Let me put it this way. Eddie has made this website not only his home but his business as well. The classifieds are for people who are trusted and active here. Let me put it this way.
Say you opened up a business specializing in antiques . On weekends, you allowed your friends and family, and people you know who enjoy antiques set up stuff to sell, buy, and trade. Kind of like a glorified garage sale. Well here comes this random guy driving by. He sees what's going on and goes "geeze I would like to make a quick buck". The next week he stops in your business and browses a couple of things and walks out. You've seen him but don't know who he is. Well that weekend when you have your friends and family set up, he shows up to sell stuff even though he hasn't earned that right. You go up to him and tell him that he can't sell here because it's reserved for friends and family and people he knows, and he gets mad and thinks that you're some horrible person for having defined and reasonable rules.
That's what happens with all these for sale threads that turn sour.
:shock: Wow, that's a really great analogy - thanks! :crazyeyes:
Regarding "rules", I'd just like to point out that the title of the forum specifically states
"FOR ACTIVE MEMBERS ONLY". I don't know why that's so hard for people to see or why they feel it doesn't apply to them but I also state the following in the forum description.
"Got some old parts you'd like to turn into some cash? Well, this is the place to post them up. Buy and sell your items at your own risk. Please, do not post firearms or related parts for sale. If you are not an active member here on WAYALIFE, you will NOT be welcome to post here. NO vendors or businesses allowed."
Of course, once you're on the forum, there is a notice entitled, "
READ BEFORE YOU POST - For Sale Forum Rules".
My point to all this is that I've tried really hard to make it absolutely clear that unless you are an active member here, you are not welcome to use the for sale forums. And before people start giving me suggestions as to how I could change things to prevent problems like this, may I please remind you that I've been doing forums for over 20 years now and I have literally tried everything. People who are determined to sell things will always to post away. If anything, the self-policing that the members here do has been the single best solution I've seen to date.