I feel the marketplace has gotten out of hands. I try to post and warn on blatant scams so that people can be aware, but I don't like being the cop, especially since I'm just a Jr. Member. However, I've been doing business online for a long time and can spot scams right away, especially since most of them are "taken" from other forums and scammers are just not that creative(at least the ones we see most often).
Bitcointalk should implement some rules which will help combat Marketplace spam and restore its integrity. I'll throw out some of my suggestions and hope other people also join:
- Mod Approval of Marketplace Threads - this one I list first because I think it's the most important one. Without this, my other suggestions don't make much sense. Each and every Marketplace thread has to be approved by a mod, otherwise, it won't be posted. The way it works is if someone is selling a certain service, he is required to provide the mod a free sample of his service and the mod will then approve or decline his application with a review under the OP. I realize mods are people too, but I think a lot of people and high ranking members would be happy to be mods for free OR they can be paid out of my next suggestions:
- Paid Marketplace Membership - I realize a lot of people will be against this, but I think a symbolic sum of $50-$100 a year to be a Marketplace seller would weed out at least the low-effort scammers and spammers. If you're a serious seller, it pays itself quite fast. Also, you're literally advertising on the forum, just not "officially". That should cost something.
- Paid Marketplace Threads - now this can be a separate solution OR it can even be implemented along with the paid membership. What this means is 1 service - 1 thread, around $20 per thread I think is a fair price and will help keep sellers and services organized(myself included).
This thread is meant to be as a discussion, not just as my ramble, so any feedback or suggestions are welcome. I really hope the mods join in, as I think it's an important topic regarding the reputation of the forum also. I know the forum has nothing to do with the sellers, but it's still happening on BTCTalk "grounds" thus impacting its reputation in my opinion.