Suggestion for the forum: post prices

[andrey]

Bill and other moderators,

What do you think about making the requirement to post prices along with For Sale ads. I think this way buyers will know exactly what to expect and sellers could be specific upfront.

Thanks,
-- Andrey

[brainpicker]

Better yet... why not have a User For Sale / Want to Buy FORM that the buyer/seller can fill in to enter or omit whatever details they wish on the item they want to sell, auction, or buy? That way if we see a seller did not enter a price and they check the box "for auction" or "gauging interest" we know they are accepting offers only, and we don't have to ask for a price because we will know they left out a firm price on purpose. I've commented on this several times. Many people here don't seem to understand that a majority of sellers who don't list a price do so on purpose because they have absolutely no idea what a fair price is. A lot of people don't have the time to research this and an easy way to see what an item is worth is for interested buyers to provide feedback. These sellers don't want to discourage people from inquiring or making an offer by listing too high a price. They also don't want to list too low a price and sell it right away when another member who has not had a chance to visit the forum for that day might pay significantly more. Still others are tired of receiving the PM "your price is out of line because I can buy this on the _ _ _ purchase site for less" (where the blank is three uppercase letters beginning with the letter after "D"). Each item for sale has a different value to each of us. A seller should, if they have the time and no urgent need to sell, have the opportunity to take offers if they feel more comfortable selling that way. However I do see the frustration some buyers have when prices are not listed and they miss out on a purchase because the seller forgot to list a price (or model, or specs, or condition, or warranty, or pixel damage, or, or, or...). A standard form with the details most interested buyers & sellers ask for might be a good way to satisfy everyone on this issue.

Other ideas?

As always... just my opinion.

Yak

[diademed]

But who will code it?

[brainpicker]

But who will code it?

True. OK, maybe a READ THIS 1ST!!! "sticky" post at the top of this section offering suggestions to buyers and sellers for posting their listings. It can contain a list of the most common questions asked by buyers and how sellers might address them in the listing post. One would surely be something like, "Most buyers appreciate an asking price. If you do not know how much you want for your item or choose not to list a price, please state that you are accepting offers instead. If you do not mention a sales price and do not clarify why, readers will be confused."

Yak

[BillMorrow]

ok, i hearby appoint you, brainpicker, the official author ofr the read me first..

do it, leave it here for further comment and refinement and i'll make it a sticky..

ok..?

[brainpicker]

Well, since this thread was andrey's to begin with I think it's only fair we work on it together. If it's OK with him/her (andrey, please PM me) then it's OK with me. I'm not backing out of my "appointment", but if the topic wasn't started I wouldn't have added my opinion. So, andrey, what do you say? Would you want to work on this with me?

Yak

[andrey]

Sure, I'll be glad to help!

[andrey]

Bill and Yak,

you have PM!