Moving to a classifieds system

I'd really like everyones input on this, but keep it nice please.

We've been planning on moving to a really nice classifieds system for awhile. And I'm ready to pull the trigger. But I want everyone to be able to vote on it.

We have two groups of people in BST, people that sell one or two razors every now and then, and people that sell a whole bunch of stuff.

We can move everyone into classifieds. Or Move only people that sell alot, and leave the rest in BST.

What do you think?

Here's another site that's using the system I'm leaning towards:

http://www.viperalley.com/classifieds/

(That is a live site, don't buy anything unless you mean it :) )

I like having the classifieds available in case I want to sell several items at once, or if I want to browse someone else's lot for individual items out of many.

But besides that, I like having a classifieds section separate from the forum, but still exclusively SRP

Thanks for considering!

Also, does a distinction need to be made between the frequent and the infrequent sellers? How would it be made? Would such a distinction be attached to a seller for a limited period of time?

I also agree with those who have already suggested that we need a way to delete offerings that have been sold. Maybe that would be easier in the classifieds assuming the classifieds don't offer conversational capacities like the forum does

P.S. There's also the old say, if it isn't broke don't fix it. I like the B/S/T. But I'd like the Classifieds as an option. I want it all! The Classifieds section was available in the past - I thought it was a neat addition that didn't interfere with anything

I like the idea of having a pic, pricing and description visible from the forum.
I don't like losing the comments, questions and answers in a thread.

Could we use the classified system but have the ability for discussion in an ad?

I would have to vote to leave it the way it is.... But then again I am only an occasional seller
The one thing that has already been brought up is that the BST is an informational resource in itself and I think that would be lost even if the selling was just split... JMHO

Does this mean items for sale would not show up in the "forums" section? That you would have to go to a different "classified" section? I'm sorry; I'm a little thick from time to time.

If so, I would vote no. I like the fact that the BST is "part" of the community. Its one of the reasons I feel comfortable sending newbies and others to buy things here. I fear that to separate the "market" might minimize the benefits of the "self-policing" we have. I also like being able to see "what's new" and available when I hit the "New Posts" button. Just my 2 cents.

We need a "two finger" quote smilie....:D


Jordan

It won't directly be in the forums, but it'll still very much be a part of the community overall. People will be able to post comments like now, sellers can manage their stuff better, there will be some form of review system, ut'll be able to be viewed historically, you'll be able to view new additions.. I can't really think of ANY drawbacks to this system.

I'd be against it. I don't think the B/S/T forum is broken. Even the heaviest sellers don't sell so much that it clogs up the B/S/T. I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish. Are you going to charge for ads?

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Originally Posted by dwessell

I'd really like everyones input on this, but keep it nice please.

We've been planning on moving to a really nice classifieds system for awhile. And I'm ready to pull the trigger. But I want everyone to be able to vote on it.

We have two groups of people in BST, people that sell one or two razors every now and then, and people that sell a whole bunch of stuff.

We can move everyone into classifieds. Or Move only people that sell alot, and leave the rest in BST.

What do you think?

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I like the idea of separating it out a little bit. To me it does clog up the boards some especially when you get a hotly commented upon item thats talked about for days after its sold or a bunch of items from a single seller.

I think a more organized classified system will also allow buyers to find what they are looking for faster. I remember it kind of sucked looking for a nice starter razor and stumbling through dozens of incredible restores that were way out of my price range, it made what I could afford (and should be using in the beginning) seem kind of shabby.

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Originally Posted by dwessell

Here's another site that's using the system I'm leaning towards:

http://www.viperalley.com/classifieds/

(That is a live site, don't buy anything unless you mean it :) )

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Looks nice but I couldn't buy anything, it seems Traveler got them all :w

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Originally Posted by dwessell

It won't directly be in the forums, but it'll still very much be a part of the community overall. People will be able to post comments like now, sellers can manage their stuff better, there will be some form of review system, ut'll be able to be viewed historically, you'll be able to view new additions.. I can't really think of ANY drawbacks to this system.

