Free Classifieds!

I would like to thank the creators of this forum for allowing like minded (for the most part) fishing people to get together.

However.........I think it is a bit of a travesty to have some classified ads only viewable to subscribers and some for free to everyone (for instance, I am not a paid subscriber, but have sold many awesome things to many members of this board--whether it be saltwater gear, vehicles, or in home aid assistance items). It is only harming your audience of who you can sell to if not everyone can view a classified ad (for instance, i cant see what paid subscribers are selling--i might buy it or have an item they are looking for!). I'm not the person at the top, but least have an account to post--paid subscribers are missing out on opportunities to sell things to non-paid users.

And i dont care if you do this or not, i have basically no skin in the game in CT. I can't wait to fish in January on Marion & Multrie

I set a cheap price ($15) for annual access back in 2007 and have never raised the price. Can't say that about the cost of many other things.

Also, I've offered free access to some who have contributed a lot of great content over the years.

I think the price is fair and helps offset the cost of running the site. I run the site on a dedicated server. I've had very little technical problems, and the site has been running 24/7 for years (since 2001). Also tough to say about many other things.

Also, a paid subscriber has the ability to set viewing permissions on each of his posts. If he wants to make a classified post viewable to anyone, he can.

I think stranding thousands of Americans, abandoning afghans and millions of dollars of equipment in Afghanistan and then telling the American people everything is fine and this is a good thing while shaking hands with the terrorist enemy right in front of our faces while the media does its best to point to anything and everything else is a TRAVESTY. This might fall under non optimized convenience. But...

I always liked being able to Market just the people who subscribe on here. Specifically because it makes it so that the audience that I'm selling to is people that I've got a known for reference for (post history). No more no-shows, last minute cancelation or sudden changes of mind. I sold a really good kayak here without any haggling and with one exception was I nipped in the bud pretty quick offering me a price that wasn't even close to what I was asking for. I got a fair price from a reputable site member who I knew was going to use the gear and make use of the kayak as opposed to just sell it for another $50 more than they bought it for. I also didn't have to worry about being stabbed in a parking lot or showing up and having five or six guys waiting for me to politely take my kayak and not pay me.

Its been beneficial several times. I've used the free option to sell lesser items, advertise outings like the swap meet, and generate more open response from less frequent contributors to get them involved as well.

Totally disagree as mentioned above. Keep at it Mitch. I also see every single post you have ever done is on the classified section, not one post on anything else. I see why you want them viewed by everyone but this site is first set up for outdoor enjoyment and stories, met a lot of friends on here.

The classified is secondary but nice to have.

Yeah really. We could have used a fishing report since 2007.

Some things never change. The complainers are always the ones who contribute very little to the community.

Agree 100% - pay the membership to have access to the buy & sell forum.

Just join the site . . . . and post some reports.

Without that . . . . there is no site.

I don't think non subscribers should be allowed to post ads in the classifieds. Like Mitch said $15 is a drop in the hat to participate here.

I have been a member since the start (first two weeks) I am not fishing due to health but this site is still dear to me. Over the years Mitch has always jumped to help me. Don't change it, membership is important.

As a publishing professional for over 30 years I highly support your venue, Mitch and urge you to change nothing. Many of the classified offerings are items that site members want little or nothing for. They post knowing that they have little or no use for something while others engaged in that particular type of fishing welcome the chance to acquire the item. Others like the current post for turkeys free to a good home are not fishing related but equally benevolent.

Let the cheap SOB go somewhere else.

MikeV

PS if the turkeys come with stuffing and gravy, I will take them. So much for a good home...

what was the old American Express commercial....."Membership has it's privileges". If a paid subscriber has the option to set permission to show to all or just other paid subscribers, that's fantastic! How does a paid subscriber make that selection?

http://www.ctfisherman.com/ubbthreads/ub...hre#Post1171790

Pay to play or go away.

Rant score .7 out of 100

Keep it the same Mitch. Great site, great members, great information and reading opportunities. And yes the Classifieds are an awesome place for both buying and selling opportunities for our members. Never knew there were " free" members. Pony up guys, 15 bucks is not too much for the " entertainment" this site provides!

I usually leave mine open for the public it helps get things sold lol.

Im not that type of person that thinks oh I pay for this or that so you MUST!

Even though I havnt gone to many I pay to see what ctfisherman events are coming up, to get some info by directly asking certain people questions (did this ice season) ANNNNNND since I dislike and do not have a facebook f it may as well stop by here sometimes.

"Also, I've offered free access to some who have contributed a lot of great content over the years." <-- I can confirm at least for my self this is true. I remember a post saying to hook me up one year and I got a year for free.


Should the classified be free
with so many places to sell things from offerUP to ebay to facebook etc, I personally think it should be free just to help those on both sides of the sale / give away items.

Would it change if i came here or not... nope

Remember when some people got mad that they had to pay for no ads