Hi folks. I am sorry if any of you got burned, but there is little I can do to help in a situation like this. The user in question has been banned and I will cooperate with any official LE request for information concerning this guy, including IP numbers.
I will soon be launching a paid membership tier on Glock Talk soon. Basic membership here will always be free, but the paid tier will have access to some nice premium features. These changes will impact the classified ads area directly and I think for the better.
When I launch the new system, the classified ads forums will be replaced with a very nice new classified ads software. This new software will utilize Glock Talk's current user database, so you won't have to log in separately from the site. The new system will a very slick system to enter and view multiple product images, the ability to choose an expiration date for the ad, to list and search the ads geogrpahically, to edit and delete the ads yourself, plus tons of other really great stuff, including a built-in feedback system. I think this new software will be a big hit.
When I implement the paid tier, I am going to place limits on the numbers of ads that various user levels will be able to post. Regular members will be able to post between 2 and 5 ads a month. I haven't decided exactly how many yet. Personal paid members will be able to post two or three times the number of a regular member and a business paid member will be able to post unlimited ads. I say unlimited, but we may have to place a limit on the total number of ads that can be posted per month, if the system gets abused. I haven't decided on that either.
Anyway, the paid tier system will help to keep this place paid for and the classified ads system will help. The paid tier system will also help the buyers here though. In addition to the feedback system, the paid tier itself will help buyers make purchases with more confidence, in a couple of ways: Firstly, most scammers will probably not want to pay the membership fee to use the site. Two, if the seller has paid for his membership, he will have had to share a bit of personal information with my system in the transaction, so I will be able to provide more help to the authorities, if they request information concerning a possible scammer. I think between the feedback system and this, buyers here will have tools as good as any classified ads or auction system online on which to base buying decisions. As always though, the phrase 'Buyer Beware' is good advise. Don't do business with people you have a bad feeling about. Insure that you get some personal information about the seller whenever you can. Make payment and shipping arrangements that give you some recourse in case of a deal gone bad, whenever you can. Cover your butt.
I will post more info on the paid tier and new classified ads system soon. I welcome any feedback you all have on the new system. Thanks. Eric