[KerryF]

Originally Posted by Rich

Am I right in believing that this mod which is essentially an iframe, is designed to give YOU 5% commision on sales with a very small partner commision to the forum using this iframe?

Why don't the forum owners simply download a free classifieds script for their own site instead of helping you make money off their users?

I am actually curious because this just seems like a way to self-promote and make your business money.

Yes, your understanding of how it works is correct - if you're questioning it because you're unsure perhaps I need to do a better job of communicating that upfront. I'll consider what we can do better there.

There are many reasons why any other classifieds script would not be in the same space as what we're doing. All existing scripts lack:

- A parts classification system built on top of the ACES database (What auto recyclers and large retailers use for parts classification and vehicle cross-referencing)
- Specific automotive classifications - We're serious car guys. I don't know about you, but I hate wading through a tree of 300 categories just to find what I want.
- A connection to a broader network and larger inventory that extends beyond your community.

We're not making a script. This is a Software as a Service coupled with a customer service offering. Ours is a platform that does the things below and a number of very, very powerful features that are on their way - none of the existing systems can do what we're able to because of how we've built the system from the ground up.

- We are trying to help YOU make money, too. Yes we are charging for our service. eBay does the same thing, except in our market their average comes to around 13-14%. We're focussed on providing an exceptional service to automotive enthusiasts which means we're going to have to hire customer service people to support the community. Some forums do incorporate eBay listings, but those are really impersonal they're not truly integrated with the system and the community. Would you agree?
- We are taking the pain of classifieds and turning it into something that just works. We believe with allowing us to handle it, as it's our sole focus we can do a great job of it and keep everyone happy so that you can focus on the things that forums do best, like nurturing the discussions about our cars.
- We don't want to just be another stand-alone classifieds site (There are many). Our site does car parts better than anyone else, but we want to be more than that. We want to work together with the community and make facilitating the transactions easy. No one is doing it this way right now so I guess it's a bit of a foreign perspective. We can only keep moving forward and prove this methodology though action, I suppose.

I could literally go on forever because I, and my team, are very passionate about making a system that just works, but I'm writing far too much in this reply. We know we can do automotive classifieds better than anyone else. A bold statement to be sure, I'm hoping you'll allow us the opportunity to prove it.

Which forum do you run, Rich?