Trading Post Honor System --- NOT Working

[swamp]

The trading post forum has only generated about $10 in revenue for this website, beginning sometime in April of 09 till the present... meaning that only $200 worth of merchandise has sold there... well I sort of doubt that... at the top of that forum it states:

HONOR SYSTEM: Pay to HuntAmerica.com 5% of transaction or $50 whichever is less - Items for Sale, Want to Buy, BEWARE OF SCAM ARTISTS, Conduct Business at your OWN RISK...!

And the sticky post at the top of that forum states:

a) Commercial posts are not allowed unless you are a paying advertiser at HuntAmerica.com

b) Free Classifed Ads such as these are a haven for scam artists. Be careful with whom you are dealing with and Conduct Business at your OWN RISK.

c) HuntAmerica.com reserves the right to remove any post at anytime.

d) If you do make a sale or gain from any transaction as a result of posting at this board we are asking that you contribute 5% of the transaction or $50 whichever is less. These contributions will help to keep these forums on the air. Payments can be made through www.paypal.com making payment to rings@huntamerica.com or via credit card at Talk Forum Donations (http://huntamerica.com/mcart/index.cgi?code=3&cat=8)... or check or money order made payable to HuntAmerica.com at the address shown below.

HuntAmerica.com
P.O. Box 4116
Naples, Maine 04055

e) Contact me at rings@huntamerica.com if you have any questions. Thanks, Marshall Talbott

-------------------------
Please support these forums by abiding by the Honor System... If you have forgot about honoring your word then please make good on it...

I don't want to go back to the former method of paying in advance for posting priviledges there...

[ncboman]

wow. that's sad.

You could double the revenue by buying the bow I listed. :D

It's still available. :)

[swamp]

$5 here $10 there is does add up and it does help... what am I missing here?

Is the honor system not a good idea?

[ncboman]

$5 here $10 there is does add up and it does help... what am I missing here?

Is the honor system not a good idea?

I just did a quick scan of a few of the talk forum sites I sometimes visit and couldn't find a single one that charges in any way for classified ads, although I found one does require a certain number of posts to be allowed to sell.

example 1 (http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/2711043)

example 2 (http://www.ohiosportsman.com/classifieds/)

example 3 (http://www.nchuntandfish.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=14)

Most sites seem to offer free classifieds as a way to increase traffic and PROVIDE a free service for the members. What a novel idea!!!

I realise it's your site and you may feel viewers should pay for the privilege of coming here, but I can't understand your reasoning. I'm certain a percentage of visitors read your rules for the classifieds and get turned off right off the bat.


what am I missing here?

Kinda looks to me like you've missed the whole boat ... repeatedly.

How many times have you single handedly tanked the site over this kind of stuff?

Google (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=hunting+talk+forums&rlz=1R2GGLL_en&aq=f&oq=&aqi=) says 'Results 1 - 10 of about 11,100,000 for hunting talk forums.'

How many of them charge for selling via classifieds? :rolleyes:

Try this on for size.

This week among other jobs, I did 3 small easy repair jobs for very good customers and was unsure what I should charge so I left bills with the 'amount due' blank. ... told them to fill it in and I'd be happy. Two of them paid me exactly double what I had in mind. I haven't got a letter/check from the last one yet but I'll bet a Coke I'll be very happy when it arrives. :)

Sometimes an honest friendly attitude is more profitable than the services provided. :cool:

[purple heart]

What if there is no profit just a friend helping a friend?
What's 5% of nothing?

[tommyt]

I didn't see the IOU if I sell on this page and listed a scope
The scope sold from /On another Page
after a few memo's I see that I should give the 5 % or what ever
as I see posted not any I visit charge so thats where I'll go
Also after all the years Don Wald helped around here I can't believe there was not a Sticky With his name On the header That he Passed away Not hid inside the post
That right there told me a lot
I try not to come by to much but old habits are hard to break
and a few of the Guys I really like to read their posts or add a Little myself
That is all going away NC bowman is just one of the guys
But I guess as the crow flies so shall HA
Regards
Tom

[Just a Hunter]

Guy's

I agree that allowing the forum members to post items for sale free could raise the number of hits a given site might have thus making it more favorable to those that advertise on it.

However that's really not the point.

For better words this is Swamp's house, and if these are the rules he wishes then there is little reason to complain about them.
There is no reason to state what you think or would do on your own.
Your wasting your time looing up other forums on the net to share how they handle there business.
It really dont matter in this case.

I will not try to convince you how to run your own home's, thus its not my place to try and change Swamp's mind on this matter either.

Unlike Healthcare reform this is not being thrust down our throats without choice.
If you have a issue with compensating Swamp then just dont post in the trading forum.

[yoteshooter]

he asked

[swamp]

the trading post is totally free... donations not required as of many months ago...