When I post something for sale on n porium I get replies via comments and messages. This can be confusing. Is there a preferred way of potential buyers expressing interest. Comments is a public response but a message is secret.
Thoughts?
I think most people will do both - i'd say you don't need to have everything unfolding via the comments (thanks for the money, I'll post these tomorrow etc), but a comment is useful because you know an item is sold.
No right or wrong :)
Sorry about these stupid questions
The facebook messaging system is pants. I am already in confusing conversation with one interested person over 2 separate items.
Now I have a half page in my sales notebook for each item and note the times of all comments and messages with notes of what was said, even so juggling even 4 items can be tricky.
Another confusing thing is the for sale section here on the forum. I notice items appearing there but those items can't be found on N'porium. nothing happens here either except some of the items are locked. In fact even looking at an item locks it - confused
Do members of N'porium have to be members of the forum?
I will probably become an adept at this selling malarkey at about the same time as I run out of stuff to sell!
I have 82 posts on the forum and have been a member for years!
Yep, you can post adverts here, they're all locked, so you don't get discussion taking place on the open forum, rather it happens via private message. There is no cross posting between here and the N'porium Facebook page. Entirely separate. You're obviously selling everything via Facebook, so you can entirely ignore the classified pages here.
I'm not sure there is an easy way to keep track of multiple conversation threads, and the seemingly random ordering on Facebook doesn't help. If you find yourself in a situation where (for example) one person sends you a personal message at the same time as someone comments then you just need to choose who you sell to. I wouldn't worry too much, some people will always miss out, and may be grumpy about it.
Ah! Now I get it, my mistake was thinking there was a connection between the forum and N'porium
A question about auctions. Can you have a reserve price? There might be some stuff to sell that way as I can't find out what it might be worth and I don't want to sell it for 10p!
I suppose the etiquette is don't have stuff for sale in both places
Quote from: davecttr on October 09, 2017, 12:37:55 PM
Ah! Now I get it, my mistake was thinking there was a connection between the forum and N'porium
A question about auctions. Can you have a reserve price? There might be some stuff to sell that way as I can't find out what it might be worth and I don't want to sell it for 10p!
I suppose the etiquette is don't have stuff for sale in both places
I think the confusion is compounded because the classified pages here are also called the N'porium (presumably as both were set up by Tank). So when you say "the N'porium" you could either be referring to the classifieds here, or the Facebook page.
Check eBay for sold items to gauge value. As far as I'm aware there's no mechanism on the Facebook page for auctions, so I presume you're now talking about listing things here? I'd go with a higher starting price if you have a specific price in mind, rather than a reserve.
Thanks all. I will try listing something here
If I click on N'porium on the N Gauge Forum home page it takes me to the Classifieds section of the Forum. I had no idea there was another N'porium on farcebook.
There is, with significantly more traffic. I agree, mildly confusing.
There's also an N gauge forum Facebook page with some membership crossover, but obviously a totally different membership base!
I've looked at the Facebook page but can't see a section for selling items. Where is it, please? A specific link would be most helpful.
Here you go:-
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Nporium/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/Nporium/)
It's a lot busier than the N'porium on here.
There is little activity on N'porium here yet there are a lot more members than of the facebook one. Maybe no one wants N gauge anymore. With new prices reaching stratospheric levels it must be putting off newcomers to the scale as the perceived value of 00 stuff is greater, it is bigger!.
Selling on the facebook page is not all that easy. Things went well at first but the problem now is getting the money out of people, or statements of interest by private message which results in requests for more details but no ultimately offer to buy.
Ebay sort of helps in seeing prices but not everything is on there and there is a lot of 'new' stuff at ridiculous prices from retailers. Auction prices can be very low as well but seem to increase as the deadline approaches. A game of chicken I suppose.
Sorry about the rant, I was hoping to dispose of the stuff in a few months but at this rate it will take years.
Sorry to hear that you found it hard to sell on the Facebook N'porium. It's certainly very popular for sellers and buyers, with some listings being snapped up in a couple of minutes! I only wish that the one on here was as popular, or more so. Obviously members don't like something about it, but I don't know what that is?!
As a member with one of the, if not the, highest trade count I have to say there's nothing wrong with the forum N'Porium. You'll never find me signing up to Facebook or Fleabay so maybe I'm missing out on some bargains, but I have certainly bought and sold plenty via the forum and all my dealings have been with very pleasant members. Don't change anything! @Tank (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=2)
I think you can be a very passive consumer on the Facebook group - people are on Facebook all the time and stuff just pops up. The audience is far greater, most of the names on there aren't people I recognise from here (accepting that I don't know everyone's name). The N'porium here requires that not only do you visit the site, but you either happen to be looking at 'all recent threads' when someone posts something, or you actively seek it out. Considering you see the same items time and time again it can be a little stale. I also get confused when trying to find things that there are buy now, auctions, and then other places where it's all lumped together.
Personally I don't think there's the volume to separate it all out by 'type'. I wouldn't do auctions, you'll never match eBay for user friendliness, and again there's not the volume, so sellers will be put off as there's a high likelihood of things going for the start price.
I've bought a few things through the N'porium over the years, all of which have been good, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be my place to sell, I'm still an eBay kinda guy - I think for selling the volume is traffic is key. However, I fear the lack of traffic is a bit chicken and egg.
I've linked to this site before, as I really like the layout, and I fully accept it's the total antithesis of here, but Singletrackworld (http://singletrackworld.com/forum/forum/classifieds), which is ostensibly a cycling forum has an incredibly active classified page, with many people just posting as 'classified users' and never going on the forum. Looking at the first page of items as I write there's a Volvo XC60, some Beats headphones, action cameras and tools among the bike stuff for sale.
Just my £0.02, which I know isn't always welcome :)
If you want to sell stuff, I think EBay is the way to go. It has a huge audience and search engines that work really well for connecting buyer to seller. When searching for a particular item through Google, I'm usually provided with one or more EBay sellers so Google is certainly in on the act. I don't like EBay and PayPal charges any more than anyone else - EBay is often referred to with derogatory terms on this forum (FleaBay etc.). However, one is more likely to sell an item and for a higher price than through the free channels. EBay provides a big service, but I'm afraid it doesn't come for nothing.
My strategy would be to start listing things with N'Porium and if that doesn't yield results in a reasonable time then transfer your listings to EBay. A key consideration is how much of a hurry you're in to make a sale.
Webbo
Which N'porium, there are two of them :confused1:
Quote from: davecttr on October 10, 2017, 11:25:09 AM
Which N'porium, there are two of them :confused1:
Nporium is Facebook
N'Porium is NGF (change it to NGFporium??)
Simples!!
Quote from: Railwaygun on October 10, 2017, 11:52:30 AM
Nporium is Facebook
N'Porium is NGF (change it to NGFporium??)
Simples!!
Both have apostrophes and are styled identically, I do agree it's a little confuddling!
They both have the same name, it's just the URL's don't let you have apostrophes.
Why the heck are we discussing FaceBurp on here?
I can't see the problem. Don't use FaceAche, use the NGF N'porium, I have the lowest user transaction rating - 1 (still loving those Staniers @newportnobby (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=264)), it's simple, straightforward and doesn't involve me being bombarded with random crap from other users showing me what their dog barfed up when it came back from it's walk.
NGF Rules!
:laugh3:
Absolutely nothing wrong with
Facebook. It's how you as an individual use it. I have zero problems, keep in touch with friends, family, all absolutely fine. It's just another website. Don't like it, why comment about it?! :)
Quote from: emjaybee on October 11, 2017, 04:13:40 PM
NGF Rules!
:laugh3:
Thank you! :thumbsup: :D