Cheapskates, sale flooders and others...

[binny]

This thread and previous threads along the same lines only serve to show there is some real forum envy going on.

 

[GreyWing]

Has this thread turned into Trisha now?

How do you feel that some users here are stating that your forum is the bargain basement (i.e. like the former Woolworths bargain bin) of the UK domain name marketplace?

Also, you've expressed annoyances that you've not been "thanked" by some who have made big sales through here. Are you overly concerned that a compulsory £10pcm subscription to contribute here would scare too many users away?

.

 

[GreyWing]

Please explain what "real forum envy" is. I have no idea.

Envy is having a site like this and pulling apart other people's hard work

http://www.davythornton.com/

Is this yours Davy?

 

[FagEnd]

At the moment paying a £100 annual fee for an exclusive badge, and some extra allowances/forum access, is optional. Many people obviously don't wish to pay £100 to be exclusive and those that have paid clearly aren't using the exclusive marketplace.

Charging everyone, instead of just a small number of users, might mean you don't feel irritated when people make sales off the back of the forum because you're receiving a small usage fee, per user. I don't consider £10pcm, for example, to be unaffordable and if it "scares off" some people, were they probably the type that would really have made a significant contribution anyway?

I'd be happy to pay a tenner a month for the ability to post in the "for sale" section, as long as I can pick and choose which months I pay for the privilege. If you can't afford a tenner for a 1 month subscription to post domains for sale then your domains are probably not worth selling. I'm sure I fall in to that category, I've posted some nonsense for sale on these forums, and actually sold a lot of them
A tenner a month charge would cut out a lot of nonsense being posted for sale, but it would also reduce the chances of picking up bargains being posted my newbies from other shores that don't really know the value of the .co.uk's they are holding.

 

[Admin]

might mean you don't feel irritated when people make sales off the back of the forum because you're receiving a small usage fee

I've never said I was irritated by people making sales here!

Admin

 

[GreyWing]

********

 

[Admin]

Actually I am a bit old school and a sincere "Thank You" still has meaning to me without it needing to be a financial one. Of course if someone has made many thousands out of AD and only uses it for a sales platform it does niggle a little but I don't dwell on such things.

Every time I have introduced a pay-per-use feature, such as the auctions in recent months, it has died a death so I don't see why adding forum-wide pay-only restrictions would work.

It seems to me people would be willing to pay a commission on names sold but not an up-front subscription for forum use.

Admin

 

[Alien]

So you're not confident enough to believe that a significant number of existing members would pay a very reasonable membership fee to continue contributing and benefiting from this forum, despite it being the only significant .uk domain name forum around, existing since at least 2004?

Maybe an anonymous poll is in order, Admin - that way it could be tested out ref. mandatory listing/other fees, etc?

 

[Alien]

I feel that forced paid memberships will ultimately deflate forum membership and it will have a negative knock on with overall member numbers and new registrations.

The key is though to let people have enough for free to wet their appetites, then allow those who pay for exclusive membership more options to post domains for sale (e.g. more bumping, more threads, less flooding time limits, more editing time, list goes on, etc, etc, etc).

 

[FagEnd]

Or you can sell the forum to me for 10k. I'll ban all the whingers and troublmakers (excluding myself) park the domain at sedo or bodis, wait on the emails rolling in about loss of revenue/social life from the regulars, then charge 250 a head to re-instate the forum. There is a hardcore here that would pay that and I'll get my 10k back

 

[Alien]

Or you can sell the forum to me for 10k. I'll ban all the whingers and troublmakers (excluding myself) park the domain at sedo or bodis, wait on the emails rolling in about loss of revenue/social life from the regulars, then charge 250 a head to re-instate the forum. There is a hardcore here that would pay that and I'll get my 10k back

LOL!

Mhmmmmm, then an 'ex' member would start a new domain forum...

 

[expertc]

There are many ways of saying "Thank You" to a webmaster. Sending a "Thank You, Alan..." PM is not bad at all.

But most of us here are webmasters, and we can use other ways like using his aff links or... I am not mentioning that but make an educated guess. And if I like a website (and I do in this case), I always use "or" as well to show my appreciation in a "monetary way".

 

[FagEnd]

There are many ways of saying "Thank You" to a webmaster. Sending a "Thank You, Alan..." PM is not bad at all.

