Is the 50 post WTS limit a little bit steep?

Hi guys.

I've been a member for a million years, and while I've done a lot of lurking, i've not done much posting. However I have a DTL-30102 to sell, and 50 posts seems a little bit steep just to create a sales listing. I don't want the members of this forum to miss out on having a shot at it, but I most definitely won't be make 43 posts to sell it here, when I can just go to eBay and flog it there.

What exactly is the reason for this limit? Is there possibility of exception?

 

It's like that on the majority of forum. You can come here just to sell stuff. Probably to avoid scammer ?

 

It's to show you're actually a member of the community and not signing up solely to sell something. The irony is dani joined in 2009 and has probably been here longer than many of the members who have over 50 posts and are selling things. Though there has to be some kind of system in place to prevent people simply from joining to try and sell things. And yes, it's to help prevent scammers as well.

 

There were a few instances of new members trying to sell something that ended in serious drama.

I'm going to go ahead and say there's no possibility of an exception. You only have 8 posts. What makes you think you're a trusted member of the community?

 

You can post your items' eBay link and a description on what you're selling.

 

We encourage people to participate and to share their opinions and knowledge. That what keeps this community going for over 15 years.

I see your point, but we had a lot of problems with the marketplace area in the past. That's why that rule is there.

Hope you understand.

 

Go to eBay then. Enjoy their fees. We charge nothing - is it really asking that much for you to do something in return?

The limit serves to stop people just using the site for selling and getting something for nothing. It also serves to offer some kind of safety net, in that people will be familiar with the seller. That in turn helps the seller, as more people are likely to trust them. Lastly, it encourages intelligent discussion, as we watch for spam posts just to get your post count up.

You've been here since 2009. You've had 82 months... so you could have posted one thing per month and got to the required level. It's really not hard. Post an intro thread - there's one post. Post some photos of your collection - if you've got these great items you allude to, there'll certainly be questions... so that's several posts right there. Look through the forums and join in on a discussion that interests you. Or make a post asking a sensible question or discussing something that's not been discussed. In nearly 7 years, there have only been 4 topics that caught your eye? Seems rather unbelievable.

Whilst we appreciate your sentiment that you'd "hate members of this forum to miss out", it seems rather a hollow sentiment as you haven't taken the time to become a part of the community. What you actually mean is that you know the sort of people who are likely to part with their hard-earned cash for the items you have frequent this site. In other words, you know there'll be interest here and you'd rather get more profit by not having to pay eBay fees. If you genuinely care for the members of the community, take the time to become part of the community and we will no doubt welcome you with open arms and enjoy discussing common interests with you. You seem to make it perfectly clear that you have no intention of doing so, though.

As for exceptions - if you had a SNES CD running Resident Evil 1.5 off a disc, you would still need 50 quality posts to sell it here. You are, of course, welcome to list the item on eBay, post it in the eBay thread and then disappear for another 5 years, if you so choose.

As for the title question - it's 50 posts and you have to be a member 3 months - that's essentially 1 post every 2 days for your first 3 months. Is that too much to ask?

Sorry if this sounds rather harsh, but it is some of the rationale behind the decision. I'm sure you can appreciate that running a site like this is quite expensive - asking that the users contribute to the site in order to benefit from the Marketplace perks is not at all unreasonable, if you ask me. Nor is trying to ensure our users have pleasant, easy transactions - both buyers and sellers alike.

 

I don't really think it's unreasonable at all. I sometimes worry that I post too much. Going through all the topics in place, you could easily legitimately contribute to 6-7 different threads just tonight. Hell, even if you're not that into video game specifics, the off-topic section has a Blu Ray thread, a "what are you watching" thread, a hip-hop thread, etc. I personally think that 50 is a pretty low number, but I do frequent the site so take that for what it's worth.

 

That was more of an answer than I specifically needed retro. You're making a couple of unfair assumptions here, and possibly taking out your anger at previous dbags on me; the reason I wanted to post it here I because I know that someone here will truly appreciate it, because of what kind of place this is. NOT because I'm interested in making people part with their hard earned cash. I would never put it up for more than I think that it's worth, nor would I stiff anyone out of their money. But I guess that's up to me to prove to you.

Also I'd forgotten there was an eBay thread, I might just use that.

EDIT: I'd also like to point out that in some ways, I'm not interested in becoming a part of this community; not because I'm spiteful in any way, but I'm self employed and I'm always insanely busy, and as much as I love the topic matters of this forum I simply don't have time to spend months or years making friends with everyone. I'm sorry about that.

I kind of just thought that my sale would be of mutual benefit; of course I would be a benefactor of said sale, but then so would be the guy or gal who was willing to purchase it; that's kind of the point of selling things.

