I kinda like it the way it is. Questions asked - answers given. Compliments made - compliments graciously accepted.

Nobody has a perfect gun for sale. Every used gun has indicators that it is a used gun... everybody can see them but we don't need to point them out.... that's just bad form and poor etiquette.

As long as nobody picks a gun apart or asks stupid questions or makes impertinent comments..... it ain't broke.

Gentlemen,

As many of you know I am a moderator of the PGCA forums. In that I and Jeff Kuss work for our webmaster John Dunkle for which none of us receive any compensation.

Because I am a moderator I try to stay out of petty squabbles on these forums. If any of those squabbles get intense I swiftly and fairly moderate. Sometimes that is in the form or a private message (PM) to the violator(s). If someone has clearly broken a rule such as engaging in political debates or uses a racial slur then I give them an Infraction. I also DO NOT edit or close thread because I think they are a waste of electrons. At least and probably only one person is enjoying blogging on this forum...

I am often contacted to look at posts that may not be acceptable. For these I usually take action. I have however been contacted because someone posted something that someone else didn’t like. These situations often require communication with John and/or Jeff for a second opinion.

I close threads at the request of the originator. I will also close a thread if someone is getting disrespectful to another. I don’t do this without reading the entire thread to ascertain the entire context of the dispute.

I stated the above as background for the following;

Someone stated that the rules are not enforced evenly. I take deep exception to that statement. I treat as all, as do John and Jeff, equal with the exception of known troublemakers, i.e. repeat offenders. Those persons have used up their share of the grace afforded to all participants. Known troublemakers receive attention faster than persons who usually are respectful to others and follow the rules.

Toward the above, if an item is posted without a price I advise them usually with a PM. If the post isn’t revised within a day, I will make a “soft delete” on it. The post is still there but not visible. When the seller finally contacts me inquiring about their post I will undelete it.

If however one posts a list of Parker for sale at an event and those items are not priced then what is the harm? If they post a string of photos without prices then they need to post prices. Some persons will only sell a firearm face to face and won’t discuss prices on the Internet. In those situations if you are interested in their wares try sending a PM or calling them.

If someone is selling something and others pollute their thread with superfluous written garbage I will delete those posts at the request of the seller. Often however some chit-chat in a thread keeps it in the attention of potential buyers. If a For Sale thread allowed NO response then there would be no “To The Top”.

Concerning the use of PM’s only in a For Sale post; I require it when I post on this forum items for sale. If a potential buyer contacts me on the forum with questions I advise them to send me a PM. This keeps the tire kickers away and provides the means for a potential buyer and me to converse privately. Also, if one can’t follow simple directions then why would I do business with them? That would be asking for trouble…

I read the majority of the posts, especially those For Sale and Wanted to Buy. I see respondents asking questions which were answered in the original posts. Other times, a seller states to call them at the phone number listed for information, or to buy. People still post questions or offers to buy on the forum. Why? The seller stated to call them. If one doesn’t follow directions and misses out on a good buy to someone who followed the directions then who is at fault?

I think the PGCA forums work as they are. We moderators try to be fair with our duties. The members pretty much police the forums and those who come here wanting to bully others or act like snobs either change their ways or go away.

If one doesn't want feedback on a PGCA forum For Sale thread then STATE THE RULES for which you will sell your item(s), i.e. “I will only respond to PM or Phone Call”. A little feedback does however help sell an item. :whistle:

If one desires no feedback on a For Sale thread then I recommend Guns International or Gun Broker. I have sold non-Parkers on Guns International for a $10 fee with good results. Otherwise sellers may list their items in the PARKER PAGES.

PS: The PGCA forum is perhaps the best gun forum on the Internet due to John Dunkle. John provides the servers, software, and special coding on which our forum is based. Those items are not cheap nor is John's time. When someone suggests that John could write new code to provide a new function I hope they realize that John would do that at his expense. A request such as that would best be sent to John privately for him to consider.

