Dear MN Towers, could we consider moving the Buying and selling listings to a separate board?

[ChristmasShinySnowflakes]

Well.....could we?

I'm not bothered by them actually. I usually use Active Convos and screen them out, so I'm blissfully ignorant of all the controversy

you see roisin that's part of the problem I think. There are SO many of them, "Bumped" so often, and so many with multiple threads at the same time, with "I'm DESPERATE FOR CASH" titles that people (like yourself) screen then out.

What that means for those regular MN'ers who want to sell something is that instead of you (or anyone else that hides For Sale) browsing active convo's and perhaps happening to see something that catches you eye and you have a look and may decide to buy (bit like when you're heading off to town to pay the bills - but you just happen to see something nice on the way and buy it - even though you had no plans to buy it - impulse purchases and all that . But because of the vast quantities you (plural) block it out - don't make any impulse purchase and regular MN'er trying to sell feels p*ssed of

Yes I know I'm waffling...........I'm trying to avoid going back downstairs - DS's are all playing happily and I can't be ar*ed to do my housework.

I agree that if people want to use the sale boards they should pay the CAT facility fee.
In addition to this I think that everyone who uses them should also have a profile and on that profile there should be a "number of posts" shown.

This of course would also show how long the mumsnetter had been a member.

Perhaps a facility to make a comment on people's profiles could be added too, for people who have bought or sold to, to recommend etc.

Flier - I've been a member of MN for over 3yrs......but if you could see how long I've been a member it would only show just over 1yr......as I left and the rejoined (about 2 weeks later LOL).

Number of posts wouldn't really work as a guide - because someone could have made 500 posts on the For Sale board

I still don't understand how a separate board would help?

yes, but it would give people an idea if someone is new, and the "comments" section would also help people make up their mind if someone was to be trusted

but then you'd have issues like we read about the Ebay board..........."I haven't been given feedback" - "she left negative feedback for me" etc etc - and active convo's would be filled with threads bemoaning the "feedback" system....

Also - if you've never sold before - you're not going to have any comments - and then people may not buy because you've not got any there.......

Its a nightmare
would be better if we scrapped it completely

MNHQ should not be expected to police the boards.

It is a shame, DH is a member of a forum of specific interest and their for sale board is fantastic, nobody seems to abuse it, unlike this one.

have alerted those here, www.mumsnet.com/Talk/1910/458607?stamp=080117140218#scaddmsg here, www.mumsnet.com/Talk/1375/458846?stamp=080117170258 and here..... www.mumsnet.com/Talk/1910/458622?stamp=080117170212....put your hard hats on.

controlfreak, do you enjoy seeing and causing upset?

dont even know why this is an issue - if you dont want to buy and sell then b*er off out of the buy and sell forum!! simple as!

I don't just post on for sale boards and haven't been a menber for that long in the grand scheme of things, my spellings rubbish and so's my grammer, I have been subject to a scammer also, but I love the for sale boards, my boys have had alot more stuff than I could afford new, and all in great condition, and yes it is annoying when people bump things constantly, but I can't afford the £5 CAT fee just for using a web site, please don't tar everyone with the same brush it is a really useful resource for some less well off mums and I thought that was what mumsnet was all about, a place for mums!? oh and by the way I don't use hun, and am not part of a group on forsale! so please don't jump on me!

If the Classifieds get rehoused, could you put the swap section back on?, as the mumsnet swap section (which I think is for the Mumsnet swaps that Champs runs) is swamped with people wanting to swap things.

Oh, and could you make the feedback thread a sticky one please?

controlfreaky

mummyof2boys it is an issue becasue hte baorsd were originally for odd transactiosn for used baby /parenting associated goods not for wholesale buying and selling . As such some regulars now feel their occasional offerings are being overwhelmed by "full time"(for want of a better word) vendors and the whole thing now smacks of a marketplace, but without the stallholder or ebay fees, with its fair share of dodgy dealers to boot.

Make them, apy for each listing, like ebay do., because some of the take the piss

I like the B&S and am a regular poster all over the shop... BUT I have to say that as a regular I have no chance of selling my bits (currently trying to sell a highchair and some pram bits, but getting nowhere) becuase of the Huns that bump my threads onto page 2 within an hour.

LIZS - you said what I wanted to say (but much better).

I DO want to use the For Sale boards - but find it a complete waste of time because of the full time sellers......

I don't like 'hun' much either. In fact, i'm not overly keen on pet names at all. I get called 'hen' alot here in Scotland. Maybe the next person who calls me that I should cluck at them!

no flier. but i do maintain my view that the way the for sale boards are conducted at the moment is sometimes ing and does not reflect well on mn as a whole. i also object to there being a seeming apartheid on mn with a significant number of posters on the for sale boards being unable / unwilling to engage in any sensible discussion, just interested in being chippy. (and no wallis, i don't mean you!)

I have also seen the same ads over and over on the B&S, why not just bump it, instead of cluttering up the boards with the same ads.

when i jpined 3 yaesr ago, the FS bopards were good an full of peole genuinely egtting rid of stuff they no longer needed

Now tis fulkl of fluffy womne who have a suprplus of 83746394857394857398539847938745 buggies and 923842398572983792837492 footmuffs in poo brown etc

Taking a cut is good, a la NCT sales. But only poss if a fee is charged.

A post count would be very, very useful, lots of forums have them. So name changers get an instant short shrift if they are selling. (unless everyone knows them anyway)

I still think it ought to be self policing...if we only use the boards to buy and sell with FRIENDS on here, ie regular and recognised posters.it's unlikely anything can go too wrong iyswim...it isn't MN's fault if people buy from someone assuming they are Ok without actually knowing them as a regular poster, is it? The whole point is that we are buying from mates I thought. Otherwise may as well use ebay.

I have some stuff to sell that my boys no longer need, but I can bear to put it up because someone (or should it be sum1) will ask "How much u want 4 it hun?" and then I will get mad

i linked to those threads (including the one started to suggest banning me) so that you could all see the range of the debate as well as how charmingly and reasonably it has been conducted

...and if nobody buys from the new sellers, they will soon bugger off won't they?

Moderating listings is another option but time consuming...

I think a simple post count on people's name is perhaps the best solution. Could it be done?

Plus the cat fee for selling.