Quote Originally Posted by toygun View Post
Please don't take this the wrong way but the thing is this is not ebay, nor is the site set around selling gear. We are here to talk about hammocks and all things hammock related. We just happen to have a spot for those that contribute to the community to sell used gear.

To your hypothetical point (again don't take this the wrong way)... but maybe the guy created the account 3 years ago thinking he would be able to sell gear here and never contribute to the community and the only reason he comes here is to sell gear. I'd rather buy gear from someone that I know contributes (regardless of how long he has been here) to a community that i respect and enjoy on a daily basis... at least I know him better than the guy with no post count that's here to just unload his gear. To be honest I don't like giving my money to people I don't know- I work hard for what little I have.

For all of those wanting to sell gear there are large gear re-selling sites out there that will give you even larger audiences to sell too... like http://www.geartrade.com/.
I agree that this site should be centered around hammocks and all things hammocks...however, gear IS what that is all about. All the new ideas, theories, knowledge, comraderie, hammock hangs, ect. all stem from the hammock gear itself. So having a thriving section in which hammock gear can be sold and purchased is paramount because people are able to try out equipment, discuss new ideas, and spread knowledge about the things they learn. Having gear for sale that is generally cheaper allows people to try different things, learn from them, talk about it, and then sell them if its not a good fit. So my argument is that the selling and purchasing of used gear is very important to the long term viability and progression of this site because without it , many are cut off from this process.

So making the for sale section open to as many people as possible while still maintaining a certain amount of purchasing safety should be a large part of this site in my opinion. I think that a seller and purchaser rating system like those seen in other hobby forums would go a long way in providing this safety. I personally dont care if I buy a used $200 tarp that retails for $300 from someone that is active on this forum with 400 posts or from someone that sits on the sidelines with 25 posts. Bottom line is im getting a great discount to try out a new tarp, share my likes/dislikes, learn from others, and share my own knowledge of the equipment.