[bholloway]

Hello,

I'm Ben(bholloway) and most of you who frequently check the marketplace probably know me as the guy who buys lots of phones. I'm pretty into cell phones and I really enjoy buying and selling them on crackberry. So I'm here to make a formal complaint about the new policies. I think 200 posts is ABSOLUTELY ridiculous. Not only will it greatly reduce the number of sales on the marketplace but it will severly impact the traffic that the marketplace has. One of the main reasons I love crackberry is because there are always new phones for sale and it is constantly updated vs a modmyi or the iphoneblog where there are rarely new sales. I have bought and sold as least 8 phones on the market place with no problems whatsoever and now I need 175 more posts to be able to buy and sell again. I understand the need for more security, but 200 is taking to too far. Most scammers are just trying to make a quick buck and a lower post count of 25-50 would probably deter most of them. I mean 200 posts cmon. People that have been around here for a while don't even have 200. So all in all this is a terrible decision, I'm very disappointed with the decisions crackberry has made, and unfortunately no i need to go and make up 175 meaningless posts before I can sell again. Anyone who has opinions post them here. I'm probably going to post as many times in this thread to get my post count up now that it needs to be at 200.

[BB_Curve00]

Well my only problem is i am at 160 and noy 200 yet lol. I sold/bought on here before so. It a good way to stop people from getting scammed

[jdoc77]

What if they move your thread to off topic and none of the posts count? Check your post count bro... not moved a single point.

[bholloway]

yea i just realized that, we'll it looks like I'll just post in real threads, that would really **** people off, but whatever they can deal with it.

[A�aric]

yea i just realized that, we'll it looks like I'll just post in real threads, that would really **** people off, but whatever they can deal with it.

Great business practice - p I s s people off. I'm sure that will increase your credibility around here.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[jeffh]

Actually, posting real technical content in forum threads IS the idea. The MarketPlace is not intended to be anybody's primary reason for being here, anymore than hanging out in OT. But please make sure your forum posts are on topic and have value added technical content.

[anon(52425)]

I think the count is a bit high but I do understand why they are doing it. To be honest I didn't even know scamming was running rampant there. A few bad apples ruin it for the rest of you guys.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[CrackBerry Kevin]

Just running out the door.. will be back later and add to this post.

BUT...instead of ranting...why don't you try providing some useful and constructive ideas. We don't want to make it "difficult" for good/honest people to post. But it has got to be hard enough to deter scammers. We want to ensure safety of buyers and sellers. Give me some other ideas that accomplish this and are doable (has to be something we can implement) and we're open to exploring them. In the meantime, we looked towards what other sites have done and went from there.

Back in a bit...

[bholloway]

Nah you know what its cool. I'll sell last blackberry or two I have lying around on ebay and I'll start over new. I'll make a new account, wait a few months, post some good advice, get everyone to trust me, then when i hit 200 posts I'll post something in the marketplace it will have some good pictures, and everyone will think I'm so credible until they receive a package with a water bottle inside of it. Good day to everyone and you havent seen the last of me.

[anon(52425)]

That's the right attitude holloway. Bye!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[A�aric]

What I can't figure out is why you feel so hard done by. It isn't like you've been singled out; everone is subject to the same rules.

I also can't quite come to grips as to why you seem convinced that traffic and sales will suffer. Maybe initially, while some of the regular seller "may" need to get their post count up, but that should only be a temporary blip. ,

What it will do is eliminate the fly-by-night operators who just want to make a quick sale and who don't really give a damm about CB. And as Kevin said it will reduce the risk of scamming.

I for one am in agreement; I wouldn't buy from someone/someplace that hasn't got a decent reputation.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Jared DiPane]

Nah you know what its cool. I'll sell last blackberry or two I have lying around on ebay and I'll start over new. I'll make a new account, wait a few months, post some good advice, get everyone to trust me, then when i hit 200 posts I'll post something in the marketplace it will have some good pictures, and everyone will think I'm so credible until they receive a package with a water bottle inside of it. Good day to everyone and you havent seen the last of me.

for someone who was once a great person to interact with, this post is pretty low bholloway. There is no need to get bent out of shape about this. Just cruise the forums, answer some questions that others wont know answers to and you will be at your 200 in no time. There are days that I help people out, and can post over 100 posts in a single day.. Dont let this minor rule change be the end of your honest real days, you are better then that, and have proven it through the sale we made.

[CrackBerry Kevin]

I guess that's why, no matter what, it's always buyer beware. Regardless of any policy we put in place, there's always the chance for an individual to screw over another one. We hope this policy mitigates that chance a lot, which it should.

