Gun for SALE ads

[JSR III]

In looking at the Guns for Sale ads I notice that there are a lot of threads/posts where the item has sold and the thread is not so marked and therefore one must open it to check. I also notice that there are hundreds of pages of ads with many locked threads and many contain several photos that I assume use considerable band width. (Not really sure what that is but learned about it here)

Just curious, is there a reason to keep these threads/posts alive? Would it not be better to delete all of these old threads/posts when the items are marked sold?

I don't look every day, but when I do, it seems that there are many threads/posts that clutter up this section and make finding the ones where guns are still available somewhat more difficult.

Again, I am not complaining, but merely raising a question. I know that you are all grossly underpaid for what you do and do not mean any harm to anyone.

[-db-]

James, I don't speak for the management here, of course, but it is my understanding that old listings are preserved so we can gauge price trends on guns, which is helpful.

Furthermore, photos hosted elsewhere but posted and shared here do not consume much, if any, bandwidth on this forum. It's the servers hosting the original photos that sacrifice bandwidth.

[s&wchad]

James,
Thank you for your input. Bandwidth isn't a concern. We check the ads daily and lock them when all items are sold. We also lock them when the ads have received no activity for over a month and a new ad is placed, or when they've received no activity for 6 months (give or take).

I realize that searching the ads can be a challenge, but we save the old ads for a number of reasons.
- As -db- mentioned, they can offer insight into values. We ask (but don't require) that members leave details and prices in their completed ads.
- They provide us with history on the advertisers. Those who frequently place ads need to contribute at the Silver level or above. Members hear from us if they don't voluntarily comply.
- We require buyers purchasing for resale to wait 24 hours and we require that buyers who purchase in the first 24 hours be identified ("I'll take it", or "sold to..."). Saving this purchase history allows us to track an item back if it shows up on the market again. Members have been suspended or banned for violating this policy.

If you're looking for specific items, I suggest focusing on the first two or three pages of the classifieds. Ignore locked ads. Members don't always mark their items sold and those who are trying to sell generally bump them regularly. If an ad hasn't been bumped for two or three weeks, there's a good chance the items are no longer available.

[JSR III]

Thanks for the explanation. Now I understand why they are saved. Again, for those of you that work behind the curtain keeping this place so enjoyable, MANY THANKS!!!