THE CLASSIFIEDS AND A LITTLE HEADS UP !!

[shibbershabber]

I thought that 'bubblegummer' is something that the board software substitutes when the poster tries to say something offensive like 'motherbubblegumer'.... hmmm, we'll see


Yup, ETA, that motherbubblegummer up there was originally typed by me as mother 'effer'... there ya go, mystery solved

 

[rusobr2]

"shibbershabber" -- it worked !! you got a gut laugh out of me LOL--LOL !!

steven

 

[scrappydoo]

I would also require posting at least 1 photo in a classified add.

I agree. Every other forum I'm part of requires this. It helps prove both that you have the item and the condition. Your idea of like new may be a lot different than someone else's.

 

[trainsktg]

Yes, I believe that when we see 'bubblegum' in someone's text, that it is the result of automatic software substitution of swear words. Personally, I feel that it is a bit childish. I prefer that they would substitute 'barnacles' instead.

Keith

 

[saabin]

I was a moderator on a popular watch collectors board and we required 50 posts before you could post items for sale. The major problem with doing that is you will get ALLOT of people just posting smilys and one word posts with no content just to get their post count up. I think the current system works fine and being that unlike other things traded on the internet gun transactions here are mostly face to face the chances of getting scammed are very low.

 

[chizuck]

I might not post a lot but I have been a member for a year. I find you can find most answers without posting just reading, and I don't like to post repeats. But that does not mean my classifieds should be boycotted. I understand the want to chit chat before a buy, heck I want to talk to the buyer before I will commit to the sale.

 

[eldbillbo]

I kinda agree, You have to have between 50-100 post on most other sites before you can post an "for sale or trade" ad. Seems more people get on here and the first post is a classified to sell a gun then they are gone.

Problem with the minimum post sights is you get a lot of crap stupid questions that have been asked a 100 times before dumb answers like "yup" and "what's better a 9mm or .45"

Its a personal preference if someone wants to deal with a person who only has one post or not if you close to that person its not that big of a deal

some people are referred here by others cause they have a gun to sale i have sent a few some were craigs list refugees
and others people i knew some stayed and some left.

Some of the best deals from guys who were insulted by a gun dealers offer on a rifle so they figured they could get a little more for it selling it themself

or someone who cares less about guns and just happened to have inherited some and don't really know what they are worth so you get a good deal . lets face it the guys that hang out here know what there guns are worth and thats what they post them at.

I think if a minimum post requirement was put in place you could forget about finding any good deals.

I think because its a local board your not dealing with sending money to a stranger in which case you want to know feed back and see know that the post that the poster posted were more than a bunch of "yups" and "what's better a 9mm or .45" . but honest knows something about guns post. But a person who is buying and sending money does not need to look at the mandatory post count but what the person really knows.

I have been stolen 3x from 3 of those minimum post web sights.
that it for me i will not buy from any more i learned the hard way all with over 20 i am one of the joes post all with at least a +2 because they bough a couple things

What's interesting over the past 12 years of buying on a website that requires a IP email address but no minimum post count i have never been ripped off .

A honest guy who is just trying to sell dads gun is not going to go the process of post 20 nonsence post to sell it. A smart crook will.

So i really don't see the need for a requirement to post . it just adds more junk to the forums .

There are many that come here just to post a in the classifieds and end up staying you will find in the new member forum that this is case with many of the members . and there are those who post something for sale and member here gets a good deal on something and they move on.

 

[74sporty]

this would be a good thread for all newbies to read. it would give them some good advice on how things operate. it'll also encourage them to join in on a conversation. im very new to the site also, but since im on here too often, i now have a better understanding of gun laws and feel more comfortable about shootin my 2 cents.

what i've learned...

-pm's or personal messages is preffered by most including myself.
-knowing city location is important to potential buyers
-a (good) picture is worth a thousand words
-making them read a novel isn't gonna make them want to buy it more... so make it short and to the point
-before you ask a question, read it again cause maybe you just missed something
-and talk(type) to people as if they're right in front of you. i guess i've noticed a few posts that were less than civil.

im sure im leaving out a bunch of good points and tips, but these are just a few that i keep in mind.

 

[miletwo]

I bought from the classifieds here after being a new member with probably fewer than 5 posts to my credit. I sure am glad the seller agreed to sell to me as I got a fair deal FTF where I would have paid more with more hassle from a dealer. I think it just comes down to each of us doing our homework and being fair to newbies when they get here. Funny too, I don't really consider myself a newbie any more as I read NWF almost every day and have posted fairly regularly since I got here (about 6 mos now). That said, i still have only 55 posts... which is just barely above the threshold you mention. If I had been scorned by sellers because of my newness... I would have left in a hurry, been royally pissed over "those elitist jerks on NWF" and told everyone I met to avoid this place like the plague. Guess it's a good thing there isn't anything like that in place yet.

