Hi Guys,
Old ads are removed from the public forum to Admin's Archive, which can only be accessed by Admin. Allowing Members to access this is not technically possible as it would mean giving Members "Admin status" -- this would also give them access to other (secure/private) parts of the website such as the "backend" and the "frontend".
Leaving old ads on the public forum is a possible solution but usually Givers want their ad removed from the public forum (and from general internet search engine access) once their item has been taken. It is not technically possible to remove the Giver's initial post without also removing Takers' posts -- that is, the whole thread has to be removed. (Leaving old ads on the public forum would also mean each forum would consist of 95% Taken items and 5% current items. Admin doesn't favour this solution.)
Re: Members with multiple identities: Some Members may have a personal account and one for a family member or an organisation they represent. Some Members may even have two or three personal accounts.
Admin has no way of knowing -- each account has a different email address, and usually only businesses have fixed IP addresses.
Re: Members requesting several items, JumbleTown not being a charity site, Givers being free to give to whomever they want, Givers' desire to pass on to the "truly deserving," selling-on, and the fact that neither Members nor Admin can know the true "needs" of others ... all of these issues are addressed in the following Admin post in the Support Forum (and User Tips post near the top of all the Givers' forums)...here:
http://www.jumbletown.ie/forums/showthread.php?t=44356
Thanks for the feedback.
Regards
Chris P
Admin