When it came to deciding on what to do with the Marketplace forum, one of the thoughts honestly was to just close it down altogether. The premise of the forum from the get go was not to create a big power buyers/sellers market aka ebay - rather for it to be a community benefit where members could advertise and sell (or trade) their personally owned items to/with other members. So to bholloway's comments above - in terms of the success of the marketplace forum, our metric is not the number of sales being transacted through it (we're not ebay - the site doesn't take a cut/make a penny from any sales/listings) nor the traffic to that forum. Our goal at the end of the day is to look at whether or not members benefited from it. And being a community member does mean being engaged within the community. If people are registering with the site simply to sell in the marketplace forum, sure they're a 'registered member' but until they get interacting on the forums and get some posts, they're not really an engaged member and that's who this forum is for the benefit of. Yes, 200 is a steep number - maybe we could pull it back a bit (at least on the reply side, I think to post something for sale that number should probably be high and stick), and will watch it over the next little while and go from there.

[Mr. Elusive]

Just running out the door.. will be back later and add to this post.

BUT...instead of ranting...why don't you try providing some useful and constructive ideas. We don't want to make it "difficult" for good/honest people to post. But it has got to be hard enough to deter scammers. We want to ensure safety of buyers and sellers. Give me some other ideas that accomplish this and are doable (has to be something we can implement) and we're open to exploring them. In the meantime, we looked towards what other sites have done and went from there.

Back in a bit...

I did, you neglected them and implemented a system that has rendered the marketplace useless.

The number of posts a person has does not show anything in terms of legitimacy. Anyone can sit in off topic and post away to get 200 psts, how about implement something useful that users feel comfortable with?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Jared DiPane]

Many users did feel comfortable with this. There was a multipage post about it started by JGrams.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[mark s]

200 is a bit high but I understand that crackberry.com doesn't exist solely as a resource to buy and sell Blackberry's. None the less we all agreed to adhere to the rules set by the mods and people who run this site. I was just about to list a curve this weekend but now I will just have to wait to post it on here. This site is still a great resource and with growth comes lots of problems and shady people - I know since I run a forum myself. I would hope the minimum post count gets lowered but look on the bright side - we still have tons of other content to view on here. I think the mods really care about unsuspecting members getting scammed by bad people.

[A�aric]

I did, you neglected them and implemented a system that has rendered the marketplace useless.

The number of posts a person has does not show anything in terms of legitimacy. Anyone can sit in off topic and post away to get 200 psts, how about implement something useful that users feel comfortable with?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

What would YOU suggest as something useful?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[CrackBerry Kevin]

Mr. Elusive:

a) You're not quite right there. CrackBerry Cafe posts do not contribute towards posts count (off topic, social forums, etc.). So racking up post count quickly in the off topics is not as easy to achieve as you make it out to be.

b) If you read the whole thing, it's not just about post count. Members posting items for sale need to have 200 posts and be members for THREE months. So racking up 200 posts in a week with the intent to sell doesn't help.

c) We're not going to get into a situation of having middle men to broker transactions. If that's what's required to make this work, then we'd probably just close the marketplace forum altogether. Ebay is still there for all to use. As mentioned above - the intent of the marketplace is not to be a hub for people to "move" product. The intent of it is for community members to be able to buy/sell/trade with other community members. So if this kills the marketplace forum for a bit, that's an ok thing. Our goal isn't to make it hard on community members to post, but to keep scammers and would be scammers out. Unfortunately, that means making it hard on members too. Now that the rules are known, over the next few months those who are new to the site at the moment will graduate to be being able to post. And for those who join from now on, it's really just one more step up the forum ladder - just like needing 10 posts to post a link, it's 200 to have access to that forum.

As for success of the marketplace forum, it's not about quantity. It's about quality. If there's far less action in there but nobody gets ripped off, then that's far more successful to me than seeing lots of transactions but also people getting ripped off.

Feel free to share/reshare your suggestions though... again, we're open. We want the best policy possible. We're not trying to be pricks here. Just don't want to see anybody get ripped off.

[Garz]

Yes there will be a loss less activity in the Marketplace but at least its now a safer place. Will it stop scamming 100%? No but it will get better. We received PM's every weeks from members getting scammed and that very disheartning to see. We all work hard for our for our money and I really do hate seing people lose it to some scammer.

