this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2023
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[Discussion] Should we have an instance where links to items for sale are allowed? Maybe call it the Bazaar (self.agora)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by Rutty to c/agora
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[–] MrScottyTay 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I feel like those kinds of communities on sites like these only really work if they are targeted and niche communities to sell/buy specific types of items. Like the mechanical keyboards subreddit that allows users to to buy and sell second hand keyboards.

Because of this I feel "The Bazaar" is much more suited to a new instance specific to being an online marketplace via lemmy. That way you would get communities like mechboards@bazaar and books@bazaar etc.

I don't think a single free for all style community to buy and sell anything will work very well at all.

[–] b1g_bake 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I agree with you. An instance for 2nd hand sales, with communities to categorize. Then one community for feedback so buyers/sellers can build reputation.

I used r / hardwareswap and r / homelabsales and would participate in wherever those end up in the fediverse. Of course feedback was split between the two subs so a central feedback area would be an upgrade.

[–] clay_pidgin 6 points 1 year ago

I agree with you. A different instance with sales communities is a much better option.

[–] nyahlathotep 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Can you give some background info and explain why you think it's a good idea?

[–] Rutty 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Currently this server doesn’t allow ads/spam. I take this to mean a link to an referencing an Amazon product or Etsy store are not allowed.

Most of us live in places that have markets, further markets are part of the internet. Therefore, I would consider links to products/stores as adding depth to server. That said, I don’t like the idea of wading thru ads and spam.

Having a specific allows for:

  1. Users to decide if they will subscribe to it or not
  2. Forces all forms of ‘commerce’ to centralized location.
  3. Increased moderation on a specific instances that could decrease spam.
[–] nyahlathotep 7 points 1 year ago

I suppose I'm struggling to see the utility. Is it for posters to advertise their products? Recommend products like on r/buyitforlife?

[–] ShadowAether 2 points 1 year ago

Patreon users already asked for clarification on the ad rules but I don't think this is what they wanted

[–] cyanarchy 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Personally, I feel this depends on the nature of the instance in question. Though new to this, I only intend to view content I subscribe to, so I'm not bothered by communities that are focused on commerce as long as it stays inside those silos.

Additionally, this depends on the type of content being offered. I am actively excited to see a community where people advertise their hand-made, artisan, or small-business-made goods. I see the utility in a community where people share opportunities to save money on items they were already looking to purchase. I have no interest in another space for drivel I do not want or need from e-tailers like Amazon to be peddled.

addendum: Upon further review of the terminology in play, I'm not sure if an entire instance is the preferred route. A series of well-defined communities are perhaps a better choice?

[–] Hagarashi8 6 points 1 year ago

Well, just create it. It's not related to this instance in any way.

[–] clay_pidgin 3 points 1 year ago

Disagree. Assuming the instance were to allow sales at all, it ought to be up to individual communities whether or not they permit sales posts within.

[–] vulgarcynic 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I can see a huge draw for something like this. One of my core use cases for Reddit (and CheapAssGamers among other sites) was tracking video game and related sales. My default sub was a meta-reddit of just sales sites (e.g. r/SwitchDeals, r/gamebundles, r/gamedeals, etc...). Not sure if this lines up with OP's question (which may be more market / marketplace focused) but there is a value in communities like this, from my humble perspective.

[–] Rutty 1 points 1 year ago

So I rather like the idea of using lemmy to launch products. The sales of linked items to subsidize the costs to maintain the servers could be collected like a tax..... Up to and including paying moderators of the server. This would have implications though. Both positive and negative.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Doesn't harm to try.