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Thats great. The discussion, both positive and negative, about each item is an education and very important to me. Plus being able to keep track of your listings better, a big bonus.

Thanks for all the hard work I can't wait to see it.:bow

No plans to charge anytime soon. But I would like something more organized for sellers, easier for them to use. And the same for buyers.. Forums aren't really means to be markets.. At least that's my feelings.. Have everyone taken a look at that link I gave?

dw

I like the way the viper classifieds arranges and displays the ads; that is the sort of setup I think of when I think of a Classifieds section

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Originally Posted by Kyle76

I'd be against it. I don't think the B/S/T forum is broken. Even the heaviest sellers don't sell so much that it clogs up the B/S/T. I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish. Are you going to charge for ads?

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Some days there are so many threads by 1 seller they almost take up a full page.

The BST is meant for people to sell stuf they want to get rid of.
The BST was never intended to be a storefront for people who don't want to open an online store. It is not a storefront.

Please make sure and vote everyone.. ANd visit the link too.

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Originally Posted by Bruno

Some days there are so many threads by 1 seller they almost take up a full page.

The BST is meant for people to sell stuf they want to get rid of.
The BST was never intended to be a storefront for people who don't want to open an online store. It is not a storefront.

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Agreed, thus the Vendors Corner. I'm on here for many hours each day and I don't see the BST dominating the site when I hit the new post button. I just don't see (as said above) how it is broken. :shrug:

I'm generally against change without a good reason. I'll leave it to you all and others from here on out. Not a big deal to me.

Jordan :)

thanks for the opportunity to comment.
as long as we can comment on the items and we can review a history of previous sales, it seems like it could be a very positive thing.

Caveat: I am very new to straight shaving, and I've only been a member of this forum since January (another nick).

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Originally Posted by dwessell

What do you think?

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A few observations first:

1. Unlike eBay, SRP apparently only offers high standard razors (unless otherwise stated).
2. The market for razors is rapidly moving towards high demand/low offer. (I had a massive problem obtaining razors I really wanted at a reasonable price, even with the exchange rate (€ vs. $) working in my favour).
3. With NOS razors becoming increasingly scarce, the demand will rise rather than fall.

In my very humble opinion, this will make SRP a valuable resource for people trying to sell, or buy, at reasonable prices. Now, I have been on the net since 1989, and I have seen quite a few net communities in my time, but this is one of the best, both in terms of content and support. Introducing a classifieds system would, again in my opinion only, have one major disadvantage, i.e. attract people that are interested in selling only (and quite apparently, there is good money to be made from razors, if you compare prices now to those paid two years ago), and one major advantage, i.e. make transactions more transparent for buyers.

If I had a few wishes free, I would love to see the following in the classifieds system:

1. A form that has to be filled in for sellers. If the form made filling in the salient points from something like Bill Ellis's Selling Straight Razors guide from eBay mandatory, more joy for buyers.
2. Pictures on BST are sometimes lacking. Encouraging sellers to adhere to something like B&B's Digital Photography Primer would be equally helpful to buyers.
3. Karma points. Imagine a newbie coming to SRP, wanting to buy a razor. Without a good amount of lurking, he will not be able to tell a good seller from a bad. I followed the discussion of who should be allowed to post in BST with acute interest. The main problem I see here: The quality of this forum is as high as it is because there very many regulars who contribute to discussions. So much so that there is limited room for a beginner to contribute something of similar standard. The dilemma that arises: How can a newbie become eligible for a BST section that is based on the number of postings without diluting the quality of the forum?
4. Please do not delete finished threads. Or rather, keep the relevant information. Again, take a newbie wanting to buy. How much should, to take an arbitrary example, a W&B Bow with custom scales in good condition be? Hard to tell if you have nothing to compare against. I could easily think of ways to implement that, the easiest being a chart generated from the new classified tables that takes into account, as a minimum, the razor, its condition, and the price it was sold at.

Time to climb off my soap box and crawl back under my newbie rock. Thank you for your consideration.

