Marketplace use way down

[mckeand13]

The marketplace used to be buzzing with activity. You had to refresh every couple minutes to stay on top of all the items listed.

Now when I look it's so sparse. Only a couple things near the top seem relatively new.

Where has everyone gone, or why is there so little activity now?

 

[wweiss]

I notice a general fall-off too - of all types of postings.

 

[yazkaz]

There are several possible reasons for such dwindling Marketplace activity. First is the over-dependance of SNS (social media) sites which have siphoned off a lot of readers from here, and that one has the potential to generate more sales opportunities there, so I've been told. But not being an SNS user means someone like me would still come around and look for good deals... in a proper forum's Marketplace (ie. here).

The other possible reason is the Forum site revamp. Not all members are content with such big "leap" and that many like us would still prefer the older forum template for certain simplicities. With more people turning away from proper Forums like the current CPF, so does the Marketplace activity decrease -- even though the MP is still one of the most important aspects of this Forum when it comes to B/S/T activity.

 

[RamTuff]

I think Yaz has his thumb on the pulse of the problem, I'd only add that some folks will often post something on multiple "proper" forums, not to mention "evilbay" I have found numerous items for sell there, and on various forums I'm subscribed to.

I don't do the "Fakebook" nor any of the other "sosoMedia" unless you count the Youtube. I've read numerous posts of people stating they "got this from the Fakebook market place", as well as others encouraging someone to post their item on Fakebook thing.

Sad really, "proper" forums such as CPF and 'some' others, have a pretty good vetted membership and you can generally count on worthy commentary, recommendations, guidance, suggestions whereas I wouldn't trust Fakebook and wouldn't pay evilbay to sell my pet rock.

 

[thermal guy]

I had a pet rock when they first came out. Mom said it ran away.This is why I have trust issues 😁 but ya nothing on anyone but the new CPF isn't my cup of tea.

 

[Mister Ed]

I had a pet rock when they first came out. Mom said it ran away.This is why I have trust issues 😁 but ya nothing on anyone but the new CPF isn't my cup of tea.

Open to any suggestions.

 

[Olumin]

I can only speak for myself. Since I'm not in the US it doesn't usually make sense for me to post items for sale here, as most folks would not pay the prices I ask (everything is more expensive in Europe) and are put off by high shipping cost, long wait, and customs. I might as well just sell on fleabay & still make more money even counting fees.

Just how it is I guess.

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

Marketplace has been slow for 2-3 years if not more, nothing new.

 

[ledbetter]

Years back when first lurking on this site I saw a lot of cool stuff on the marketplace that I didn't buy(and still regret it), and now that I know what I want, nothing's available! So it goes. Still, I've bought a lot of great lights and parts on the marketplace from good people and even sold my first item so I hope it ticks up in the future. It may just be that some of the old timers have moved on, and newbies are using Reddit or fb for hobbies/interests.

 

[thermal guy]

Open to any suggestions.

I miss The old Color scheme. As I mainly use my smart phone I can not get the same Field of view when I'm reviewing the form as well. i know small stuff but, after using something the same way for over a decade it's kinda annoying. I still check in every day but I just don't find myself staying as long.

 

[yazkaz]

I think Yaz has his thumb on the pulse of the problem, I'd only add that some folks will often post something on multiple "proper" forums, not to mention "evilbay" I have found numerous items for sell there, and on various forums I'm subscribed to.

I don't do the "Fakebook" nor any of the other "sosoMedia" unless you count the Youtube. I've read numerous posts of people stating they "got this from the Fakebook market place", as well as others encouraging someone to post their item on Fakebook thing.

Sad really, "proper" forums such as CPF and 'some' others, have a pretty good vetted membership and you can generally count on worthy commentary, recommendations, guidance, suggestions whereas I wouldn't trust Fakebook and wouldn't pay evilbay to sell my pet rock.

I wouldn't call eB "Evilbay." Yes there's a mixture of good and bad sellers so customers should learn to be beware and weed out the latter. That said, one thing that makes eB "Evil" is their current sales surcharge policy (under eB Managed Payments), which takes off roughly 13% of each successful eB sale. And with that, sellers have to take that into account and have no choice but to bump up prices just to offset those charges. This has become increasingly common with Surefire components over the past two years or so (especially since the later half of 2020)

I too sell at eB, because everything seems to be arranged (despite the heavy fees). Not that I'm bashing CPFMP but it takes great courage and much more time to manage and monitor sales threads here. I even paid for CPF account upgrade but that didn't quite pay off (ie. help me with MP sales and such), even though I'll continue to try. I don't however see a problem listing on multiple platforms, as long as the person concerned observes all rules. But I must agree, at CPFMP you get better quality people selling stuff, ie. those with better reputations than some nobody.

As for FB and other web platforms, well, YMMV. I've seen worse when it comes to Surefire sales. Most of such bad examples involve not posting enough listing photos to depict the actual condition of the item concerned, even after multiple PM inquiries.

 

[The-David]

I didn't want to pay for a membership.

