act like gentlemen, respecting each other's viewpoints and rights. Over the years I've participated in a number of hobbyist-oriented forums that eventually had to shut down their Buy/Sell functions due to constant rule violations and member squabbling. It got pretty ugly, many new (competing) forums were spawned by disgruntled members, etc. I'd hate to see that happen here.

I think there's terrific merit to having a facility for buying/selling/trading str8 razors without the pressures and uncertainty that is prevalent in ebay. But when there's money involved, it seems individuals always appear with the intent to take advantage of a good thing. For example, currently we recommend to newbies that purchasing from a forum member is a "safe" way to get a quality razor at a fair price. If the classifieds, buy/sell, or whatever, become more popular then the purveyors of POS razors will become members and list their wares. Squabbling will commence when a well-meaning member posts a recommendation to a newbie to buy "quality" from member X instead of the "POS" being sold by member Y... :shock: Assuming the group continues to grow, we'll eventually need to manage our way through these rough spots. I'm just suggesting we plan ahead.

Joe Lerch · 08-23-2005, 04:31 PM

I agree about no auctions. It's much more complicated than our current system and there need to be rules and controls, etc. It could overburden the running of this site. I don't want to raise any sore points, but we still have error messages generated every time a post is left. What would happen when we go into the auction business?

It could also attract people who are not as upright as our members are now. All of a sudden our focus would change from being a barber shop to being supermarket of shaving. Making a sale would take on more importance than helping another member.

I'm still trying to understand how classifieds would be different from what we have now. Can someone direct me to a site that has classifieds of a type we might adopt.

08-23-2005, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Can someone direct me to a site that has classifieds of a type we might adopt.

http://cycletrades.com/classifieds/index.php

Joe Lerch · 08-23-2005, 06:39 PM

Thanks for the site.

I like it! I think it's a much more effective way to handle sales. Hopefully, you can even put an e-mail link in it to make the purchase and an icon the selelr can click when the sale is completed.

Are those kinds of posts done entirely by the seller, like our current posts?

Quote:

Originally Posted by azjoe

Quote:

Can someone direct me to a site that has classifieds of a type we might adopt.

http://cycletrades.com/classifieds/index.php

PapaBull · 08-23-2005, 09:23 PM

Those classifieds do look pretty nice, don't they? Too bad it isn't possible to have a demo available in order to help folks make an informed decision, but it would probably be too expensive and take too much time.

08-23-2005, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Lerch

Quote:

Are those kinds of posts done entirely by the seller, like our current posts?

The example site I gave uses "Noah's Classifieds", one of the popular classifieds software packages. I'm in no way proposing that s/w, but it's useful to illustrate what can be done. Joe, if you review their Features page you'll see the admin can set up a variety of formats for the look/feel of the ads, whether they're auto-deleted after a given time, whether they appear immediately or require admin approval before becomming visible, etc. The user loads his own ads and pictures, can delete his own ad, etc. Hope that helps! ...azjoe

xman · 08-24-2005, 02:00 AM

Yeah, That looks like it might be cool and easy to use. A great way for members to trade, in an easily accessible format. Make it easy to post and remove and it's fun for all.

On the issue of unwanted posts, an agreement to read and sign off on and moderator control to keep the Pakistani razors from duping new guys might be well considered.

X

randydance062449 · 08-28-2005, 05:46 AM

Well, I just read all the posts on this and there are some really good ideas. I like the idea of a 30 day time limit on posts for the Buy/Sell/Trade forum, the classifieds and the Gear for Sale Gallery. The 30 days could be a default setting with an option to make it permanent.

The Gear for Sale Gallery has the advantage of allowing a person to group all of their items in one folder. If I should have 10-20 razors for sale at one time ( and I will) it makes it easier for the buyer. Unfortunately the description field in that Gallery is much to limited in size.

The idea of an email link in all the above is really right on!

The Buy/Sell/Trade forum is very useful to make announcements about postings to the classifieds and the Gear for Sale Gallery. We need to keep it.

The auction capability is not something I would want. There simply are not enough people visiting our site.

The advantage of the Classifieds is that the format is known to one and all. The Gear for Sale Gallery is not as well known. If I have to choose then I will vote for the classifieds.