Suggestion: Trading post

[Jeremy Jon]

Here's a suggestion for the Trading Post section, perhaps a sticky thread, titled for Canadian forum members

If just a thread un-sticky will get lost as inactive, but reason for being is that most cross border "trades" are just not feasible or possible or desired for many forum members, either in US or Canada, shipping being the main issue & cost

Thanks

[1930fordpickup]

Why not just say Canada only on your trade post?

[Jeremy Jon]

And not have to read through every trade posted, to learn if says "lower 48 only" or "Canada only", that'd be a huge waste of time, a simple sticky makes life easier for that purpose and those interested

[Fabrux]

I think a very good idea and very easily implemented is to amend the posting rules so that the first four characters of a thread title should include brackets and the two-letter postal abbreviation for you state or province. Easy way for us canucks to get an idea how much we'll be paying for shipping.

[John Pol]

well I think its a good idea. I notice on ebay a lot says no Canada or international so I won`t buying from there anymore and its getting more and more in the last couple months.

John Pol

[Jeremy Jon]

True, shipping has been going up lately, and honestly I like the idea of trades interactions, but the cross border issue shipping is the problem

Hopefully we can get as a sticky, then for any new forum members, or other who didn't know about it before, would be able to easily see the sticky and immediately know it applies to them, and not have it become otherwise lost if inactive for any period of time in between

[Harry P.]

My experience tells me that most people ignore pinned topics.

[mikemodeler]

I can honestly say that I have avoided trades with those members outside the 48 continental US states due to shipping costs and time involved. I wish there was an easier way to trade with those outside of the US.

I ordered a piece of automotive test equipment from a China based company and it took nearly 30 days to get it. Next time I will look for a US based so I don't have to wait as long.

[Tom Geiger]

I think a very good idea and very easily implemented is to amend the posting rules so that the first four characters of a thread title should include brackets and the two-letter postal abbreviation for you state or province. Easy way for us canucks to get an idea how much we'll be paying for shipping.

Guys - every post has LOCATION: in the lower left corner! As long as you haven't typed something goofy there, we can see where you are from.

And yes, shipping cost is a problem. I just paid $20 to mail a $5 Geo Storm promo to my friend in South Africa. Not that I minded, he wanted it and I was happy to send him one.

[mk11]

I've found the usps website to be a great help for getting an idea of shipping costs. For instance, your basic kit under 20 oz will still ship for less than fifteen bucks with electronic delivery confirmation; not exactly the same as tracked but as Casey mentioned, cuts down the risk a bit. Shipping south from here is between 12 and 15 bucks now so there's not much difference and I can send wheel sets and parts for less than three bucks in a small envelope if it's under an inch thick. The key is finding someone who cares enough to do the research and knows how to pack economically. If cost is no object, then by all means deal with the guys stuck on global shipping or priority mail. I've had no troubles with guys I've traded with on here and will continue to do so. Not sure why this has suddenly become an issue; most forum members here also buy on the big auction site and should have an idea what the rates are like.

mike

[Jeremy Jon]

It's not an issue that's come up all of a sudden, just been a reality that the trades section is pretty much unusable for Canadians really, since so many US members don't wish to trade parts outside the 48, which due to cost of postage difference between states vs. between countries - even neighboring ones - is much more, and can't blame them for that

Harry I've never seen people not at least see stickys, but I know what you mean about many not reading rules stickys etc.

In this short thread there have been already 4 Canadian members saying they like the idea, so it would be great & cost nothing to give this a try

[Casey]

It's not an issue that's come up all of a sudden, just been a reality that the trades section is pretty much unusable for Canadians really, since so many US members don't wish to trade parts outside the 48, which due to cost of postage difference between states vs. between countries - even neighboring ones - is much more, and can't blame them for that

How is a pinned topic for Canadian members only(?) going to help? Are you asking for a Canadian member specific post where only Canadian members can/should post their trades, so they don't have to pay for shipping outside of Canada? I'm not exactly clear on what exactly you want to see happen or stated in a pinned post in the Trade sections.

[Jeremy Jon]

Casey, just a simple thread made as a sticky (pinned), we'll title something simple like "Canadian Trades Thread", and from there let it live, a simple easy to see single thread that Canadian members easily find (even for those unaware at first) & can post 'trades' in, following the same rules of course, but instead of individual threads, will just be individual posts, all contained within that single thread, easy

Edited December 10, 2013 by Jeremy Jon

[Casey]

easy

Why not just say Canada only on your trade post?

To me, that is an easier and simpler solution.

We purge posts which haven't received a reply within the last 30 days, so there are usually between 90 and 60 total posts total at most. I don't think there is enough volume to justify adding pinned posts for specific geographic areas at this time.

[Jeremy Jon]

No, that misses the entire point, making a simple sticky (pinned) thread is virtually no effort at all for us to try out

Disappointing that can't simply be tried, for those of us who have responded favorably for it

Edited December 10, 2013 by Jeremy Jon

[Casey]

No, that misses the entire point,

I'll ask again- what exactly is the point of having a pinned post specifically for Canadian members only? I know what you want, but I haven't heard why you feel it is necessary beyond the fact that some Canadian members feel it's too expensive to ship outside of Canada. Members from every other country have to look at the O.P.'s location and decide if they want to proceed with a trade, so why should we create a Canadian members only pinned post so they don't need to do the same thing every other member has to do when looking through the trade section?

