Marketplace

I saw the posts earlier. I didn't do anything about them because I'm not sure what the official stance is going to be on this. I realize the Terms of Use clearly states "No posting of advertisements". Literal interpretation means that they should be deleted. However, I have been reading everything that has been posted and some people have stated that they would like to see more of the kits from manufacturers in Russia/Ukraine, etc. So I haven't been quick to delete them. I was going to wait until I could discuss this with a couple of people on Monday. In the meantime, it is good to see that it has come up for discussion here. Please feel free to discuss this some more - all comments are welcome and will be taken into consideration.

Here are a couple of points to consider:
(Please note, the following views are my own and not official Kalmbach views/policies...)

There is a Classifieds section on the site. These are paid ads. It would be unfair to the people who have paid for their ad to allow people to post advertisements here for free.

However, I also feel that there may be a need for an area where people could post for kits they are looking for, trades, etc. In fact there have already been a couple of posts where people have offered to help others out (which is very cool!). I have seen similiar areas on other sites, limited to private (non-commercial) individuals only - no businesses, companies, etc.

Another good point that D-Fens brought up is in regards to "advertisements mixed in with regular modelling discussion". I am sure many would not want that to happen.

Now, if someone from a company/business or even another website is participating in discussions here, helping fellow modelers by answering their questions, etc., then I do not think there would be anything wrong with placing their company/business/website in their signature. I think people would be more curious about the person's company/business/website if they saw it this way rather than a blatant attempt to advertise themselves.

Helping hobbist get kit into their hands should a high priority. Anything FSM can do to help will stengthen the hobby. I understant that companies buy ad space but that is a cost of doing business. Lots of guys trade to help one another out and this has nothing to do with making money. I just think FSM should take every chance to promote the modelling hobby.

Woody has a good point. Promoting the hobby is definitely a good thing. We also need to make sure that we don't intrude on the classified ads section though. My suggestion is to create a "trading post" section where only trading of kits and supplies is allowed - no actual buying or selling. I really don't know how viable that is but it would keep the intrusion on the classified ads section to a minimum. What do others think? Would you be willing to trade kits through a separate forum?

Ray

I would not have any problem with the 'trading' of kit. I do that with a few people around the globe, and it's actualy quite fun and rewarding. No money exchanged, just 'favours'. But I'm not sure we need a separate forum for this, though... I mean, if you want to trade cars, why not post something to that effect in the 'autos' forum? After all, we do the same thing already by exchanging tips and info.

Sounds like an idea to me. I will say that it needn't be trading only. You might have something someone would love to have but the opposite might not be true. I will point out one other thing, business also buy kits and collections! This would be one of those rare win-win situations.