Poll: What’s up with all the new members that joined in 2020???

[Joe13]

Just like the title says....

I find myself seeing Guns and Ammo in the classifieds for top dollar or more (even accounting for this Panic Buying atmosphere), take a look at the seller and they generally joined after January of 2020.

Why are all of these people coming out of the wood works and posting for sale literally thousands of dollars in items and I've yet to see a single one purchase a forum membership to help keep the lights on here.

I get the free classifieds to bring in new members but if they aren't contributing to the forum content and just using it as a local Armslist to make money on either desperate or nieve buyers then why have free classifieds at all?

Surely if your selling $600 worth of Ammo (that's on the low side of what I'm seeing) then you can afford a $30/year membership at the least.

Ive bought a few things from here on the rare occasion and I've maybe sold a couple hundred dollars worth of stuff over the last 6 years but I'm not talking about the occasional purchase or sell.

Im talking about the hoard of price 'opportunists' (insert whatever word you identify with) that have descended on the community here.

@Joe Link - I personally think you should require at least a bronze membership to sell in the classifieds. I don't think it will hurt the people that only sell a little here or there (as they most often are already a supporting member) and it would help with the costs of running this place. We certainly have the membership base that I wouldn't think we need the free classifieds to bring in more people at this point.

Just my 2¢

Read More

 

[The Heretic]

Why are they here?

1) A LOT of people suddenly got a LOT of time on their hands.
2) A LOT of people suddenly need $
3) Guns and ammo are sometimes scarce and the prices went up.

I support requiring X number of posts, or maybe being a member for a month, before allowing classified posting privileges. I seem to recall it was that way once? Or was that somewhere else?

Either way, requiring X number of posts would reduce the Hit-n-run classifieds.

 

[QualityControl]

...I support requiring X number of posts, or maybe being a member for a month, before allowing classified posting privileges. I seem to recall it was that way once? Or was that somewhere else?

Either way, requiring X number of posts would reduce the Hit-n-run classifieds.

^^^
This

I help run a large discussion forum (not firearm related) with a very active free classified section, this is exactly what we do. The classifieds in our opinion is a bonus for the members who are active and contribute to the forum discussions. We don't want the classifieds to be the focus of action so new members have to wait and post a bit before they get access. By that time they generally have grown to like participating in the discussions in the general area. If a new member starts speed posting with one word posts to build their counts to get to the classifieds we generally give them a gentle warning and/or sometimes reset their post count.

Anyway, just how we do it.

QC

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Many of the crazy high priced ammo ads etc I've seen are from members with 2-3 total posts. They come on here for one purpose only.

Don't know if this is within the rules or not. But I would imagine pretty soon there will be fraudulent/scam ads going on too. Just guessing. Classifieds needs a better feedback system imo at a minimum.

Meanwhile, buyers should check into the number of posts the seller has and the content of the seller's posts.

 

[sobo]

Meanwhile, buyers should check into the number of posts the seller has and the content of the seller's posts.

THIS

 

[sobo]

I personally think you should require at least a bronze membership to sell in the classifieds. I don't think it will hurt the people that only sell a little here or there (as they most often are already a supporting member) and it would help with the costs of running this place. We certainly have the membership base that I wouldn't think we need the free classifieds to bring in more people at this point.

Alternatively, maybe set it up so that a new member only gets one (1) free classified with their sign-up.

As their post count grows, they receive "chits" for additional classifieds until they hit a certain post count, after which there is no limit to the number of free classifieds they can place, if they don't want to buy a supporting membership. That way, if Joe wants to keep the classifieds free, it accomplishes that desire and it cuts down on the classified clutter from people that are only here to treat the site like their personal Giant Nickel...

 

[QualityControl]

...Meanwhile, buyers should check into the number of posts the seller has and the content of the seller's posts.

Yes!

We had some scammers try and circumvent the post count needed to access the classifieds by using the PM function. When we figured this out we ended up making it so new member's had no PM privileges until they hit the post count minimum. Members should have been wary of folks with no posts but hey, what can you do?

