Enough is enough with the classifieds (*or* Why you cannot reply to classified ads)

BTW - our apologies to those sellers currently running auctions...call it collateral damage, but no posts means no bids (or limited bids, since paid members can still post). You may wish to address that concern prior to auction end so you don't have unhappy bidders.

Ok....so maybe "rabidly opposed" was a tad strong. It has just seemed lately that often times an animal and/or its lineage is being discussed, as soon as some headway is being made with regards to a morph and/or how it works, a mod stops the discussion. I think these discussions are good for both buyers and sellers.

As for the disruptive stuff, I blame Shad Quill. That guy's a trouble maker and should be banned!

Originally Posted by MikeCurtin

Ok....so maybe "rabidly opposed" was a tad strong. It has just seemed lately that often times an animal and/or its lineage is being discussed, as soon as some headway is being made with regards to a morph and/or how it works, a mod stops the discussion. I think these discussions are good for both buyers and sellers.

As for the disruptive stuff, I blame Shad Quill. That guy's a trouble maker and should be banned!

Sorry, but this is likely the core of the problem. The classifieds section is NOT a discussion section. It is intended for members to buy and sell their animals and merchandise. It is not intended for a buyer or seller to be cross examined and grilled to the point of exhaustion about what they are buying or selling. Some questions would have been OK, but from what I have seen, some people only want to see the answer they WANT to see, and nothing else. So they therefore turn the discussion into badgering, which often escalates into a pissing duel. Which then gets the buyers and/or sellers pissed off, as well as legitimate potential clients pissed off at the disruption and off topic discussion that has resulted.

I personally would have preferred to leave the classifieds as they were, hoping that participants would be able to handle such transactions maturely and professionally. But when I saw the classifieds becoming an extremely hostile environment for legitimate business to take place, I really had no choice but to put an end to that sort of nonsense.

This puts a lot of burden on members to do their own homework outside of the actual classified ad, but unfortunately, that is what they now have to do.

I call horse shit! Micro moderating at it's finest. If an ad smells like fish and your willing to let an unknowing buyer be taken for a ride and not pull that ad, well sir you're as bad as that seller. But to penalize another member for questioning or "badgering" a seller who is blatantly dishonest or is talking out of their arse is just absurd.

Originally Posted by eskew

I call **** Micro moderating at it's finest. If an ad smells like fish and your willing to let an unknowing buyer be taken for a ride and not pull that ad, well sir you're as bad as that seller. But to penalize another member for questioning or "badgering" a seller who is blatantly dishonest or is talking out of their arse is just absurd.

I disagree. People here are not infants, they do not need to be over-protected. A link to a BOI thread is permitted and all that is needed.
If sellers are badgered all the time over all sorts of stuff, they will go someplace else, that's not good if they happen to be decent sellers.
If they are scammers, then the link to the BOI will alert potential purchasers that they need to do some reading.

Constructive criticism is welcome...profanity is not; and you really aren't in a good position to absorb too many infraction points. Think before you submit, Mr Quill.

Originally Posted by lucille

I disagree. People here are not infants, they do not need to be over-protected. A link to a BOI thread is permitted and all that is needed.

you may have a position as a moderator here soon. Keep up the good work

Originally Posted by eskew

you may have a position as a moderator here soon. Keep up the good work

Shad I'm thinking most people who read this thread will understand and agree with at least part of what I said because it uses common sense. If you badger folks they are going to run off. If you give folks the opportunity to make their own purchasing choices via reading the BOI, it gives them more freedom than making their choices for them.
So your thumbs up needs to be sent to all those thousands of people as well.

So much for being constructive....

Im just glad that I found this thread, I had a few replies to one of my ads and was not able to reply to them today after i got them, but was able to in a PM.. but this helps clear up what was going on.