I'd like to offer another suggestion for classifieds - if you post a classified ad, it certainly helps if you are reasonably quick to respond to questions, queries, etc. from interested parties. If I post a classified ad, I'm sure to check in here several times a day so I can respond should someone try to reach me. Generally speaking, if I don't get a response within 24 hours, I'm likely to move on. I've had some folks that got back to me after a week or longer - by that time, I'd spent my money elsewhere.
Some things that will cause me to walk away from an ad, which just reaffirms and supports what @Kruejl posted:
1. Ads with no photos or detailed description of included items and condition. If I see "It's a Glock 19, you all know what it looks like", that's an automatic disqualifier for me. Photos, good photos, from several angles in decent enough lighting that you can make out details, are critical. You don't have to be Ansel Adams, but anyone with a modern smart phone or digital camera can turn out decent photos - if in doubt, get them outside, away from direct sunlight, if you want to have a decently lit photo - inside is about the worst place to take them. Poor description and missing or poor photos - I'll walk.
2. Slow communication or poor communication. Responding back to a detailed question with a one or two word answer will cause me to look elsewhere. Poor communication, I'll walk.
3. Please list a reasonably close location. "Oregon" or "Northern Oregon", for example, are too vague. If I have to waste my time asking if you're at least in the Portland metro area or Roseburg, for example, I'm likely to pass. I don't need your address, but I need to know if you're 1 hour or 6 hours away. No location, good chance I'll walk.
4. Regarding pricing, if it's obvious to most that your item is marked at full retail or higher, and it's not personally engraved by John Browning, I won't bother with your ad. Do a little research and look at similar items - I'm more likely to give you consideration. Over-price, I'll likely walk.
Classifieds were part of the reason I came to NWFA, and for the most part, most folks do a decent job with them. Only a handful that could really use some additional help.
Some things that will cause me to walk away from an ad, which just reaffirms and supports what @Kruejl posted:
1. Ads with no photos or detailed description of included items and condition. If I see "It's a Glock 19, you all know what it looks like", that's an automatic disqualifier for me. Photos, good photos, from several angles in decent enough lighting that you can make out details, are critical. You don't have to be Ansel Adams, but anyone with a modern smart phone or digital camera can turn out decent photos - if in doubt, get them outside, away from direct sunlight, if you want to have a decently lit photo - inside is about the worst place to take them. Poor description and missing or poor photos - I'll walk.
2. Slow communication or poor communication. Responding back to a detailed question with a one or two word answer will cause me to look elsewhere. Poor communication, I'll walk.
3. Please list a reasonably close location. "Oregon" or "Northern Oregon", for example, are too vague. If I have to waste my time asking if you're at least in the Portland metro area or Roseburg, for example, I'm likely to pass. I don't need your address, but I need to know if you're 1 hour or 6 hours away. No location, good chance I'll walk.
4. Regarding pricing, if it's obvious to most that your item is marked at full retail or higher, and it's not personally engraved by John Browning, I won't bother with your ad. Do a little research and look at similar items - I'm more likely to give you consideration. Over-price, I'll likely walk.
Classifieds were part of the reason I came to NWFA, and for the most part, most folks do a decent job with them. Only a handful that could really use some additional help.
