Buying and selling

[Mel]

Hi Folks. You will have noticed that you can no longer post in the Marketplace due to the recent changes in the forum’s Direct Messaging policy. As a result there have been a couple of examples of posts selling items within the body of the forum. Prior to the Marketplace being added to the forum, such buying and selling was not allowed on this forum. Sam and I have discussed this and concluded that we have to return to this position.
This is primarily because, with no direct messaging service on this forum, the only way to contact sellers or prospective buyers is to put your email or telephone number on the post selling an item. As this is an international forum with almost no barriers on who can view it; this would be a very dangerous and unwise practice which we cannot support. Neither are Moderators willing to become go between in sales negotiations.
I am really sorry that this is the position but can see no alternative.
Mel

 

[GUMPY]

A thought.
How about creating a Market Place that only signed in members can view. this would reduce the risk for those that wish to post contact details. Having said that I would still use a "disposable" email address if I were to post.

 

[Mel]

A helpful suggestion but it is not being proposed by Forum Admin at present and unfortunately as anyone, anywhere can become a member of this forum (unless their IP is flagged as Spam) it doesn’t solve the safety issue of displaying a telephone number or email address.
Mel

 

[Hutch]

What is the possibility of being able to post an article that for sale, but with a note to state, "this item is for sale on Site( eBay, Preloved , auto trader) etc, that way no phone numbers or emails are going public on the forum.

 

[Sam Vimes]

A thought.
How about creating a Market Place that only signed in members can view. this would reduce the risk for those that wish to post contact details. Having said that I would still use a "disposable" email address if I were to post.

Its a reasonable suggestion but as Mel has already stated we get inundated with requests to join the forum that are clearly spam and we manually reject them and yet still some slip through.

Any suggestions should be submitted to the Forum Admins as Mel and I just work to what they say.

 

[Mel]

What is the possibility of being able to post an article that for sale, but with a note to state, "this item is for sale on Site( eBay, Preloved , auto trader) etc, that way no phone numbers or emails are going public on the forum.

That would get around some issues. Of the two posts that appeared in the body of the forum; one was from a regular forum member but the other was from a person whose only post was to sell his item. I wonder if we would get a huge number of posts like this. We might not, but we run the risk of becoming a rather irritating advertising space. We also then have to judge between individuals selling and companies selling. Not sure it’s a road we want to go down.
Mel

 

[Hutch]

That would get around some issues. Of the two posts that appeared in the body of the forum; one was from a regular forum member but the other was from a person whose only post was to sell his item. I wonder if we would get a huge number of posts like this. We might not, but we run the risk of becoming a rather irritating advertising space. We also then have to judge between individuals selling and companies selling. Not sure it’s a road we want to go down.
Mel

Yes totally understand. Thanks Mel and Sam