Holy cow. The bottom line is the forum is not a member-owned operation. As such, if the rules change, then so be it. We either learn to live with it, or we find another venue. it really is that simple.
I am a new member here, but I am by no means new to the idea of doing business and making money. My two cents is, ebay links in the Wanted/For Sale section is bothersome. If it has to be included in the forum, maybe make a section just for it. This allows members who want to skip the ebay posts to do just that. And by design also allows the members selling things on AZ to do so without having to worry about being bumped down the line by ebay auctions.
And as far as keeping the price private? I can't stand the "PM me for price." I don't care if it's legitimate or not, the post reads like an auction and it's hard to assume the seller isn't combing through the PMs looking for the best offer. Secondly, if the rule is to keep the prices public (regardless of the reason) then again, live with it. If it's a rule you disagree with, find somewhere else to sell them. Since nobody pays anything to sell things here you really don't have any right to dictate rules. You can offer suggestions and solutions, but you can't simply will them into place. AZ is thr BEST place to sell a cue, high or low priced. 34,000+ people...billiards players and collectors of all sorts congregate here and peruse the forum. You simply can't get that exposure anywhere else on the web. All of this is provided for us for free. No seller fees, no nothing. Try selling a 40,000 cue on ebay...see how much you pay there. Moreover, everyone sees the price anyway.
Change is rarely easy and even more rarely accepted without issue. But if these are the changes to take place then as members we must learn to live with them and use them to our advantage. Because, quite frankly, you probably won't do any better anywhere else...even for a price.
The only caveat is that, whatever rules are made, they must be transparent, not open to interpretation, and enforced. Otherwise it's a mushroom cloud of a mess.
I do understand the points many people are making in opposition to the new rules, and there is merit to them for sure. But the bottom line is the rules are supposed to be what's best for the forum and for it's members, not just a select few. It will never be a unanimous;y accepted rule, but things do need addressing as it tends to get out of hand. And yes, it is a shame for the minority of sellers that do things completely legitimately. However, one bad apple spoils it for everyone.
