No URL Sales threads.

1) If you're sending the URL to anyone who asks what's the difference?

2) Use tinyurl

 

Well once the site is sold no one else will know what the domain was.

 

You will never see the url required here. There are plenty of legitimate reasons not to post it ina public forum.

You would be better off suggesting that you aren't allowed to post "Just PM'd you" as to me thats the real problem and what clogs up the sales threads (and is used to pad post count).

 

To hide the URL for me is so google doesn't index it. I'd hate to have the site I just sold/bought show up #2 in google to the real site, and then all the information regarding the sale so easy to find.

I suggest using an IMAGE of the URL so google doesn't index the name of the site, or any other information you'd want to "hide" from google.

And IF you want to use the PM only way... PEOPLE DONT post "PM ME PLZ." It's harder for the seller to message you: view the forum, see all the people that have posted PM ME, then go into PM. Much easier to just log into your PM's and reply to them all.

 

I completely agree. Also, at times the op will ask for "PM for url", there would be people responding to thread stating.. pls PM me the URL.

However, the stats, revenue, type of site, etc figure should be made public upfront. I don't see any reason for not doing that.

 

I guess I ask also something related to this, a rule in the Buy, Sell or Trade. But I got lot of reds when I post this issue because most of the senior member said this forum is a liberty and they tell me if you want a real market place go to other sites....

So I guess this is imposible...

 

If people don't like "send a PM for URL" sales messages on forum... then don't send a PM and move on to the next thread... that's what I do sometimes , depending if I'm really interested or not... It's the seller's loss, right? If you're interested, PM then. It could be your loss too.

For the people who asks for potential buyers to PM them for site URL:
- If you're doing it so that you can get a BUMP on the forum, then you're not really doing it for legitimate reasons. Again, as some others have described earlier (including myself), there are times when site URL need not be specified on the forum thread. In that case, use tinyurl or create a sales page that includes the site URL and link that to your forum thread...

Otherwise, we'll be discussing this all day long...

 

The image for the URL is a good idea.

 

I think not publishing the URL was okay when only a few sites a week were put up.

But now that Digital Point has become the premier place on the web (forget ebay) to buy and sell sites D/P has to deal with this issue. It must keep up with the times.
A vast majority clearly want URLs posted, I think it has to happen, if a person wants to sell a site they have to put everything out in the open, it's as simple as that.
All those reasons put forward to keep URLs private are a crock, their is absolutely no valid reason to keep them private.

I just want to add, I have bought a number of sites from people here on D/P, some quite expensive, and my budget is growing, but I have never bothered looking at a site that hasn't got the URL in the post, and I'm not about to start now.

 

That says it all!
No url shown, I will not be pm'ing to find out.
If I do, it will then be posted in the thread.

 

The decission should be left up to the owner of the site. Like yfs1 pointed out there are plenty of good reasons not to share it.

 

Funny how DNforum, one of the top forums for selling and buying websites, only allows threads where the url is disclosed. They don't seem to think there are such "legitimate reasons".

I agree with everyone else, hiding the URL is mostly done by newbies and it turns sales threads into junk

 

The really experienced guys are like Spdude, PeterDivis and Honey are hiding their urls as well.

If I want to sell a forum, I would like the forum staff to know. Similarly, there may be some issues concerning the history of the site that cannot be discussed in an open forum.

However, I think withholding the url will more likely lead to a site being sold undervalue.

 

Well like yfs1 said it probably won't happen. And I didn't think it would. But we as buyers can show sellers that we won't tolerate it by simply ignoring their threads and let them scroll off the page.

When they start bumping out of desperation we can "politely" inform them that we're not going to PM them for the URL. Use Tinyurl.

 

If I see 5 "PM Me the URL." posts I don't even scroll down any more...I would never buy a site that doesn't post the url...i'm too lazy to pm, wait for a response...try to remember if I was interested, try to remember what I thought it was worth, etc.

 

And on the other side of the coin you have people complaining because everyone throws in their non related 2 cents when the url is provided.

I still think the issue is

not the fact that someone doesn't want to disclose the url in a public forum. We would also have to not allow any posts unless they provide full stats in the thread itself

Once you start adding that many stipulations, you are going to need 4 or 5 new Mods because they can't just delete the posts, they will have to PM every person that starts a thread. or worse yet start a Moderation queue etc.

Its way easier to just delete posts that say "PM'd you"

DNForum isn't a proper example because its a forum dedicated to the sale of domains/sites. This is a webmaster forum that has a B/S/T section

 

Also since DNforum has a requirment of being a premium member to see a certain thread it means no google will index the site. I guarantee you, for a lot of sites listed in the sell section here; If you type site: domainlisted.com on google you will find it as result #2 or something close.

 

Woudln't it be easier to just lock any thread where the seller says "PM me for details"?? Why are those threads left open so everyone can start posting all kind of junk in them?

 

Except they are auction threads so you can't lock them.

Also, Mods don't read every single sales thread (by a long shot) so for the threads to be monitored, they pretty much have to be reported. Fryman is the exception, but for the most part, people never report them, instead they complain in the thread itself.