I need everyone's input please...

[necoris]

Well, http://www.thereptilepost.com/ is registered and the reptile classifieds are under develpoment. This is where I need all of your help.

I need to know what everyone likes and dislikes about all of the existing classifieds websites. I'm building this website for you, and I need all of the comments, critiques and suggestions I can get.

Please contact me whatever way you want. I'll be here.
http://www.diapsid.com/contact.php

Thanks for your help,
Dustin J. Cox
Diapsid, Inc. / The Reptile Post

[hooter]

Not to be rude but I think kingsnake has the classifieds scene under control.

[necoris]

Well, thanks for your opinion. That's what I need.

Any others?

Dustin

[CamHanna]

What I hate about kingsnake (aside from nobody shipping to Canada) is the repeated posts. Kingsnake folks might post the same ad twice a day and the other ads are lost. I prefer something like ssnakess where each ad can only be posted once.

[necoris]

I'll keep that in mind. Thank you CamHanna.

Dustin

[JeffT]

I think its a great idea, and heres my suggestion. in the Lizard classifieds, have 2 seperate pages, one for Leopards for sale, and one for Beardies. In most forums now the ads are like 80% beardies and leos for sale and you sometimes miss the unusual reptile ads amongst all the other.

[Navonod]

Very nice Dustin, finally a classifieds site that listens to suggestions. And by coincidence, I'm full of them...

I think classifieds sites need to monitor ads being posted, for fraud or shotty sellers. Fauna has become a necessary tool for people who might be buying from someone on KS, and need to know some background on this person. But this is only because KS fails to do so itself, and would rather profit then make sure it's users aren't ripped off. Perhaps a ratings system, like ebay has. And a complaint forum on the site where people can openly report their dealings with bad sellers. This would make your site a reliable place for people to buy reptiles off of, a site with some integrity for a change.

Most forums also have moderators to keep the boards they moderate clean. Perhaps a classifieds moderator would be a good idea. So if any seller with an awful reputation for ripping people off posts, they can be taken care of.

Besides that, get an easy to navigate design that is easy on the eyes. I tend not to surf around a site for too long if I think it is overly cluttered, or just plain ugly.

Hope this helps, and best of luck.

[necoris]

Thanks Navonod.

Here is what I had in mind:
First off, I want a reptile classifieds website. I don't think I will have forums, but a complaint system would be well in order. Something that can report bad sellers.

Here is the catch. I was thinking about storing personal information (100% secure) so that if authorities contact me trying to get in touch with a seller, I can give them the information they need. I still need to come up with a legal way to do this and work some things out, but I want to stop people from getting ripped off.

Second, I don't want any banner ads at all. I hate going to websites that have banner ads. They are usually messy and don't go with the website design. I'm going to try to support the website without ads (which seems very feesable considering) but we'll see.

Third, it will be very easy for the consumer to use. Yes, there will be a monthly, perhaps pay-per-ad fee (I am in no way set for sure). I'll make it very similar to eBay in the sense that it is easy to use.

I want to make this an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Please know that I have mentioned no names of my competitors and will never do so for the entire length of my business career. This is a good way for me to get a lawsuit that is 100% unneccessary.

Once again, thank you for all of your input.

Regards,
Dustin

[necoris]

JeffT, I almost missed your reply.

Remember, I will keep everything in mind.

I do like your idea about having seperate pages for ads. I'm thinking about having ads based on the scientific name. I know that I will have each different species in it's own area, but not sure exactly how I want to do that.

Thank you for your input as well.

Dustin

[ydnic]

I think it would be great if you seperated them by region or province - I hate looking through all the adds to find something in my area that I could go and pick up - I mostly run into adds from ontario i`m in Saskatchewan - it would make it easier to see what could be available to me

It sounds like you have a good idea - don`t worry about what others say you never know - just because some thing is good doesn`t mean there couldn`t be something better

[necoris]

ydnic, thank you.

Even though some of my competitors are already established, (you are right) that doesn't mean something better or more effecient can come along.

Sorting them by region could be a good idea. You see, the website is going to be EXTREMELY powerful. Everything someone wants will probably be put into that website. I want to make it enjoyable for everyone. Well, as long as what everyone wants can work together and is, well, correct in a sense.

Thank you for your reply too.

Dustin