I resonate with the frustration of those concerned about gougers and scammers - it is very frustrating.
But I also line-up pretty closely with those who've articulated that we can decide who we want to do business with and ignore the rest.
To that end: @Joe Link deserves huge kudos (thank you Joe
) for setting up a forum with lots of powerful tools we can use to be better informed when buying and selling. I'm not aware of other forums that have so many of these tools enabled and available to basic members.
All of these tools have already been mentioned or alluded to - but I thought I'd pull them together in one list because I USE ALL OF THEM - A LOT.
Feedback is a HUGE tool. I always ask people to leave feedback for me whether I'm the buyer or seller - and I do the same for them. As many have said, I can gauge how much risk I'm willing to take by reviewing quantity, quality and timeliness of a member's feedback.
Being able to see when someone joined the forum is an incredible tool. I'm not aware that that capability is common in other types of forums.
PM system is outstanding. Like @DLS said, I've got the ability to interact with someone and get a feel for who they are, if they're upfront and clear or vague and inconsistent. Then I can decide whether or not to set-up a meeting to sell/buy. (I can do all of that via PM - don't have to give out email or phone at all).
Classified search function lets me compare actual asking prices by multiple variables at a time so I can see who an advertiser's competitors are and if there's a better deal out there.
The alert system, watch function and bookmark function are also a great tools to track a specific ad, or keyword, classified ad section or post thread.
I feel very confident in navigating the classifieds and in the four years I've been a member I've only had one bad experience. So, I'd say things have gone pretty well for me.
Part of that is my due diligence. But a bigger part of that is the quality of folks who are participating members.
And again, thank you @Joe Link for all of your efforts.
But I also line-up pretty closely with those who've articulated that we can decide who we want to do business with and ignore the rest.
To that end: @Joe Link deserves huge kudos (thank you Joe

All of these tools have already been mentioned or alluded to - but I thought I'd pull them together in one list because I USE ALL OF THEM - A LOT.
Feedback is a HUGE tool. I always ask people to leave feedback for me whether I'm the buyer or seller - and I do the same for them. As many have said, I can gauge how much risk I'm willing to take by reviewing quantity, quality and timeliness of a member's feedback.
Being able to see when someone joined the forum is an incredible tool. I'm not aware that that capability is common in other types of forums.
PM system is outstanding. Like @DLS said, I've got the ability to interact with someone and get a feel for who they are, if they're upfront and clear or vague and inconsistent. Then I can decide whether or not to set-up a meeting to sell/buy. (I can do all of that via PM - don't have to give out email or phone at all).
Classified search function lets me compare actual asking prices by multiple variables at a time so I can see who an advertiser's competitors are and if there's a better deal out there.
The alert system, watch function and bookmark function are also a great tools to track a specific ad, or keyword, classified ad section or post thread.
I feel very confident in navigating the classifieds and in the four years I've been a member I've only had one bad experience. So, I'd say things have gone pretty well for me.
Part of that is my due diligence. But a bigger part of that is the quality of folks who are participating members.
And again, thank you @Joe Link for all of your efforts.