You just can't give them away!

[Josh Perdue]

I've paid the fee the last couple years for the fact this is a great site and worth twice the price as a magazine subscription. The wealth of knowledge and the great hunting stories is unreal to me.
Since the fee's inception I have posted my bows on this site but they were actually purchased from buyers on other sites. I marked the bows sold because I thought that was the rule on the classifieds here to have the add pulled. I would be willing to bet most of the bows marked sold were not all sold on this site. There is just less traffic on the classifieds here and that is fact.
The classifieds section here is great but there is less traffic. I don't visit this site for the classifieds but mainly for the hunting stories. There's truly some hardcore hunters on this site that can really tell a great story.

[Mark R]

Hey why charge for shopping.

[dragonheart]

Originally posted by Mark R:
Hey why charge for shopping.

[BAK]

Seems to me it should always be the sellers market.  After all, he has the product.  I've listed two or three bows at fair prices.   All I've gotten are a few lookers and some bottom dollar feeders.  I'll let the bows hang on the wall for ten years before I'll sell them that away.  If nothing else I'll give them to a charity and use it as a tax right off.

[Tique]

Fact is, the contributor fee does limit the number of browsers which certainly impacts sales. Very easy to fix, if you want to list an item for sale you have to pay the yearly contributor fee. All others can browse and buy for no fee. Sellers are protected because they get their money before they ship, buyers are protected because they are dealing with a registered seller.

[LongStick64]

I'll be honest I had a reluctance to pay to sell/buy/trade. I felt my contributions to the sponsors should of been enough. But reality is this site has a great class of people, who at least understand what you are selling. I will also admit I tried the other sites and it's safe to say the experience is not equal to what happens here. And for that I am happy to pay for. The other sites have a long way to go and they need a long time to build the relationships found on this site.

[Bowwild]

A couple of points the thread brings up for me:

1. I don't mind paying the $30. There are no large "bow shows" near me. The KY Trad fest is great but there aren't as many bowyers there as Cloverdale or the old Kentucky Classic.  So the classifieds are a good place to see some of what's out there.  I've bought some bows and sold some. However, I'm not part of the group that thinks anything changed in terms of quality or integrity of the classifieds before the $30. I did my due diligence and always had perfect deals. No complaints B$ or A$.

2. Every now and then I read someone suggesting (maybe?) that those who buy are looking for the magical or perfect bow.  Maybe that's true for some but not for me. I haven't shot one yet (recurve, I don't do LBs) that didn't work for me. I know the magic is in the archer not the bow.  However, I do prefer certain lines, mass, woods, and workmanship. I also like them to be smooth and quick enough at my draw length.

[BHall]

Originally posted by dragonheart:
 

Originally posted by BHall:
I believe Ed's post was simply saying the used bow market is soft at the moment.  That has little or nothing to do with the $30 fee.  It is soft on other sites as well.  I personally prefer doing business on TG.  I've had good luck here.

It is much like a commodity market and seems cyclical in nature.  So the buyer/seller paradigm shifts.  Depending on which end of the spectrum you are on it can be good or bad.  I've bought and sold over 150 bows in the past three years.  I've enjoyed every minute of it.  I keep a detailed spreadsheet and I've averaged a loss of 60% since inception.  That's pretty poor ROI but I can either quit buying/selling, be more patient on my sales or not worry about it.  I choose the last option.    I sell bows cheap sometimes b/c I don't like to see them sit, not b/c I'm desperate for money.  All in all it's good fun.

Some people can afford to play with bows because they have more money, others cannot.  It can be a ton of fun to buy and sell and try out all types of bows.  I was there once.  I have sold off about every bow now just trying to make ends meet.  For those of you that are of the good fortune to be financially well off, just take a real gratitude check.  You are fortunate.  There are others that are struggling, I do believe that has influenced the used bow market.  I know I am not alone.  And sometimes people are offering to pay what they can pay, not just being tight with money.  The seller controls the price. [/b]

dragonheart--I wasn't looking for a Socioeconomic debate buddy.  You do not know my financial situation nor do I know yours (or want to).  I wasn't bragging it was more of a confessional, lol.  I enjoy trying bows.  You may need a gratitude check of your own.  Unless you are making posts from a cardboard box you are probably better off than 99% of the world's population.  We are talking about bows here.  Not starving children or unsanitary drinking water.  Just waking up is a daily blessing.  Let's keep it in perspective.

[Moots]

Well said BHall.

And Tique, I do agree with your observation.  If all browsers could access and buy from this site without paying an annual fee, I believe bow sales would pick up.  This might benefit contributors who might more readily be able to sell their bows.  

Even so, I acknowledge that I know very little about running a site like this, and no doubt the moderators of this site have greater perspective, and have made the call.

Ed, you sure have some beautiful bows for sale.

Moots

[Bjorn]

I am planning an out of state elk hunting trip and bow sales are so slow I had to sell the wife's car.      

[Burnsie]

We are missing the point.  Tradgang is not about being a more convenient place to sell your bows.  It is here for the purpose of sharing Traditional Hunting related information.  The classifieds are just an added benefit,  which at one time was a major pain in the neck for the moderators.  The contributor fee has help the moderators out a lot.  The other option was to do away with the classifieds all together.

[dragonheart]

Bhall,

Apologize for using your quote in my post.  My intention was not to be offensive.  Maybe I am in a bad place right now.  Again apology from a brother of the bow.  

Jeff Schulz

[Moots]

Bjorn, how is the market for car sales?  LOL

Jeff, sorry if you are struggling in any way.  Best wishes to you sir.

Sincerely,
Rob

[BHall]

Jeff,
We are all good friend.  Prayers to you that things get better.  Shoot me a PM if I can be of any help.

Bryan

[longbow fanatic 1]

Originally posted by BHall:
I believe Ed's post was simply saying the used bow market is soft at the moment.  That has little or nothing to do with the $30 fee.  It is soft on other sites as well.  I personally prefer doing business on TG.  I've had good luck here.

It is much like a commodity market and seems cyclical in nature.  So the buyer/seller paradigm shifts.  Depending on which end of the spectrum you are on it can be good or bad.  I've bought and sold over 150 bows in the past three years.  I've enjoyed every minute of it.  I keep a detailed spreadsheet and I've averaged a loss of 60% since inception.  That's pretty poor ROI but I can either quit buying/selling, be more patient on my sales or not worry about it.  I choose the last option.    I sell bows cheap sometimes b/c I don't like to see them sit, not b/c I'm desperate for money.  All in all it's good fun.

X2

Maybe we're all filled up for now.  There is no dramatic shift in what kind of bows everyone needs to have and most folks have what they need. I have not given anyone a bow in over a year, I have run out of receivers. Low deer numbers around here and reducing access to hunting land has slowed the shift of  people that are willing to try traditional archery.

[Mark R]

Dragonheart, I asked a question,I don't understand your response.

[Mark R]

Tique I agree. I would be willing to pay the fee to sell some of my bows through a reputable dealer if the buyers could buy for no service fee. If the service is just provided for the fellowship of the   ones who want to particepate than that is fine with me, but at this time  I myself am not interested in that.

[dragonheart]

Originally posted by Mark R:
Hey why charge for shopping.

Did not realize that was a question.  There has been much discussion about the contributor-classifieds issue that some people have.  I thought you were making a statment due to the lack of a ?  That is the nature of my post with the "beating the dead horse".

[David Mitchell]

Yeah, that issue has pretty much been beaten to death.