The For Sale/ Wanted boards - update from M Towers and post your ideas/thoughts here

[JustineMumsnet]

As you may know we have in mind a complete overhaul of the For sale/ wanted boards as they seem to be making many folks' lives (ours especially) a misery.

Clearly it makes sense for us to have classified ads - why not re-cycled used stuff? That should in theory be good for buyers and sellers alike (and it's very green too). But equally clearly, at the risk of understatement, it is not functioning well at the moment.

However, complete overhaul is going to have to wait a wee while as Tech's got quite a lot on... (We are hopefully bringing you improved local listings, blogs and more in the next few weeks and months).

In the meantime do give us your ideas for how you'd ultimately like to see For sale/ wanted working. (I know some of you have already posted some sensible (and not so sensible thoughts around and abou but we'd be super grateful if you'd re-post the best of them here so everyone can see, discuss and refine.)

So... what rules would be fair/enforcable and assist in the smooth working of the thing? (nb we are never going to enforce a no huns policy I'm afraid, so do be realistic - MN is for all parents even those with poor grammar and spelling.)

Should we re-house somewhere off Talk? And will it be used/useful if we do? Can we make it work on Talk if not? What would make it easier to use/ more functional?

Should we charge and if so how. What would you pay to use and how would you like to pay it?

Which other boards do this successfully and what are the best ideas/functionality should we pinch?

To ease the pain of waiting for overhaul, next week we will introduce a couple of quick fixes that might hopefully smooth the operation a little, namely we're going to insist that everyone who posts a for sale notice pays a CAT and we'll break down the boards into categories so things are more easily searchable.

In the meantime, please hang on in there and if it all gets too much there's always the hide thread/topic option .

Thanks for your input and your patience.

Peace and love,

Mumsnet Towers

I love using the for sale boards to buy and sometimes sale, i have never had any problem's with using them, i know when i buy something it is at my own risk.

It would be good if sellers and buyers could have feedback or star ratings on their profiles so we know who can be trusted, i also think it is wrong for a person to sign up to mumsnet just to sell, maybe their could be a rule like you have to be a member for more than 6 months before you can use the for sale boards?

I tend to sell most of my bits on e-bay but i like to offer them on here before i list.

I hope people can continue to sell on her because some of us need to sell to make ends meet, to buy clothes and food for our children. Its a real same that a few people can ruin it for all the lovely regular sellers on MN.

What a lovely post Marne

There is a feedback forum already for buyers/sellers here

I have seen the feedback thread but sometimes its hard to dredge through it looking for a sellers name, i would be nice if you could click on the sellers proffile to see if the have sold here before etc.

I also like buying from here because sometimes the things you are looking for are not on e-bay.

FImbo: I don;t think it's unreasonable to sell 'used' perfume - it's not like selling used loo roll. If someone buys you expensive perfume and you have opened it, sprayed some on and found it doesn't suit you then it's 'used' but still perfectly usable.

I have also bought and sold on here many a time without any problems and much prefer it to ebay

those examples show how quickly it descends into disarray - it's like Lord of the Flies. Cannot believe it is good for any of this to be associated with MN tbh.

Marne
You say:
"all the lovely regular sellers" on mumsnet.

I think that is just reiniterating what some thinks, it is the sellers and the forum users. A great divide.

You have ebay traders, but now also mumsnet sellers, that people come here to look for things they cant find on ebay, is not really reassuring to those who prefer to keep this as a parenting forum and not a market place!

Fimbo - I hadn't thought of reporting it, was too shocked tbh

That Versace perfume, you see that on ebay all the time. The source is usually Hong Kong. It is fake of course. People make a living selling "just opened and tried" perfume there. And that is what I find so frightening about what is going on at The Sales boards. Sellers taking over due to the lack of fees. And also because so many have the community spirit they sell things cheap. I am not surprised if it ends up on ebay at the end off the day.

Otherwise, I saw that particular perfume in Boots at 75 % off the other day, in a gift box with body lotion and perfume.

buying perfume like that is just asking to get ripped off, though. caveat emptor!

a friend bought some perfume on Ebay and it was fake.

by that stuff from a reputable dealer or risk getting your fingers, and purse, burned.

