Do not edit or delete your ad when it has been sold!

[admin]

When you sell an item in the classifieds, just click on the "Sold" button on the top right of your thread. It will mark your item as sold and lock the topic. It will also make you and a person who pasted in your ad eligible to leave feedback for each other linked to the ad.

Editing and removing the contents of your ad means that the feedback reference is meaningless, people can't see the price it sold at, and if there is a dispute or issue, it's gone.

 

[EarlCordova]

The only way to keep most people from editing the ad after it is sold, is for you to lock out the "Edit" option.

 

[admin]

The only way to keep most people from editing the ad after it is sold, is for you to lock out the "Edit" option.

First off, I don't really know why people edit their posts to remove everything. Maybe they think if they just add a "SOLD" to it, that some people will still think it's available and reach out to them? Or do they think it's somehow a privacy thing? (hint: ANYTHING you put on the internet is forever - even if it's on there for less than a minute - it's permanant). So not really sure why people go through the effort to do that with sold items.

That said, I can think of a couple ways to try to address the "don't edit/remove your sold item info" but I am open to other ideas/suggestions:

1 - Prevent users from editing their topic title and/or post content in the classifieds after X number of minutes through forum permissions (ie, there is simply no edit button 30 minutes after posting a new topic in the classifieds).
2 - Simply make it against ToS to edit it once sold and hand out account warnings or classifieds section time-outs if its repeatedly violated.

The problem with #1 is that there are valid reasons to want to modify an initial post or even topic, like wanting to lower the price or remove something that sold, etc. Though the flip side to that is that a seller can just reply to his own ad with an update.

The problem with #2 is that it will take time for everyone to get the memo and people may get upset/offended at getting an account warning about it.

 

[kptaylor]

I believe they think it's a privacy thing. "The government will track me and know what I own."

 

[Ballistic Therapy]

I personally don't want an internet record of everything I have bought and sold.

As far as keeping the price.
Most transactions are done in a private message.
What someone ask in their add , might not be what they sold it or traded it for.

 

[admin]

I believe they think it's a privacy thing. "The government will track me and know what I own."

Maybe... but even then, it's an item they SOLD, right, so in that case, having something that shows that you sold it would actually be a good thing if that were the reason.

Regardless, like I said above, once something on the internet, it's permanent. Editing their post isn't going to 'erase' it. I can still pull up classifieds ads from the defunct .com site from 20 years ago.

I personally don't want an internet record of everything I have bought and sold.

Hate to burst that bubble, but the moment you put it anywhere on line (nothing specific to this site or any other forum), there is a record it. Editing it, or even fully deleting it 10 seconds later, 10 minutes, or 10 hours later doesn't matter in the least.

It was already leaked that ATF pulls data from forums about gun sales - and it's not some agent in the corner of an office that's visiting popular web forums. The moment you press "submit" to post something to the internet, they (along with anyone else that cares) has a permanent copy regardless of how you edit, modify or delete the original content.

As far as keeping the price.
Most transactions are done in a private message.
What someone ask in their add , might not be what they sold it or traded it for.

That might be, but even then, the posted price is indicative or an approximation of what something sold for and helps gauge what others should consider selling something for.

And feedback is much more useful if someone can actually see what the feedback was for. Was it for a $1500 rifle or a $5 gun part?

 

[XJThrottle]

1 - Prevent users from editing their topic title and/or post content in the classifieds after X number of minutes through forum permissions (ie, there is simply no edit button 30 minutes after posting a new topic in the classifieds).

This is the answer.

 

[Azgunlover69]

I personally like the sold function! I'd say let's start there and see how people utilize it. I prefer to be able to change my ad to add more items, subtract items or change prices.