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UPDATE TCC Site Updates!

Admin, I was wondering if a system could be implemented to award points to good sellers and buyers here on the forums.

I've noticed that a few inquiries and eventual buyers are new to the forums and if there was a system in place that shows who are trusted sellers and buyers it would give others more confidence to purchase from here.

just a thought.
 
Also can we delete sold or solved stuff after a few weeks to keep current stuff at the front of the listings? just a thought, (that or people edit their own posts?)
 
In regards to deleting maybe have a 2 week window. I would rather leave it open in case of any issues with the buyer or seller - keeps things honest and upfront.
 
A move to a more 'marketplace' style of Classifieds section is something we have considered. Implementing things such as an automated rating system and user feedback sections is certainly now possible with the updated engine.

Give us some time to think about it, as getting something like that running is a large, lengthy task involving a variety of factors which we don't want to jump into without proper planning. Definitely something that would be good to have though, so thanks for the suggestion.

Regarding the Sold / Solved items; well, those threads which are solved / sold naturally sink with nobody posting in them, and also as other newer threads get posted / commented in, but if you would like them to be actively removed from the classified section, to allow more of the 'open auctions' to be displayed, that can be done. Before diving into the code, would it be possible for some of you to answer these questions, so we go in the desired direction with this (and don't code something none of you want!)

-Do you want Sold / Solved posts removed from the Classified section and put somewhere else (some kind of archive)?
-Do you want the Sold / Solved posts to remain in the Classified section, but be locked / closed?
-Is there another idea you have for how it works?

Thanks.
 
Pasted this directly from Rakuten, FireFox with ease.
13_z4_01.jpg
 
...users may not be aware, but you can 'filter by thread prefix'. This applies to all forums, not just the Classified section;

1. Go to the desired forum.
2. Click on a thread prefix you wish to filter by. Only the threads with these prefixes will now display. You can click on multiple prefixes, to build your filter.
3. To reset, simply delete the individual filters in the bar just above the top of the thread list, or close the entire bar with the X on the right hand of the bar, which will remove all filters.

This does not currently work on the front page of the website, only in specific forums. We are working to fix this.
 
Pasted this directly from Rakuten, FireFox with ease.
13_z4_01.jpg

Pasted in what way? Drag and Drop? Right clicked in Firefox, then right click>paste in this site? etc.

Glad it works for you.
 
TCC, I dragged it as per your instructions.
 
Ok what would be good is to have subcategories - Bikes, Frames, Accessories, wanted, etc, etc. that keeps it cleaner for the potential customer.

In regards to deleting I don't think that should happen - maybe only if the seller requests it but having a history of whats been sold is better, maybe giving the original seller the ability to lock the thread?
 
Do you want Sold / Solved posts removed from the Classified section and put somewhere else (some kind of archive)? -Do you want the Sold / Solved posts to remain in the Classified section, but be locked / closed? -Is there another idea you have for how it works?
Certainly archived would be good as James said it might help if ever there were disputes.
At the moment the section is sorted chronologically which means older still current ads are on the second or third pages.
 
Certainly archived would be good as James said it might help if ever there were disputes.
At the moment the section is sorted chronologically which means older still current ads are on the second or third pages.

At this point, with both of your suggestions giving validation to the initial ideas we had about expanding and re-writing the Classified section into something more substantial and feature rich, we will implement some basic filtering to the current system as a mini-update. Creating a fully featured marketplace system is honestly a massive undertaking, and will take time - it will not happen over night, but once we have worked through planning and alpha testing, we will publish the basic structure for you all to have your say on.

In order to effectively update the Classified section we have running now, to show the open adverts first, please answer the following;

1. How do you access the current Classified section? Do you go in through the green 'Classified' button on the menu under the main logo, or do you click through to the section from the threads on the front page (if any happen to be from the Classified section at that time), or do you navigate in through the Forums link?

2. Would 2 links somewhere prominent to 'For Sale' and 'Sold' be OK for now, while we work on the marketplace?
 
I usually click on the classified green button under the main logo. Others might be different.

Would 2 links somewhere prominent to 'For Sale' and 'Sold' be OK for now, while we work on the marketplace?
Sounds like a great workaround.
 
1. How do you access the current Classified section?
Like almost everything else on the forum I read classified ads primarily through the New Posts link, as well as occasionally through links in people's signature lines.
 
Like almost everything else on the forum I read classified ads primarily through the New Posts link, as well as occasionally through links in people's signature lines.

This is also how I first view classified ads.
If there is an ad that I have more than a passing interest in, I re-view it through the green "Classifieds" link under the main logo.
 
Green Classified button or in someones Sig
 
Like others have responded, I read the through threads and then access the green "Classified" button to check the status of items I am interested in.
 
Update

The green Classified link in the top menu bar is now a drop down menu. Hover over it to bring up the menu, where you can select the different categories to filter by. To return to the main unfiltered Classifieds section, click on same green 'Classifieds' in the menu that you hovered over to bring up the menu.

As mentioned previously, this is a quick fix/update to the current Classifieds section, which will eventually superseded by a recode of the Classified section into a fully fledged marketplace.

As ever, constructive feedback is very welcome.

Thanks.
 
The green Classified link in the top menu bar is now a drop down menu.

The drop menu is absolutely fabulous! I'm really happy with the separation of "For Sale" and "Sold" items.

Have you run a test to check auto migration functions of merchandise from the "For Sale" page after an item has been marked as "Sold"? If needed, I could test the feature with the wheels I have for sale.
 
Thanks.

Without wanting to get too technical, the threads don't move, or 'migrate' anywhere, so there is nothing to test. Since the most recent upgrade, we have been able to sort threads by prefix (For Sale, Sold, Solved, etc.). This filtering part of the core functionality of the websites main software, and is therefore perfect. The new dropdown menu we implemented is a convenient collected list of these filters. As mentioned before, this is a quick fix, and not a new system. Due to being built into the main system, these filters can also be triggered by going into the Classifieds section and clicking on one of the filter buttons (prefixes).

Related to filters, and perhaps of interest, is that we have decided that we will not be deleting threads where the item is Sold, or completed in another way, nor will we be 'archiving' anything until we move to the 'marketplace'. There are a number of reasons for this;

-Practically, retaining threads may be of help should anything happen with something purchased through the site. While we can not (currently) offer any real, official purchasing protection, by leaving the threads in existence this gives a place for feedback, etc. which may help if anything does go wrong. Consider this related to the thread and comment approval requirements in the Classifieds section currently in place.
-Technically, non-destructive methods of operation are far more elegant and safe; every serious software application out there works in this way, and we have no reason to be different.
-Google; again, without wanting to go too indepth, the more keywords we have, the more chance we will be found in a search, and Classifieds thread titles are great as they list manufacturer and component names, and are extremely searchable. The more visible we are the more people will see the Classified section, and the more chance you, the seller, will have of finding a buyer. As @FarEast correctly pointed out, a lot of the people buying are not actually the regular users, but rather people searching things like 'Tokyo' 'Japan' 'Cycling' 'Mephistopheles Graphene Cyber Rig 1,000,000 Street Destroyer From Hell' 'For Sale', and finding the TCC classified section. A Sold / Solved, etc., item may no longer be available, but this new user would then be likely to start searching through the other, open sales, and quite possibly make a purchase from you, despite not searching for what you are offering in the first place. Deleting threads reduces the possibility of this.

So there you go.

As ever, feedback, suggestions, etc., are very helpful.
 
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