Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    (Philadelphia County)
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    Default Upcoming Classifieds Process and Rules Changes

    Throughout PAFOA's history we have been blessed with the opportunity to connect firearm owners from all over Pennsylvania through our shared love the right to keep and bear arms. Almost all of PAFOA's success over the years has been driven by one thing: A strong community that comes together to trade knowledge about guns through our shared love of this hobby.

    While the original purpose of PAFOA was to help Pennsylvania gun owners understand gun ownership from a safety and legal perspective, very early on we realized that we had created a huge market for the buying and selling of firearms and related accessories without even trying, what luck!

    Many years ago, and without much of a plan, we launched our Classifieds section of the forum, a place where buyers and sellers could come together to trade cash, firearms, accessories, and anything else that people might have to sell, or need. Over time this part of PAFOA grew to a scale we never expected and has probably accounted for more in-person connections between our members than anything else on the site.

    I never imagined in a million years the real-world effect this would have when I was a young man.

    With that said, as the popularity of our classifieds section has grown, our volunteer staff has noticed some of the growing pains our current classifieds setup has had, namely:

    1. As the traffic related to our classifieds section has grown, it has become increasingly difficult to enforce the few rules we have
    2. There is a disparity of access that allows people who are constantly online and can bump their posts within our rules to dominate the prime real estate at the top of forums at the expense of people who do not have the luxury of being able to bump their own posts every 72 hours on the dot
    3. Posts can be "bumped" endlessly at very little cost to the original poster, allowing unattractive classifieds to live forever on a 72 hour cycle at the top of the list

    After discussing these issues internally (especially with edritchey, who everyone owes a debt of gratitude to for moderating the bulk of this system for years) we have decided we would like to try a new approach that we think will be more fair for sellers, more useful for buyers, and easier to manage for staff.

    Starting tomorrow we will be reconfiguring our classifieds forums and updating our rules to reflect a new system for classifieds:

    1. We will be changing the "Default View Age" of all classifieds forums to 1 month. This means that, by default, if you are looking at the "Firearms" section, you will only see threads that were posted within the last month. As a buyer, if you would like to look further back in the history, you will still be able to do so, but you will have to make that choice explicitly by going to the "Thread Display Options" at the bottom of the forum thread listing and choosing a different option for the "Show threads from the..." menu.
    2. Threads in all classifieds forums will no longer be sorted by the most recent post date, but by the date of the original thread post. Newest threads will always appear first.
    3. Posting replies to classifieds threads will be completely disabled, even for the original poster. No more bumping. You will still however be able to edit your original post with updated information as before.
    4. The rules will be updated so that an individual user will only be allowed to have one thread per classifieds forum that appears within the "Default View Age", which will be 1 month. Any user who posts two threads within that window, within the same classifieds forum, will receive a new "Classifieds: Reposting Too Soon" infraction that will result in a 1 day ban and a deletion of all classifieds posts. Moderators will be given the latitude to issue this infraction as a warning for first-time violators.
    5. Deleting an existing thread so you can post a new one to get around this rule will result in long bans.
    6. For a period of time we intend to be reasonable on enforcing the new rules while everyone gets accustomed to the new setup.

    Our hope is that the end result of this change in the system and rules will result in the following:

    1. Sellers will be able to post one classifieds thread per month, per section and it will be much easier to figure out when you are allowed to re-post (when you can no longer find your post with the new default search options)
    2. Sellers will each gain the equal benefit that their thread will be shown at the top of the forum for a reasonable amount of time without having to worry that their offer will be pushed down into oblivion by 20 other people "bumping" their threads every day
    3. Sellers' threads will slowly move down the list over the course of 1 month until they fall out of the "Default View Age" window, at which point they are welcome to post a new thread, which will once again appear at the top of the forum
    4. Buyers will no longer have to see the the same threads over and over as sellers "bump" them every 72 hours, which is especially annoying if the offers are just terrible (no one is going to buy your used gun for near-MSRP, c'mon, man)
    5. Staff will no longer have to constantly do complicated date math to see if bumps are within 72 hours of the last bump and can simply see if the same user has two threads within the "Default View Age"

    We really hope that these changes will be a win-win-win for sellers, buyers, and staff and our intent is to make these changes and see how it works over the next few months. But rest assured: If this doesn't work, we will try something else, or even go back!

