FINCHforum

I agree on the amount of in depth exchange between buyer and seller, it is something I do practice but it got to the point here in my area where the flag went up on certain mutations I had not only from the postings on the forum in the topic areas but marketplace. (pictures used here tipped them off it was me.) Brokers would email posing as buyers, exchange of conversation and eventually a number would be given by the seller, once I placed the call they had the cell number and it was passed to other brokers, I was getting calls messages at 2 am...not cool. Yes it is all part of posting in a very public place, one of the reasons closed/members only facebook classifieds are sometimes preferred.

I have since moved away from advertising online, sold birds as a vendor at shows and via word of mouth by friends. My card for my aviary no longer has a phone number on it or my private email, but a separate email dedicated just to the birds.

Yes, more exposure is good business but there are times when you want to sell/offer birds to just the members you know and trust here and not to just anyone with other motives. That is when you need to weed those people out of your potential buyers.

I do not see the benefit of members only. Any sociopath can join the Forum.

Unless a seller puts their contact info in their post, anyone would have to join the forum simply to send a message or respond to the post, correct?
So what difference does it make in the end?
As others have pointed out, the breeder/seller still has the responsibility to vet the prospective buyer, whether a member or not. Regular forum users know who is producing which species, and who has expressed interest in a species, and can certainly find each other outside the marketplace if they don't want to advertise to the general public.

I voted members only, but have since changed my views also. I agree with Brian/birdclaws, if you ask the right questions, you can tell who is a responsible bird owner and who is not. Plus, as he said, you can always say it's been taken.

finchmix22 wrote: I can see both sides. Sometimes, I may want to offer something for FF members only and don't want the general public to buy my finches. There are others who are open to selling their products, birds, etc. to any interested party.

I agree 100% completely.

mayble wrote:

nelloyello11 wrote: Or, is it possible to add a feature (for MP forum posts only), so that the original poster could choose whether to make their post public or private- best of both worlds?

That's exactly what I was thinking. Isn't it possible to set it up so the poster has the choice?

I was thinking the same thing... a little check box would be good...

My person opinion is public because you may end up with a lot of unused screen names... I have joined sites to buy something then later forget about the site or my login info old age sucks lol...

debbie276 wrote: After all there are 2299 members here, how many do you really know?

And am I the only one that it bothers that there are only 32 votes???

Hi all - although I am not a long-time member, I am on the same page as 30 Seconds.
For non-living items, perhaps there is a way to make those open to all?

30 Seconds to Bob wrote: It's easy enough for ANYONE to become a member of the forum, and I think that a true bird aficionado would want to be one anyway. For the sake of those who wish it to become private (and have valid reasons), I say make it private. I rarely sell (or give away) birds, but when I do, I would much rather they go to people I can keep in touch with via the forum. Bob

Lauren

It should remain public because most people buy pets first then learn about keeping them. I am sure every member was the owner of a bird before they joined.So it is likely someone may be looking for their first bird, what better place to buy it? Then the value of the forum becomes real to the first time owner.My favorite finch

Not a breeder so don't know if my opinion should count. After reading all the comments however, I'm leaning in the direction of what Nelloyello11 and Mayble said. Have it both ways and then you have the best of two worlds and everyone can be happy with the arrangement.

Please excuse my ignorant question but....How is it possible for a non member to respond to any add, posted by an advertiser (member), if that advertiser does not leave a phone number or email address. If that is the case leave it as it is, and have it both ways.


Kernel

I have sold several birds in the past...birds I love! I have certain questions I ask and if I don't feel 100 percent right about the transfer...it doesn't happen. I like the idea of members only but when you are selling you need all the opportunities available. Just be vigilant and ask the right questions about who you sell your birds to. Some may think it's a little obsessive... but when it come to my birds...I am!!!

Could there not be a members only market place? I have no idea what this would involve but we could have a site for the members to discuss and view between ourselves and be aware that there are two different market values? Just a thought, this is a tough question and an important decision.

I prefer to leave the Marketplace open to the general public, because it can be very hard to sell birds sometimes. There are many forum members but we are spread out over a big area. Forum members who do not want to sell to non-members can say so in their ad or not leave contact info (for example, say "Please PM me for details").

I also wonder if it would be technically possible to optionally post entries only viewable to members (or have a separate members-only marketplace as well as a public), so those that only want to advertise internally could do so. Just my 2 cents!

This topic was recently revived, but the Marketplace will probably stay just as it is, open to the public. As so many have pointed out, though anyone can read the posts, only members can respond, unless a member chooses to post their personal phone number or email.

We do discourage members from posting their personal information on the forum, but it is not against the rules. Those who do post their personal information will probably get a reminder from one of the moderators that the forum is open to the public, including scammers.

If the Marketplace stays open, it does allow members to reach more possible buyers, as potential buyers could join the forum. And those who wish to keep their transactions private can conduct the entire transaction via PM.

And as so many have said, the seller is in ultimate control. If you don't want to sell to someone, all you have to say is that the bird is no longer available.

I haven't offered anything in the marketplace personally, but I would.
And I have purchased 2 birds from another member via the MP.

I can see both sides of the coin here.
I think it would be advantageous to have 2 marketplace sections. One visible to the public, and one visible to forum members only.

There are lots of forums with private sections.

Personally, if I listed a product, I imagine I'd want to have it publicly visible.
If I was listing my birds, I would want it to be members only as I would much prefer to sell to someone I "know". But as others pointed out, it's simple enough to just say "sold."