No buying, no selling, no bartering is allowed permitted on the FCNA list.
Exceptions — for worthwhile purposes — are discussed in our FAQ.

It is convenient to buy and sell “locally”, and it’s generally safer. In fact, Craigslist’s first tip to prevent fraud and scams, says:

Deal locally, face-to-face —follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts.

So firstly, I can tell you that I’m willing to set up another list
“Fall Creek Sell Buy (FCSB) … ”
[the acronym prevents the list name from being Fall Creek Buy Sell.]

I will set up this list on Google Groups, and then train someone to manage it.
You would need to find a volunteer be the List Manager.

Here is why our FCNA list has a policy of no buying and no selling.

1. The Value of A Non-Commercial List.
It’s essential to have quiet places — in the real world and in the virtual world — where we are free from buying and selling, and we can focus on the non-commercial aspects of living.
This is one reason that I am so wholeheartedly enthusiastic about the current FCNA list — it exists for the sole purposes of helping each other, sharing information and ideas, creating a strong virtual community, and building a stronger “real” neighborhood from this virtual one.

2. Too Many Emails.
The FCNA list is nearing 1,400 persons. And all of us have attics filled with treasures, and basements cluttered with junk. … Like those cute little Tribbles that filled up a whole planet (on Star Trek, “The Trouble With Tribbles”), we could easily see a tsunami of emails related to selling and buying.
Yes, you can filter, but that requires accurate subject lines by the sender.

3. Can’t Show Photos Quickly.
Our “no file attachments” policy doesn’t work if you are selling something, and want to quickly show photos of the items.

4. Fall Creek: Home of the Brains, Land of the Free
One of the nicest aspects of the FCNA list is the generosity of us all: the quality free stuff that is constantly offered. Absolutely free — and except for the case of marionettes — no strings attached.
I suspect that this flow of free items would diminish, if it were just as easy to put a price tag on things.

5. Time: The Commercial List Requires More Managing.
Somebody needs time to develop buying and selling guidelines; to enforce the guidelines; post the guidelines on the Web and update the guidelines; to resolve problems large and small; identifying who actually lives in Fall Creek and who doesn’t; telling list members “you’ve just replied to the whole list and not to the seller” … and most importantly: to keep alert for spams and scams.
To manage a list with commerce is a deeper level of responsibility compared with managing a non-commercial list. The List Manager will need to worry about — and educate the list members about — what Craigslist describes on this page:
http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

Those 5 notes above explain the thinking behind the current policy.

Setting up another list == Fall Creek Sell Buy == could be the simplest and best solution.
Anyone who wants to volunteer as List Manger for this list — solely dedicated to selling and buying in Fall Creek — please send me a message.

Michael (Pastore)
FCNA List Manager and Webmaster
15-November-2014