Improving the sales and wants

[Macca]

Just a suggestion I am going to put in the microwave and see if anyone salutes it:

Would it not be a good idea to have an at a glance facility for all the sales and wants? - there is an awful lot of them these days - my idea is in addition to the post itself there is a spreadsheet all members can access that will let them fill in the details of what they are selling - when sold they go back and delete it. This would give instant access to anyone wanting to quickly see exactly what is currently for sale or required prior to visiting the individual posts to see the blurb and pictures. There may be a better way to do this in practical terms that I am unaware of.

This should:

1)Make sales happen more quickly
2)Increase the number of visits to the site
3)Increase the membership (as only members would have access)
4) Increase the visibility of the site in general; providing a reputation could be sustained for honest and trouble free dealings - which I think currently exists

[MikeMusic]

Just a suggestion I am going to put in the microwave and see if anyone salutes it:

Would it not be a good idea to have an at a glance facility for all the sales and wants? - there is an awful lot of them these days - my idea is in addition to the post itself there is a spreadsheet all members can access that will let them fill in the details of what they are selling - when sold they go back and delete it. This would give instant access to anyone wanting to quickly see exactly what is currently for sale or required prior to visiting the individual posts to see the blurb and pictures. There may be a better way to do this in practical terms that I am unaware of.

This should:

1)Make sales happen more quickly
2)Increase the number of visits to the site
3)Increase the membership (as only members would have access)
4) Increase the visibility of the site in general; providing a reputation could be sustained for honest and trouble free dealings - which I think currently exists

Could work very well
Would have to be done right.
Certain details would have to be there like age, *exact* model, space for text
EG. "this is the ABC12 mk3 with the XLR connections

[Macca]

Product type / make and model / price / collection or postage charge / item location / link to sales thread/

Something like that.

[AlanS]

Thinks. Can the forum software do this.
Its fine ATM for the average member. Perhaps you are overly concerned.
Not all members can access spreadsheets

[Beechwoods]

It's not something that the forum software would support without seeking out some plugin and seeing if it met the requirements described.

Google Spreadsheets might be an idea. Anyone could set this up and we could make it a sticky. Getting people to fill it in in addition to their original post, is another matter. Good ads will always sell - pictures and an honest and detailed description, are the key factors in an successful sale.

[walpurgis]

Don't forget to include a section for 'feedback'.

[Macca]

Nick - there is another site with a spreadsheet link to sign up to exhibit at their show. So that must be do-able. The problem will not be to get people to fill in the spreadsheet as that will be to their advantage - getting them to remember/bother to delete a sold item would be more problematic though.

Alan - I'm not concerned at all - not fixing something that is broken just suggesting a way to improve something.

[MartinT]

The Wam does a linked Google spreadsheet for their show attendance. The problem with linked spreadsheets (as I know full well from staff doing it at work) is that people will forget to close them, locking them from further editing; people stuff spreadsheets royally by accidentally deleting rows, headers etc,; people will forget to edit out items no longer for sale.

It's a laudable idea, but I can't see it working in practice without some policing.

[Macca]

Well if a spreadsheet is too difficult it is a good job I didn't post my original idea - A full sister site 'AOS Marketplace(dot com) with credit/debit card facilities, shopping cart check out etc and linked with a major carrier for a discount on all shipping. A bit like eBay but just for hi-fi and music wants and buy it nows, non profit (site would take a couple of points on each transaction to cover costs) and not run by idiots.