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

That's what ought to change. I don't think "just selling" should be allowed. No idea how it would be workable or anything though

Mind you, I'm coming more and more keen on the idea of scrapping the Classifieds altogether. It would solve pretty much all the problems.

Although of course quint it's not netmums, its mumsnet ......

"last time i checked ebay was also..not just for proffesional sellers etc...."

Except Mumsnet is not for professional sellers at all.

Oh... and TheLadyEvenStar... Thanks hun, found a few more hats so have put them in that bundle for you.

Also found a little sun hat type thng and a pair of matching soft sandles but they are age 6-9 months...was wandering if your little one will be about that age in May/June...(not going to call it summer seeing as we dont get that anymore lol....)

If they're any good i'll post them along with the other hats and shoes, outfit and the FFP comfort blanket!

I would imagine that MNHQ originally envisaged it being just members selling the odd thing here and there, not this whole market place full of people selling 100s of items.

I've got to dash, too, but stayce the six chidren question was theoretical - yes I asked it, but not aimed at any seller in particular. I know nothing about the people on the for sale threads.

there only seems to be some ppl with problems thats the thing. so wat if ppl are trading as stayce said no one made mums net be free? she has a child as most ppl on here do add up all the nappys wipes food clothes ect ect and ur telling me u wudnt like a bit of extra money a week to buy ur self summat coz i sure as hell wud. as a single mum to a 2 yr old i dont get many so places like ebay and here are good for mums

Cardinal sin there, Peachy

made me laugh- has to be a good thing

"so wat if ppl are trading"

Because it's against Mumsnet rules (as laid down by MNHQ) for one thing.

lol yeah coz every oen does every thign by the books lol some ppl are so up there own well u know wat i mean lol

I think my final vote is scrap For Sale altogether. It's more trouble than it's worth.

as i said only to SOME ppl

Riiiiight, so by playing by/reminding people of the rules I'm up my own ar$e am I? How charming.

if ppl are so pi**ed off by for sale why do they come on it lol.

Something needs to change as it doesn't work as it is. You can't keep up with For Sale at all. TBH I hadn't realised quite how bad it had becone until I added a couple of items myself today. I went to re-find them this evening - via For Sale forum, and the list for just today is horrendously long! I ended up having to doa search as the listings are way too hard to read and decipher now there are so many. And of course they just get lost for everyone else too and more than half of regulars don't even have them on their active conversations list anyway.

Hate to say this but I think I will be using eby to sell on my DD's clothes/toys - even regulars can't sell on MN these days. We've been pushed out my those who only use classifieds.

Seems to me its only a certain select group of ladies who appear to have a such a major issue with the For Sale boards. They have had their say not only on this thread but quite a few others, over and over again. Surely the point of this thread was to get opinions from as many MN members as possible for mumsnet to get an accurate feeling about where they should go with the boards.

I think in Stayce's case to many assumptions were made without finding out the facts. If I'm not wrong Stayce doesnt only post on For Sale, she came to this site to make friends, gain support for the times, like today, where her son had to go to hospital and also to sell her baby items, yes she may have more items than others but why exactly does that make her a trader?

who said any names?

I don't like the for sale boards. I don't see mumsnet as a place to buy and sell stuff and I don't think thats why it started, and there are other places to buy and sell stuff and it's not here.
There, nothing new or exciting, didn't bother to read many of the other posts, just the view of someone who's been using mumsnet fairly quietly (but very regularly!)since 2004 and sees it as a place to give and receive support, information, advice and opinions. Preferably not in text speak. Darn it, just gave away a prejudice.

The thing is claire, trading (as opposed to selling bits and bobs) being against MN rules IS an issue. MN isn't run as a charity, and so many people seem rather confused about that- they don't pay for CAt, they don't use the links on the site, but then they expect to be able to make a buck themselves and get shirty if they don't get their way. If we want MN to be provided as a resource, then we have to take responsibility for our part of the bargain don't we? And if one is a trader that emans paying the pifflingly small fee for a trader ad.

E-Bay is not a comparison at all; E-bay is marketed and devised as a trading site, whilst MN is a parenting site where anys ales are supposed to be more of a coincidental secondary. people who sell a fair amount on e-bay (like my dh) are supposed to be registered for tax etc as a trader- DH certainly is, and its only a part time venture alongside a normal FT job for him.

"lol yeah coz every oen does every thign by the books lol some ppl are so up there own well u know wat i mean lol"

Which I translated as "people who do things by the book are up their own ar$e" or possibly "people who think things should be done by the book are up their own ar$e"

Both of which apply to me, therefore you say I am up my own ar$e. As I said, charming. Kind of says it all really.

i think this site is just full of ppl who love to upset other ppl like i said this is 2nd time its happend to a friend of mine in less than 2 weeks surely us mothers have enoght on as it is? or are some ppl not looking after there kids and just too wrapped up in mums net? im not sure but im stating to hate this site it makes me feel worst than i already do i dont wanan see mated slaged off then get upset

Claire I come on here because I have been doing so for six years and more, because the special needs boards keep me sane at time with my kids, and because there is a camaraderie here amongst people who keep to the rules that is a bonus.

quint,

I apologise if i got you mixed up with someone else...

However...i would like to say that i have posted loads of wanted threads for myself, for Happyland toys when my little boy came out of hosptial, For a smart 18-24 month outfit, for Thomas Bedroom items...

I have also replied in a couple of other threads reagarding keeping childrens clothing, Infertility and sick babies..i actually dont think you can say i havent replied anywhere else..unless your stalking me (der der der der!)

I have used mumsnet to its full, I havent replied in all the other areas of mumsnet firstly because i do find them quite hostile if you say the wrong thing to the wrong person.. and because sometimes i just dont have the time, i log on , check if there has been any response to threads and check my emails... Thats all..And sometimes i cant find anything that relates to me, why does that make me any less privalidged to post elsewhere....

At the end of the day.. you cant make people post where they dont want to, and i didnt see anything when i signed up that said you may only sell and buy if you post in at least 3 other chats per week or something... Its all OPTIONAL