anyone else tired of it

[tentacles]

Hate to say it but Mr is all about money now. I remember when I found this site back in the day it was all about helping out other refers and we didn't have half the vendors we have now. Even the so called swaps should be called something else cause there is very little swaping going on more like a vendor showcase. So why shouldn't members whore there goods when mr is just a high priced whore

I don't know about everyone else, but most of the frags I get at swap are either from trades or just straight up "gifts" (I say gifts because there are many times where a friend will have a frag of something I want, but I don't have anything they want at the moment, so they just give me the frag, and then in the future I will give them a frag of something that I have that they want not expecting anything in return, so it's like an extended trade). Nobody is forcing anyone else to purchase corals from vendors, even though they are offering discounts. I don't think anyone here has a problem with people selling things on the boards (in fact, that's how many people here got started), but people who were banned from other sites who float over here to try to sell a coral for $800 are annoying. But again, no one is forcing anybody else to buy these pieces (I am NOT defending these types of people, just making a statement). Nobody talks about stealth vendors, but they're here. Nobody talks about people who have been here a while, with high post counts, who spend all their time buying and selling corals to make money, not for sustainability or 'spreading the wealth'/paying it forward. These are the people who everyone should be attacking.

and for the record, I support the 30-60-90 whatever day waiting period to post in the market place, but I think this "MR is a whore" business needs to be cleared up. While some members are dishonest, nobody in admin is getting a paycheck from this site.

 

[DEL]

Hmmmmm...how many posts do i have? I can't see onthis damn iPhone!! I think I'm under 500. but then again, I know a lot of people on here personally soooooo allll of them better vouch for me that I'm a good guy !! Hahahaha!! J/p . I think maybe 300 posts that vary in topics? I've always bought stuff from people with great feedback and reefer ratings, as well as people whom other people know. This way I know for a fact that they are good people. Ok. Why am I on MR at 245am? Hahaha. Damn liquor!!

 

[ryangrieder]

Hmmmmm...how many posts do i have? I can't see onthis damn iPhone!! I think I'm under 500. but then again, I know a lot of people on here personally soooooo allll of them better vouch for me that I'm a good guy !! Hahahaha!! J/p . I think maybe 300 posts that vary in topics? I've always bought stuff from people with great feedback and reefer ratings, as well as people whom other people know. This way I know for a fact that they are good people. Ok. Why am I on MR at 245am? Hahaha. Damn liquor!!

Why are you getting mad at the liquor? The liquor is always very generous and friendly!:wink1:

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

We should just close the marketplace for non donors.

 

[strgazr27]

Hate to say it but Mr is all about money now. I remember when I found this site back in the day it was all about helping out other refers and we didn't have half the vendors we have now. Even the so called swaps should be called something else cause there is very little swaping going on more like a vendor showcase. So why shouldn't members whore there goods when mr is just a high priced whore

I have to disagree. I joined back in January after spending about a month just reading and watching. Without a doubt some of the nicest people are members here. latest case in point is I mentioned to one of the members here I needed an RO/DI unit as one of the last things before I FINALLY setup my tank. He immediately offered me up his Coralife 4 stage unit which he wasn't using anymore..... FOR FREE! Several members have contacted me and told me to let them know when I am ready to start adding coral to the tank. They ALL offered up 1 or 2 frags to get me started Again FOR FREE ! I drove Jeff "CustomKing" crazy going back and forth over lighting and NEVER once did I get the feeling I was bothering him. I have Jerl77 on speed dial but not once have I been blown off or ignored.

Yes there are big dollar sellers but the little guy can still find a place here and maybe save a few dollars along the way.

There is a DISTINCT difference between "Whoring" (A recent posting for a 20 gallon setup comes to mind) goods as you put it, Lying and ripping members off and helping out a member. The increase in vendors can only mean one thing and that is, MR is growing and gaining in popularity a little more each day. Why is that such a bad thing?

JMO's

 

[masterswimmer]

We should just close the marketplace for non donors.

I think that is a 'no brainer' Chief. The marketplace is like a drivers license, it should be viewed as a privilege, not their right. In order to earn that privilege they should be required to to make their MR donation, and make sure it is renewed each and every year, almost like an automobile registration. Not to mention it must be viewed as a privilege that can be revoked due to rules breaking, on many different levels.