Robin

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Originally Posted by BeBerlin

1. Karma points. Imagine a newbie coming to SRP, wanting to buy a razor. Without a good amount of lurking, he will not be able to tell a good seller from a bad. I followed the discussion of who should be allowed to post in BST with acute interest. The main problem I see here: The quality of this forum is as high as it is because there very many regulars who contribute to discussions. So much so that there is limited room for a beginner to contribute something of similar standard. The dilemma that arises: How can a newbie become eligible for a BST section that is based on the number of postings without diluting the quality of the forum?

Time to climb off my soap box and crawl back under my newbie rock. Thank you for your consideration.

Robin

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I generally agree with your first three points. But I like having to lurk in order to tell a good seller from a bad. It places more value on reputation and consistent integrity than forms and guides would. When I know a seller frequents SRP with a good reputation and is consistently honest, I have no problem at all. When someone who hasn't contributed to the forum at all suddenly posts something to sell, I just let it pass. I'd rather buy from a regular here who posted no photo and only the simple description, "Razor, $50" than from someone I've never seen here before with perfect pictures, descriptions, forms, and 5 star awards from competing forums. SRP is a cut above

I like the idea of an improved classifieds for those that have more than one individual item to sell. Example: I have the small packets of Chromium Oxide powder to sell. This extremely small time service has been a benefit to a growing group of people. It's not appropriate for me to post and repost this offering on BST and I was told by management recently that it's unacceptable to post such an advertisement in the signature line and that I should remove mine so I took that off.

Classifieds therefore would work very well for what I offer and in similar instances where a member has a supply of a certain item.

Thanks.

Chris L

The current system is a good resource.
If it is moved to a classified section, I think we will all lose something.
Maybe there could be a way to keep unsold items towards the top. Add a sold button, so that it is easier for sellers and buyers to wade through.

I'm gonna throw my opinion out here. I think the idea of a classified system for everyone is a good one. So I voted for that. The only thing I don't "understand" I guess I would say is the distinction between someone selling a little and someone selling a lot. Who is to say how to decide that? How about people like myself and lots of others who may not sell for months and then have a bunch of razors all at once. I would not consider those people "big sellers" or vendors. Even some custom razor makers I wouldn't consider "vendors" because of their low output. I think it would be a fine line to make these distinctions especially when people's selling status' change. Why not have it simplified with just "sellers" rather than different types of sellers. Or if someone "wants" to be thought of as a vendor, then they can ask for it.

Anyway, I like the classified section idea.

I hang out on watch sites also and most have a classified system and I think it works out real good for both people who sell one item every now and then as well as people who sell every day. Those sites that use just a posting system like we have now seem old, dull and boring by comparison. It just makes the site more attractive and will bring us more members and more members will help sell more things for more people.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I hang out on watch sites also and most have a classified system and I think it works out real good for both people who sell one item every now and then as well as people who sell every day. Those sites that use just a posting system like we have now seem old, dull and boring by comparison. It just makes the site more attractive and will bring us more members and more members will help sell more things for more people.

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The problem with this is do we want this to be a site dedicated to selling stuff?
Sometimes it's good to be slow, if it helps maintain quality.

This site has been a forum dedicated to the sharing of knowledge, if we change to a classified section, especially since E-bay has changed their policies, we will have every E-bay razor seller (good or Bad) posting razors here.

Are we going to have moderators dedicated 24 hours a day to weed out the zeepk sales? or to chastise those individuals who intentionally post out of focus pictures and bad descriptions?

FS: Mint NOS serrated edge German razor... only has a little rust... made in pakistan

I have to say I agree a lot with BeBerlin, I've only taken a cursory glance at the sample classifieds section and don't see much that would be an improvement for me as a buyer... am I missing something?

I'll look closer tomorrow and vote then.

I have to say I agree a lot with BeBerlin, I've only taken a cursory glance at the sample classifieds section and don't see much that would be an improvement for me as a buyer... am I missing something?

I'll look closer tomorrow and vote then.

