What exactly is the problem?
The answer to me is simple. One section is for private classifieds of used stuff. One section is for commercial vendors who are selling new stuff. Adjust the rules on bumps so that they follow what more established forums do.
Charge the commercial vendors for the right to post and limit the amount of posting that they can do. Or as was previously mentioned allow them to purchase a subforum of their own if they have so much to offer that they need a section of their own.
The answer is NOT to cut out what's attractive about this section. And that is simply the sheer amount of offerings.
I grew up in the flea market business and the difference between a successful flea market and a crappy one is the amount of visitors it draws. Big flea markets with lots of vendors of all types draw more people. Little ones with hardly any vendors don't draw many people.
It would be a shame to destroy this section and watch the traffic fall off the cliff. On the other hand mixing the retail sellers with the private listings is not the right way to go either. I have mentioned to Mike and Jerry before how I feel that they can monetize this section and keep it vibrant.
One reason that the Super Billiards Expo is attractive is the amount of vendors. Those vendors pay for the privilege to be there and I think that the same thing can apply here. I wouldn't mind at all and I doubt anyone else who sells frequently here would either.
This is a marketplace that is every bit as valid as the Super Billiards Expo. It's been free long enough and many of us have profited well from being able to list here. Many of us have shown our support by purchasing a Club Membership. I am sure that many of us would not mind paying more for the yearly access to list our wares.
I personally look at this section as a virtual way to connect with my customers. It's as close to meeting them as I am going to get. It's also very good for market research as I can see what my competitors are putting up as they can see what I am putting up. I have come to know many fine cue makers through this section that would otherwise probably not have bothered to post were it against the rules.
To be honest I am happy though that some change is coming in this direction. If it's a total ban then it benefits me because I participate as a community member and I get sales due to people just pm'ing me because they like what I have to say. I don't like to compete with the people who NEVER contribute to AZB beyond the WFS section. People who show up counterfeit products, people who sell direct from Hong Kong with NO warranty whatsoever and no intention to back up their wares and the like. If all commercial sales are wiped off this section then I am positive I will not feel it much at all and the burden of putting up the couple cases for sale per month would cease. I wouldn't feel like I had to keep up with the Jones' because my competitors were putting up a couple cases a month and staying relevant in this section. The adage out of sight out of mind applies.
I feel that those who never contribute to the overall content on AZ, who never participate in the discussions, never add any value to the knowledge base would lose out. I have always felt that the trade off for being able to list for free is to give up some of my time participating as a member of the community.
But anyway as I said, I really feel that this is the right time to clean up and MONETIZE this section for AZB. It brings in a TON of traffic and a TON of views.
Regarding the idea that having a vibrant WFS with commercial vendors is affecting the advertisers....I don't know if one can really draw a proper correlation there. I mean certainly there have to be times when someone might not spend the $500 they slated on a cue on a Predator but instead on a Brent Hartmann but I think that's really hard to identify. On the other hand Predator's sales seem to do well so perhaps the advertising is working.
One thing AZB can do is to place banners ads IN THE THREADS. I participate in several forums that do this. So there is no escape from the banner ads other than ad-blocking which honestly no forum can do anything about as far as I know.
In the end it will be what it will be. Really though AZB's WFS is a destination for thousands of people every day. It is a community unto itself and it would be a real shame if it were destroyed by heavy-handed slash and burn tactics when there is most certainly a middle ground that increases revenue for AZB and preserves the strong amount of offers here. I think that the poor actors need to be weeded out and the contributors rewarded.
Regarding moderation I think that AZB should recruit moderators from the active participants in this section. Let it be kept clean by the people who use it most.
In any event I guess I better put up 20 cases for sale before the year ends.
