Soon - All sales will have to be in Commerce

[batfan08]

May I ask why all of these changes are coming? It seems like the forums had a pretty fluid system going, and I'm just wondering why the sudden change. To be honest, I worry more about the interface than about any subscription fee. Is this going to be a total overhaul of the forums, or more of an under-the-surface sort of upgrade? I need to know if I should be prepared to have my entire idea of SSF reinvented.

I'm bumping my own post because it's what I'm most curious about.

 

[Lejuan]

I hope we don't get dark b/g and light font colour

 

[ns4ever]

I love this forum, and have bought quite a few custom items on here.

But I for one will not pay any "premium". This happens, I'm gone to OSW or one of the other forums.

 

[EdwardNashton1]

I don't see how the pm space would benefit me. I and probably about 100 others were awarded 2,000 pm space by Dave over a year ago for liking a facebook page. So are my 2,000 pms going to disappear unless I pay the fee or what?

 

[SwedishHeat]

The more I think about Commerce moving behind the Premium Membership, I don't like it.

If the forum needs money, add banner ads, let the Dealers buy ads if they wish, let forum members "donate" for more PM space, and whatever other features are available. Give people the carrot first.

But making people pay to sell stuff is a bad idea. It reminds me of how a year or so ago, game publishers started putting online features behind the Season Pass, and made people pay for features that they got for free last year, there was a huge push-back, and now I believe, every game publisher has relented, and taken away the Season Pass pay-gate.

If you set up a pay service, it should be for adding features, not taking away features.

 

[Darklord Dave]

May I ask why all of these changes are coming? It seems like the forums had a pretty fluid system going, and I'm just wondering why the sudden change. To be honest, I worry more about the interface than about any subscription fee. Is this going to be a total overhaul of the forums, or more of an under-the-surface sort of upgrade? I need to know if I should be prepared to have my entire idea of SSF reinvented.

Yes, it's a drastic change in look, feel and function - you and most others will hate it.

Bottom line, no matter how great Dave's intention to utilize this fee to straighten out custom sale problems or whatever, it will ultimately be the buyer who incurs the cost of it but none of its "benefits".

I posted about this first in this section because it's a major change for customizers. But that's NOT what the Premium Membership is about.

I think you've misread the announcement.

Posting in the Interest section warrants no charge, however when you port it to the FS section from the Interest section that's when you pay the fee. Seems Fair.

However, I'm not sure why Dealers aren't charged to promote their product but we're charged to sell. Should be all or none, no distinction. From what I've seen, a majority of sellers than transact on the board - The deals we get here are way better than ebay or any other portal. Makes us as valuable as dealers like TA.

He didn't miss read it - INT threads will need to go in commerce and thus whoever posts them will need to pay the fee. Hopefully we'll finally get rid of all those "wouldn't it be cool if [obscure actor no one ever heard of] was made?" and only real potential products will be posted about.

The more I think about Commerce moving behind the Premium Membership, I don't like it.

If the forum needs money, add banner ads, let the Dealers buy ads if they wish, let forum members "donate" for more PM space, and whatever other features are available. Give people the carrot first.

But making people pay to sell stuff is a bad idea. It reminds me of how a year or so ago, game publishers started putting online features behind the Season Pass, and made people pay for features that they got for free last year, there was a huge push-back, and now I believe, every game publisher has relented, and taken away the Season Pass pay-gate.

If you set up a pay service, it should be for adding features, not taking away features.

Again - I HATE the commerce section - it causes more bad blood, more administrative time and more policing than any other section. I'd make it go away if I didn't feel it offered a significantly valuable contribution to the forum experience. Thus we're going to make it more accountable for sellers. I haven't mentioned it yet - but when you sign up for Premium Membership you will have to supply your Paypal shipping address. I will make that clear in the Premium Membership information.

 

[The Skull]

Again - I HATE the commerce section - it causes more bad blood, more administrative time and more policing than any other section. I'd make it go away if I didn't feel it offered a significantly valuable contribution to the forum experience. Thus we're going to make it more accountable for sellers. I haven't mentioned it yet - but when you sign up for Premium Membership you will have to supply your Paypal shipping address. I will make that clear in the Premium Membership information.

