Marc, having used the ne Marketplace for a while now, I must say I like it much better than the old. My comments:

1. Don't you dare relax the credit card rule. I got stung here on RCU only once, right before the switch to the new Market Place, and it was ONCE TOO MANY! I would be very leery of buying on RCU if it returns to the unregulated Wild Wild West. Those who have something to hide need not participate.

2. Buyers MUST be encouraged to formalize an offer by registering it with RCU. The second biggest problem in my experience is people backing out of their offers - sometimes causing me to loose another potential buyer. I'm beginning to think some people do this on purpose - perhaps to keep you from selling the item while taking the time to decide whether they really want to buy or not. From now on, I am making it a rule not to accept offers unless it is registered on RCU. Then, if they do back out of the deal on their own volition, then I would like to be able to leave a negative feedback on them. If you're not serious about buying, don't offer.

3. Limit the ability to cross post an ad across too many forums. I even caught myself doing this. It's annoying and (in my case) confuses the buyer as to what I'm actually selling.

I may sound harsh, but having stricter rules never impede the honest transactions that account for the vast majority of RCU Classified traffic. It does, however, help weed out the bad apples that sour everyone's taste for online buy & sell.