Are the Classifieds Broken?

dindude

Is it just me?

I sell only about 10% of my turnaround (usually pedals) on here these days. I price very keenly but things just don't shift or someone comes with a low-ball offer telling me how much they can get it for on eBay from the US (priced on the basis of if they didn't have to pay shipping or import duties I can only assume!).

And every time I think I may be wrong and think of lowering the price, I stick it on eBay and get a price above my Asking on here even taking into account eBay fees.

I would rather it go to someone on here but you have to sell yourself very short to make a sale on here, anyone else feel the same?

not_the_dj

Compared to ebay the audience here is pretty tiny. Like you I'd rather sell here, but if something doesn't shift it's onto ebay. 

I've been lucky this last week or two selling an amp and three pedals, but in the past it's been a different story.

monquixote

I find stuff either goes in a couple of hours, or after months. 

I fekking hate ebay so I'd rather sell on here if I can.

preston61

I know how you feel, every time I get an email from eBay telling me my monthly invoice I get a little bit of rage building up (it's not as if they haven't taken my money from me via paypal already on the sales!!)

This place will realistically never reach the numbers that were on MR so I guess we have to assume that the classifieds aren't going to be as good. I keep looking at the FX section and there is very little that comes up that I want to buy, used to not have enough hours in the day to buy the stuff that was floating around the classifieds on the other site

markslade07

I agree, not sure if it's still the post Xmas hangover or what, but there's a lot if stuff that is taking ages to sell, even when priced veeeerry keenly

monquixote

preston61 said:

This place will realistically never reach the numbers that were on MR 

Don't count on that.

zenzeypher

It is very slow, but i've had a few people i've sold to on MR post on my sales ads.

I think it's just that time of year, everywhere's slow.. but like said above Ebay just has a wider audience.. which is a shame.

ChrisMusic

I applaud the ethos of trying to keep sales on here.  It is also good to keep nice gear within the community.  

There are some amazing things on here at the moment which are hanging around.   We are however in that post Xmas dip time and despite what the politicians, statisticians and media say, there is definitely a downbeat feel to confidence in the economy.  Retail in general seems to be going through tough and tougher times, so my feeling is that some of it is reflected here.  I can't believe that some of the quality bargains on here recently would hang around in a buoyant market.  I also think a lot of people are sitting on the fence and waiting to see how the year pans out.

As for eBay, Gumtree etc they all have their issues in selling.  Personally I don't use eBay either.

So my answer, for what it is worth, is that I think it is a reflection of wider circumstances played out in a comparatively small (but growing) community.  Keep the faith guys, I am sure it will all come good.

preston61

monquixote said:

preston61 said:

This place will realistically never reach the numbers that were on MR 

Don't count on that.

It's not a criticism, MR was a small part of a massive magazine and website so it naturally had more people swinging by. This is a nice little site and I'm very glad a lot of people have made it across, and it if it gets bigger, that will only improve the classifieds, then all the better

TTony

preston61 said:

It's not a criticism, MR was a small part of a massive magazine and website so it naturally had more people swinging by. This is a nice little site and I'm very glad a lot of people have made it across, and it if it gets bigger, that will only improve the classifieds, then all the better

We're not at MR size yet, but the MR forum had developed over many years, through a series of incarnations, and - as you rightly say - had the "might" of the magazines behind it. 

However, at current rate of growth, it's going to take us a lot less time to build a similar sized community as MR had, and that's without any advertising or SEO work.  There aren't many forums out there that are more active (posts/day, hits/day, posts/member, etc) than us. 

Once we start work on raising our profile and actively trying to attract new members ...

 

 

In terms of the Classifieds;

evilBay will always have a bigger audience, and you only need 2 people to want something to get into a bidding war and up goes your price.  evilBay also has a much bigger selection of cons, scams and (if you're a seller) risks.

On here, you'll often need to price something keenly if you want it to sell quickly, or you need to be patient to get the full price for it.  And you never have the opportunity of benefiting from a bidding war.  There'll always be chancers aiming to get something on the cheap.  I've seen a few things that I've thought "I don't actually need it, but if it were £20 cheaper, I'd grab it just to try it out for a while".

Recently, I've found trading to be a far more effective way of swapping something unwanted for something more wanted.  You don't really have that option on evilBay.

robwright

I've bought approx 1 metric tonne of gear on here (and MR) but only sold a handful of stuff. But I would still rather sell here than ebay!

A mate of mine owns a very fine music shop in Bristol (Heron Music, if you are ever in the area) and he says that times are tougher than he has ever known in retail so I guess it follows on here as well. 

Anyone would think there was a recession!

Anyway, I agree with Tony - trade-it (also a local free-ads paper!). If I ever sell gear it is ALWAYS to buy more, so trade instead. Maybe we could have a trade-only section?

digitalscream

preston61 said:

It's not a criticism, MR was a small part of a massive magazine and website so it naturally had more people swinging by. This is a nice little site and I'm very glad a lot of people have made it across, and it if it gets bigger, that will only improve the classifieds, then all the better

Don't worry, we're not taking it as a criticism. However, you've got to consider that we brought maybe 400 people across from MR - in the 6 months that this site's been active we've picked up another 1200+ people along the way, and that's with zero effort expended on marketing and optimising for search engine results. Also, as @TTony says, our activity levels are through the roof relative to almost every other UK-based music forum.

Just give it time; we're still growing at a surprising rate, and with the plans we've got it'll only get bigger

frankieMART

Just had a decent idea - for every listing that a Fretboard member puts on eBay, how about putting a small message in every listing advertising the forum and the classifieds section etc?

Would raise the profile and hopefully draw people to buying things on here. Everyone's a winner

stickyfiddle

I feel the need to apologise- since leaving the country I'm unable to buy everyone's pedals. My bank balance is looking better for it but I haven't bought any new gear in almost a year!!

TTony

stickyfiddle said:

I feel the need to apologise- since leaving the country I'm unable to buy everyone's pedals. My bank balance is looking better for it but I haven't bought any new gear in almost a year!!

I could help you with that problem.

Promise I'll keep them all safely until your return.

stickyfiddle

I've been damn tempted by all the Alter Egos floating around. Convincing myself not to knowing I can have a try of one when I'm in the states in August..

monofin

The slowdown is all down to @jookychap 's self imposed abstinence but it looks like that's all over now

JookyChap

monofin said:

The slowdown is all down to @jookychap 's self imposed abstinence but it looks like that's all over now

Yep gammon, the year starts here....

Fusionista

not_the_dj said:

Compared to ebay the audience here is pretty tiny. Like you I'd rather sell here, but if something doesn't shift it's onto ebay. 

This

benvall

I just sold my 18 watt head on eBay. Had it advertised here but no interest. The guy who bought it had a metro amp he was selling. I told him about the forum. I figured the more people with good gear who use this site to buy and sell the better it'll be for all of us.

matone

I think this forum has done amazingly well in a very short time!
As the community grows I`m sure sales will speed up.You have to be a bit more than realistic on prices everywhere at present unfortunately,that`s just the way it is.Too many people cannot accept the realities of the market but actual selling prices will always be the market value.