Reassess 14 day Rule in the Exchange?

[MattWRog]

My experience lately in the exchange has me asking how members and the staff feel about readdressing the 14 day re-list rule. Bladeforums grows everyday, especially in paid memberships looking to sell and trade. In my 15 years here, I’ve never seen so many gold members with zero feedback than I have the last year or so, good news as we are growing the membership.

I know when someone is selling something they all want the maximum exposure possible, myself included. I can also understand the relief taking away “bumps” from members afforded the moderator staff. The “Production for sale” forum is probably the most active, recent threads started will be shuffled back several pages in a matter of days. One of my threads recently, was posted this last Thursday, and in three days is now almost 8 pages back. Everyone wants their sale thread on the front page for maximum exposure which is great, but I’d argue that once you get a few pages back, most folks aren’t looking there anymore or assume the item is sold. This is also exacerbated lately with the multiple posting of the same threads due to server delays.

What do you folks say? I doubt we’d see bumping reinstated but in some of these forums I could see shortening the re-list time significantly and still be able to run smoothly. How many pages back do you look in the Exchange when you’re looking to spend some money?

 

[marchone]

To your early point, I've been a member here for several years and made a few successful sales and purchases through the forum. But I never asked for feedback and everyone doesn't automatically offer it. Perhaps in the future new software can address that issue.

To relisting, I'd be good with a 7-day rule. But knives here sell quickly when priced correctly. So no sale may simply be a reflection of that and require a price adjustment when relisted.

 

[MattWRog]

To your early point, I've been a member here for several years and made a few successful sales and purchases through the forum. But I never asked for feedback and everyone doesn't automatically offer it. Perhaps in the future new software can address that issue.

To relisting, I'd be good with a 7-day rule. But knives here sell quickly when priced correctly. So no sale may simply be a reflection of that and require a price adjustment when relisted.

Good points all around. Pricing something reasonably will certainly help ensure a quick sale. There are of course certain brands or models that will always be more hot than others. It’s hard to “compete” with something like a new sprint run from Spyderco which will dominate the first few pages after a recent release. While your knife may not be undesirable, it won’t be the immediate sale for something like a Spyderco Sprint “flavor of the month”

 

[Peter Hartwig]

It's all relative. If you have quicker re-listing you will also move to the back pages quicker. What would likely benefit the forum more is people marking their items as sold when they are.

 

[MattWRog]

It's all relative. If you have quicker re-listing you will also move to the back pages quicker. What would likely benefit the forum more is people marking their items as sold when they are.

To a point, I agree. The volume of in-demand items that sell within the first few hours, sometimes minutes, are sliding the rest that maybe sit a day or two, but would be quickly shuffled back beyond where most people look I bet. Doesn’t seem like too much of a concern however, with the lack of response here so maybe it’s not as big of a deal as I thought.

 

[RayseM]

I'd like to shorten the time BUT I have come to realize that the 14 day rule keeps the exchange more FRESH. I think one of the key reasons it is so popular is that you can look every day and see something new. Frustrating nonetheless - absolutely - to have your listing move light speed from page 1 to page 8 1 day each, on page 1 and 2 is all I hope fo these days.

As for this point - "But knives here sell quickly when priced correctly." I disagree. YES, knives will sell quickly if the price is low enough but there are many other factors. Demand being right near the top. The fact that knives fly off page 1 so quickly severely reduces the time to catch the eye of the right buyer. I have many examples of sales that I have re-listed 3 or 4 times without lowering my "fair" price (and sometimes raising the price) and finally the knife found the one buyer who appreciated the value and bought it. It's all about finding the right buyer. One day on page 1 hardly gives your sale a chance. Needing to wait 14 days to re-list is a bit frustrating but I understand the reason and so I wait.

 

[hhmoore]

Not every buyer scans the Exchange. It is quite rare for me to open a category and skim through the ads - I utilize New Posts almost exclusively. (If I'm looking for a specific knife, I might go to the appropriate section and do a search.)
As to the 14 day rule, I'm fine with it as is. I rarely leave an ad running for a full week anyway, unless I forget about it. I generally withdraw the item, remove the price, and close it to posts if it hasn't sold in 3-4 days.


* If we're talking about desired changes, though, I'd like to be able to delete my ads - not just the content. Think how the landscape would change if sold/withrawn ads were simply out of the mix. (Of course, people would have to click the button, and many just wouldn't bother)

 

[RayseM]

Not every buyer scans the Exchange. It is quite rare for me to open a category and skim through the ads - I utilize New Posts almost exclusively. (If I'm looking for a specific knife, I might go to the appropriate section and do a search.)
As to the 14 day rule, I'm fine with it as is. I rarely leave an ad running for a full week anyway, unless I forget about it. I generally withdraw the item, remove the price, and close it to posts if it hasn't sold in 3-4 days.


* If we're talking about desired changes, though, I'd like to be able to delete my ads - not just the content. Think how the landscape would change if sold/withrawn ads were simply out of the mix. (Of course, people would have to click the button, and many just wouldn't bother)

Couldn't agree more - would especially appreciate the DELETE option. Well said hhmoore

 

[benchwarmer380]

Couldn't agree more - would especially appreciate the DELETE option. Well said hhmoore

It would make perusing the Exchange simpler, but deleting the ads could prevent feedback to be given.
It also may muck up existing feedback. What I mean by that is the feedbacks are linked to the sales thread. When a negative is given, the Neg and the sales thread are the first two breadcrumbs to use to figure out what happened. Deleting threads would allow some to cover up or at least hinder what can be seen.

 

[hhmoore]

The mods can view deleted threads, and restore them.

 

[madcap_magician]

I think the 14-day rule is fine. I think people should do better housekeeping:

1. Knife arrived? Great. Did you get and give feedback?
2. Did you edit your sales thread title to mark your item as sold?
3. Did you close your thread to additional posts?
4. Did you leave the price in to help other buyers and sellers?

 

[benchwarmer380]

The mods can view deleted threads, and restore them.

[Regarding giving feedback.]
Yes. But that would just add one more hurdle in an already (arguably) unintuitive process.



Also, that's got to be a nightmare suggestion for those that prefer the price to be left on sold items.

 

[hhmoore]

Also, that's got to be a nightmare suggestion for those that prefer the price to be left on sold items.

There's no perfect system that will please everybody... but those that prefer prices to be left aren't faring very well anyway. Is a bunch of ads with the prices edited out better, or worse, than a bunch of deleted ads?

 

[benchwarmer380]

There's no perfect system that will please everybody... but those that prefer prices to be left aren't faring very well anyway. Is a bunch of ads with the prices edited out better, or worse, than a bunch of deleted ads?

I would say slightly better as it shows that model is desirable. Desirability generally means the potential for a higher selling price.

 

[Peter Hartwig]

OP
I have used many different systems over the years with all sorts of day requirements. I can only speak for myself, but the 14 day rule serves you(seller) best with me. I check the exchange often and there is little chance I would miss your ad. Is 14 days the perfect number-I don't know , but it is good enough IMO
I have also picked up a number of sales from latter pages-just concluded one. I of course do prefer being on page 1

 

[marchone]

Not a delete. I would like to see sales archived for price history and to spot trends. Or, failing that, a sales summary like Watch Patrol does.