This is a good idea, it will also help to prevent banned members from continually coming back under new names and keep the frauds and scam artists at bay

 

[Ironman1188]

Dealers like TA don't actually transact over the board, though. They just advise what the latest products and breakdowns are and then people head over to their site to make the sale (a site that costs them money to run, unlike someone just piggybacking on Dave's platform). Soliciting and making the actual transaction on this board is what is generating the fee and again to me it seems nominal and fair. Just seems to me that the people complaining about the fee are basically only in this for themselves and don't want to contribute anything to the maintenance of the board that is enabling them to make the sale in the first place.

So...... If you want to avoid the sales premium charge, just set up a facebook page to sell your wares and just advertise here as to what you have but sell it thru FB.

And others got their pm's increased to 2000 a few years ago for "liking" a facebook page? But the longtime members of the board were denied that privilege? I didn't even have facebook a couple years ago! Thats bogus. And shows how much of a big deal increasing it really was in the first place I guess.

This forum will change and succeed or it will change and fail. It seems that the ones who will ultimately lose will be the buyers. They will/may incur extra costs (whether trivial to others or not) and reap none of the benefits or "perks". How that is handled will play into determining if buyers leave or not. And, lets be honest, without buyers NOBODY sells, not customizers, not dealers and not the once in a while seller.

 

[xphilx]

I love this forum, and have bought quite a few custom items on here.

But I for one will not pay any "premium". This happens, I'm gone to OSW or one of the other forums.

you wont have to pay anything as a buyer. You only have to pay as a seller

 

[batfan08]

Yes, it's a drastic change in look, feel and function - you and most others will hate it.



I posted about this first in this section because it's a major change for customizers. But that's NOT what the Premium Membership is about.



He didn't miss read it - INT threads will need to go in commerce and thus whoever posts them will need to pay the fee. Hopefully we'll finally get rid of all those "wouldn't it be cool if [obscure actor no one ever heard of] was made?" and only real potential products will be posted about.




Again - I HATE the commerce section - it causes more bad blood, more administrative time and more policing than any other section. I'd make it go away if I didn't feel it offered a significantly valuable contribution to the forum experience. Thus we're going to make it more accountable for sellers. I haven't mentioned it yet - but when you sign up for Premium Membership you will have to supply your Paypal shipping address. I will make that clear in the Premium Membership information.

May I ask why you're doing it, then? Again, this is your forum, so, it's, naturally, your choice, but, if people are going to hate it, I'm not sure that's a good thing. I've always been of the opinion that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

[spiderrogue]

i wont be raising my prices...and i do have a facebook page to sell stuff and i do excl. stuff for toy anx....BUT i still want to sell here as well...so as much as this sucks..it may be a good thing too..im trying to keep an open mind on this whole thing..
however..im not too keen on changing of the look/feel of the board..im just now getting used to things around here....

so can we still ask in our own custom threads(and are prem. member) i, if someones interested in seeing a certain suit or something..and then if there is, move it to the for sale section? that's how i get a lot of feedback for new stuff...so it would be weird changing that around...

 

[SwedishHeat]

He didn't miss read it - INT threads will need to go in commerce and thus whoever posts them will need to pay the fee. Hopefully we'll finally get rid of all those "wouldn't it be cool if [obscure actor no one ever heard of] was made?" and only real potential products will be posted about.

That sucks.



I liked the variety that the Interest section brought, but if you have to pay to check to see if anyone else will like something. . . it just kind of defeats the purpose, because people are only going to pay for a sure thing. It'll just be full of Batman and Walking Dead stuff, and Hot Toys replacement parts.

I guess it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that you just don't want to deal with any of that commerce so you'd like to jettison it out to space. I know you said as much, but it just sucks to see you having that opinion. To be frank, with seeing you want to close down all those "empty" forums, it seems like you don't even like this forum anymore. It's just kind of depressing to see all this stuff happening.

