The Let's Allow Non-Supporters to Post to the TB Classifieds Petition

rogerbmiller · #1 04-01-2005, 08:39 PM

Okay fellow TB-ers. Once again I am going to be contraversial...

I think that since TB stopped allowing non-supporting members to post on the TB classifieds FS section, it has gone to pot. There are hardly any postings at all up there. Practically nothing, nada, goose egg, doughnut, niet, ungatz! It is no longer a viable resource for those in the market for gear.

I personally think that providing a rich and plentiful TB classifieds section is the best way for TB to reward its supporting members. Right now, TB seems to treat the ability to post as a perk. Well believe me, That is upside down. I used to browse the TB's everyday and now I don't even bother cause there is nothing there. I just pulled down a FS posting of my own cause no one else even bothers to go BECAUSE THERE IS HARDLY ANYTHING UP THERE WORTH LOOKING AT. Surely this policy hasn't raised any incremental revenue by encouraging more SM's-- it has made the TB FS section less useful and it has sent more business to ebay then you can imagine, mine included.

Let's make this the post a petition to bring non SM' back to the classifieds. I think a better effort would be not to restrict non SM's but to educate them about how being an SM is more cost effective than using ebay at all. SM cost $20 per year. Every bass you sell on ebay averages about $15 in fees. Sell 1.33333333 basses on TB and that's that.

If you agree with me, please weigh in, if not, please don;t shoot this post down. This is a pretty important issue for TB, IMO. If enought people agree, then hopefully the powers that be will examine this issue one more time. If not, that's okay too, but let's see what the comunity has to say.

Thanks.

Petary791 · #2 04-01-2005, 08:42 PM

I'm with you. I would love to post there. I don't mean to sound disrespectful, I just don't think we should have to buy posting privileges.

Ray Salamon · #3 04-01-2005, 08:46 PM

I've had a rather difficult time moving gear in the FS forum as well lately, and let several pieces go for less than I wanted to. I can't personally vouche for it being due to the SM issue, but I think that may have part to do with it

. Also, I miss seeing all sorts of gear in there... it used to be you couldn't go a handful of hours without having quite a bit of gear to look at in there (or am I mistaken??), and now it's just a few here and there... kind of disappointing for fellows lookin' for a deal

.

Ray

MJ5150 · #4 04-01-2005, 09:01 PM

Why isn't this in the Suggestion Box forum?

There still seems to be lots for sale when I check. I think the difficulty in selling gear is not related to the fact that non-SM's can not post for sale threads. You can always check out bassgear, eBay, and HC if you want something no one here is selling.

-Mike

Stinsok · #5 04-01-2005, 09:05 PM

I am going to quit using ebay, and become a supporting member and just use the FS forum. Most of the stuff I sell is musical anyway.

fiebru1119 · #6 04-01-2005, 09:06 PM

I agree you with you, rogerbmiller.

I knew there was something wierd going on with the FS forum lately but couldn't figure out what (I didnt know this issue was in effect). It used to be that if you went a day without checking the classifieds you would find 2-3 pages of new gear to sort through. From that standpoint I can agree that it has had a definite effect on the Classifieds section.

kaboom133 · #7 04-01-2005, 09:10 PM

Maybe it's just me, but it does seem as though there isn't as much interesting stuff there as there always was. I say go back to the way it was, but then again, it's not my decision to make...

DigMe · #8 04-01-2005, 09:24 PM

Maybe we should just start a petition for rogerbmiller to become a supporting member.

brad cook

**embellisher** · #9 04-01-2005, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigMe

Maybe we should just start a petition for rogerbmiller to become a supporting member.

brad cook

He is.

xyllion · #10 04-01-2005, 09:41 PM

I can imagine the reasons why the policy change was made, and I totally agree with it. Becoming a supporting member is very easy. The amount of money to become a supporting member here is less than the fees for selling one bass on eBay. This requirement will also help to chase away scammers. Scammers look for the free and easy way to get their scams to the public. Creating this requirement is huge deterent to scammers looking to sell you something that they don't have.

MJ5150 · #11 04-01-2005, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xyllion

IThis requirement will also help to chase away scammers.

Yep, I agree. I was a SM before the policy took place, but I see the wisdom. This is not a matter of "you have to be a SM to post", it's more of a protection from the flakes looking to rip people off.

From what I understand, being able to post in the GFS forum is not WHY you become a supporting member, and enforcing the new policy is not an attempt to generate new SM's. It is a nice perk, and Paul's way of looking out for the people who look out for him.

