do you have a marketplace or classified ads section?

Do you have a subforum dedicated to buy/sell/trade or classified ads section? Do you use a mod or script to run it or just a regular forum?

 

Yep, here and on my Linnie forum we do. I just use the regular forum format. I haven't really come across anything for vBulletin that can be used as a Marketplace.

 

Have you checked out vBClassified I use it on one site, not sure if I'll get another license.

 

That looks nice. Our Marketplace area isn't used enough to really warrant a whole add-on, but I'll definitely keep vBClassifieds in mind.

 

My classifieds section really isn't getting much use either. Not sure how to turn that around.

 

To be honest, I'm not sure what much there is to do, either. I've never had any luck with people getting use of these sections in the past.

 

I just put it there and the users use it. It's certainly not the most active section of the board, but it does get some fair use.

 

I am thinking about it but don't feel I have enough momentum on my site yet. Right now most of the people at vBCodex seem to be ones that would offer services through the marketplace and not buy the services so it doesn't seem to be much of a benefit. As I get more people on the consumer ends of business, it might be a way to go. Especially if it can be set up to help sustain the site financially.

I did start the SitePoint Marketplace and Design Competition forums back in 2001. They already had 100,000 members though. At that time it was pretty much free-for-all with just enough oversight to keep people in line. However today, the Marketplace is a full-fledged auction system with buyers and sellers and the Design Competition forum was spun off into 99 Designs. Both seem to be very successful.

To make a successful marketplace you need consumers to buy, providers to sell and a way to manage them. It can be tricky but it can be done. If you start one, I would say limit the providers at first. You can do this manually or require a fee to be listed. As they sell items than more consumers will be attracted to the marketplace and you can allow more providers. You can control growth this way. If you already have a community full of consumers than finding providers to advertised their goods and services shouldn't be difficult.

 

I have a classifieds section, but it is just a subforum. Theres very little activity there, but i hope it will one day pick up

 

My site has a Classifieds as a subforum section. I've run vBclassifieds in the past on other sites and it was a PITA to configure to get the site overall look and feel integrated. The site members really didn't like it either as it was a pain to contact people using it.

 

Yes, it's almost a must in my niche. Right now it's pretty basic but if/when the forum grows I'll improve it.

 

On Setsou Design, we have a forum for paid and free graphic requests/sells.

On Bird is the Word, though, we don't. Why would we?

 

I think from my posts on your site you would already know that I would be one to buy services, but looks like I am in the minority at the moment on your site - i don't mind to be honest more help for me with questions and code help - lol!

But overall looking through your website at the moment I can see that over the coming weeks/months it can become benificial for you (when more people like me join)

In response to the Original Poster though, I would love to have a market place for my sport forum where people who own sporting gear that they don't use anymore, or those who have DVD's or Games' can go on and trade/sell/buy and when it comes I may use vbClassifieds (to my understanding there is a new version being worked on)