Maybe I missed something here. It's happened before. But what does your "for sale" post policy have to do with a thread that is some guy asking for advice on where to buy used parts?
This appears to be yet another case of there is only one correct vendor to ever mention, and as soon as it is noted otherwise, the thread takes the standard issue nose dive and the admins must get involved. Because not everyone will lie dormant and just watch it happen.
And while on the subject, I'm running for their President.
This is just plain amazing. Not me, not my campaign, but this.
Soooooooooo, please use the space provided below to inform me of what I may have missed. If it becomes apparent an apology is owed by me due to ignorance on my part, it will be sincerely had to all it is due.
Miller time now where I work.
Fair question...based on the edits, it may be confusing to read the thread through after the fact.
The post that started all this has been removed (as happens on an almost daily basis with posts and threads just like it), because a member posted that they had parts for sale (including some that are currently listed on E-bay). It's PERFECTLY OK to do that,
provided that they're listed in our classifieds section first and a link is included. Otherwise, in this case a PM would be more appropriate as a private offer to sell the parts vs. a broadcast advertisement that they're available to whomever wants them.
Why this rule? This site gets a LOT of traffic. As such it has value as an advertising medium, and that value pays for the operation of the site. It's a value that we charge for, both for vendors AND individuals. For VCA Members, free classified ads are a perk of membership, thus you're really paying with your dues. For non-members, ads are $30/each, but we apply the "no free advertising in the forums" policy across the board, otherwise people complain about site policies not being applied fairly to everyone. It's not hard, it's not a big deal, but it is a hard learned lesson that the rules apply to everyone regardless of their status, otherwise there's lots of heartburn about it.
This has nothing to do with PartsRack or some prohibition on mentioning other vendors since a) Jon didn't do anything wrong, and b) there is no such prohibition. If Jon had stepped on another sponsor, that would be a different issue, but he's a class act, and we don't have to worry about that. Jon and all the other sponsors pay for the right to 'remind' you that they are here to serve you and in fact pay for the privilege to do so, whereas unknown Company X Ebay reseller (who may be first in line to screw you over, given the chance) has nothing vested in reaching out to you as a customer via this particular 'sales channel'. That's part of what their advertising dollars buy in such a niche market as this. Doesn't mean you have to heed his reminder or even read it. Doesn't mean you have to buy from him, or that he's trying to hinder discussion about a part being sold by Company X.
It would be great if everyone saw the value of supporting the companies that support the club (and this site), but that's not realistic, so there has to be a reasonable compromise between protecting the advertising dollar of our sponsors (and even that of the non-VCA Members who pay for the visibility we provide their items) and supporting the sharing of information in the community. The 'must be in the classifieds' policy (I think) is that reasonable compromise on the private front, and allowing our sponsors to pop into threads and remind members that "hey, I have that part!" is reasonable on the corporate front.