    I started PAFOA 15 years ago when I was 24 years old and just getting into gun ownership myself. I had no idea what it would grow to be and I am humbled every day by what y'all have turned it into.

    Thank you to every single one of you who has been a PAFOA user over all these years. We sincerely hope that these changes will make PAFOA more useful to everyone.
    Last edited by danp; August 7th, 2021 at 03:21 PM.
    Dan P, Founder & President, Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
    Purchase a Forum SubscriptionBuy some PAFOA MerchandiseHelp PAFOA's Search Engine Ranking


  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    DELCO, Pennsylvania
    (Delaware County)
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    Default Re: Upcoming Classifieds Process and Rules Changes

    Dan, a big thanks to you and to all the behind-the-scenes people who make PAFOA possible.
    "Everyone is entitled to my opinion." - Gman106
    "Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the face." - Mike Tyson
    "Get the hell out of my way." - John Galt

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    USN Retired, Pennsylvania
    (Monroe County)
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    Default Re: Upcoming Classifieds Process and Rules Changes

    So if I follow you, If I have 4 guns for sale, they all have to go in one thread vs one per gun?
    Owner Trigger Time LLc 01 FFL/NFA Saylorsburg, PA. Sales/Service/Transfers/Training
    NRA CRSO/Pistol/Rifle/Shotgun inst. BSA Rifle/Shotgun Merit badge counselor. US Navy Marksmanship Team Staff

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    (Allegheny County)
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    Default Re: Upcoming Classifieds Process and Rules Changes

    Or if I want to sell some magazines, list them, and then find something else I want to sell... I have to wait a month to post the other item?

    I don't follow.
    I called to check my ZIP CODE!....DY-NO-MITE!!!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Douglassville, Pennsylvania
    (Berks County)
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    Default Re: Upcoming Classifieds Process and Rules Changes

    Yous two's understandings matches mine.
    Gender confusion is a mental illness

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania
    (Dauphin County)
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    Default Re: Upcoming Classifieds Process and Rules Changes

    Regarding new rules #4 and 5, if an item sells, may another item be listed immediately, or must the seller wait until the month is out?
    Power always thinks...that it is doing God's service when it is violating all his laws.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    (Allegheny County)
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    Default Re: Upcoming Classifieds Process and Rules Changes

    Please spell this out in plain English, because this sounds worse than when you shut down political discussions. LOL
    I called to check my ZIP CODE!....DY-NO-MITE!!!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Chester/ Clinton, Pennsylvania
    Posts
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    Default Re: Upcoming Classifieds Process and Rules Changes

    So if I have one Tupperware container for sale, and find another one filled with bolts and screws , I HAVE to sell that in one post?
    ��

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Allentown, Pennsylvania
    (Lehigh County)
    Age
    39
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    Default Re: Upcoming Classifieds Process and Rules Changes

    If you find yourself wanting to sell more stuff, just add that stuff to your existing single post within that month.

    Basically this turns your single post in the classifieds into your entire "store". Add and remove items as needed by editing the post.
    Any mission, any conditions, any foe at any range.
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    Ten times the action, total hardcore.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Douglassville, Pennsylvania
    (Berks County)
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    Default Re: Upcoming Classifieds Process and Rules Changes

    Quote Originally Posted by General Geoff View Post
    If you find yourself wanting to sell more stuff, just add that stuff to your existing single post within that month.

    Basically this turns your single post in the classifieds into your entire "store". Add and remove items as needed by editing the post.
    I didn't notice that that is an option but even if it is, it won't advise folks as such and I'm not inclined to revisit for sale ads to see if they've changed.
    Gender confusion is a mental illness

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