New Classifieds format
- Thread starter ibo7
- Start date
People use PM as they're supposed to, as they were supposed to with the old system but needlessly bumped their topic. Just because you cannot see the buyer/seller discussions doesn't mean they're not happening.
What are you basing this off? Have you coallated the amount of active vs completed ads over the last period of the new system being implemented based against previous data or.... just surmising?
- Oct 20, 2012
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Moved to Forum Feedback
Might want to use the category menu on the right if you're only seeing a 'a few ads per page'. E.g.:
https://airsoft-forums.uk/classifieds/category/10-spring-rifles/
Category view is also accessible from your menu on mobile and desktop.
Desktop:
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Mobile:
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In terms of traffic: I cannot be too helpful as we were trailing the new classifieds even as I added analytics, so don't have a huge amount of the old data. I might be able to get some of the old stuff of @Deva to compare with. What I can tell you is that airsoft-forums.uk/classifieds is still our second most popular page (after the roof of the website - i.e. airsoft-forums.uk). Believe we rank 4-5 on Google for 'airsoft classifieds' (using .co.uk). In that case I believe we've had a marginal increase over about 6 months ago - likely down to not using a forum section for keywords etc. as Google is a lot nicer if you provide it with the tags and a nice URL like /classifieds does.
Also for a semi-reliable gauge of who's buying/selling, the feedback can help: https://airsoft-forums.uk/feedback/, but bear in mind that the old feedback system is still about so some people might not be using it yet.
Of course if you really want to know and are willing to do a little work you could go to the archived pages - taking AEGs as an example - https://airsoft-forums.uk/forum/18-electric/
Then add up the number of threads being posted from a month (I'd use January or February so that you're not checking threads during the new classifieds testing period) and compare the volume of ads to what we're getting today.
Might want to use the category menu on the right if you're only seeing a 'a few ads per page'. E.g.:
https://airsoft-forums.uk/classifieds/category/10-spring-rifles/
Category view is also accessible from your menu on mobile and desktop.
Desktop:
View attachment 35125
View attachment 35124
Mobile:
View attachment 35123
In terms of traffic: I cannot be too helpful as we were trailing the new classifieds even as I added analytics, so don't have a huge amount of the old data. I might be able to get some of the old stuff of @Deva to compare with. What I can tell you is that airsoft-forums.uk/classifieds is still our second most popular page (after the roof of the website - i.e. airsoft-forums.uk). Believe we rank 4-5 on Google for 'airsoft classifieds' (using .co.uk). In that case I believe we've had a marginal increase over about 6 months ago - likely down to not using a forum section for keywords etc. as Google is a lot nicer if you provide it with the tags and a nice URL like /classifieds does.
Also for a semi-reliable gauge of who's buying/selling, the feedback can help: https://airsoft-forums.uk/feedback/, but bear in mind that the old feedback system is still about so some people might not be using it yet.
Of course if you really want to know and are willing to do a little work you could go to the archived pages - taking AEGs as an example - https://airsoft-forums.uk/forum/18-electric/
Then add up the number of threads being posted from a month (I'd use January or February so that you're not checking threads during the new classifieds testing period) and compare the volume of ads to what we're getting today.
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- Oct 20, 2012
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- 1,691
Perhaps, but perhaps not. I can see how many listings are added per week, but for now there's a big spike when we switched over (following some smaller numbers as people continued to use the old stuff). We'll know in a couple of months if numbers are trailing off.
A couple of people have expressed concern at the navigation on the home page for the home of the classifieds (i.e. scrolling to the next 'page' of adverts) so that might be looked at later.
A couple of people have expressed concern at the navigation on the home page for the home of the classifieds (i.e. scrolling to the next 'page' of adverts) so that might be looked at later.
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I agree with the OP, I have listed 4-5 RIFs on the forum classifieds recently, have sold them all now, but didn’t sell one on this forum. Didn’t even get half the interest I was getting previously...
One of the guns I listed on here , I listed elsewhere and could have sold it 13 times over by now.
One of the guns I listed on here , I listed elsewhere and could have sold it 13 times over by now.
- Oct 20, 2012
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I suppose I struggle to see how the user experience (with regards to viewing listings) with the new classifieds is anything different to the old, forum-based way of viewing what's for sale.
The categories are basically just what the old sub-forums used to be (except with thumbnails). I can tell you that traffic to the classifieds is still reasonably high, but it's not possible for me to compare this to the old stuff as the analytics were switched over. I would agree with the 'home' for the classifieds being very different, but then I suppose the argument is whether one click to the 'categories' page is making that difference? Even with the old format one would still need to click into a subcategory to view what's inside - with the new system new, randomised and soon-to-end listings are all displayed: It's hard to argue that this doesn't give ones listings a fair shot at being shown to people who're just dipping in to see what's going (as opposed to those who have something specific in mind).
