Neg Rep, Classified ads, and the Forum Rules
All,
In the wake of the Newtown shooting, and primarily due to the politically charged climate surrounding potential gun control laws, there has been a predictable increase in demand for firearms, magazine, ammunition, and firearms accessories. This demand has resulted in an obvious increase in market prices for many of these items, and has also resulted in a lot of vendors and individuals attempting to capitalize on the hysteria. As a result, we are seeing an increase not only in the number of ads posted to the Classifieds forums, but we're also seeing a rise in neg-rep being issued by many who believe the sellers who are posting items are price gouging.
With that said, I'm making this announcement to remind everyone that in the Forum Rules we have a long-standing rule against commentary on prices in classified ads:
Quote:
Price Commentary
If you think a seller is asking too much for an item, don't look at it, someone else might think it's a great deal. The market will take care of everything, just as it has for thousands of years.
This rule was put in place years ago because people were turning ads into pricing arguments which ended up spamming/trolling the site as a whole.
I understand that some people are upset with those who try to take advantage of situations like this and "price gouge". However, we believe in a buyer's responsibility to be educated about the products they're buying, and letting the market decide the price; it's not gouging if someone is willing to pay, and if it is gouging, then educated consumers won't buy.
Because of the increase of violations to this rule, we're increasing the infraction point value for Classifieds: Price Commentary from 5pts to 10pts, and the Forum Rules page has been updated accordingly. It's not a drastic change, but it will hopefully show that we do believe allowing the market to run it's course, and take care of the problem of price gouging, makes more sense than arguing with each other about prices.
In short, using the rep system to comment on prices in Classified ads is not allowed, and infractions will be issued for such just as they would be if there were a thread/post created to do the same. Remember, the Forum Rules apply throughout the site, including the rep system.
Thanks!
