Thread: Charging NEW members for classifieds

I have been a member for a good amount of time but i dont post a whole lot. I am on here everyday reading learning and passing the time. I have sold quite a few razors here but i dont have one hundred posts i dont think. I dont want to have to now pay to post. I am definately not a e-bay guy selling random crap. Most of the stuff i have sold here i have bought here. I use them for a while sell them and find something else. Why should that cost me money and not someone with one hundred and one posts.

I don't see the need, nor the merit of a post count limit, or a fee for sales in the classifieds. They seem to be pretty well policed already. The issue seems to be that we don't want new members, who are new to straight shaving to buy crap, and be put off for life. I honestly don't think this is even an issiue. Anyone who wants to learn how to shave with a straight, and has gone to the bother of finding this site is obviously willing to do the research. They will probably read the forum, searching for any info they need for a month or more before buying anything. In that time, thy will have read many posts, and will know which members are helpful, and which to be wary of as they haven't seen any/many helpful posts from them. They will know who is reputable and who is not. This is obviously based on my own newbie experiences, but I do think it applies to most people on here.
As for newbies,selling stuff. What better place to offload your straight shaving gear if you find out it's not for you? The more senior members would be well placed to evaluate the merit of such sales, and bag themselves a bargain, or advise a lower price etc. Maybe the simple act of allowing reputable members to comment on ads from new members woud help. A new member may be trying to sell a poorly ground new razor for almost new price simply because they are not aware of the fault. Advice from a senior member as to a fair price would surely help in that situation.
As for the issue of funding. Voluntary contributions have worked for most other forums I have been a member of, and I don't see why that would not be the case here. I have gained a lot from this site and would certainly be willing to contribute to it's ongoing success.

Connor

In the end if your are going to have a classified area you are going to just have to take the good with the bad. if you start doing things to restrict and protect no matter how you do it there will be unintended consequences and the innocent will get hurt too.

I think when people make a decision on who to patronize they need to realize if they buy from someone who never seems to post or contribute they are taking an increasingly big chance as opposed to someone who is a regular.

If you are looking at generating revenues thats one thing but fees to restrict and protect are something else and I don't think it will work.

I think it's reasonable to charge all members to post classifieds. Given there was/is a recent debate about charging for sections of the website with a view to raising funds to pay for the hosting etc. I feel it is fine to charge for classifieds regardless of how many post a person has made.

I don't agree with charging for anything else though as I feel this would change the focus and original purpose of the group. Just my two penneth.

Originally Posted by dwessell

Please read the word NEW a few times.. Ok?

We're thinking about charging members with less then 100 posts a few dollars to post a classified ad.. Everyone else it'll stay the same for, and always free to purchase.

The reasoning behind this is we don't want someone from ebay coming here and trying to dump a bunch of junk on someone starting out. I don't ever want to see GREAT VINTAGE RAZOR FOR YOUR COLLECTION on something that's half eaten with rust.

We view this as a way to let everyone participate, but potentially mitigate the trashing of the classifieds. While we don't parse everything that gets posted, we do want to always keep this as a safe haven for those starting out with the fine ritual of straight razor shaving.

Speaking thereof, I think I hear a jar of Castle Forbes and a Bismarck calling..

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

dw