Approved sellers in Alphebetical order

[skywalk]

is there a way to list out the approved sellers in alphebetical order? this current layout is really hard to navigate. I seem to have to search for ages just to find the correct link! thanks

 

[BadState]

I don't know about alphabetizing the listing (I wish it were alphabetical too), but if you use Firefox, you can press the "/" key to open the "quickfind" bar at the bottom of the window. Then start typing the name of the supplier. It finds and highlights matches as you type.

 

[doots]

that would be a good idea that has been mentioned before inb a post a few months ago.

 

[Gemini]

Yes, i totally agree, and wish they were in country order too, they used to be, now, if you're looking for suppliers in a certain country its a pain having to scroll round

 

[Timtam]

As Roly said:

Firstly, this is a hot topic - meaning that whatever you decide, there will always be a bunch of people who complain (often bitterly). There is no single way to set the ordering that will please everyone; whatever we do, there will be a group of users who will complain. No doubt their complaints are justified but I just need to point out there is no way to make everyone happy.

The factors are:
- The top positions are definitely of better commercial value.
- Our 'oldest' suppliers (who are also our longest-serving supporters) should have some advantage over newcomers.
- Usability for members means that alphabetical ordering is best, or at least that the order should stay the same once set.

And here are the issues with any given ordering method:

1. Alphabetical order
This seems a logical method. It has the benefit of best usability for members. However the negatives are that a newly-promoted supplier can jump right to the top of the tree, if they have an A or even better a number as the initial character in their name. It also gives a benefit to businesses that set up or even change their trading name to ridiculously false versions like AceAardvark-Ecigs, A1smokes or 123eliquids. This starts off a silly name competition, and then acceptable business names such as Wichita eliquid or ZiMoshi are penalised. This is simply not acceptable and unfortunately the negatives outweigh the benefit.

2. Random order, rotated monthly
This is a relatively fair system, but has overwhelming usability negatives for members. If the order is changed monthly, members would be permanently confused.

3. In order of seniority
This has the benefit of commercial advantage for senior suppliers. New suppliers come in at the bottom and gradually move up. The ordering is set, and once you are familiar with it, should not be too difficult to handle. It avoids the silly name contest and the possibility that newcomers who choose a 'yellow pages' business name can shoot right to the top.

So on balance our choice is that the ordering stays as it is, with the longest-serving suppliers at the top. I should also point out that this assists customers because if you want to know who has been around the longest, and therefore might be a reliable bet for your custom, then the top of the list suppliers could be a safer choice - if you think that way. It's just a possibility that may help you decide. Of course, newer suppliers might try harder to please you, or have new ideas / new products. The decision is yours, at least we have given you the choice. With alphabetic or random positions, you wouldn't know who has been in business the longest.

Another factor that may influence me, and also has an impact for you, is that one of my jobs is to balance the supplier-member equation successfully. This is a complex juggling act and again has the potential to create complaints from just about everyone. In essence, there are two groups of site users: the members and the suppliers. Our duty is mainly to the members but the suppliers provide a valuable service, which is one of the reasons members come here. Also of course, the suppliers pay for the running of the site. This is an important factor as running costs are not peanuts, due to the high traffic, the dedicated server / bandwidth / load-balancing costs, the tech staff we need to employ, and the sheer number of hours work it takes to run a site like this, which is very complex.

In other words we try to please everyone. Each group pushes the boundaries whenever they can, and puts more pressure on us. The suppliers are coming under more pressure financially as prices drop and more competitors come into the market. Consequently they sometimes misbehave here, in order to get one up on the competition. The commercial spam and 'misbehaviour' levels here are rising all the time. We have various ways to handle this and try to protect the community. Miscreants get an ascending level of punishments for their offences. One of the punishments available to us is to move the supplier's forum down to the bottom of the list.

We need all the measures possible, as the pressure on suppliers increases and therefore the pressure they put on us. Some cannot see sense and need a firm hand to control them. Like any group taken at random from the population, the majority are sensible people but some will resort to shortcuts, and one or two have 'personal issues'. This is simply a normal state of affairs, it is unrealistic to expect a smooth road. But you should see the issues we get with some of the members...

We will be introducing new areas on the site, with new material and completely different content that should prove very popular with members. To keep the balance, we'll have new facilities for suppliers as well.

I hope that's given you an insight into the general picture.

Chris
ECF Site Manager

 

[skywalk]

I never knew the oldest ones were on top, and the newest ones were below.

Well, I started vaping less than a month ago so i'm a pure newbie. I found this forum and started some major research on what to buy, who to buy from, where to buy. I devoured the juice reviews, identified the most popular sellers, before finally choosing my top contenders who would earn my money. I'm not afraid to say it, they have earned many people's respect, and deserve the recognition. They were Chuck, Nhaler, tasty vapor, cignot, eastmall, ms T, and a few others but these were the main few who earned money from me.
I immediately scrolled down to locate these sellers and had a tremendously difficult time finding them. Right from the start, as a brand new newbie, I was thinking that it was messy and that an alphabetized listing would be so much more user friendly.

Chris sounds like he'd make an awesome lawyer, as he has demonstrated that there are many schools of thought, and that you can argue your case either way with absolute conviction....and he'd be right in each and every respect.

He has to balance a lot of things and although searching for the suppliers that are popular IS an extra inconvenient step, I guess there's the bigger picture to consider.

once again, I NEVER KNEW that the most senior suppliers were on top. Why is it that the most popular ones are at the bottom though lol!

 

[voltaire]

"Tenure" is a better word to use than "Seniority" in this sense. It's simply the suppliers who've been here the longest that are on top, and the newest (to ECF) suppliers are on the bottom. There's no difference in their status or rank.