Should dealers be able to......

IMO yes: dealers should be able to email Audiogon members. I receive them regularly & find them to run the full range from very worthwhile to useless. Overall these communications have provided some good information that I'd much rather be with, than without. The mails that I don't find useful - well that's what the delete key is for.
If you find yourself on a monthly newsletter mailing list that you'd rather not receive, simply reply back you want off the list. They are required to delist at your direction.

Would there be any way to block comercial users from emailing private users(of course this would be optional, sort of like having an unlisted phone number)? I do enjoy some dealers comments and input but there are a few who will remain nameless(they know who they are) whom find it required to tell me every week that my system doesn't sound good because I am not using there cables, speakers, etc.. The kicker is they don't even know what I have!! but they know there stuff is better. Keep the comments coming. ~Tim

Tim: rethinking this --- I believe you're referring to the "Tek" situation, which I can certainly understand you not wishing to receive mail from this 'dealer'. Per S7 suggestion above, there may be a way to block reception from specific email addresses although I don't know specifically how this is done? Your application will of course determine the specifics required.

As a dealer, I would very much like to know if an Audiogon member does not want me to e-mail them. I hate spam as much as any of you. I do e-mail people sometimes, but only when I've read the post and think I have something to offer the person, or want to make a comment that I feel I can't on a forum (for example, I may know that a certain product the person is considering has a bad reputation with repair technicians, but since it's a "rival" product I can't badmouth it in a public forum). Frankly very few of my e-mails result in a sale, but many have resulted in friendly correspondance with a fellow audio geek.

Having learned in this thread that Tireguy and Unsound do not wish to receive e-mail from dealers, I'll try to remember not to e-mail them. But, it would be easier if AudiogoN provided some kind of "opt out" option as described by Sdcampbell. That would be ideal.

Audiokinesis, thank you.