ORIGINAL: John_RedSox
This is a dumb idea. Any questiuons should be available for all of us to read. Especially for people new to the hobby and not knowing what what questions to ask. More knowledge we can get on an a item, the value added is priceless.
JJC
I don't think I'd dismiss the option as "dumb." The for-sale ads are private listings by individuals; they are not designed to be educational. Education goes on in the forums. We don't mandate that people keep their messages private, rather, it is up to the individual asking the question. I suspect that taking away the power to determine whether one's own message should be private or public would upset the majority of those who use the market. On the other hand, the benefit of forcing them to disclose what they ask is not necessarily beneficial to anyone, including the seller.
The key here is that a privately placed ad is a privately placed ad and not necessarily there for the benefit of casual readers. Anyone who is interested enough can ask their own questions and keep them public!
Michael