I have spoken to DH about this - he is a member of a few forums where the For Sale board works very well. They all have the following in common, which may or may not be suitable for MN:-

Members will not buy from sellers without a profile. On that profile it states where they are from, age, job etc etc (yes, I know it can all be made up) BUT it also has the date they joined the forum and a post count (I know I know, I too cringed at post count, but it does let the potential buyer see that its not just some con artist with an eye on a quick buck). Yes, some of them only EVER sell, don't contribute to the rest of the boards, but if they sell regularly, honestly and fairly, then does it really matter?

I agree that anybody wanting to sell should pay for CAT. I think that on the profile they should also have an email address.

i don't think its fair to expect MN to police/resolve disputes but if we can adopt a similar policy, then it should limit the problems, surely? I know a lot of regular mners aren't very well off and wold like to sell a few bits and pieces, but don't.

expat - also you risk getting your neck burned by SPRAYING the nasty shit on yourself, if it ever arrives

I think mn is just too big for it to work

it's a different concept from the main board

requires different skills

as justine says it generates lots of impressions...so needs lots of time and work to make it work

it's for mnhq to assess if it has any value to the business..maybe it appears to generate revenue but actually doesn't really

also QS, the thing i don't understand about the regular sellers is how they can have so much stuff to sell unless they are buying it elsewhere to sell on?

yes, i'm occasionally bought outfits for dd that i don't like or she grows out of, but i take them back to the shop and get a full credit note.
yes, dd grows out of things so i might one day sell a bundle of garments (although i'd be more likely to do so via the NCT).
yes, i sometimes clear out toys to the charity shop so i could alternatively sell them on here... but how can one have so much stuff to sell that they become a 'regular seller'?

the only thing i can think of is that they are either stolen in some cases, bought off ebay to split and resell or (and i'm sure this represents the majority as it happens) they are constantly buying on here as well as selling.

but if that's the case then people should need to be honest about how many people have owned it beforehand, which doesn't happen. vide the extraordinary incident with the buggy that had been owned by about seven regular buyers and sellers and was being advertised using a photo taken in the hallway of the three owners' ago.

i think MNHQ just has to think very carefully about where they take it from here actually. the talk from the buyers and sellers is all about making some extra money etc, which is fine, but it was never really the point in the first place.
if it's changed (and it does seem to have done, even in the past 6 months) why has it changed? because on bounty and babycentre etc this place is becoming known as a good trading site? that would also account for the startling difference in tone as pointed out by lapin.
so, it may be that MNHQ has to decide whether this is a parenting forum or a trading site by reputation.

Well, Aitch that is the point I have been trying to communicate, also on a thread of mine yesterday that just collapsed three posts in.

I think due to recent events MNHQ needs to make up its mind whether this is still a parenting forum or not.

which is, by the way, a crying bloody shame cos i liked being able to pick stuff up on here from a fellow mum who minutes before i'd been chatting to about John Barrowman's marked lack of acting talent/religious hatred/nursery schooling/home-made playdough etc etc.
that was the point for me, it was great fun, you'd do them the favour of getting it out of their house and they'd do you the favour of giving it to you at a reduced price. and then you'd go and have a big argument about M&T parking spots. it was the spirit of MN in action.

I liked it best when it was a vipers' nest with added nork chat

I read that as John Barrowmans religious hatred

i have loads of stuff to sell tbh i could fill the for sale boards solo for years but i'm too lazy

he's alright for a proddie, VS.

and you're fluent in their lanuage, zips, gerronthere girl, you'll clean up!

Lol@proddie, that's what I thought the 'Huns' were when I first joined MN

Hmm...I wonder who is really creating a them and us?

I'm not a regular seller (or buyer) by any means and I dip in and out of classified and talk boards but any transactions have been with very genuine people.

Oh, and be careful about accusing people of fleecing others. I recently sold an item given for Xmas that I know cost £32. Not stolen, not bought off ebay - just didn't suit. I could actually have taken it back to the shop but I wanted to do a MNtter a favour and I did, by selling for £6. I remember being accused of being a trader over a year ago by someone that is very vocal here (infact I was selling an unwanted present again). It ruined my transaction which deprived me of bugger all but did deprive the person buying of a great bargain.

Not all of us need money. But so what if people do? Not everyone is educated and middle class but why is that a reason to insult them?

There are very real problems with the classified boards and I hope they are addressed. However, I'm sorry to see so many posters descend into name calling and insults.

twotimestrouble, it's both 'sides' but if you saw the threads the other day you'll see that when a couple of the 'seller's' joined in on normal threads they were welcomed, there wasn't any divide there.