[Lambolica]

Just going on a bit from Your comments above.

I have the following mods tagged for further review as part of the whole classifieds control thing.

General mods for user peer/self moderation and general Being used with sucess in current forums. (except iTrader - yet to be installed)
iTrader - Reasons are obvious, users can get a feel for who they are dealing with.
Dispute resolution - Again let the users attempt to resolve issues
vB Infractions - for Posting in worng sections control.

These one I am looking to use in combination to "Auto Moderate" based on permissions See worked example below
Classifieds: Mark Thread as "Sold" - Users can mark their thread as sold
(I would like to find a way of automating any threads with a [SOLD] prefix to be automatically deleted / moved to recycle forum)


So Ideally I'm looking to create 2 types of forum within the site.
"General forums" for discussions on whatever subject, &
"Classifieds Forum" - for actual buy/sell users.

I am aware that users permissions can be altered based on Post count. The way I see controlling the Classifieds is through a Thread Count.
So -
Threads and Posts in the General forums don't count towards anything.
For the classifieds Forums I would like to alter user group permissions based on the number of threads created, and use Paid subscriptions to allow the user to Start more Classifieds forums threads.

A real world example. ($ amounts and Counts are for this example)
A user Registers to the Forum:
They can post as much as they like in the General sections and start as many threads in the general sections as they like. [ "General Forums" Thread Count = n ]
A registered User would be able to create 1 Thread in the Classifieds section. and registered users permissions limit any further posts. [ "Classifieds Forums" Thread Count = 1 max]
Once the user has either sold that item, or decided to remove the item from sale, they can themselves "Mark Thread as Sold" and Some automated script or mod scans the "Classifieds Forums" for [SOLD] prefix threads and either deletes the thread or moves it to a hidden "General Forum - Recycle Bin" thus altering the [Classifieds Forums Thread Count = 0 ] allowing them to create another Classified Thread once the counters are updated.
If the Registered User decides to Change hobbies (for example) and wishes to create multiple Threads in various Classifieds Sub-Forums for a period of time, they can use "Paid Subscriptions" to boost the number of "classifieds Forum" threads to 10 for $1 per month [10].
If the Registered User is a Business they can subscribe for $10 per month for unlimited "Classifieds Thread" creation [U].
I am unsure of how to deal with users who let their subscription lapse and still have their subscription threads showing. this would be an area for abusing the system ( having a user subscribe for 1 month, post 10 threads then not re-subscribe). Ideally I'd like to possibly have some kind of Prefix to the thread [10] or [U] and if the users subscription lapses, any threads by that user automatically get binned to encourage keeping subscriptions running. I can see alot of requests for "Un-Binning" threads being an issue.
Futher I would like to have a section for "Big Ticket Items" where a user has to subscribe to post just 1 thread in that section or pay a higher subscription for unlimited use This is where the complexities start as this would likely need a additional type of "Forum"

So forum Structure along the lines of the following using R/C Cars as an example
General R/C Car Discussion "General Forum"
Sub Forums
--> New Stuff"General Forum"
--> Old Stuff"General Forum"
--> Jokes"General Forum"
--> etc"General Forum"

R/C Classifieds Forum
Sub Forums
--> Parts Wanted"General Forum"
--> R/C Car Parts for Sale"Classifieds Forum" 1 Thread only per user, unless paid Subscription [10] or [U]
-----> R/C Car Parts For Sale - Recycle Bin"General Forum" - Mods only can view - [SOLD] threads are auto moved here, un renewed subscription [10] & [U] are moved here
--> Remote Controls For sale"Classifieds Forum" 1 Thread only per user, unless paid Subscription [10] or [U]
-----> Remote Controls For Sale - Recycle Bin"General Forum" Mods only can view - [SOLD] threads are auto moved here, un renewed subscription [10] & [U] are moved here
--> Complete Collection For Sale"Pay Per Thread Subscription Forum" - User to pay for each thread created.
-----> Complete Collection For Sale - Recycle Bin"General Forum" Mods only can view - [SOLD] threads are auto moved here.


The above is how I see such a system working in my head it is simple, but I'm not a Coder, I'm still scanning for mods that allow such a system to work, but if anyone is aware of anything please let me know. If the above is not clear please comment.

If anyone can see potential ways a user could abuse such a system that I haven't seen, please comment.

Alternatively, if a Coder see's value in creating such a mod for Classifieds to encourage subscriptions feel free to have a go, or PM me to discuss cost involved in creating such a mod.

Cheers
Simon