Should items be offered in the For Sale section which are only available for purchase elsewhere ?

[gaz]

When people post requests in the Wanted section, should we only reply if we have the item in question or is it OK to link to the item for sale elsewhere?

[JohnW]

Am I in the minority on this? - perhaps even a minority of one - but I've always seen the for sale/wanted etc sections as being friends trading with each other and/or helping each other out. I've never seen these sections as a business - e-bay is a business/profit venture.

[gaz]

Ebay is a business/profit venture but in the context of the For Sale boards it is a fee charging private small ads service. The individuals posting ebay links on the forum should not themselves be businesses/profit making traders.

Spa Cycles is a business/profit venture. 2254 posts on the other forum boards link to Spa Cycles and items available from them.

[mjr]

When people post requests in the Wanted section, should we only reply if we have the item in question or is it OK to link to the item for sale elsewhere?

It depends if the OP asks for shop links too. What's the relevance of this to the rules for the For Sales? Different sections can have different rules.

[thirdcrank]

I've not been a big user of ebay because I'm at the stage in my life where I have more junk to get rid of than I want to buy. I'd rather give stuff away than have the hassle of selling it. On the rare occasions when I have bought off ebay I've been very pleased, especially by being able to get hard-to-find things.

So, I can see alternative views: either, it's using the internet to connect the owners of stuff with the would-be owners of stuff in an efficient manner or it's some version of a rip-off mastered by international capitalism. At least, this and similar systems work openly, rather than stuff changing hands covertly.

Back to Graham's query, I feel we are thankfully sheltered from the worst excesses of internet selling by the absence of advertising and the efforts of the spambusters and the admin team more generally. If this isn't creating more work for them, then I'd suggest a laisser faire approach. The moment it gets out-of-hand eg endless ebay vendors signing up for no other purpose then pull the plug. eg summarily delete ads.

[JohnW]

...............I'm at the stage in my life where I have more junk to get rid of than I want to buy. I'd rather give stuff away than have the hassle of selling it.................

I know what you mean tc - +1 to that.

[JohnW]

................Spa Cycles is a business/profit venture. 2254 posts on the other forum boards link to Spa Cycles and items available from them.

If I've understood you correctly, I see that as friends advising other friends on how to get what they need/want. Spa are one of the shops/dealers/LBSs who help and are good to know. I'd see advising friends/members to look at what Spa can do for them is helping a friend, not supporting a business.

[gaz]

I'd see advising friends/members to look at what Spa can do for them is helping a friend, not supporting a business.

I share your view, yet I doubt that any forum member is motivated to post an ebay link on the For Sale boards in order to support ebay as a business.

[Psamathe]

I don't use eBay but thought it was often used more as an auction site, buyers outbidding each other so the seller gets the best price. So selling for a fixed price here vs a bidding system on eBay where the seller has a far wider market.

So a link here could be thought of more as being informative rather than a true sale. And if that is permitted (and I can't see why it shouldn't be given the For Sale section) then it would seem a bit OTT for another section/sub-section and "For Sale" seems the most appropriate area to use.

Ian

[JohnW]

I'd see advising friends/members to look at what Spa can do for them is helping a friend, not supporting a business.

I share your view, yet I doubt that any forum member is motivated to post an ebay link on the For Sale boards in order to support ebay as a business.

Oh - quite so gaz. Just to clarify - my post that you're responding to was my response to an earlier post that I interpreted as suggesting that posting reference to an e-bay item was to support the e-bay seller. I don't think that we disagree on this

[reohn2]

Am I in the minority on this? - perhaps even a minority of one - but I've always seen the for sale/wanted etc sections as being friends trading with each other and/or helping each other out. I've never seen these sections as a business - e-bay is a business/profit venture.

No you're not alone,I've always felt that way about it,until I sold my Blue Vaya to someone who tried to extort money from me.
I regret bitterly not going to court on the matter to prove my inoccence.
That said I feel sure the vast majority of regular forum members are straight and honest people,and that the forum member who subsequently bought the bike is happy with it.I've bought and sold bikes and parts on here and that has been my one only problem.