QC

 

[Certaindeaf]

I hear you guys but we're big boys here and can make our own decisions on buying stuff.
I think what clogs up the works though, new guy or not, is a lot of people post like ten separate ads for like ten different boxes of ammo at one go.
I mean come on, a good title and one ad will work 9/10 of the time for a lot of stuff.

 

[Joe13]

I hear you guys but we're big boys here and can make our own decisions on buying stuff.
I think what clogs up the works though, new guy or not, is a lot of people post like ten separate ads for like ten different boxes of ammo at one go.
I mean come on, a good title and one ad will work 9/10 of the time for a lot of stuff.

My initial point was not to encourage people to not buy at the (imo) high prices - cuz in reality everything is skyrocketing and anything that might even be close to a reasonable price sells in 2 min if not less.

If you can sell it as whatever price you set then I guess you priced it right.

Im just saying that if you are out of the local area selling $7000 guns then you can most likely afford $30 for a supporting membership. Or if you have those 10 adds for 10 boxes of slightly different Ammo for $400 a case you can probably afford $30.

Now I say a minimum membership because it seems easier then keeping track of percentages or whatever. Heck even a 'Monthly' fee to keep your ad up would do two things:

pay for the forum operating costs

&

Might keep people selling at slightly lower costs then just reposting their 10 adds over and over for months/years on end. Idk but that was my hopes for the the thread.

Honestly it doesn't affect me one way or the other but I'm unemployed trying to support a family of 3 and I'm not selling my guns or ammo no matter how much money I could make on it right now cuz I didn't buy high but I do like to shoot - ultimately it sucks to see the admin send out a mass message asking for donations to keep the site going and not really be able to afford much in the way of help and then see people selling thousands of dollars worth of gear and not contributing to the site in any way that is not different then setting up a table at a flee market.

 

[sobo]

...ultimately it sucks to see the admin send out a mass message asking for donations to keep the site going and not really be able to afford much in the way of help and then see people selling thousands of dollars worth of gear and not contributing to the site in any way that is different then setting up a table at a flee market.

That right there.

 

[Lilhigbee]

Charge the non-contributing members a buck or two to place an ad.
Having successfully bought and sold with people that only came here for a single transaction, I would hate to see the newbies chased off because they had to wait or had to participate X-amount before they can have a Classified ad. Undoubtedly lots of them do their business and disappear, but there are probably a few who wind up staying and participating, maybe even contributing. It would lessen the value of the Classifieds to lose those buying and selling opportunities and not really benefit the site.

ETA; Just checked the Top Traders list. Two of the ten most prolific Classifieds users are Contributing members.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Charge the non-contributing members a buck or two to place an ad.
Having successfully bought and sold with people that only came here for a single transaction, I would hate to see the newbies chased off because they had to wait or had to participate X-amount before they can have a Classified ad. Undoubtedly lots of them do their business and disappear, but there are probably a few who wind up staying and participating, maybe even contributing. It would lessen the value of the Classifieds to lose those buying and selling opportunities and not really benefit the site.

ETA; Just checked the Top Traders list. Two of the ten most prolific Classifieds users are Contributing members.

Good idea! Classified are free to access to members with X posts, X time on site but new members pay small fee for buy and sell privileges. Easy for us to say though I guess. It's another thing to go through the work to set that up. It's a good idea though I think.

 

[Mikej]

I hear you guys but we're big boys here and can make our own decisions on buying stuff.
I think what clogs up the works though, new guy or not, is a lot of people post like ten separate ads for like ten different boxes of ammo at one go.
I mean come on, a good title and one ad will work 9/10 of the time for a lot of stuff.

I'm a big boy too! When I see the 9mm going for $400.00 a K, well, and move on. If dude sells it, . I'm capable of making that decision. The internet is a big place, and if your on the net looking to buy you're capable of doing the research so if you get ripped, it's on you.