But most of us here are webmasters, and we can use other ways like using his aff links or... I am not mentioning that but make an educated guess. And if I like a website (and I do in this case), I always use "or" as well to show my appreciation in a "monetary way".

I'm sober and unstoned right now and I still can't work out the cryptic message above. Any chance of a clue as to what the feck you are talking about?

 

[Edwin]

Perhaps the reference was the affiliate links to 123-reg and to Namedrive? If you always regged at 123-reg for example I can see how that would generate a few pennies a reg for Alan if you always started from his link at the top of the forum...

 

[cc976a]

Another suggestion (rather than the gentlemen agreement of 10% donation of sale price) would be to reduce the exclusive membership to £20-£30 a year to start a post in the sales threads.

I don't know the ratio of exclusive to non-exclusive but maybe the reduction would persuade the many who are not earning as much and £100 would eat a lot in to many people's profit on here now the lower end has fizzled out...

....and depending on the numbers may be a higher rev generator.

 

[Retired_member41]

No, it's polite. However it's not good business for Alan if he doesn't make anything from it.



I've no idea what you are referring to. If Alan is to continue providing services that members value, such as sales access and key advice, I feel he should rightly wish to have his palm crossed with money. If you genuinely wish to use a service or buy a product which he affilates, that's fine. However there's no substitute for money in the bank.

Surely buying something from an affiliate link where they offer 50% commission and you pay 99 for one, 149 for another, thats money in the bank in my book.

This thread started off with the best of intentions, and the poster put some real work in, ok it backfired for a few of us, but then some really good posts were made, I read posts from people like scooter, who I had not really followed before that close, and it showed me yet again, the real talent here and value a forum like this has.

The thread I thought had run its course, everyone has had their say, the big licks maybe realising that they are not gods in many peoples eyes even though they maybe respected for their apparent wealth, the foolish bottom lickers who shake their pom pom's when a big lick says anything and they agree, well ok they wont change. And others who may never want to be exclusive, but yes will have had their eyes opened a little, and start supporting the forum in a different way, maybe making the odd donation or three.

But it looks like its now becoming more sneaky and personal.

Like I say to my 4 year old, grow up.

Sorry thats my 40 year old

 

[Sound]

I've no idea what you are referring to. If Alan is to continue providing services that members value, such as sales access and key advice, I feel he should rightly wish to have his palm crossed with money. If you genuinely wish to use a service or buy a product which he affilates, that's fine. However there's no substitute for money in the bank.

This is Alan's forum and he has made his points perfectly clear why cant you and others accept that and move on instead of digging a deeper hole with every post you make.

Edwin has already made himself look a cock by starting this yet another of his self rigorous threads he is not the Domain messiah he is just a very naughty boy.

 

[cc976a]

Just more curious than anything else but how is this forum promoted to the large number of marketing / media / advertising agencies who may potentially see the benefits of these names to their clients - or as bargaining tools to attract clients.

It can't all be about Sedo can it?

I'm not as well versed in this sector as my own industry but would the promotion and spend from our own 'exclusive memberships' attract the very people we are all trying to reach, which would encourage people to pay memberships, encourage more higher profile domain posts and start snowballing.

It's too much reseller price on here. Only recently I posted a name on here for £100 with no interest whatsoever. I spent 15 minutes contacting 9 relevant end users, was then replied to by 2 of these and I have interest at 5x this price.

I'm not saying every end user should know about Acorn but it's got to start somewhere

 

[Retired_member41]

The answer

OK I think the best answer to this problem is.

I think there should be a 10% purchase fee charged for sales on this forum.

And its the BUYER not the seller who has to pay the fee.

If a seller wants to advertise that they are paying the fee, then so be it.

That way a seller can advertise as many as they wish as it is now, but if a buyer wants to make a purchase, a fee has to be paid.

Chances are the negotiation will lead to the seller actually having to pay in most instances I guess, but that is a choice they make.

If anyone says a sellers fee of 10% would stagnate, put off business, they are a fruit and nutcase.

So simple I think it could just work.


@invincible Yes I would pay to post sales, but think better the buyers fee above

 

[rob]

A comparison: I am on a private forum that has a 5% voluntary fee on all sales, which all members pay and go out of their way to pay, and often more.

That makes 5figs if not more, likewise I and others pay £ membership fees and have helped out with fundraisers run by the forum admins for various things.