Yes, a pinned topic is easy to do, but please understand that if we have one for Canadian members only, we to have need one for Australian members only, another for European members only, another for South American members, and so on. We also have to do it in both the Model Cars: Trade and Model Trucks: Trade sections, too. Eventually we'll have a pinned topic for every geographic area in both sections, and people will complain there are to many posts in each single pinned topic based on location. If we say OK to Canadian members who want a pinned post, how can we say no to others who want the same?

I understand shipping can get expensive, but if the cost of shipping is the #1 concern, take a look at the O.P.'s location the first thing after you open the post to read it, and decide right then and there if you even want to proceed. Adding a Canadian only pinned topic makes it easier for you and anyone else who only wants to trade within Canada, but I've got to be honest and say it sounds like an eBay advanced search where you can exclude things based on location, price, etc. Would a pinned topic in the Trade section for Canadian members only to post in be beneficial to all Canadian members (including those who don't mind shipping outside of Canada), all forum members, or just those Canadian members who only wish to trade within Canada?

I've said this before, but since I fell it applies in this situation I'll say it again. I will always lean toward doing things which benefit the forum membership as a whole, or at least the majority of members, instead of things which benefit only a small group of members. In this situation, I don't see a pinned post in the Trade section for intra-Canadian traders only benefitting the forum as a whole, so I'm not in favor of the idea.

[Deano]

First, I don't have a horse in this race and, yes, it is easy to look under the poster's avatar to see where they're from. What happens when they're from "Witness Protection" or "Down Two, Then Left"? Where are these places? I can assume they're from the good ol' USA, but they might not be.

[DrKerry]

I'll ask again- what exactly is the point of having a pinned post specifically for Canadian members only? I know what you want, but I haven't heard why you feel it is necessary beyond the fact that some Canadian members feel it's too expensive to ship outside of Canada. Members from every other country have to look at the O.P.'s location and decide if they want to proceed with a trade, so why should we create a Canadian members only pinned post so they don't need to do the same thing every other member has to do when looking through the trade section?

Yes, a pinned topic is easy to do, but please understand that if we have one for Canadian members only, we to have need one for Australian members only, another for European members only, another for South American members, and so on. We also have to do it in both the Model Cars: Trade and Model Trucks: Trade sections, too. Eventually we'll have a pinned topic for every geographic area in both sections, and people will complain there are to many posts in each single pinned topic based on location. If we say OK to Canadian members who want a pinned post, how can we say no to others who want the same?

I understand shipping can get expensive, but if the cost of shipping is the #1 concern, take a look at the O.P.'s location the first thing after you open the post to read it, and decide right then and there if you even want to proceed. Adding a Canadian only pinned topic makes it easier for you and anyone else who only wants to trade within Canada, but I've got to be honest and say it sounds like an eBay advanced search where you can exclude things based on location, price, etc. Would a pinned topic in the Trade section for Canadian members only to post in be beneficial to all Canadian members (including those who don't mind shipping outside of Canada), all forum members, or just those Canadian members who only wish to trade within Canada?

I've said this before, but since I fell it applies in this situation I'll say it again. I will always lean toward doing things which benefit the forum membership as a whole, or at least the majority of members, instead of things which benefit only a small group of members. In this situation, I don't see a pinned post in the Trade section for intra-Canadian traders only benefitting the forum as a whole, so I'm not in favor of the idea.

Sorry on but I agree with Casey on this one. When I look into the trade section and see something I have that someone is looking for. I tend to shy away when I see they are from Canada just because I don't want the high shipping costs. Like Casey also said the forum would get cluttered up big time if everyone from another locale in this world wanted the same. I don't want to step on toes, I just wanted to voice my two cents, I'll step down now.....

[Fabrux]

First, I don't have a horse in this race and, yes, it is easy to look under the poster's avatar to see where they're from. What happens when they're from "Witness Protection" or "Down Two, Then Left"? Where are these places? I can assume they're from the good ol' USA, but they might not be.

This is a very valid point. Forum rules require us to put our real names either below our avatar or in our signature. I think that providing your actual location in your profile and not a quip should be required if you are posting items for trade.

[Jeremy Jon]

Wow, aggressive, but I don't do internet arguing

It's an idea, for the reasons stated, would be easy to try, and benefit, or not, what ever

[Casey]

Wow, aggressive, but I don't do internet arguing

It's an idea, for the reasons stated, would be easy to try, and benefit, or not, what ever

I'm trying to explain why I would or wouldn't do what you're suggesting, but if you don't answer my question to explain why your idea should be implemented, we can't go any further. If there's a good reason for doing what you want and it will benefit the forum membership, we'll do it.

[Casey]

I think I have a solution.

Jeremy, go ahead and start a post for intra-Canadian trades in the Model Cars: Trade section and we'll see how it goes. It won't be pinned and it will be purged like any other post in the Trades sections if there are no new replies after a period of 30 days, but if there's enough interest, it'll remain on its own merit. Any truck trade should still be posted in the Model Trucks: Trade section.

[Harry P.]

Why are you guys trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist?

If you want to make a trade, all you have to do is PM the guy and ask him where he lives, then decide whether or not you want to deal with him.

What, too simple and logical???

[MAGNUM4342]

While we're at it, let's just do a sticky for everyone else as well. England, Germany, Switzerland etc.

[Deano]

I vote for a sticky for East Central Missouri!