The management has suggested that sellers have separate ads, for some reason I don't recall now. "I" would think "RIFLE AMMO FS" and the single ad would list 4-5, whatever, calibers. But?

Charge the non-contributing members a buck or two to place an ad.
Having successfully bought and sold with people that only came here for a single transaction, I would hate to see the newbies chased off because they had to wait or had to participate X-amount before they can have a Classified ad. Undoubtedly lots of them do their business and disappear, but there are probably a few who wind up staying and participating, maybe even contributing. It would lessen the value of the Classifieds to lose those buying and selling opportunities and not really benefit the site.

ETA; Just checked the Top Traders list. Two of the ten most prolific Classifieds users are Contributing members.

Thing is, not everyone wants to participate in a discussion forum. People with few posts that have good stuff to sell at a reasonable price is a benefit to the whole forum. As a buyer your going to be in the same place as above. Do the research, have some common sense and vet the seller first via a phone call so you can get a feel of them. Maybe you're good enough to get that feel via texts? I don't know how, but that seems the way everyone does it now.

Hopefully Joe can get a bunch of the newest members to chip in for the good of the board. If we make people pay, one way or the other, for the classifieds they may just say "Screw it" and go Armslist.

What ever is decided, no sweat for me. I'm vetted!

 

[BrentN]

Just me, but I prefer free market systems, warts and all. I'd rather see more classifieds and sort through them myself, than have someone do it for me. Post counts (easily manipulated), chits, memberships- may actually drive away buyers and sellers. If I stumbled across NWFA today and saw I had to jump through hoops to post a classified or make an offer on something I wanted, I would likely move on and not look back.

 

[quneur]

No classified for me. People here scare me.

 

[arakboss]

I hear you guys but we're big boys here and can make our own decisions on buying stuff.
I think what clogs up the works though, new guy or not, is a lot of people post like ten separate ads for like ten different boxes of ammo at one go.
I mean come on, a good title and one ad will work 9/10 of the time for a lot of stuff.

I agree with you. And I will add that if newbies come in offering items for redic prices it will only help other members sell their items at more reasonable prices faster.

 

[tac]

The only thing that stops me buying stuff here is the fact that, in general, I can't.

Rest assured, however, that two well-known gun stores in Oregon get my custom for the things that I CAN buy and bring back here

Not only do I leave my heart in the PNW, but my hard-earned $$$$, too.

 

[RLS]

Sometimes people are forced to do something they would never do or have never done in the past like sell ammo. I will be replacing all ammo i was forced to sell to raise funds within 11 days to save everything i have worked so hard for in my 55 yrs. and i will likely have to pay more then it sold for so be it.

I have never sold ammo but i have gave ammo to the buyer of the 3 firearms i have ever sold.

 

[raftman]

Just me, but I prefer free market systems, warts and all. I'd rather see more classifieds and sort through them myself, than have someone do it for me. Post counts (easily manipulated), chits, memberships- may actually drive away buyers and sellers. If I stumbled across NWFA today and saw I had to jump through hoops to post a classified or make an offer on something I wanted, I would likely move on and not look back.

Agreed. I'm quite capable of vetting an ad, researching whether the price reasonable, etc. If it's not, I move along. If someone is going to do a drive-by classifieds post and over-price something, it will probably be ignored by would-be buyers. If the price is reasonable, then why throw the baby out with the bath water?

It's a bit like having a local gun store I imagine. Sometimes there will develop a friendly relationship between store staff/owners and regular customers... and sometimes a guy will walk in to sell a used rifle and then have no interest in ever coming back. Should the store say that "you must have x amount of interactions here before we do business with you."?

 

[Jonnyuma]

I support requiring X number of posts, or maybe being a member for a month, before allowing classified posting privileges.

I agree.
I think most forums (like I would know... I'm really only ever on this one) do this in an effort to keep away spammers.
It doesn't always stop em, they just post in other sections. But it keeps the classifieds mostly clean.