Just food for thought here - not sure how many commercial guys will be on this site. But I know of one, in particular skiff “dealer,” that is well known within the industry. I think he would be a huge asset to this community.
From my previous talks with him MS was set up poorly. I think the commercial section could be removed (for now), and perhaps add those guys a badge noting they are in sales? That way their skiffs can be in the main for sale section.
Imagine this commercial/dealer badge could be obtained through a site donation, dollar amount to be decided upon.
I also propose a want to buy, or looking to buy, category. So those ads are not flooding the for sale area.
That’s already in the works. We call it Phase II. We wanted to get the member subscriptions up and running first.
But you bring up a good point and we REALLY could use member feedback. How best can we launch this? It’s much easier to build it right the first time vs. having to hack it apart and rebuild it later!
I hear you loud and clear on that. No rush at all!
What about a sticky at the top of each classified section? Or could just be included in the already implemented classifieds rules.
If a member seems suspect - can ping him to review the posting guidelines of a commercial seller or delete the ad. Advise of purchasing a commercial sellers badge, or whatever you decide to call it.
For what it’s worth, I don’t see a reason for a separate “Commercial Sales” subsection. If I’m looking for a skiff I’m not particular about whether it’s listed by a dealer / broker or by a private owner; I just want to know the specifics on the boat and the price. I think it’d be easier for a shopper to have all of them listed in one subsection for easier comparisons and research. It seems to me that the dealers we saw on the “other site” were legitimate guys who weren’t a problem, and I know from my own experience that I didn’t always look in the commercial section when I was perusing ads. I think having dealers and brokers listing appropriate skiffs here would benefit all of us looking for a skiff for ourselves or a friend. As mmccull5 stated, perhaps a “DEALER” banner on the ad, for those who care, might be all we need to differentiate between owners’ listings and dealers’ listings. A set of guidelines stipulating criteria for appropriate listings for dealers – with noncompliant listings subject to deletion by moderators – should be sufficient to limit the listings to relevant skiffs. What’cha think?
We’re still chewing on it. For right now, the concentration is on growing the site, adding some graphics and increasing our subscriber base so we are on firm financial footing for perpetuity.
We wanted to get the member subscriptions up and running first.