Everyone have a nice day :)
Mark

and you earn every penny of that dealing with us :)


Mark (and Jeff & John)

hope you realize that the vast majority of us really appreciate your efforts, we know its a labor of love - and thank you all for giving us a great forum to babble on about our favorite shotguns.

I also appreciate those like Mike who make polite suggestions as to how the forum (or PGCA) can be improved. Even if those ideas aren't carried out, it does not hurt to make suggestions as long as it remains respectful.

Benevolent dictatorship is what should be expected from the moderation of a public forum such as ours. Any internet format like PGCA is made up of a technologically diverse membership with the gamut of technical skills. Within the last week I have read folks having difficulty with internet searches, cut and pasting information and private messaging. Not to mention photo posting. With all of that, the thread hijacking and dispersing thoughts leave them with a pretty difficult set of circumstances to moderate and administer.

There is no investment required to participate in the forums and no ownership in the site and its' technology. Discussions like this one allow cheap shots as well as supporting comments to drift in with anonymity. This is a classic case for private messages to be used rather than a thread! We all need to come to this forum with an understanding that we are at the mercy of the moderators moods, perceptions and understanding. They provide us much service but web site management is not a democracy, so pray for benevolent dictators. I believe ours are!

Forgive me all if I am missing something here. I do like the way the For Sale section is set up EXCEPT for people who list a gun for a friend. That has always irritated me no end. I don't believe in any exceptions to that rule either no matter who makes the exception. It is a rule or it isn't. It doesn't bother me a bit that someone forgets to list the barrel length, gauge, frame size or price. If a buyer is interested in the gun they can simply post a question regarding anything the seller simply forgot to include in their post.

Again maybe I am missing something here but I see no reason a member who wants to sell his gun won't list it on the For sale forum if they want to sell the gun. I have sold guns that I did not list on the forum but it had nothing whatsoever to do with policies of the forum. I simply didn't want to go that route at the time and they were not Parker guns.

I like the section as is.

Dennis

Hi Dennis,

From the Forum Decorum: http://www.parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9841

Do NOT post Internet links (addresses) of guns for sale or auction other than a member giving notice of their guns for sale in the Members Only section. Further, please DO NOT POST THEM IN THE PGCA FOR SALE FORUM! In short, if you do NOT own the firearm for sale, or have the right to sell it – do not post it in the PGCA For Sale Forum. The PGCA Member “Off Topic” forum would be just dandy, though…

The forum rules evolve over time. Our Webmaster allows one to sell a Parker or other collectible gun for a friend that one has control over the sale ("right to sell it"). A PGCA member may sell for another member who doesn't use the Internet or this site. A member may also sell for the widow next door, aunt Martha and uncle Henry who don't know a Parker from a petunia, of anyone so long as that member has control over the sale. That means post a price and good photos to allow a clean sale. One should not waste electrons and bandwidth posting a VH 12 with cut barrels for $5,000 because uncle Henry thinks it is worth that much. Also, if selling often for lots of friends I believe that seller will be answering questions from our Webmaster.

If selling for a friend and you have control over the sale then just list it as yours. If posting for another PGCA member with instructions to contact that member, as I have, that's okay. If posting for a friend with instructions to contact a non-PGCA member, then that would not be acceptable. If the owner is NOT a PGCA member then the poster MUST control the sale.

Further, even dealers may sell via the PGCA forum so long as they post the sale here first for a couple weeks. Do not post for sale here when something has been or is for sale on Gun Broker or Guns International. A dealer should know better than to abuse a free service for commercial gain.

I hope this clears up this mud. :rotf:

The forum will evolve over time and crusty old S.O.B. such as me must also evolve, as painful as that is! :crying:
Mark

Mark,

It did clear things up a lot for me. I appreciate you getting back to me in a timely manner.

Semper Fi my brother,

Dennis

Nobody posts on the Members Only, Guns For Sale forum in anonymity.

I think that Russ's comments pertained to the discussion about the For Sale forum rather than any For Sale threads.