-Mike

Walbassman · #12 04-01-2005, 11:01 PM

Interesting. I am not yet SM and I have pretty much stopped going to GFS because while there are items that are posted, the sheer quantity of those items has decreased. I have bought a few things from TB'ers and have not had any problems. Ebay is enticing because there is SOOO much on there. People are apt to bid on whatever (but that's another topic)....
Maybe another part of the reason that the item list is smaller is because many people know that on ebay you generally get higher money because EVERYONE's looking there and gauging prices???

jrug · #13 04-01-2005, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xyllion

I can imagine the reasons why the policy change was made, and I totally agree with it. Becoming a supporting member is very easy. The amount of money to become a supporting member here is less than the fees for selling one bass on eBay. This requirement will also help to chase away scammers. Scammers look for the free and easy way to get their scams to the public. Creating this requirement is huge deterent to scammers looking to sell you something that they don't have.

You could get burned by a supporting member just as easily as anyone else, but, whatever.

I originally became a supporting member as a way of showing appreciation for a small handful of good transactions that I had over a year ago. I saved plenty of money and felt that becoming a supporting member was the honorable thing to do. My membership recently expired and I have no intention of renewing because of the new policy. I still visit TB pretty much daily, free of charge, and it seems that I'm being pressured to pay more to receive less. I remember when I used to go a day without logging on I would find 2 or 3 pages of new posts in the GFS forum and now there might be half a page that are mostly bumps. There is still plenty of gear being offered up but not nearly as much as there used to be. I'm not going to pay for that.

msquared · #14 04-01-2005, 11:37 PM

I've considered becoming a supporting member for a while now, but the new Classifieds policy is what pushed me over the edge to donate now instead of a month from now. I don't regret donating at all, but for the sake of the gear section I really wish that wasn't the policy. I think that there are better ways to drum up business, such as limiting the number of posts per week/month someone can make as a nonsupporter.

As far as the flakes who rip people off.. isn't that what the feedback section is for? If someone isn't smart enough to do a little digging on the seller before buying that Super Nordstrand/Dingwall/Conklin collaboration bass with a TV in it, I'd consider that to be their problem. Simply closing it off to nonsupporters doesn't help much when it only costs $20 to be a supporter.

Note: my wife thanks everyone involved with making the gear section suck.

MJ5150 · #15 04-02-2005, 01:18 AM

TalkBass is so much MORE than the Gear For Sale section. What is everyones hangup with one small section of the entire site? Some of these comments make it out like Paul is trying to force people to join TalkBass. I spend a small amount of time in the classifieds compared to the other forums. I'd still come here even if there was no classifieds.

-Mike

Mike N · #16 04-02-2005, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

TalkBass is so much MORE than the Gear For Sale section. What is everyones hangup with one small section of the entire site? Some of these comments make it out like Paul is trying to force people to join TalkBass. I spend a small amount of time in the classifieds compared to the other forums. I'd still come here even if there was no classifieds.

-Mike

+1

rogerbmiller · #17 04-02-2005, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigMe

Maybe we should just start a petition for rogerbmiller to become a supporting member.

brad cook

Are you kidding me?

rogerbmiller · #18 04-02-2005, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

TalkBass is so much MORE than the Gear For Sale section. What is everyones hangup with one small section of the entire site? Some of these comments make it out like Paul is trying to force people to join TalkBass. I spend a small amount of time in the classifieds compared to the other forums. I'd still come here even if there was no classifieds.

-Mike

To be honest, I think peoples' hangup is that more than anything, is that bassists love gear and they are seeing less and less of it on TB now.

I have closely studied they traffic on TB and I can tell you that the three most visited sections of the Bass Guitar forums, at any time of the day, without fail, are Basses, AMPS and GFS. Bassists, myself included take as much pride and enjoyment in owning gear as they are in playing it. Go check right now if you don't believe me. These dwarf the other sites in a big way. So this one little section represents a huge chunk of traffic and interest and it has dwindled to a pittance of what it was.

That is a big ussue, IMO. Also, speaking altruistically, it is so much better, at least for me to trade directly with bassists than to throw something up on ebay. I would much rather have the human interaction and know that something I am selling will be appreciated and that something I am buying has been appreciated. With ebay you get none of that. But now I'm getting cosmic...

**Pacman** · #19 04-02-2005, 08:26 AM

Leave it.

msquared · #20 04-02-2005, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

TalkBass is so much MORE than the Gear For Sale section. What is everyones hangup with one small section of the entire site? Some of these comments make it out like Paul is trying to force people to join TalkBass.

Hopefully my comment wasn't taken as such. I was going to join anyway, that just pushed it a little.

Everyone is hung up on that because that is specifically what the original poster was addressing.