There is no question something has to be done. I like the idea of having a sub-forum for each vendor.
I'm not going to say I don't bump my threads all at the same time because I do...but I only do it every 5-7 days when my threads are on the 5th page because of other vendors constantly bumping their threads (sometimes multiple times a day for the same ones!).
The one thing I see being a problem is how are you going to control the order in which the vendors appear? I'm sure someone is going to complain when they're at the bottom.
There could be some sort of cycle where the vendor order changes up every week or so?
Anyways, I'm eager to see the solution. Hopefully we get something in place before the end of the month.
I laughed when Evan posted up, "why do vendors have to announce PM's have been replied."
Maybe it will change to, "Vendor has logged in."
Edit: one more thing I find aggravating is the fact that some vendors create a thread for EVERY single part from a specific manufacturer. Try to combine them into one thread unless it's a special offer!