Should PPRUNE have a buy/sell facility?
 

I've asked why, when other fora I frequent (watches, especially) have a Sales Corner for private, non dealer sales, trades or want to buys, PPRUNE does not. The answer, I'm told, is that "350,000 registered members can't be wrong". I wonder whether perhaps this is perhaps a bit like saying, before the last election, that 20m Australians couldn't be wrong about dumping Kevin Rudd and bringing in Julia Gillard. I mean, we like the place, and all, an we didn't all move when it happened, and it might not change your life that much. But did anyone ask?

So, may I ask the question - should PPRUNE have a buy/sell facility for private sales, or a share/syndication facility, or something along those lines? This is not meant as a wind up - I'm just interested to know what people think. I'm not asking about whether it should be paid for or free - that's a commercial decision for the site's owners. But should people wanting to buy and sell or share aircraft, parts, etc, be able to do so on PPRUNE?

Your thoughts, please?

I'm ambivalent about buy/sell facility, but do feel the urge to mention 20 million Australians do not represent the voting populous.

I've given heaps of "stuff" away via the PM system and note PPRune DO have an advertising section, however costly that may be for David Clark gel seals or Ray Ban's. (do they still have them)?

PPRune do have an excellent readership though.

Depends what you want to buy/sell I guess and how much you want to pay.

All you can do is ask and that you have done.

I would use it for sure, a good idea!

Yeah I think it's a great idea! Why don't we just start our own in here and get them to sticky it. Surely that's allowed?

FOR SALE: One slightly used set of boxes, last used on an AN-24 flight somewhere in Africa.

I'm always buying stuff to do with aviation. I'd use it. At the moment, I only come here to read the articles.

This is what you agreed to when you joined...
 

We are all aware of the T&C's, he's asking why Pprune doesn't have this feature.

I don't see the point.

There are so many places to advertise/browse, why do we need another that will just give our volunteer mods a headache.

Most of those other sites have people who are paid, to oversee what is going on.

2c

As I explained in detail to HappyJack, a selling site is not the space we occupy. No different to EBay not providing a discussion forum?

My replies to HappyJack:

We are simply not in the selling game. There are numerous other sites which offer a selling service.

Advertising and offering goods and services for sale introduces an entire new range of publisher legal liabilities and responsibilities, particularly in Australia and parts of Europe.

PPRuNe is and always will be a professional pilot discussion forum.

Whilst PPRUNE may be a news forum for professional pilots, that doesn't invalidate the thought that professional pilots might want to buy or sell something - their CPL text books, perhaps, or the DC headset after upgrading to the Bose; or they might want to buy something - from a nomex flying suit to a whole aircraft or a share in one.

I don't follow the idea that advertising something makes you legally liable for it. If I advertise my car for sale on Carsales, my house in the Sydney Morning Herald, or buy a boat I've seen advertised on Boatpoint, neither I nor the other party are going to have much joy in suing the publisher if the roof leaks or the mast breaks. And whilst you might argue that this sort of classified ad is not news, newspapers have made a living out of it for hundreds of years.

We don't do selling.

In return you don't get spam, 'sales' information or your addresses flogged on to marketing companies.

Also we don't attempt to sell you tat, pens, T-shirts or dodgy souvenirs.

Instead you've had a completely free service for the last 17 years and we continue to chose not to turn the place into a flea market. That's simply how we want it and it's right there in our terms and conditions.

The internet is overwhelmed with places where you can buy and sell so we will continue to plough our own furrow.

Regards
Rob

fair call!

[QUOTE]We don't do selling.

In return you don't get spam, 'sales' information or your addresses flogged on to marketing companies.

Also we don't attempt to sell you tat, pens, T-shirts or dodgy souvenirs.

Instead you've had a completely free service for the last 17 years and we continue to chose not to turn the place into a flea market. That's simply how we want it and it's right there in our terms and conditions.

The internet is overwhelmed with places where you can buy and sell so we will continue to plough our own furrow.

Regards
Rob/QUOTE]

As I've said, it's the owner's prerogative to run the place as it wishes. Assuming that PPRUNE is not a charity (Check?) then it is a business, and if it doesn't charge its readers, it charges advertisers. So, whilst the banners I've been observing for flyinpoland.com, unibet (not sure of the aviation connection there,given we try to take the gamble out of flying), Skymark, Modern Shutters, Online CRM Software, Internet Brands, Korean Air, Aviation Medical Services, Rishworth Air, etc etc, may be of interest to Professional Pilots, they aren't news or rumours either. But if they're not sales information , then I'd call them advertising, by people who want to sell us something There's no moral high ground I can see, in favouring one form of advertising/selling (banners) over another (small classified ads in a dedicated sub-forum) - it's a business decision.

The service is free (to members), because we, the members, are the product, the "eyeballs" that the advertisers pay for, on a per view or click-through basis. Google Ads and cookies can help make them more relevant, but it's a well established business model. Some businesses rely on the same model for years, some look to exploit other revenue sources. I don't recall being asked if I wanted to see banner ads, but I understand that it's the way you do business, as of now.

A Sales Corner sub-forum, for classified ads, as, say, Pistonheads, or the Sydney Morning Herald (Domain, Cars, etc), or Watchuseek all do, could be a another revenue earner for the site's owners, and a very useful facility for the site's members. In any business environment I'd be very wary of saying that "350,000 registered members can't be wrong". Unless you've asked them, of course. And if you did, I must have missed the questionnaire. In which case, I'm sorry!

Anybody spot a dead horse around here? Happyjack has a whip in his hand! ;)

HJ, You take us as we are.

We've never contacted you, we've never issued a press release or advertised the site in more than 17 years of operation. And because we don't hussle or hassle PPRuNers the quid pro quo is that we run it our way.

What's important about the more than 360,000 signups is that each and every one has come and found us - not the other way around.

A significant number of thrusting modern types simply can't grasp the concept of not ever doing lunch, networking, spinning and schmoozing. We simply do aviation and take nothing from you.

Rob

Amen and hallelujah; we've had better threads locked. Please consider the Umpires decision and STFU.

PS – Can we have our Chess game back, please - we all miss it. :D

I like the advertising on Pprune. Particularly the stuff that disappears after you sign in. Risqué, provocative poses, girls in tight jeans and Asian girls!!
One would think that is the sort of thing that appeals to pilots?? Who would have thought !!

I find it amusing that the two references thus far to the .... website have been removed from this thread. Here's hoping for three !

For those that didn't click on the FAQ link:

PPRuNe Forum Rules

There is no charge for joining the PPRuNe Forums!

We do insist that you abide by the rules and policies detailed below. These rules work in conjunction with any forum-specific rules as well as the site's Terms & Conditions.

(In no particular order)

•No advertising or promoting of business/commercial ventures.

•No classified ads. (Either offering items or services for sale or 'wanted' items.)

•No spamming.

•No links to other aviation websites.