I think prices should be required.
Thanks KJ for posting this, and I wonder how many that will respond with the attitude that it's ok to not post prices May have been the beneficiaries of these type of...lack of better words, silent auctions, if you will?
Makes one wonder.
I base my buying here on the facts of, do I want/need it and can I afford it and is the seller upstanding.
That is very hard to decide if the seller appears to be playing a shell game and you have to play pm tag and HOPE he likes you.... Just to get a price. I, like others don't have the time to play silly games, list a price and it either sells to joe smoe or to todd tiddly winks, either way all people that look will know.
I have 2 beliefs as to why certain people don't do it..., one, to sell to who you want for a price that depends on who the buyer is, and adjust the price accordingly. Two, to avoid anyone knowing how much they really make off selling here, as that is the only thing they do here, and do NOT contribute One dime to the forum owner to upkeep the system nor offer any real advice or help to other members. This site takes plenty of bandwidth to run, which equals money...and a person selling hundreds of dollars a month here and pays Nothing and contributes Nothing but hides their profits made from selling here, Either reason is not right, IMO..There are quite a few sites require a percentage or a set fee to sell on them, Knife forums and pen making forums do it quite often, from my experience. AZ is one of the few that don't as they expect people to be supportive of the system by buying a membership, but quite a few, and they know who they are, don't contribute a dime. Maybe time for Mike to start charging a fee to sell here or require buying a membership to sell here, at the very least it may hinder people like Forney from coming back as easily as they would have to provide a credit card and have an expense to pay upfront.
Some thing needs to change."
Dave
Great post Dave.
I would have no problem at all with folks at least being required to buy a membership to sell here. This site is certainly a resource, and resources take money to operate as you've indicated. I also rather like the idea of at least attaching a selling price to the item/s, that you're going to sell. At that point the buyer knows upfront what the starting point is, and can decide for themselves, if it's even worth pursuing. I don't mind communicating with folks who purchase from me via PM, or email, and I have even spoken with a few via telephone, but I will admit, that many times I have had buyers PM me for a price, even when the prices are clearly listed. I try to update my particular thread/s as often as I can without feeling like a nuisance to other sellers, but it seems that some buyers simply want to ask for information that you as the seller, have already clearly posted time and time again. What is the answer? I don't know. The way I am wired, I attempt to be pleasant, and treat every customer as if they are my only one. It does get frustrating at times, but at the end of the day, I just remind myself that people are enjoying what I am providing, and making many of their acquaintances has been the real reward. I also want to commend KJ for his style, in bringing this issue to light. He did this in the right way, as only a savvy vet can...with class, and absolutely with the correct approach. In the form of civil discussion.
Best regards to all.
Joe P.
