Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations We need a buy, swap, and sell category

Every website I participate in similar to this website has one. It doesn't have to be in competition with the commercial vendors here that sell retail as a business and advertise here. I'm talking about the average Joe or Jill here that has something pond related to sell or swap like a used pump, or a few fish, or something that someone else could use here. Not someone that regularly sells things as a business and therefore wouldn't be in competition with the advertisers here.

Case in point: I have a hobby farm where I try and hatch most of my own fish and then grow them out for my market selling trophy fish to fellow taxidermists. Every year I have a few hundred extra YOY fish and I'd be happy to sell them at a competitive price to someone here that resides in my state. I have no interest in producing fish solely for stocking ponds and don't have the capacity if I did. However the way the site is set up I have to be regular advertiser to do so, which would probably exceed the selling price of a few extra fsh.

It could be a revenue generator for the website as a small fee could be charged to post something for sale or swap. Or one could get the green light to post something if the poster agrees to make a donation of his choice? Or if you donate to the website at some point in the year you are free to post something for swap or sale?

I'm sure there are some negatives but I think if one could learn from other sites or address the potentional negatives with intelligent thought and this new category would enhance the website.

Thoughts?

Cecil
I like the idea


Pat W

Good idea...

Thoughts? I try ta avoid em.

I've had more than just a little experience with this. As a moderator, I would not be in favor of such a service. But, it really is Pond Boss Lusk's decision.

I expressed my opinions years ago on this thread: Can we get a new forum section?

On other forums I'm involved with, we have had a number of issues with scams. For the moderators and administrators of this site, we constantly are eliminating spammers that make it past our fairly extensive security software every night. My feeling is that the scammers would do the same, causing liability for Pond Boss, the administrators, and the moderators.

I would also refer people to this thread on a site where I am active: Anatomy of an Internet Scam. It is one of a number of similar threads. Each new technique to try and solve the problem results in other issues.

My personal feeling would be that if we were to start such a service, it would need to be monitored full time by a professional -- probably paid.

Regards,
Ken

Makes sense Ken and of course it's Bob's site and decision. However on two sites I frequent with one I'm a moderator on, it's not an issue. One of the two had only had one ad put up and that was moi.

Is it possible to try it and then discontinue it when there is trouble? The option for it would not have to be cast in stone. It seems to be pretty easy for a moderator to "yank" a thread.

In the taxidermy website I frequent there are guidelines but the website takes no responsibility for any bad dealings that may happen. And I've never seen any spam in the For Sale category. There are probably up to 50 things posted a day with no issues.

I doubt there would be much activity on this website. But it would be nice service for members and a way to drum up some income.

I like the idea of a minimum number of posts needed before being able to buy/sell.

That would take care of the spammers wouldn't it?

I don't know if such a system could be set up automatically, or if it would take a manual "hand" from the mods.

Frankly, moderators and administrators have more than enough work to do on the forum without adding a forum-mart. It sounds simple but that is only the surface of it.

Perhaps more help is needed? Is it really that much trouble?

How about a peek below the surface into a typical day for a mod/admin?? I will admit to knowing next to nothing about forum mechanics, but if the thing truly requires that much hands on, why?

We are all volunteers and most of us have a life and jobs or businesses to run. Resources are limited.

On another forum I swing by from time to time, if you are a paid subscriber to the forum, you can post stuff for sale. Lifetime membership is about $100.00.

I rarely see anyone posting something for sale. It's more like someone asking (which can be a standard member) if anyone knows where to get an obsolete piece of hardware from or a programming cable that hasn't been produced in quite a while. Someone may have it in their bag of tricks and they take it to PM's. A friend of mine in GR came up with a programming cable for an obsolete Panasonic servo, which is actually Fanuc. The guy was ecstatic!

If I need a cable for something obsolete, I just use breakout boards from ASI with the right connectors on each end. Lifesavers in a pinch.

They do have 26 mod's, plus the admin. Pretty sure the mod's are paid to an extent.

Quite a bit of international traffic on the site as well so they do have some really strict rules.

If you are someone from anywhere in the world even mentioning you have a control system that is password protected and you need to get into it...

There is a homestead forum I use to stop by a few years ago, and they had a buy/sell category. Seemed to work from what I have noticed at the time. You did need to make 50 valid posts that the mod's were OK with before you could add a pic or insert a link into any post you made. The other option was to actually talk to one of the mods on the phone to lift the 50 post restriction.

A few of the mod's had over inflated egos on this homesteading stuff and I felt they were a tad dangerous giving their expert opinion on how to cobble up electrical stuff

Guys,
Sounds like a good idea on the surface.
While I'm an optimistic person and love good ideas, I'm in the unenviable spot to have to fulfill these good ideas.
Seems we are all stretched pretty thin. That's the moderators, and our staff at PB. We're working overtime on the upcoming conference right now and I'm about to start on the Jan-Feb issue of the magazine as well. I don't like to do things if I'm not convinced we can do it right. Plus, I need to think about our advertisers, too. An example of that is what happens when someone makes a home made aeration system and then wants to sell it on our forum? I'll hear about it from paying advertisers and then those who buy these products from the website. Who guarantees the stuff for sale? If someone sells something that's defective, how do the complaints affect us?
Here are the biggest obstacles:
1) Not enough staff to bird dog this daily.
2) Protecting our good, vetted, advertisers.
3) Not enough money to justify the effort.

If I had some comfort level of overcoming these primary obstacles, I'd sure consider doing it.

I hate to be the one to come out and ask the question that's on everyone's mind, but just for my own information (and to make sure I don't screw up) I'll pick up a stick and go one more round with that dead horse.

Would it be possible to define the parameters of what is allowable, (if anything) and what is verboten?

In other words, what happens now if someone has some fish they want to give away to a good home? Direct competition, or okay?

Hey Bob, always works on the surface, but get to the nuts-n-bolts of actually making it work. Not worth the trouble.

No problem here. Just thought I'd ask and I know too well what it's like to volunteer when you have other things going on. That's why I don't do it anymore. LOL

Bob,

Thanks for considering it and the thoughtful response.

I personally don't like it and it's been brought up before. Let's say that someone sells something that doesn't meet another persons expectations. Or the check bounces or.......

Like John Wayne said in a movie' "My fault, your fault, nobodys fault, etc.". This stuff can lead to hard feelings. And we all do our double damndest to keep that from happening.

And now *you* understand. Anything goes wrong, anything at all... your fault, my fault, nobody's fault... it won't matter - I'm gonna blow your head off. No matter what else happens, no matter who gets killed I'm gonna blow your head off.

Big Jake.

Right ON DD1! That's why they have ebay and other venues. Product experiences are always helpful tho.

Yep, I was too lazy to put in the whole thing.

BTW, the next line that I remember from the movie is "I thought you were dead.".

The response "Not hardly".

Jacob McCandless

I don't think there is really anything stopping an honorable member from making a post saying "I'm selling a few tanks. If anyone is interested, send me a PM."

Or something like that.