And of course the underlying concern would be that between Facebook and ZeroIn, we do only get a sliver of UK airsoft classifieds in the first place. I dare say these top two see the lions share of private sales in the UK just by themselves (ZeroIn by virtue of being first and Facebook by virtue of user base).
Any idea why they might not be getting the traffic or sales you expected?
Edit:
Could you link us to your listings by the way? I can't see them under your profile for some reason.
https://airsoft-forums.uk/profile/14845-prisce/?do=content&type=classifieds_advert&change_section=1
Edit 2:
Will compile some numbers tonight based on what I've found with page views. I may have a way around the lack of previous data.
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Haven’t got any currently up for sale, only an expired if that’s still good, rest were on the old style forums, and they still had the same problems
G
Guest
Guest
I would tend to agree with @Prisce I’m selling elsewhere more often tha;pin not now, no idea why.
I used to make a point of listing here for a week before listing anywhere else, but that isn’t viable anymore, they all go up at once now.
Dont get me wrong @proffrink I like the new layout, but as I said a few weeks ago, browsing in iOS you can see the thumbnails but not read the advert titles, so you are obliged to open every advert to see what it is. Possible people aren’t doing this last step.
rdb
I used to make a point of listing here for a week before listing anywhere else, but that isn’t viable anymore, they all go up at once now.
Dont get me wrong @proffrink I like the new layout, but as I said a few weeks ago, browsing in iOS you can see the thumbnails but not read the advert titles, so you are obliged to open every advert to see what it is. Possible people aren’t doing this last step.
rdb
- Oct 20, 2012
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Could you expand upon the titles thing? AFAIK I extended them to two lines (from 1 initially) after someone complained (not sure if it was you), but we had to roll back the theme due to that bug with the cache that was crashing the whole site so it's possible I'll have to remake the changes.
From what I can see most AEGs are still getting a couple of hundred views, which is why I'd like to be able to compare old and new adverts (as I will tonight). From a cursory glance they're getting the same click-throughs.
From what I can see most AEGs are still getting a couple of hundred views, which is why I'd like to be able to compare old and new adverts (as I will tonight). From a cursory glance they're getting the same click-throughs.
Then - and I mean this in the nicest way possible - but how on Earth are you able to quantify what the issue is here and whether it's the forums total traffic, the new classifieds or the old ones being shite? What are you comparing and - by extension - making a suggestion about?
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Since the new classifieds have come out, I have listed 2 on the old classifieds, and 2 on the new classifieds.
And I have received maybe 2-3 messages about these items.
On previous listings on here I would get about 5-6 messages an item. I thought it might be the second hand market in general, but it’s not.
I listed all the same items on 2 other places, and I must have received 20-30 messages in the same period, from the other places.
I dont know if there is a correlation between the new classifieds and lack of interest or if it’s just people on here aren’t buying that much at the moment!
- Oct 20, 2012
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- 1,691
Alrighty. Any idea why your old listing isn't showing on your profile? I would really like to be able to compare numbers of page views (which again I'm doing right now) with thread views from February. This should give an indication of any decline with the switch over.
G
Guest
Guest
Sure. First pic is the landing page for the classifieds , looks great
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Second pic is what a drill down looks like, you can’t see what’s advertised
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Asomodai
AF-UK patch owner
- Jun 14, 2017
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I would also agree.
Sold a couple of things quite easily before for what I would call "Normal" prices.
I have put 3 RIFS up for sale recently and have dropped the price to what I would call "Almost a steal" prices and I haven't had any enquiries whatsoever. Either the market has slowed down significantly for whatever reason, or the new classifieds have affected sales.
- Jun 28, 2015
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Whilst the old Classifieds were not so Gucci looking, it was easy to see each sub-forum heading in the Classifieds section and to read the full topic title when you opened each sub-forum. I used to look at every advert because the new posts were much more obvious (and I had to moderate them more). The posts unread button was highlighted to show there were new posts.
I do not find the new Classifieds to be as visible, and I have to make much more effort to go look at them. I would almost call them hidden because of the navigation to get there. You have to want to look at them, otherwise your eye just skips over the heading. I use Chrome and IE on the PC and the full title of each advert is not displayed. I like to see the full topic title so I know what gun or item is for sale.
I do not find the new Classifieds to be as visible, and I have to make much more effort to go look at them. I would almost call them hidden because of the navigation to get there. You have to want to look at them, otherwise your eye just skips over the heading. I use Chrome and IE on the PC and the full title of each advert is not displayed. I like to see the full topic title so I know what gun or item is for sale.
- Oct 20, 2012
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- 1,691
Can you drop me a screenshot too so I can see where it's cut off for you?
- Jun 28, 2015
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Realised that the issue with not seeing the full title is due to using a 35 inch monitor with two browsers open, each browser in a window, and not full screen. Therefore, if the forum is at a certain size it does not display the same as stretching out the window or going full screen.
So problem is likely just to be the screen resolution/size which is why titles are clipped on the ipad.
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