Also, FWIW, just so you don't think I'm part of the problem, I would like to help, and I'd offer my spare time as a mod, but I think you and I don't share the same goals for the board, and I'd probably warn and infract too many people, and merge and edit too many threads and start to piss people off. . . but it would all be done in the name of trying to create a more organized, cohesive forum-going experience. Famous last words, I'm sure.

 

[Mr. EcKo]

Dave do you think we can do something about the flippers on this board?

mainly the Rainman, Beto & Iminime flippers.

I'm sure you are well aware of this ongoing growing problem

 

[Lejuan]

Yes, it's a drastic change in look, feel and function - you and most others will hate it.

...and that's a great idea because...

He didn't miss read it - INT threads will need to go in commerce and thus whoever posts them will need to pay the fee. Hopefully we'll finally get rid of all those "wouldn't it be cool if [obscure actor no one ever heard of] was made?" and only real potential products will be posted about.

That sucks.



I liked the variety that the Interest section brought, but if you have to pay to check to see if anyone else will like something. . . it just kind of defeats the purpose, because people are only going to pay for a sure thing. It'll just be full of Batman and Walking Dead stuff, and Hot Toys replacement parts.

I agree. Paying a fee for an interest thread?

I support asking sellers to pay a nominal fee for the privilege of selling their wares. But changing up the forum design to a format and style few will like, and asking interest threads to be subject to a seller's fee is... poor form.

 

[SwedishHeat]

...and that's a great idea because...

But changing up the forum design to a format and style few will like, and asking interest threads to be subject to a seller's fee is... poor form.

I'm pretty sure Dave was being sarcastic when he said people won't like it. He's just anticipating the huge "I don't like the new format" thread when the board changes over.

Everybody hates stuff when something they're used to changes. People always ***** about the latest iteration of Sideshow's website. They hate this version and want the old version back, and when the old version was new, they hated that, and wanted the older version back.

 

[batfan08]

I'm pretty sure Dave was being sarcastic when he said people won't like it. He's just anticipating the huge "I don't like the new format" thread when the board changes over.

Everybody hates stuff when something they're used to changes. People always ***** about the latest iteration of Sideshow's website. They hate this version and want the old version back, and when the old version was new, they hated that, and wanted the older version back.

I don't know. I really didn't say anything in a way to warrant sarcasm. Point is, I'm worried. This place is pretty much my favorite spot on the interwebz, and, if it's really changing that drastically; I just hope it doesn't affect the community too much.

 

[Spawn-man]

This place is pretty much my favorite spot on the interwebz, and, if it's really changing that drastically; I just hope it doesn't affect the community too much.

My sentiments exactly.

 

[SwedishHeat]

I don't know. I really didn't say anything in a way to warrant sarcasm. Point is, I'm worried. This place is pretty much my favorite spot on the interwebz, and, if it's really changing that drastically; I just hope it doesn't affect the community too much.

He's pretty much like that no matter what. In the Forum Questions section, whenever the vets give a noob a hard time, he'll always close the thread with a smart-*** remark about how it would be nice if the veteran members would be helpful rather than be a bunch of smart-*****.

I'd say, don't take it personally.

I'm not sure if it actually will be a huge change in the look, feel and function, that seems like he was just speaking in hyperbole, in response to all the people proclaiming that this is the end of the forum, and the "chicken little" that goes around every time something changes. You can do a Google search on vBulletin 4, and it looks pretty much the same to me. I don't know if it has more customization features and Dave is literally changing everything, but I doubt it.

 

[jye4ever]

$30.00 in this hobby is nothing.

I've seen 1/6 socks go for hundreds.

Heck, have you seen what a 6" Godzilla goes for! (6" and Godzilla used in the same sentence is just so wrong. )

I drop $30 at Starbucks without even thinking about it just for Eggnog Lattes.

As long as lolcats are still allowed i'm in.

 

[Lejuan]

He's pretty much like that no matter what.

I wasn't sure of the tone tbh, but I do hope the place doesn't go the light text on dark b/g.