 

[Joe Link]

Thanks for sharing your opinions on this guys, I agree with the majority here. I can assure you, we have no intention of setting a minimum post requirement. I know most boards have fairly strict requirements when it comes to using the classifieds. In my experience, this is much like government making it more difficult for law abiding citizens to own firearms. It doesn't work. People will ill-intent will find a way to achieve their goals regardless of the rules, and it creates more work for us good guys. I see the classified section as a great way of attracting new people to the site. Once they're here it's up to the community to create a place where they want to stay.

Out of all the threads on NWFA, these ones where members share their opinions on the site are my absolute favorite to read. The opinions expressed in threads like these usually carry a lot of weight when the staff here are discussion policy and changes, so keep it up guys

 

[Silver Fox]

One thing I would like to see changed is to "require" members to state their location IE.. their town and state in their user profile if they place an ad. This one thing will make the ads much more usable, as the OP had mentioned I agree, i just like to deal close to home not 50 miles away and with a location listed in the profile it is easy to see where a seller is located.

I'd like to add that Vancouver may be in the "Portland Metro" but it opens up the a whole new can of worms if a buyer and seller on opposite sides of the river want to deal with each other. Members should (my opinion) be required to list both city and state.

SF-

 

[gasjockey]

As a newbie, just would like to point out that the classified ads have taught me a lot. When I see a gun that I am unfamiliar with, I look it up and do some research. I don't have the largest budget, but you never know what you will "need" next. Great learning tool for me. If there were restrictions, some of those items, mainly in the parts section, may not be posted and therefore I would never know about them.

I would be considered a lurker, since I'm on the site reading multiple times a day, just don't have a lot of input due to lack of knowledge or experience. Give me a couple more years, and a couple 10,000 more rounds down range and I'll throw in my $.02.

 

[jayleno]

It's kind of interesting when the viewpoint changes. Once, I too was a "noob" and was excited to be a part of this community.

Now, 6 months later, I'm still a "noob" but with a whole lot more knowledge than once I had.

But, the view has changed - I can see both sides of this argument now where I would have only taken the "Let 'em in" view then.

 

[Doubletap]

I'd like to add that Vancouver may be in the "Portland Metro" but it opens up the a whole new can of worms if a buyer and seller on opposite sides of the river want to deal with each other. Members should (my opinion) be required to list both city and state.

SF-

I ABSOLUTELY agree with this.. I for one..don't want to waste my time trying to make a deal with someone half way across the State..

 

[Joe Link]

I've been kicking around the idea of requiring users to input their zip codes when registering. This would auto-populate the location field, set a starting point for other features such as the firearm-related resource map, and eventually (hopefully) list ones distance between another member's zip code when viewing classified ads.

 

[saabin]

I've been kicking around the idea of requiring users to input their zip codes when registering. This would auto-populate the location field, set a starting point for other features such as the firearm-related resource map, and eventually (hopefully) list ones distance between another member's zip code when viewing classified ads.

That sounds like a great idea. It would also be nice if you could make the change retroactive making existing members update their profile upon their next login if the board software allows.

Also have you considered setting up a separate section for FFL holders/dealers? We opted to do that on a forum I moderated in the past and it worked out great, Created additional competition between dealers and made it easier for people who wanted to do trades and or not purchase new/retail.

 

[Joe Link]

We would make the change retroactive if we decide to go that route. We're actually discussing the private party/FFL classified debate in another thread in this section.

 

[22many]

I've been kicking around the idea of requiring users to input their zip codes when registering. This would auto-populate the location field, set a starting point for other features such as the firearm-related resource map, and eventually (hopefully) list ones distance between another member's zip code when viewing classified ads.

Please!!!! I am so tired of looking at someones ad and it has some saying "nowheresville" or "across the bridge". Sometimes I won't even reply to a ad because I don't wanna waste my time only to find that they are out of state.

It doesn't even have to have a zip code, just their city. Can we make this a requirement? And if so, if the mods dont see their city then enforce it?

 

[chase]

If I don't see a city listed then usually I just pass it over. If people are serous about selling they should list a real city. I would be in favor of requiring a zipcode for registering at this site.

 

[PDXSparky]

OK, I've changed my mind about requiring a minimum post count, even a low number such as 10, before being allow to post classifieds. I support the current no minimum required.

BUT I would still like to see at least one photo required for a classified.