I think the B/S/T section is a wonderful facility for the membership. It is a privilege granted to members.
It should not be abused. It is not a facility for members to run a business trading refurbished razors.

I think that you should have to be a member of SRP for at least a year before you can access the B/S/T section and if you abuse that privilege either buying or selling, it should be removed from you.


A classified section would work well for members who are trading their razors either as a hobby or as a business.

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Originally Posted by Mike_ratliff

The problem with this is do we want this to be a site dedicated to selling stuff?
Sometimes it's good to be slow, if it helps maintain quality.

This site has been a forum dedicated to the sharing of knowledge, if we change to a classified section, especially since E-bay has changed their policies, we will have every E-bay razor seller (good or Bad) posting razors here.

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I don't understand how this progression is going to automatically occur - it didn't happen with the last Classifieds section that was here. Why will the potential for good and bad eBay razor sellers to come here and offer poor deals be any different?

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Originally Posted by Mike_ratliff

The problem with this is do we want this to be a site dedicated to selling stuff?
Sometimes it's good to be slow, if it helps maintain quality.

This site has been a forum dedicated to the sharing of knowledge, if we change to a classified section, especially since E-bay has changed their policies, we will have every E-bay razor seller (good or Bad) posting razors here.

Are we going to have moderators dedicated 24 hours a day to weed out the zeepk sales? or to chastise those individuals who intentionally post out of focus pictures and bad descriptions?

FS: Mint NOS serrated edge German razor... only has a little rust... made in pakistan

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I'd love it if some of those e-bay sellers did come over here trying to peddle their junk. It would be great fun to watch them get the metaphorical (or would that be virtual) boot in the ass for deceptive or inferior products. E-bay doesn't allow this, I have a feeling here it would be encouraged.

I don't know if you saw it or were around then but a great while back I think it was Sanguine or Krieger actually joined trying to encourage the use of their products, they even donated a few razors for review. It was great to see their reaction to our honesty about their product it was informative to say the least and it left no doubt in anyones mind as to the quality of both their product and their personnel.

I guess I'm missing something here. Classified listings are for someone selling something, wanting to buy or trade something or for offering a service or giving something away. B/S/T is for buying, selling, trading, giving away (PIF) and the vendor area adds services. So whats the difference. If the "new classifieds" meet the needs of the board change it over and be done with it. If they don't then leave it as is. Some people don't like change but if its for the best of the majority the go for it.
Just please don't let them have the colors of the linked site :D

Bob

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Originally Posted by Mike_ratliff

Are we going to have moderators dedicated 24 hours a day to weed out the zeepk sales? or to chastise those individuals who intentionally post out of focus pictures and bad descriptions?

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Now, that's a simple one. Moderation before posting to the site is your friend. Add to that whitelisting for known Good Guys™, and you are there.

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Originally Posted by Mike_ratliff

FS: Mint NOS serrated edge German razor... only has a little rust... made in pakistan

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PM sent. Not.

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Originally Posted by CactusBob

I guess I'm missing something here. Classified listings are for someone selling something, wanting to buy or trade something or for offering a service or giving something away. B/S/T is for buying, selling, trading, giving away (PIF) and the vendor area adds services. So whats the difference.

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The difference is in how it's organized and displayed. B/S/T is to roller skates what Classifieds are to roller blades.

Let's not forget there is always e bay for traders. The Rolls Royce of classifieds.

Professional traders don't fear E Bay and to be honest sellers seem to get really high prices.
Usually higher than on B/S/T and unlike B/S/T the razors can often have major flaws.

Why do we need to tarnish SRP's reputation as the leading forum for straight razor shaving information with commercial matters.

Sometimes I feel (only a little bit) honest open discussion is restricted because members are afraid of offending the commercial brigade. That doesn't sound correct to me nor does it sound a good recipe for the long term health of SRP.

Against this I can see that a good dynamic trading section processing quality razors at fair prices brings new members to the forum and this rejuvenates and brings a new dynamic and fresh ideas to the forum.

I can accept it is not an easy dilemma and nobody really likes change even though we are told we should embrace it to go forwards.