[Crucial_Xtreme]

Hello,

I'm Ben(bholloway) and most of you who frequently check the marketplace probably know me as the guy who buys lots of phones. I'm pretty into cell phones and I really enjoy buying and selling them on crackberry. So I'm here to make a formal complaint about the new policies. I think 200 posts is ABSOLUTELY ridiculous. Not only will it greatly reduce the number of sales on the marketplace but it will severly impact the traffic that the marketplace has. One of the main reasons I love crackberry is because there are always new phones for sale and it is constantly updated vs a modmyi or the iphoneblog where there are rarely new sales. I have bought and sold as least 8 phones on the market place with no problems whatsoever and now I need 175 more posts to be able to buy and sell again. I understand the need for more security, but 200 is taking to too far. Most scammers are just trying to make a quick buck and a lower post count of 25-50 would probably deter most of them. I mean 200 posts cmon. People that have been around here for a while don't even have 200. So all in all this is a terrible decision, I'm very disappointed with the decisions crackberry has made, and unfortunately no i need to go and make up 175 meaningless posts before I can sell again. Anyone who has opinions post them here. I'm probably going to post as many times in this thread to get my post count up now that it needs to be at 200.

LOL. It looks as though you are only interested in how it affects you, and have zero concern for anyone else. Next you must realize that CB doesn't exist for people to sell devices and other things. That's just an added bonus. Considering how many people have been scammed, most could care less about the Market place. Oh yeah, you must be a member for 3 months also in addition to the 200 posts. Mr Elusive.

[SWFL]

Just goes to show you cant please everybody, but im sure if you Were one of the people who were scammed you would be complaining about it.

[Jedi_Blackberry]

I stumbled upon CB by accident, I registered initally to get ringtones and apps. Now I come back because of the invaluable information that it provides by a community of 'berry users. I am constantly referring 'berry users to CB and I actively pitch this site because I see it as a "value added."

As I have said in other posts in a couple other forums with in CB....I support the new rules and requirements for the Marketplace! With all of the recent scams I have been very leery about directing friends and family to the Marketplace to purchase a 'berry.

I think this is a step in the right direction. 200 posts and 3 month tenure may be steep by some standards but like Kevin and others have said it will help deter the crooks who are just looking to take advantage of honest people.

Kudos to Kevin and the CB Team for not turning a blind eye....cause after all they are not liable for any fraudulent activities that take place on CB and they easily could have said, "Not my problem!"

BTW...remember the quote by that famous vulcan, "The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few, or the one."

Peace!

[SWFL]

I stumbled upon CB by accident, I registered initally to get ringtones and apps. Now I come back because of the invaluable information that it provides by a community of 'berry users. I am constantly referring 'berry users to CB and I actively pitch this site because I see it as a "value added."

As I have said in other posts in a couple other forums with in CB....I support the new rules and requirements for the Marketplace! With all of the recent scams I have been very leery about directing friends and family to the Marketplace to purchase a 'berry.

I think this is a step in the right direction. 200 posts and 3 month tenure may be steep by some standards but like Kevin and others have said it will help deter the crooks who are just looking to take advantage of honest people.

Kudos to Kevin and the CB Team for not turning a blind eye....cause after all they are not liable for any fraudulent activities that take place on CB and they easily could have said, "Not my problem!"

BTW...remember the quote by that famous vulcan, "The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few, or the one."

Peace!

Well said!!!!!!

[CrackBerry Kevin]

After further discussion and member feedback, we're making a further change to the marketplace policy. It's 100 posts / 3 months in order to sell items. To post replies in the forums, there is only a minimum requirement of 10 posts (same as posting URLs). As always, buyer beware. This should still keep the scammers out with strict policies on selling, but keeps the audience of potential buyers wide open.

MEMBER POSTING CRITERIA
- To create a thread in this forum to sell an item you must have a minimum CrackBerry post count of 100 and be a member of the site for at least three months.
- To post replies to threads, the minimum post count is 10 (same as posting URLs). As always, buyer beware.

[YourMobileGuru]

After further discussion and member feedback, we're making a further change to the marketplace policy. It's 100 posts / 3 months in order to sell items. To post replies in the forums, there is only a minimum requirement of 10 posts (same as posting URLs). As always, buyer beware. This should still keep the scammers out with strict policies on selling, but keeps the audience of potential buyers wide open.

MEMBER POSTING CRITERIA
- To create a thread in this forum to sell an item you must have a minimum CrackBerry post count of 100 and be a member of the site for at least three months.
- To post replies to threads, the minimum post count is 10 (same as posting URLs). As always, buyer beware.

I've never used the marketplace, nor do I have any immediate plans to do so. But I stumbled upon this thread and have to say that this seems like a good compromise to me . . .