we do the 5 posts before being able to sell at dfo. it works out to be a joke sometimes though. new guy signs on and says "awesome drums" on 5 different topics and then heads to the for sale.

mike

I dont think 5 posts makes one a contributing member. My opinion. Some others may differ. However, my thoughts on this are that I resent those who join just to use the place as a dumping ground for their stuff. A contributing member has developed a history with the site. I believe with that history, relationship and respect are established, and with that, there is a baseline for trust prior to sales. "Awesome drums." posted 5 times or 500 times does not do that, and should not allow a person to use the site for sales. Making a 20.00 donation to the site via paypal, purely for the purpose of using the site for sales, doesnt really make that person a contributing member, in my opinion.

As I see it, real contributions to the site, both in knowledge and support should be a minimum requirement. Make it a significant number.

Cool, Daddy-O !

TommyP - You're up to bat. What do you think?

John

Also, ads should have prices.

word....

mike

John,You make good points but i think it should be more than 5 post before you can list in "For Sale" part of the forum.Maybe 100 posts with in 6 months.In other words you would have to do some work on this forum before you could start to sell.Why i say this their is a member on the forum right now with over 700 post and 95% of his post are for sell items and bumps them up all the time.. and all they do is sell because they are a drum shop they never hardly post anything more about drums.I also think if you sell on this forum you should give alittle to the forum from your sale.On C/l posting maybe a sticky post to post them only? Same for Ebay listing that is not a members listing....Mikey

I buy and sell frequently on an astronomy forum (telescopes and related hardware). There is no minimum posting there but members are encouraged to "beware".

The great thing about that forum is the buyer seller rating system, similar to ebay but simpler. When a transaction is done, a members rate each other, both buyer and seller as to the mutual buy/sell experience. The ratings are searchable, both given and received ratings. This assures a pleasant experience allowing both buyer and seller to "research" each other.

The 5 post minimum is too low and does not allow for any review or rating.

Another possible solution is to charge $3-5 per ad, which supports the site and "weeds out" potential scanners.

-kellyj

John, I like what I'm reading here overall... but I've got to line up with Mikey and Ploughman on this. I like the 100 posts/6 mos idea, and with a financial contribution requirement because something then is "invested." I'll have to admit I've been lax on the financial bit -- hadn't even thought of it.

I have been guilty of putting up an eBay or CL post that wasn't mine -- not considering the problems it can cause. In fact usually (unless it's something I found humorous or really stupid) I thought by posting some of them I was helping members find something they might be looking for. But like I said, I hadn't considered the down side, as I've had my own "For Sale" posts bumped down to oblivian.

So, what would it take to create a new category specifically for members posting CL or eBay listings we think might be helpful? I think could be of benefit, too.

Bill

Hello... and THANKS to all that have written! My apologies for the "late" response, but I only saw this thread now as I was out with the quartet doing a gig last night... So!,

The short and quick answer would be that David and I have chatted about EXACTLY this in the past. This type of question/thought having to do with the FOR SALE section, CL, and eBay, has come up a few times over the years. We have talked about adding a dedicated eBay section, you know... a place where JUST eBay auctions of interest can be placed.. ( primarily for contributing members of course! ) .. but haven't done anything formally with it as yet. It may be time. Regarding the CL's issue...

... it's a PITA in all of our opinion's. The quickest/easiest way to handle that right now is to DELETE all CL's ads/posts that are put up "alerting" the members of some GREAT buy that can be had as we have all seen too many of: "I just saw these drums in the ______ CL!"

The FOR SALE section: Well, this has also come up for discussion from time to time, and whereas David and I AGREE with you guy's completely on many issues/ideas, instituting a "5 post or more before being able to place an ad" won't really work, and for the very reasons that were given already in this thread. That said, the only thing the Administrators can do at present is to monitor that section a little more closely, and DELETE where applicable.

THANK YOU! to Kevins for being cognizant of the fact that this is indeed a FREE public forum, and neither David nor I take one copper penny from this venture, yet put in a better than fair amount of time to "try" and keep it running smoothly. THANKS Kevin! Lastly...

It's because of the fine membership we have here at the VDF that makes it all worth it! I would be remiss to not add that John.. ( Purdie Shuffle ) .. is always thinking of ways to make this a better place to hang/chat about vintage drums, and also gets our "tip of the stick" for his efforts! THANKS John!

Let's see what I can do here. It might take a bit to get through all of them at first, but the "cleaning" shall begin!

Tommyp