Marketplace - Rules and Guidelines

Marketplace Rules and Guidelines

The Marketplace ("For Sale/Wanted") boards are provided for forum members allowing them to buy/sell/trade items they own with other members.

The Marketplace is for individual-to-individual sales of personally owned items or items personally owned by and in the possession of a family member living in the same household. The Marketplace is not to be used by or for any commercial business, to sell items purchased for resale purposes, or to promote fundraising efforts.

Individuals who regularly buy/sell items on a "part-time" basis for monetary gain will be deemed to be "commercial" in the context of these rules.

1. General Marketplace Rules

1.01  Forum Rules. All regular Forum Rules also apply to the Marketplace.
1.02  Ownership. The Marketplace is for personal sales/trades of items owned by the members involved. You may not state that you are buying, selling, or trading on behalf of others, because it can interfere with responsibility and decision-making; YOU must be the sole party involved in the transaction with another forum member. You must be in physical possession of any items offered for sale at the time they are offered, and they must be available at the time you post.
1.03  Commerce. The Marketplace is not for commercial business or full/part-time "traders".
1.04  Fundraising. The Marketplace may not be used for fundraising.
1.05  Suitable items. The Marketplace is intended primarily for motorcycle related items but it is not limited to such items. You may also sell other personal items, however, we do not permit offers to sell/trade/buy hazardous materials, weapons, or age-restricted items that would be illegal to purchase. As a reference, we do not permit sales or trades that violate laws or items on eBay's Prohibited and Restricted Items list. When in doubt, contact us for permission before starting a Marketplace thread.
1.06  Excessive sales. Excessive numbers of sales of new or unused items are not allowed. Members who frequently have items for sale, without good reason, maybe viewed as a trader and your ability to use, and view, the Marketplace will be removed.
1.07  No longer required Items. We accept that when a member sells their motorcycle they may well have numerous items such as accessories or parts which they no longer require. We welcome these, good luck with your sale!

2. Terms and Conditions

2.01  Disclaimer. The forum does not and cannot evaluate sales, items, sellers, buyers, or prices. These rules are intended to maintain order and to assist, rather than impede, personal sales and trades among forum members, but cannot ensure that every offer is legitimate or fairly priced. The forum owners are not responsible for the actions of forum members with regard to sales, purchases, item descriptions, and trades. All transactions are solely the responsibility of the buyer/seller. As a buyer/seller it is your responsibility to ensure the validity of the other party.
2.02  Common sense. Use common sense and be straightforward in your dealmaking. Observe the spirit, not just the letter, of these rules. When in doubt about a rule, ask a moderator/administrator. Before entering into a transaction with another member, look at his or her previous Marketplace transactions, feedback from others they have dealt with, and their forum posting history. Make sure you have contact information outside of the Marketplace forums before sending money or goods to another member. All transactions are the responsibility of the buyer or seller. The forum cannot get involved and cannot advise you accordingly.
2.03  Payment method. The forum cannot provide advice on which payment method to use. Where possible we would suggest you use a method that has some sort of "payment protection". If in doubt you should seek external advice.
2.04  Rule violations. If you think a sale, buyer, seller, or other forum member is breaking Forum Rules or these Marketplace Rules, report it using the "Report post to Moderator" feature. Don't police the sale yourself.

3. Guidelines and Rules for Sellers

3.01  Sincerity. Offer to sell or trade only if you are serious about doing so.
3.02  Topic title. Use a short description of the item(s) as the thread title.
3.03  Topic content. Any item listed for sale in the Marketplace must be one of four things:
  • Purchased by the seller for his or her own personal use (used by the seller);
  • Given as a gift to or inherited by the seller (used or unused by the seller);
  • Bought by the seller who now regrets the purchase (used or unused by the seller);
  • Be personally owned by and in the possession of a family member living in the same household. In this case, the member who posts the sale is personally responsible as seller.
3.04  Description. Post full description(s) of the item(s). Even if you post a link to eBay or other sale/trade/auction site, you must include a description in your Marketplace thread so that potential buyers/traders can evaluate what you are offering by what you post in the forums.
3.05  Price. If you don't post an asking price, that is likely to be the very first question, so include one from the start if at all possible. You can set any price you choose, but we suggest that you ask for a price that you consider reasonable and which will be acceptable to buyers.
3.06  Additional information. Members often ask for photos, your location, the reason you are selling/trading, methods of payment and shipping, and/or whether you have seller feedback from previous transactions. It may help you to anticipate these questions and provide the information up front, particularly if you are a lesser-known forum member.
3.07  Subsequent Posts. Post in your thread for any of these reasons. Otherwise, wait for responses and accept that you may or may not get them.
  • To answer questions or respond to posts by others;
  • To announce when the sale/trade has been made or the items are no longer available (so that other members won't continue to post or contact you);
  • To announce a nontrivial price change (state the old and new prices);
3.08  Bumps. You may "bump" the topic, but only once per month, and then only for a maximum of three months.
3.09  Contact Details. You cannot put specific contact details into your post. This means that you cannot include name, address, telephone numbers, email addresses etc. We advise that you ask potential buyers to contact you via the personal messaging system. Contact details may then be exchanged via that system in private.
3.10  Personal Message Notifications. It's your choice, but we suggest that you ensure that personal message notifications are enabled in your profile so that you are automatically informed when you receive a personal message.
3.11  Topic Notifications. It's your choice, but we suggest that you enable topic notifications on your for sale topic so that you are informed by email when you receive a reply.

4. When the Item is SOLD

4.01  When Sold. When you have sold your item add a final post (as a reply) saying it's now SOLD. If you are able to edit your original post then add the word SOLD to the title. Do not completely remove or delete the details of your original post.
4.02  Removal of Images. Note that all images (attachments or other images) will eventually be removed from "sold" topics, or topics that are over a year old.

5. Rules for Buyers

5.01  Interest. If you are interested in the item, you may ask questions or make an offer by posting or by contacting the seller privately through the personal messaging system.
5.02  Sincerity. Offer to buy or trade only if you are serious about doing so.
5.03  Hijacking. If you have similar items for sale or trade, start your own thread. Do not post about your sale in someone else's thread.
5.04  Offers. If you are an interested buyer but don't like the price, then make what you consider to be a reasonable offer, either by posting a reply or contacting the seller via the personal messaging system.

6. IMPORTANT - Replying to Posts

Members should only reply to posts in the "For Sale/Wanted" sections if they have a genuine interest in the item(s) and wish to obtain more information. Do not reply to posts with erroneous remarks, advice, jokes, or general chat, if you have no interest in purchasing the item being offered.

The Marketplace is purely for selling/buying items, it is not a board for friendly chat. Members who frequently post such replies will have their ability to view or post in those boards removed.

6.01  If you have no need or interest for the items or don't like the price, items, payment method, or other terms, ignore the thread.
6.02  Do not post negative remarks about the sale or seller based on their offer, or suggest to others that they buy other products, or buy at other websites. It's entirely up to the seller what they offer for sale and at what price. No one is under an obligation to buy.
6.03  Do not post unsolicited price advice or comparisons of the offer with those from other sources.
6.04  Do not try to derail somebody else's sale by posting in the thread. Let potential buyers make their own decisions.

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