Classified adds section ruined by trade adverts

[Tony*T3]

Do we really need the classified adds section being swamped by dealer car adverts? All too quickly you get your car advert pushed back by dealers listing multiple car adverts, so that you end up falling way off page 10 and your advert ends up looking 'stale' and past it, like your selling a problem car.

I guess PH makes a tidy profit from trade classified adds from traders. Maybe so, but its pushing real private buyers and sellers away. I've always sold my cars via PH in the past, but now even the wife, while browsing PH, has asked why I bother? First time shes ever been on PH classifieds and she wonders why I bother and not use AutoTrader instead. Being a car enthusiast I'd rarly look to buying a car from a trader though. Could trade sales and private sales not easily be separated?

Also, many dealers often post multiple adverts for the same car, or adverts for cars that dont really exist, just to bump their adverts up to the front pages. look at this advert for example: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1294821.htm
or the same add here:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1285430.htm

Is this dealer really selling a car or selling a finance package? As its the same advert that regularly appears, same car, same description, same trader, just different prices. I dont really believe that car exists on the dealers forecourt, hes just using PH as a cheap advert for finace packages. When I post multiple adverts for the same car up, I get told off by PH moderators.

[J5]

Easy to select private sales only on the filter
Hopefully lots of people use this option

[Tony*T3]

J5 said:

Easy to select private sales only on the filter
Hopefully lots of people use this option

Some how I doubt it. Filtering is fine when you know what your looking for, but most people simply browse I would guess. especially users that dont use the site a lot.

[Mr Will]

I'm having a word about those Imperial cars adverts as they are breaking our rules by using those images in place of the car pictures. If you ever see a dealer doing something stupid then the "report to administrator" link works to let us know and we will sort it.

We are never going to ban all traders from advertising, whilst you prefer to buy privately many people aren't bothered, or actually prefer to buy from dealers for the extra piece of mind it offers.

With regard to preferring to see the private ads, we do have the filter on every single classified page and on all the search tools which allow you to just specify private adverts. If you have any other suggestions though, we are always happy to take them on board.

[skwdenyer]

Whilst we're on the topic, can we have:

• an option to filter out all "POA" cars, or force all advertisers to post a price? I'm fed up with the "lo->hi" price results showing lots of links to, say, Coys auctions with no price listed, or just "offers"; I'm sorry, but a 996 is not going to be cheaper than a shed, so why should it appear first in the list?
• an option to filter out all "non-cars"; I don't want to see number plates or tyres or cams when searching for cars;

Examples of both such problems appear in the following search: http://pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?g=&s=&am...

Thanks

[Mr Will]

The simplest solution to both of these problems is to use the advanced search. This will restrict your search to the car categories and if you specify a minimum price (£1, £50 or whatever) then it will not include any of the adverts without a price.

For example: http://pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?g=1&dist...

[ChapppeRS]

Gaz. said:

It would be good if you could toggle out the sold cars and even toggle in sold only as those adverts are very handy to use as templates and getting a handle on priceing when submitting your own advert.

Also maybe a 'deposit taken' option could be useful for sellers?

+1 for each of those, too many sold cars clogging up the exige s2 section, for instance.

[skwdenyer]

Mr Will said:

The simplest solution to both of these problems is to use the advanced search. This will restrict your search to the car categories and if you specify a minimum price (£1, £50 or whatever) then it will not include any of the adverts without a price.

For example: http://pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?g=1&dist...

With respect, that search gives me sets of alloys as the second and third item down and a "power and economy upgrade" as the fourth item down when clicked just now! I can't see in advanced search how to just get cars! If I try to select all the makes and models I just get an error. Unless I'm missing something, there is no "cars only" selection in advanced search?

[Mr Will]

skwdenyer said:

Mr Will said:

The simplest solution to both of these problems is to use the advanced search. This will restrict your search to the car categories and if you specify a minimum price (£1, £50 or whatever) then it will not include any of the adverts without a price.

For example: http://pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?g=1&dist...

With respect, that search gives me sets of alloys as the second and third item down and a "power and economy upgrade" as the fourth item down when clicked just now! I can't see in advanced search how to just get cars! If I try to select all the makes and models I just get an error. Unless I'm missing something, there is no "cars only" selection in advanced search?

That is searching just the car sections, unfortunately some muppets insist on putting alloys/remapping/other junk in the car categories as well, rather than in parts and Accessories where they belong.

If you hit the report button on them then we will move them to their correct homes.

[skwdenyer]

Mr Will said:

skwdenyer said:

Mr Will said:

The simplest solution to both of these problems is to use the advanced search. This will restrict your search to the car categories and if you specify a minimum price (£1, £50 or whatever) then it will not include any of the adverts without a price.

For example: http://pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?g=1&dist...

With respect, that search gives me sets of alloys as the second and third item down and a "power and economy upgrade" as the fourth item down when clicked just now! I can't see in advanced search how to just get cars! If I try to select all the makes and models I just get an error. Unless I'm missing something, there is no "cars only" selection in advanced search?

That is searching just the car sections, unfortunately some muppets insist on putting alloys/remapping/other junk in the car categories as well, rather than in parts and Accessories where they belong.

If you hit the report button on them then we will move them to their correct homes.

OK, thanks.