Changes to The Marketplace
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We are experimenting with a change to how The Marketplace works.
From now on only forum users with 20+ posts will be able to access the Want to Buy, Buying and Selling and Stuff To Trade boards.
The reason for this is an increase in scamming, coupled with a huge increase in low effort, spammy sales threads that link to external sites without providing anymore information.
Sales threads should include the following at a minimum:
- Correct details about the item (name, maker, size)
- Photographs of the item being offered for sale
- Terms and conditions the seller decides upon
- A price with specifies currency.
The Marketplace is provided by us as a free service and an alternative to the other more costly, generalised sites. It is intended to be used by IH interested people, and concentrate on this brand, other similar brands, or items relevant to the community here. It is intended as a resource for forum users not as an entity in itself.
Users with less than 20 posts who wish to access these boards are encouraged to interact with the community and be a part of what we do here. Reaching 20 posts will then happen quickly. Spam posts or shitposting to reach the threshold will result in a permanent ban.
Feel free to offer your opinions on this policy here.
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absolutely good decision , well done gentlemen!
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Agree
This should count towards my 20…
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My only thought that could be a "negative" is that there is probably some people here who browse the site only to buy used items. They may never post, only DM a seller and make a transaction that way. They aren't spamming the site or overloading with posts, only here to quietly spend money.
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That's a good point Jeff, but I don't know what the best approach is. Whatever we do will be a compromise. As far as I am concerned, I built this place to be a place where people could talk about stuff, interact and have a good time, that to my mind is still the primary purpose. The buying and selling boards are of secondary consideration, and frankly, if people can't be bothered to give anything back, in the form of some sort of contribution to the community, then will we miss them?
What is undeniable, is that the number of first-time posters whose first interaction here is to sell something, is increasing massively….
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My only thought that could be a "negative" is that there is probably some people here who browse the site only to buy used items. They may never post, only DM a seller and make a transaction that way. They aren't spamming the site or overloading with posts, only here to quietly spend money.
Reasonable point, and something we have considered. To be fair… there are lots of places they can do that though, E-bay, Grailed, etc.
I would like to of set the bar a little lower, say five or ten posts. But the mechanics of the current platform don’t allow it. Regardless, giving a little in terms of content, should be a small price to pay for access.
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What is undeniable, is that the number of first-time posters whose first interaction here is to sell something, is increasing massively….
…and not even trying to make a quality buy/sell post for the items that they are trying to sell. If their post is please see my eBay (or other similar site) are they contributing to the community in any meaningful way?
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What is undeniable, is that the number of first-time posters whose first interaction here is to sell something, is increasing massively….
…and not even trying to make a quality buy/sell post for the items that they are trying to sell. If their post is please see my eBay (or other similar site) are they contributing to the community in any meaningful way?
This exactly Goose
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and won’t bombard us with spammy non-sequitur posts to meet the minimum.
I have a very itchy delete finger…..
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In a cycling Forum that I participate in for the last 20 years with a very active marketplace the 20 post rule has decreased spam a lot.
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Just a reminder for those of you using the buy/sell feature: Please follow this simple guideline when posting items for sale.
https://www.ironheart.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4559.0
Some short tips on how to put up an easy to understand item(s) for sale thread
1. come up with a short to the point thread title
2. clearly name the item(s) you have for sale, so that your potential buyer can easy idenfiy the item(s).
3. list the original tag size and inseam (important for pants)
4. provide actual measurements
5. post actual pictures of the item
6. give a word on the condition, any defects, etc.
7. list the price you want to sell your item for
8. include the shipping costs and if you are open to sell worldwide or just within the US or EU, etc
9. name your payment options
10. clearly communicate any additional details you think could be important for your customer -
In a cycling Forum that I participate in for the last 20 years with a very active marketplace the 20 post rule has decreased spam a lot.
That is good to hear. Thanks.
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FWIW, i think many people people on here would like to ban themselves from browsing the buy/sell forum. The "impulse steal of deal" is real frickin strong on there
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and won’t bombard us with spammy non-sequitur posts to meet the minimum.
I have a very itchy delete finger…..
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and won’t bombard us with spammy non-sequitur posts to meet the minimum.
I have a very itchy delete finger…..
Do you need cream for that? [emoji51]
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If the new forum supports badging, when someone is repped as a Hero after a forum transaction, a badge would be handy.
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FWIW, i think many people people on here would like to ban themselves from browsing the buy/sell forum. The "impulse steal of deal" is real frickin strong on there
Seriously.
