Suggestions for Unity Marketplace

Those of us who have been around Boonex long enough pretty much know who to go to for our solutions here.  Unfortunately, new members don't have that same level of confidence when it comes to selecting a mod or a programmer.  Since this is a COMMUNITY, I think that the PEOPLE rather than the products should be principle concern of the marketplace.  Reputations make or break a vendor.  Maybe by placing more emphasis on the individuals in the marketplace, it would help to reduce the amount of people I call "drive-by modders" just looking to make a quick buck either by offering inferior products, overpriced products that don't really provide the value they imply, or those trying to profit from others' labor.  I will provide some examples of how I think this might be accomplished.

Create a welcome page which explains that these are 3rd party products and are only supported by the developers.

Indicate that while there are many examples of stellar work, it is still the buyer's responsibility to do the research BEFORE they make a purchase.

Let the buyer know that Boonex has made every effort to assist the purchaser by providing as much information about the developer as possible, including the length of time the developer has been a member here, their reputation as reflected by members who have purchased their products, and the number and severity of the complaints by members (with the caveat that Boonex only supplies this information, they do not make judgments based upon member feedback)

Provide a feedback system which allows for the posting of feedback, good or bad, and especially, how many of the disputes have been resolved to the purchaser or developer's satisfaction (like the Better Business Bureau).

Overall Seller's reputation (indicated by the usual stars)

Whether the seller's reputation is on the RISE or Falling (maybe have an area on the welcome screen or the main marketplace page showing those developers on the rise and those on the decline or with up or down arrows next to their image and in their profile)

Rather than a bunch of tags at the top of the main page, show your vendors there with a bit more info in blocks with some of the things I mentioned above included, and with a link to their particular products from their profile pic.  Maybe a row of the top 5 on the rise and the bottom 5 on the decline as well across the top.

(I should note, that unless a seller is receiving negative comments and has been given a period in which to resolve any issues with a purchaser, that they should not be listed in the declining section)

Just as with the forums and blogs, have a spy which shows the last few comments on products right on the main page.

Place the tags at the bottom of the page.

Include any other info there that you or others can think of to assist a potential purchaser in making an informed decision.

I feel pretty certain that NO one wants to be shown in a bad light on the main page, and certainly doesn't wish to be listed as someone who's reputation is in decline.  This would give everyone who sells a product or service an incentive to do their absolute best when developing a custom mod and when assisting a client with it.  Those sellers who just don't care or are there to make a quick buck would not spend the time or the effort to maintain their reputation and it would be pretty evident.

I'm sure there are a lot of other ideas along these lines which could be incorporated into a marketplace, I just feel as though this would enhance Boonex's reputation as a Community that cares about their clients and would help self-police the marketplace.