While the member is still new and they are still under probation, all inane, worthless, and 'filler' posts should be monitored by the mods and admin, and absolutely removed. Same thing for infractions including but not limited to, demeaning or belittling posts written to and directed at masterswimmer, :biggrin:

swimmer

 

[NYreefNoob]

Yes the market place is a good place for people to find affordable stuff at time's, and a good way to help someone just starting out, but actually reading and posting with questions will help out more, I am pretty active on RC and i find it funny when peoples second post on there is why can't i find the f\s forum ect. So if someone actually has to participate for a month and bring something to the site and post padding isnt hard to curb, especially if they they have to be approved first. 2 minutes of checking their post will show if it is all nice tank, lol and so on. and the donor to sell isnt a bad thing. i mean come on $25 donation to sell or whatever

 

[NYreefNoob]

speaking of which where did my donor badge go

 

[jerl77]

we should do it by the post you must post 100 times before you can see?
this will keep the people away or spend alot of time to sell something?
and bobby anytime your welcome :cheers:

 

[kenconnect]

I have to disagree. I joined back in January after spending about a month just reading and watching. Without a doubt some of the nicest people are members here. latest case in point is I mentioned to one of the members here I needed an RO/DI unit as one of the last things before I FINALLY setup my tank. He immediately offered me up his Coralife 4 stage unit which he wasn't using anymore..... FOR FREE! Several members have contacted me and told me to let them know when I am ready to start adding coral to the tank. They ALL offered up 1 or 2 frags to get me started Again FOR FREE ! I drove Jeff "CustomKing" crazy going back and forth over lighting and NEVER once did I get the feeling I was bothering him. I have Jerl77 on speed dial but not once have I been blown off or ignored.

Yes there are big dollar sellers but the little guy can still find a place here and maybe save a few dollars along the way.

There is a DISTINCT difference between "Whoring" (A recent posting for a 20 gallon setup comes to mind) goods as you put it, Lying and ripping members off and helping out a member. The increase in vendors can only mean one thing and that is, MR is growing and gaining in popularity a little more each day. Why is that such a bad thing?

JMO's

i have the same feeling i know i been driving nyreefnoob crazy with alot of question on my set up. and also gotten a few frag from byu and other members. but i would say if ur new then make them pay a fee.

 

[mbg75]

You should just have to be a donor to sell. Being new, I was able to stock my tank with items from fellow members. Wouldn't have happened if there was a waiting period. I was on the site less than a week and got my light from Lenny.

 

[jackson6745]

We should just close the marketplace for non donors.

Then a donation wouldn't exactly be a donation :shhh:

 

[jaa1456]

And this would no longer be a free site, I really dont. Buy anything off of here and have sold or traded very view frags. That's not the Main reason im on this site. But it is nice to scroll through the marketplace as you never know what will pop up.

 

[Josh]

So why shouldn't members whore there goods when mr is just a high priced whore

Really, are comments like this necessary? I can't help but notice that you are a vendor, maybe that has something to do with why you have that perception? If you don't think there is enough trading at swaps, the solution is to TRADE. It's not going to just happen by itself and quite frankly the plethora of vendors being being there is a great service for new and old members alike. If you want a TRADE-ONLY swap, expect to have a lot less variety and fewer people who want to attend.

If you have a problem with members selling their frags instead of straight up trading, why don't you post a list of your items and offer to accept any trade the other member wants? Money isn't an object, it is a method we use to exchange goods of different values. I sell 5x of a kenya tree and can buy one purple hornet. If this concept doesn't work in your mind, try and offer up your own professional services or expertise in exchange for your next dinner at a restaurant.

The point behind the marketplace being "open" is that our members can benefit from other non-members who want to unload their items. Is it a bad thing that people come here to sell? Wouldn't that be considered a benefit for the community?

I know there are people who are trying to rip other people off but we do police that where necessary. If you see something that is an obvious scam, just tell a moderator and they will take care of it.

