I think nearly all decisions by BC over the years have been very good, even many that didn't appear so at first sight. This however is possibly the exception that's going to prove the rule (or start a new trend towards poor decisions?). IMO the FS forums will never be a watertight revenue generator, certainly not with the current membership model and what I assume is a relatively low capital base. If we try to make it one, the baby could well go out with the bathwater.
Hope none of the mods/owners take this personally as they all do a great job and it's not easy. The topic under discussion is a small issue but one that, if it's a sign that there might be similar decisions on the way, could put off a lot of members and send folks back to eBay for their buying and selling, despite the high levels of crapness there. Like it or not, the FS forums are the life blood of this place.
Thinking out aloud, could the reply function in Items Wanted be restricted to folks who've paid the annual fee to advertise in FS already?