WOW… its a damn shame this happens to folks. Sad to hear classifieds is going away as it has been the catalyst to my meeting and talking with other SF Members. As a “Newbie” (joined 2020) I feel fortunate that it was here but agree… enough is enough… not that you need my agreement .

This message has been edited. Last edited by: NMDave,

Sorry to see this, as I have bought and sold in the Classifieds.

However, I understand.

I appreciate all you do for the guests of SIGforum.

I truly mean what my CUT says.

Thank you Para!

Para its a stupid tax unfortunately. I've never understood why people do stuff like this and verify nothing.

quote:

Originally posted by JG:
How about just banning WTB threads?

It's something to consider.

Let me take some time to calm down a bit. My first impulse is always to break out the chainsaw.

Now I know why all those "e-mail sent" messages are so useful.

Is it possible to hide the sub-forum to non-members? I know on the forum I run we only have about 7 sub-forums visible to non-members and around 50+ for members only.

quote:

Originally posted by Jester814:
Is it possible to hide the sub-forum to non-members? I know on the forum I run we only have about 7 sub-forums visible to non-members and around 50+ for members only.

Scammers have already infiltrated the membership, so that won't help here.

Our email addresses are already hidden from non-members inside our profiles. Therefore, the only way they're able to access those email addresses to send the scam responses to the WTB ads in the first place is if the scammers are logged in as members. (Unless someone is dumb enough to post their email address in the middle of the text of their WTB ad, which does occasionally happen here, but isn't usually the case.)

It may be that some of the scammers have registered their own accounts over the years and are just hiding in plain sight. Or they may also be logging into existing real member's accounts using info and passwords scraped from hacks of other websites, since some lazy folks will reuse the same usernames and passwords across numerous websites.

Either way, hiding the Classifieds from non-members won't help since the scammers are clearly already logging in as members.

quote:

Originally posted by Jester814:
Is it possible to hide the sub-forum to non-members?

Yes. For reasons I won't go into, I don't want to do that.

This is the only online classifieds I use where I will send a check or MO to a seller before he ships the item. It's the only one where I will send a trade item to someone else before I receive anything first.

I've never been burned, b/c I exercise a modicum of caution. Members who almost exclusively post in the Classifieds, karmas, and an occassional throw-away comment are no-go for me. Members who participate in flame wars are no-go. Members who actively contribute have given me zero trouble. All it takes is clicking on "View Recent Posts by ___".

I will miss the Classifieds, but I understand Para's decision.

quote:

Originally posted by Jester814:
Is it possible to hide the sub-forum to non-members? I know on the forum I run we only have about 7 sub-forums visible to non-members and around 50+ for members only.

Right, I was thinking of something similar. Block the Classifieds forum from view (even the link to it) unless you are logged in as a member. I would think that is a feature of the forum software. Might be tougher to set it up for "members only" who have a "minimum of 50 posts."

I'd also suggest setting up the forum as "no index" so search engines would not be able to index the content, but having it set as members only should cover that.

UPDATE - I see that you don't want to lock the classifieds section down.

I understand why. It is unfortunate as I have sold and bought a good number of things her and always felt mostly safe dealing with the members of this forum.

Bummer but classifieds isn't worth you being tied up in knots over it.

It is a sad day. I have sold a few things but more importantly found some excellent people and great deals.

If only everyone in this world had the same moral values as the members here.

quote:

Originally posted by Wasabi:


That's too bad. I've never had a bad deal here. The folks on the sigforum are great to deal with

Yep, been here a long time and have bought and sold a number of things through the Classifieds. Always had great experiences and even got to meet a couple members in person. Yet another example of the minority screwing things up for everyone. Will be sad to see it go.

Yeah get rid of the non-members posting in WTB. Make new members go thru a waiting period/ post count/probation period. Heck make it 6 months, that just a drop in the bucket for us ol timers.

quote:

Originally posted by steve495:
UPDATE - I see that you don't want to lock the classifieds section down.

It may appear to be twisted logic, but making Classifieds viewable only when logged in means that some people who simply wish to peruse the Classifieds (out of curiosity, or for pricing information, but not for any nefarious purposes) may feel compelled to register. These new registrants will likely not contribute to the forum, except perhaps to post their own ads from time to time, and we all know how I feel about that.

Still, this action is worth considering, but even this would not stop the thieves entirely.

Look at everyone who has posted in this thread, most have been here over 10 years!

I'm not certain I understand the point you're making.

While I haven't used the classifieds in a long time I do look at them and would hate to see them leave but I also wouldn't want to have to deal with the all the work that they create and see members getting ripped off.

Para, i hope you will keep it open. I rarely buy anything, but this section has some cool shit that no other forums offer. It is just eye candy for me.