EDIT EDIT: I'd like to finally add that I have no hard feeling about this policy, nor do I want to come across as belligerent in any way. At least now I know why the policy is there from the replies, and it does seem reasonable

 

No anger vented at all, merely stating some reasons for it. Yes, there's a cold truth in the end. We all get busy, we understand that - but something brought you here in the first place. It's a shame, if you're interested in the same things as us, that you don't want to be a member of the community - certainly we're not asking you to put in some serious time. It's not a gym membership! Many members come in as and when and that's fine. We're not going to force anyone to join us in conversation, though - so that's your choice. You said that you've done a lot of lurking... so, with respect, is it really that you don't have the time to spend on the site? You've already admitted you've spent a lot of time reading it... why not just hit reply afterwards?

I'm not trying to single you out - you're right, it's just a general statement as to why we have the policy and yes, there are loads of jerks who'd just hit and run. Your post basically said I have no interest in being a member of the community, I have no intention to conform with these rules but I have some cool stuff I want to sell and this is a great outlet to get it to people who'd like it... plus I'll make more money.

Sorry if that seems harsh, but it's ultimately true. I get that you're busy, that's no problem. However, the forum is a community that is quite popular. Popular websites use a ton of bandwidth. Bandwidth is expensive. Yes, we have members who contribute. There are members who don't contribute financially but still sell - no problem. Again, we're not forcing anyone to cough up, even if they're enjoying our Marketplace with no fees.

As someone (ASSEMbler) has to pay the server fees, not to mention all the unpaid man hours keeping it running, we have to draw the line somewhere. Would it be fair if ASSEMbler paid out of his own pocket and allowed people to sell here for free, and we got tons of hit-and-run sellers? You say everyone benefits, but that's not true. The seller gets their money, they benefit from not having to pay listing fees. The buyer is hopefully happy with their purchase. Nobody else makes anything out of it, and the site still needs to be paid for.

That said, the primary reason is to protect you lot - the community. This guy seems to know what he's talking about, he's probably a trustworthy seller. Lots of people will agree. They will have confidence in him. His items will sell more quickly than a 1 post "buy my stuff... bye!" And the site benefits, because that person now hopefully feels like a member of the community and will keep coming back. We benefit from knowledge and friendship, rather than financially - something we don't get if we allow people to come here just to sell.

Anyway, the eBay thread is there for those who don't want to hang around

 

Not to argue with others at all, but I sort of understand where the OP's frustration is coming from. I originally came to the site a few years ago to give away a modded Sega Saturn. I couldn't figure out if the 3 months and 50 post rules applied to the free stuff thread. Since I was new, I think my posts were moderated. ASSEMbler was really busy at the time and couldn't respond to me. I also had all these stipulations that the recipient would have to convince me of their undying love for all things Sega Saturn, etc so I completely understood if staff were just like, "What the heck? Don't have time for this nonsense." Still, I remember thinking "I've never had to work so hard to give something away." I even realized at the time it was a selfish thought, but I'm human.

In any case, I got really busy and disappeared. Few months ago, I started cleaning out my old stuff and selling it on eBay. It was sad parting with these items, but I wasn't using them, so I came here mostly to relive memories that were coming back to me. I tried selling something in Marketplace after I reached 50 posts, too, but it didn't get much interest. Still, I found myself returning.

I'd say give it a shot, even if you're busy. Maybe I'll disappear again, maybe not. But so far it's been a blast. I've learned a lot, and not just about videogames. It's one of my two or three escapes during the day. I never really used my smartphone except now I'll read the forum if I'm stuck in a long grocery line or waiting for someone. Growing up, I knew people who were better than me in a specific game or genre -- and even then maybe ten people at most -- but no one who was close to all-in like I was. I would bike to the store to read all the latest magazines like EGM. Probably reread each issue cover to cover every week. But no one really to share the enthusiasm with. I still remember seeing SNES Action Replay codes to "activate" boss characters in Street Fighter 2 and cycling like mad back home to try it out. (Anyone else play the store demos as fast as they could to get to a save point before it reset?) Here, most of the members are better and more enthusiastic than me. I really enjoy being around people better than me at things. Better late than never.

Sadly, in small towns, it's still tough to find dedicated gamers. I have a young relative who's sort of in the same position I used to be. He can't find anyone better than him to play SFIV with in person. I understand what he's going through. I got a control pad and tried to challenge him myself, but my fingers no longer do what my brain tells them to. I blamed analog first, then just had to accept I'm too slow now.

 

If you want to sell instantly, go on eBay.