Just a suggestion - some rules for selling items on this forum might be instituted, it would cut down the amount of useless posts to a seller's thread.
I frequent corvetteforum.com, they follow strict guidelines for this reason.
Below are their "rules and guidelines", you might check it out for some good ideas.
1. No commercial sales unless by a supporting Vendor.
See Savewave's comments below for more clarification.
2. No eBay links to promote/aid a sale.
The Corvetteforum is not eBay; we've had too many bad deals with eBay transactions and they have nothing to do with the forum. If eBay is disallowed, so do all the negative posts that will come from those bad transactions.
3. No "best offers."
Best offer sales are really no different than eBay. Bidding wars start and usually don't end favorably. Please set a price and stick to it.
All commitments to buy must be made in public!!! You must honor the order in which people respond. First to respond has dibs. No PMs allowed unless the person replies to the thread first. PMs are ok for transaction closing/address exchanges, of course.
Asking for pictures is not a commitment to buy, and the seller is under no obligation to refuse an offer from another buyer ready to purchase at his/her selling price sight unseen. (Added by cor07vette 1/14/07).
I don't care if the second person in line has cash waiting, if the first guy has a legitimate question and
is waiting for an answer, he still gets first crack at it.
Not following this guideline can result in you never having a For Sale thread ever again.
4. No hijacking of threads.
This means keep it on track. Only replies related to the thread can be posted.
If it is a for sale thread and you have the same item for sale, start your own thread. Do not link your thread in your reply.
If it is a "want to buy" you may offer your parts for sale by providing a link to your thread.
5. All sellers must have their profile filled out.
If a seller or buyer does not have a location in his profile, do not do business with them.
It seems that many of the problems we see deal with someone who doesn't want to disclose their location.
They are trying to hide something, my advice, do not deal with them.
If you are a seller, please include your location, Your Zip Code and part of your full name in your profile so that it is easily visible under your name when you post.(mod by AT&NB 1-27-07)
If you don't have a location under your name, your thread will be removed, no exceptions.
These deals are based on trust, if you can't trust people enough to let them know where you are
located, how can they trust you to send you money for parts sight unseen?
Naturally, if someone sends you money, they will have an address, but is it real? Is it a PO Box? Is it an empty house so you can fake your address?
If these bad deals keep happening (and I'm not talking about the scam artists who are new members, but longtime members who are just not playing nice), I will recommend that this section be removed from the forum.
6. Pictures are highly encouraged.
Digital cameras have never been cheaper than they are right now. If you can afford a computer with high speed Internet, you can afford even a cheap digital camera. Pictures should be of the highest quality available; nobody wants to see tiny or blurry pictures. If you have highspeed Internet, most providers give out a free storage area. I suggest you check into it and create a folder that is not password protected to store pictures in.
7. Bad deals may be posted as well as good deals.
Bad deals may be posted only after every possible attempt to resolve it has been tried and failed - only the facts can be posted. There will be no false accusations, name calling or insults.
Communication is your best friend in every transaction, be clear on how you want it handled.
If you can't agree on terms, then it's best to abort the transaction.
You may not reply to a bad thread unless you are one of the parties involved or have something constructive to add.
There will be no lynch mob.
People who reply with , or any other smiley or "TTT" will be disciplined.
If you are the creator of a "Bad Deal" thread, you must PM me with a link so that I can keep it under review. I don't always see every thread every day. If you don't alert me, the thread will be removed.
8. Be up front with shipping and handling charges.
Be sure to state how you will be shipping and how much you will charge. Most shipping companies will give you an estimate based on dimensions of the box, the weight and origin and destination zip codes. Just go to their website.
www.ups.com
www.usps.com
www.fedex.com
www.dhl.com
9. Buyer beware.
As always it is buyer beware, seller beware. If you are unsure of a person, check their profile, ask around (privately of course), there are many members here who know each other or know of people. This way you can find out if the sale will go positively.
10. Threads will be closed without warning
If you read these guidelines, the reasons for closing a thread have been stated.
Savewave and the other Admins add the following, which details the Forums rules about supporting vendors:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Savewave
1. Non-supporting vendors can't use the Forum to market and promote their goods/services.
We allow members to include a link in their signatures to their businesses so long as it
does not compete with a supporting vendor, is not Corvette related AND does not conflict
with any other Forum rules. The vendors involved do not fit that guideline and may not
use the Forum for promotion of their goods/services.
2. Forum members can post about a good experience they have had with a non-supporting vendor
so long as that post is not so specific (address, phone number, email address, URL) or so
frequent as to constitute marketing and promotion. The links included and repeated references
to some of those involved put them in conflict with our rules/guidelines.
3. There is some kind of rivalry and/or personal dispute involving one or more of these non-
supporting vendors that has resulted in personal attacks and repeated bashing. Forum rules
allow for the posting of a factual account of an unresolved dispute so long as every reasonable
effort first has been made to resolved the issue offline. After the factual account has been
posted, it goes into the archives and cannot be reintroduced on subsequent days and in a variety
of sections. The dispute in some of the links you provided is in conflict with those rules/guidelines
Bottom line: Nobody is exempt from Forum rules/guidelines. The vendors mentioned must stop using the Forum to promote their goods/services or risk being banned. The loyal followers of
each vendor much stop promoting the services provided by their friends because it has exceeded what is allowable. The bashing of vendors (supporting or non-supporting) and Forum members is always inappropriate and must stop.
11, Be specific in your descriptions.
Know your parts. Not every year is compatible.
The Black Book is very helpful in the basic stuff, if you are unsure, please state it and someone will chime in with the correct info.
12. You may only have one open thread per part.
If you created a post two weeks ago and it has disappeared, you can simply "TTT" it rather than create a new thread. If the thread has gone two pages without a sale, at that time let me know and I will close it and then you may start a new one. Posts with many replies and no sale tend to get confusing.
Use email notification when you post, this way you can go directly to the post when a reply has been made.
13. Parting out cars
You may part out a car, but please list all items available with prices(no offers remember?).
I do realize there are hundreds of parts and subassemblies available, but to avoid cluttering up a thread with requests, it's best to list as many as possible.
14.Shipping..
We realize that things in your life may happen that prevent you from replying or shipping goods in a timely manner. But if you have a vacation planned, please wait until you come back before you list anything. This includes medical procedures that were not an emergency.
Folks pay for stuff and they expect fast shipping.
For instance, I'm headed for FLA tomorrow, so I'm not going to list anything for sale or try to buy anything (well maybe buy) until I get home.
If for some reason the sale takes longer than normal and the day before you leave on a vacation the item sells. Make sure you tell the buyer that you won't be available. Or Post in the thread that you will respond when you get back.
15. When your item has been sold,
Please revise the original post so that others amd the moderators will know and can close the thread. In addition, if you have multiple items for sale, please update the first post of the thread as to remaining parts.
This thread is a living document and will be updated from time to time so be sure to check it from time to time before you post a thread. In addition, if you feel something needs to be added, PM me and we'll discuss it..
