I have no idea if this has been brought up before, but with all the topics that cover getting into the hobby and used carts, seems like a natural transition for the forums to have a classified section.
Hopefully I’m not out of line bringing this up, especially if its been discussed before, but its seemed odd to me that Kartpulse didn’t have a classified section for members, or at least a Craigslist/ Marketplace section where people can post deals they come across.
I’m new and looking for a used kart, hence why I’m bringing this up.
It’s a thing that is useful but also maybe can occasionally be weird. I think James has allowed folks to post "For sale " stuff so long as it doesn’t get out of hand. I kinda like how EKN had theirs “off to the side”.
I’ll give you a few good reasons why we don’t have a classified section.
We wanted Kartpulse to be a place where karters shared experiences about karting, not a place where they dumped listings of karts that they never updated. There are plenty of Facebook groups and other classified locations where used go-kart listings and engine lists can just go sit and be stale/ or be threads were people gripe about the price of XYZ or if seller ABC is any good.
(Especially, because people don’t pay attention, and just drop them in whatever board they want, if we’re not housekeeping.)
When James and I were talking about whether or not to include classifies back in the day, I also didn’t want him to have feature creep and end up with a site that was a Death Star of half-features, rather than just some few core ones that worked.
If folks really want to exchange information about karts for sale, they can always send DMs.
Granted, the idea bounces around every few years or so, but I’m really against having a used kart graveyard. I’d rather point people to the direction of dealers in their area, or FB groups where they can find listings.
I know I’m just a lowly mod and not an actual admin, but I really wish there was a classifieds section. If one of our main mantras here is to help people get into the sport, it seems a bit counterintuitive to not actually give them access to a place they could actually buy the thing they need to get into the sport. Not questioning your guys wisdom on this, just noting my thoughts. I do agree it would be beneficial to point people to shops and build that connection, but that isn’t the ONLY route available to go into the sport. And some people don’t have local shops with convenient access.
Would it be possible to require a certain amount of posts from people before they can post a listing? That’s how a lot of other forums do it and it sorts out a lot of the BS from people signing up just to sell something and then not contributing or updating their listing ever.
There isn’t one. An older used kart is a pig in a poke - just buy from someone you’ll see at the track frequently and at a low enough price that it’s not a big loss if either the powertrain or the chassis is no good. One good step up from that is buying a “couple of races old” kart from a local team or shop - especially if you spectated at those races and saw that your future kart didn’t get crashed in them.
Let me unpack a moment I had that spurred the reason I started this conversation. Like I’ve said before, I’m not even new to the sport, I’m not in the sport. However, I’d like to be- so finding the folks here on the forums has been invaluable. One did bit I gleamed was to call my local track in an effort to find out what is around and what kind of racing and karts are available in my area.
So I did, and I was more preplexed after the conversation than I was before it started.
I relate it to my time in the military, LOTS of acronyms and fast talking. Definately found myself trying to “keep up” with the conversation but I’ll admit I was a bit lost. Then the person I spoke with said they don’t rent carts, so in order to get into the sport I’d have to buy one. Then he proceeds to tell me what he sells, and whole time I was wondering how nice it would be to know what his used and new carts go for so I don’t get ripped off.
When I entered the world of restoring WW2 Jeeps, the forums I was apart of had some sort of buy/sell/ trade section and I found it invaluable because not only could I see what things were bought and sold for, but I could get information from the comment section (from experienced members) as to why or why not something was a good deal vs. over blown in price.
Not having this here, in my opinion, and not to offend, is a barrier for entry into this sport. I think TJ was correct when he came to that conclusion. As for my experience this week when I spoke to someone at my local track, I felt like that little kid at the kitchen table when your parents began spelling things out. “I think its time for B-E-D” and as a kid your thinking, "I don’t know what this B-E-D stuff is, but I’m pretty sure I’m getting screwed here.
On the surface, having classifieds is a no brainer.
So I’m not opposed to classifieds. I’d love to have a thriving, user friendly and modern version of them. I’m just not clear on how we can do them in a way that adds value to the sport.
The challenge is that classifieds are a marketplace… both sides have to show up at the same time and experience something of value. Something they can’t experience anywhere else.
When the website first started it was a social network connected with events/races, classifieds, media etc etc. the reality is that building it is the easy part. Getting people to show up and put time in and change their habits very hard.
It takes a LOT of energy, time and continuous promotion for something like that to gain traction.
@tjkoyen appreciate you being willing to mod it. The question on my mind is how can it be done in a way that it earns right to exist in a world with so many other places to buy karts and parts?
I think because there is a demand for it. As this community grows on KP more and more people are going to be coming here looking to buy or sell karts. It seems odd to me that you come to the KartPulse forums and ask where to buy a kart and you are directed to four other forums. I mean, you run this community, you are allowed to dictate how it’s implemented.
Let’s be real, the EKN forum is a shell of it’s former self, so the classified section is much less popular than it used to be, Bob’s is obviously a 4-cycle demographic, and to be honest I’ve never been to the other two.
What I see on other car forums for example is a specific required format for the listing, and a required post count by the topic starter which I think helps. Most places require you to include a price, photos, some contact info, and have a format for the post you must adhere to. Otherwise it’s deleted.
In the end it is up to you guys whether or not you want to do it and how you want to do it.
I stickied the “where to buy karts” topic in the getting started category just now.
Classifieds would add value for sure. But there’s a big gap between adding some categories and building something that’s going to get used and therefore add value. I’m not sure how that gap would be addressed when FB marketplace is so popular and convenient for people.
One thing you could do is post a kart for sale that you want to buy, and generally you’ll get lots of people chiming in about wether or not they think it’s a good buy and give you some other advice. I honestly see and agree with both sides here on the classifieds section. I would prefer it to be in a different section if it ends up happening.
As someone who is not a FB user, I’d definitely be in favor of KartPulse adding a classifieds sections. EKN and Ebay work alright, but if there is an interested audience on this site, then I think it could be a worthwhile addition.
Perhaps classified posts could have a set expiration date to prevent too many idle posts?
An idea I had for classifieds: The first post of any classified thread must be a “want to buy” - and then sellers can decide whether what they’re trying to move is relevant and offer it up if it is.
That slows down the “10 year old kart, $5000” posts
I don’t think a purely WTB section is the way to go. Buyers can be just as unreasonable as sellers. But maybe a system that auto-deletes after 7 days if a post has no responses from anyone besides OP. That would prevent endlessly bumping $5000 relics.
I think it’s a good idea to require price and location.
lol