My experience is very much like that of c736445 above. In what way does it diminish community feeling when two people freely agree to a transaction? Why should that worry anyone? Buying and selling that way is part of what makes a community imho.
Sam
The "minimum of 50 posts" requirement for sellers has often shown how unscrupulous sellers can be - I can't count the number of times I've seen someone run up their post count in a day or two just so they can sell something.
An unscrupulous buyer? Never heard of it. I'm not in favor of a "minimum of 50 posts" requirement for buyers. This just seems a way to give an advantage to people with a "minimum of 50 posts" so they will have a better chance of snagging For Sale items before people with less than 50 posts jump on it.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
This is coming from someone with strong "lurking" tendencies. Initially I only joined this forum because that was the only way to see pictures posted on here that showed up in my google searches. I only stick around and contribute because I've found it a well monitored and on topic forum unlike all the other's I've stumbled across.
I perceive that the goal here is to encourage participation in the forum, adding to the general knowledge base. I don't want to see someone just sign up for the sake of having a another convenient place to pawn their stuff so the 50 post limit makes sense. Being able to recuperate some cost of unwanted gear, especially hammock related, is a big benefit. Limiting selling gear to an exclusive group of contributors has too much of a cliquey ring to it. Let the "lurkers" and "newbs" have a chance at the good deals. It may help draw them out or at least get them hanging in better gear than they would otherwise. There's no way to tell a first-post-buyer's intentions, they deserve the benefit of the doubt.
I'm for keeping it status quo - 50 for the seller, no limit for buyers, and give me first right of refusal.
I'm also a newbie here and my original reason to sign up was to see the pictures. There aren't many threads that I feel moved to comment upon and I have been able to take advantage of a FS item to upgrade my gear. Maybe I'm unusual in that I've gotten bitten by the bug and I've already made a number of DutchWare purchases.
I log into these forums every day and the first place I check is the FS forums. I then check for new posts elsewhere. I'd likely still be at only 1 or 2 posts if I didn't have this habit (granted, I'm still under a dozen).
I'm for keeping it the way it is.
Dave
I like the rule as is. I appreciate that HF has guidelines that give at least some sense of community and thus some trust and credibility. Craigslist and ebay are available for those who want a quick transaction without all the love and camaraderie.
I like it the way it is ,but also like the idea of a donating member only for FS sub forum. Maybe allow a broader range of items to be sold there, but still keep to the camping/hiking/hanging theme so it doesn't turn into Craigslist. That might encourage more to donate.
" The best pace is a suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die." ~ Steve Prefontaine
As another lurker I would not like it if a post requirement were added for buying. I tend to post only when I feel I have something special to contribute. I am not inclined to add to the noise that I go to the wilderness to avoid.
As of yet, I have never purchased anything from the forum, and I am certain I could get my count up to 50 easily if that were my goal, so the rule really wouldn't affect me. However, I do not feel that membership time or posts to the forum should entitle anyone to preferred treatment. If anything, I believe the forum should try to encourage newcomers.
Mine says 300+, but it's easily 3x that. I've been pretty active on the forums for a bit, and noticed it doesn't always count anyway. Having said that, I see no harm in how it's set up now. Sellers don't ship until payment is made, so no worries there. But it's nice to know that those selling have put effort into participating. I've sure enjoyed a boatload of gear to get me where I'm at now!
Last edited by Peppy; 09-21-2017 at 20:53.
I experienced the opposite as you, and got frustrated when very knowledgeable people with 50 hammocks and quilts were scooping up the good deals, while I had to research if it was a good deal or not first, because I was a newbie. Was not fair!
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