Putting a post or time requirement on people to sell here would curtail the amount of items available. If people really want that sort of rule I guess we can examine it but I personally don't understand it. If you don't want to shop for items, DON'T GO TO THE MARKETPLACE. It is the only page where people are allowed to sell things (aside from around swap time). The quality of content on the board ebbs and flows, but it isn't the fault of the marketplace. There are a lot of different people here and they all have different interests. It wouldn't surprise me that there are a lot of people who only come here to sell, they're not interested in being a part of the community. It's their choice. Forcing people to have more posts to sell their items is only going to decrease the level of quality content across the board.

 

[fcamargo6thave]

MR is a great site, i like it the way it is and I like the fact that anything can pop up for sale at anytime. For example there was a For sale thread for 100 lbs of LR for $3 a lb and then an hour later another member put up an ad for 100lb of LR for $100. So i of course chose the 100lbs for a $100 & this was from a member that had like 4 posts.

It may be true that banned members maybe coming back on the site with new names to sell but the mods should maybe consider limiting 1 account per IP address. Anyway almost every member on this site has enough knowledge to know when a for sale thread doesnt look right, and I have seen it pointed it out plenty of times.

Also there are alot of vendors on this site but i think that is a good thing because we can shop around and anyway not all vendors sell the same thing.

 

[jadakiss]

i love manhattan reefs, pretty much hooked to the site since i joined. i just think people need to respect each other and that all the grimmy people that use to be on this site needs to get the boot.

 

[LatinP]

MR is a great site, i like it the way it is and I like the fact that anything can pop up for sale at anytime. For example there was a For sale thread for 100 lbs of LR for $3 a lb and then an hour later another member put up an ad for 100lb of LR for $100. So i of course chose the 100lbs for a $100 & this was from a member that had like 4 posts.

It may be true that banned members maybe coming back on the site with new names to sell but the mods should maybe consider limiting 1 account per IP address. Anyway almost every member on this site has enough knowledge to know when a for sale thread doesnt look right, and I have seen it pointed it out plenty of times.

Also there are alot of vendors on this site but i think that is a good thing because we can shop around and anyway not all vendors sell the same thing.

Problem is most IPs are dynamic and easily changeable, in fact some ISPs will make you pay to keep a static (non-changing) IP address. But I still say give it a 25-50 post requirement to be able to see/post on the marketplace. Make it too high and you'll have the forums filled with spam I'd rather have a member not contribute than to flood the forums with spam. That said for people who don't want (or have time) to get through the whole post requirement and need to buy something quickly maybe their light just broke or something, they can make a quick forum donation and get access to the marketplace forums. How about that idea?

 

[ryangrieder]

there is an up and a down to the new guys using the marketplace.

DOWNSIDE:
before i joined this site, (so im considdering myself a complete noob before i joined this site even though i reefed 4 years before hand lol) i thought used items were still worth alot because of the prices from a LFS with no close compitition. for instance, live rock here sells for 2-3 bucks a pound from a good respectful member. you go to certain LFS around here, it sells for about 8 dollars a pound. So, if i bought the rock for 8 dollars a pound, and desided this hobby is not for me, and tried to re-sell the rock, id think 6 bucks a pound is reasonable because its 2 dollars cheaper a pound off then the LFS. BUTTTT, on this site, if your selling rock for 6 bucks a pound, your going to get called out for it. Even if the seller does not realize it, it is over priced compared to most other usual members selling their rock. Then when they get called out, the either respectfully reply back "thank you i will lower my price or sell on a different site to make my money" (HAHA LIKE THAT EVER HAPPENS) ORRR a war breaks out. the seller will say "OHH BULLBLEEP 6 BUCKS A POUND IS REASONABLE, SHUT UP YOU BLEEP, WHO DO U THINK U ARE, I CAN SELL IT HOW EVER MUCH I WANT FOR YOU BLEEPING BLEEP HOLE! THIS SITE SUCKS AHHHHHHHHHH" and right there everyone on this site is going to read that and comment and then BAM closed thread obviously" EVEN though you are suppost to "read the rules of the site before selling or posting on here" comeooon... you think they all are seriously doing that? for example, when you download something for your computer, lets say ITUNES. before you can finish downloading, you have to "click to accept the terms" who here really sits and reads all that? or for any program for that matter? i think its the same for most web sites. new people dont want to read the terms, they just want to do what they planned on using the site for. either as a great database, or a for sale forum.