 

[thermal guy]

I wouldn't call eB "Evilbay." Yes there's a mixture of good and bad sellers so customers should learn to be beware and weed out the latter. That said, one thing that makes eB "Evil" is their current sales surcharge policy (under eB Managed Payments), which takes off roughly 13% of each successful eB sale. And with that, sellers have to take that into account and have no choice but to bump up prices just to offset those charges. This has become increasingly common with Surefire components over the past two years or so (especially since the later half of 2020)

I too sell at eB, because everything seems to be arranged (despite the heavy fees). Not that I'm bashing CPFMP but it takes great courage and much more time to manage and monitor sales threads here. I even paid for CPF account upgrade but that didn't quite pay off (ie. help me with MP sales and such), even though I'll continue to try. I don't however see a problem listing on multiple platforms, as long as the person concerned observes all rules. But I must agree, at CPFMP you get better quality people selling stuff, ie. those with better reputations than some nobody.

As for FB and other web platforms, well, YMMV. I've seen worse when it comes to Surefire sales. Most of such bad examples involve not posting enough listing photos to depict the actual condition of the item concerned, even after multiple PM inquiries.

God I have got the best deals on eBay buying flashlights. I guess some have had bad experiences but nothing but good things from me.

 

[jtr1962]

Maybe with covid a lot of people don't want to go to the Post Office to mail out stuff?

 

[snakebite]

not sure i could pin the drop on the upgrade.
forum runs better than it has in a long while.
the big thing i see is folks not turning loose of things that could be considered life safety items in our current situation.
i have not found anything worth buying in the last 6 months.
and thats odd for me to not buy a flashlight, multitool,outdoor stuff,ect.
a few things i saw were overpriced.
seems anything preppers want is short supply or overpriced.
i did score some an/prc153 radios recently.and some broken amateur gear to fix up.
but those are pricey now too.
i dont do fecebook,ect.
ebay occasionally produces something.
and another forum does not charge to use their marketplace.
even with that nothing much has gotten me to dust off paypal and put it to work.
its all over not just here.

 

[yazkaz]

God I have got the best deals on eBay buying flashlights. I guess some have had bad experiences but nothing but good things from me.

Yes, "got" the better deals on eB if you knew where to find them. But like I said, not anymore; since mid-late 2020 all SF parts suffered from price hikes.

Think you could still get a stock 6P body (not full host) for cheap? Price used to be around $20 but now at ~$36. Other complete flashlights also suffer from price increases, so I've observed. The only better deals are from those sellers who are not flashaholics at all, and that they've found a single or two complete (SF) flashlight(s) lying around that need to be disposed of. That's when you may get a chance of a lower bid (until other bidders chime in). One success of getting good SF stuff on eB would be to push the seller into providing more photos for reference; if the seller fails to comply, don't buy from that seller then.

 

[yazkaz]

Maybe with covid a lot of people don't want to go to the Post Office to mail out stuff?

People still visit the PO to deal with the mail matters when this is unavoidable. (Fear of catching covid? Mask up at all times when you're out.) Even so, sometimes there are still mishaps within the PO eg. when a package left inside a drop-off bin gets unattended for a few days before the first tracking scan. Which is why I don't trust those drop-off boxes and instead always have the packages dealt with at a live counter.

 

[vicv]

A couple reasons I think. Shipping issues and pricing for one. Another is basically all lights are good now. Why buy an older light when something new is brighter, cheaper, and better runtimes.
The only thing that interests me is vintage incans. Either people don't want to part with them or they're asking too much.
With places like alliexpress, the market for new and excellent lights is oversaturated.
Especially for those not living in the states. I'm in Canada and shipping from the states is criminal. But shipping from other countries is very reasonable. I'm not sure why that is but that's why I don't bother with the marketplace. Most of the members are American. A $50 light will also be $50 to ship

 

[this_is_nascar]

I didn't want to pay for a membership.

Agreed. Make it a free option to drive up usage.

 

[Poppy]

Ten years ago, I was stunned when I saw that people would sell used flashlights for 10% off new price. I never understood the mindset of buying used for so little a discount. Yet it happened regularly.

It seems to me that not just the marketplace has dropped off, but pretty much the whole site has dropped off. Back in the day, when someone asked for a particular recommendation of a light for a particular purpose, there would be a clear winner, or a small group of winners to choose from. A person may take pride in his knowledge of the subject, and make a recommendation.

As time went on, many lights came into being that the differences among similar classes of lights, were smaller, and overlapping so much so, that there often, isn't a clear winner anymore. There is now a much larger number of lights competing within the same class.

Once I got all the lights I need, (to the point of being excessive) I lost interest in trying new LEDs, or new lights, just to see if I liked them better. Over time, I found that my "special knowledge" was lost to the average Joe. Many were delighted with the cheap Zoomies with their blue green tint.

I haven't kept up with the knowledge of the differences in different LEDs, so my knowledge is no longer special. Nor have I compared the multitude of similar lights. Therefore I am not comfortable in making a specific recommendation, and usually, don't even check the "make me a recommendation" thread.

I remember when the Fenix TK35 was all the rave and it was often the clear winner. I bought one on the market place. I wonder... is it ever recommended anymore?