Hi everybody,
As a self-confessed lurker who is still at the stage of soaking up information before being anywhere near able to dispense it, I have held back from saying something about the increasingly commercial nature of the list.
More and more it seems that traders and the like are simply using what is supposed to a source of information about old bikes as a marketing tool. It has been obvious for some time that there are people on the list who see it as a means of promoting themselves and their businesses but the situation is getting worse.
People who used to have a clear out are now passing on their latest "finds" and others are more blatant. Naming no names but I know of one such who is actively scouring Ireland and other parts of Europe looking for bikes and components that are then offered to the list. Where do you think all this stuff comes from? I don't think it is the object of the list to provide a livelihood for these people. If they want to buy and sell like this, they should use Ebay or the classified adverts in a magazine. Or better still, they can set up a website and advertise their goods there-it isnt hard to do.
I know that there are many people who are only too willing to buy and I may be in a minority but if we must have traders using the list like this, why can't their adverts be limited to one day a month. We could make it the same day and everyone would then know to expect it.
This would not affect those people who genuinely have some stuff in their collection that they would occasionally like to get rid of but, by hitting their "cash flow", it might help discourage traders from making a fortune at the expense of other list members. It would also maybe serve to put an end to the cynicism that sees traders effectively swapping the odd bit of information in exchange for a platform from which to sell their wares. As far as I'm concerned, if they can't contribute their information and knowledge free of charge, they shouldn't be on the list.
Come on Dale, put the brakes on these blatant traders.
Freddy Benjamin