DOWNSIDE:
new members will sign up, and NEVER POST ANYTHING. they will i guess you can say "Stalk" the marketplace. they read it everyday trying to find good deals. then when a great deal pops up, they throw out a PM. AND its really funny because they dont know how to, so you will get Visitor messages or something saying they are interested, or something in that nature. They try to steal the great deal, before another member that has been here for a little bit that DESERVES IT more then the new guy. It happens all the time. you will see something for sale, and you go "ohh wow thats a great deal" and then FIRST POST "hello im interested, please call me at 1 800 RET-ARDD" thank god most common members will not call that person...but some do. and then, again, common members here who may have wanted that item, just got swooped by a new member. this also happens all the time as well. Dont believe me? i just put an item up for sale...check my visitor messages...

UPSIDE:
RARLY, but every now and then, new members come on here and do it because they are leaving the hobby. they want to get rid of everything. sadly most of the time, those members dont know jack squat and have items for sale like coralife skimmers and hang on filters and ect. but every now and then actual items that are useful like a good skimmer, or a sump, or a UV or something in that nature is for sale by a noob on here. does he sell it cheap? well then that would be the upside! does it happen that often? no sadly. but there is a chance! SO, thats really the only upside.

Me personally, i was like most other members before i joined. i kind of "stalked around" before acutally joining and posting. BUT, I RARELY LOOKED AT THE MARKETPLACE! i saw all these threads on things i never ever heard of before. i use to read all day long. then, i joined, and started using the marketplace to buy actual good items.

So my REASONABLE ideas are these...
First... NON members should NOT be able to view the marketplace. this way "stalking" will not happen as often.
Second... the donation thing is a great idea, but you are correct, that would not make this a "free site" anymore. So, thats completely up to the Mods and all. I feel its a great idea, but many many will fight that.
Third... a post counter i feel IS FAIR! do you realize how many other forums have them? This is the #1 Forum i use, and its the only one i use WITHOUT a marketplace counter. Im on many forums... TriStateEvo.com, RC.com, EVOLUTIONm.com, Phonedog.com, droid-life.com, Yamaharaptor.com, Rator660.com, Androidforum.com, ect. they ALL have marketplace counters. some only 25 posts, some all the way to 500 posts. EVERYONE on the site agrees its fair, and thats why they have it. If new members dont like it, well then they ovbiously did not sign up with good intentions of talking to us, they just wanted to use the marketplace. well they can sit and cry, its not my fault or yours. its a comminity vote.
and Forth... why not come up with ideas and have a vote?


again, i could be wrong with all this, but its all my opinion and im stickin to it...
agree or disagee. dont care. its my side...

 

[albano]

IMO...

The marketplace is a GREAT feature of this site, and allowing new members access to it not only helps them get into the hobby, but allows 'old' members more options to 'move' their stuff! (in order to buy more stuff!)
On the other side of the coin...allowing someone new to come on and sell their fish/stuff can be a great opportunity for 'old' members. We all want a deal, RIGHT!
*(point in fact...in Feb. someone set up a new account, and their first and ONLY post was to sell a COMPLETE 180g reef, and get out of the hobby. I was there within 24 hours and that purchase benefited at least 4 or 5 members here!)

THE PROBLEM is the people that are here ONLY for MARKETPLACE, (BOTH new and OLD members) and continue to post new FS threads, or buy up EVERYTHING for resale. As I mentioned before, just click on a 'new' members screenname and click on their 'other posts', and you can see every post in marketplace. I found someone last night with over 150 posts, I think 3 were in discussion forum, the rest FS threads.

We should all just report these to people to the Mods, and let them handle it. There are exceptions to every rule...someone moving, a death in the family, job loss...whatever...BUT having a BNIB MP60 FS every week is BS!, as is the guy with no tank, that constantly needs 200 lbs of LR and all your livestock!

Forget the post count and time 'served' and 'required' donations. The new and old members ABUSING the privilege needs to be handled.

Did I mention that this is just my opinion!

 

[ZANYMASTER]

This was the first and last Forum site for Reefing I will ever belong to.I agree wholeheartedly with Josh.:biggrin: