Regarding Off-Topic Comments In Trading Post Threads

Folks, this is becoming a problem and needs to be addressed. I'm getting the impression that not many of our members have read the unique set of rules that pertain to our Trading Post forums in addition to the normal TGO code of conduct.

Allow me to quote them:

Please read ALL guidelines BEFORE posting


1. Title: Begin all thread titles with the appropriate key: F/S: (For Sale) WTB: (Want to Buy) WTT: (Want to Trade)

2. Price:

• You MUST post an asking price for every item offered for sale - Threads w/o pricing will be removed.
• If your pricing is negotiable, consider adding OBO (or best offer), but no open bidding permitted.
• No speculation or "feeler" threads to test the waters - only post actual 'For Sale' threads.
• No "Price Policing" - Do not post dissatisfaction, opinions, or disagreement w/pricing. A seller has the right to ask any price and a potential buyer has the choice to buy, to negotiate, or to walk away.

3. Approved Items:

• No links to ebay or other outside selling sites.
• Private party ads only - NO vendor ads / NO retail or commercial sales. Commercial sales belong in the Authorized Vendor forums.
• No repeats or multiples of the same item sold by the same seller. The Trading Post is intended for occasional private party offerings only; ongoing or repeat sales give the appearance of a commercial venture and may be removed.
• No contraband/ illegal items.

4. Writing Your Ad: For ease of reading and best response...

• Post Your Location: Include your city/state/zip code in your 1st post and/or thread title so interested parties don't have to ask. If you list your "shipped from" zip code, buyer's can look up shipping prices on their own.
• Photos: Tip: Buyers want to see pics of the item and those ads will be more successful. If you include a sheet of paper in the photo with your username and the date members can feel a bit more reassured that the photos are yours and are of the actual item you are selling rather than a photo you grabbed off the net. Buyers should be aware however, that it is not beyond the realm of possibility that seller photos could be altered.
• List Items: If selling more than one item, list line-by-line rather than a paragraph format - Don't use all bold font or all caps.
• No Outside Links: DO NOT LINK to other sales websites, forums, or auction sites such as eBay, Gunbroker, Gun Owners Club, etc. Posts like this will be removed without question.

5. Replying to an ad:

• No "Thread Crapping" - DO NOT post a reply if you have no intention of making an offer - this section of the board is NOT a discussion forum. PM all comments, questions, and opinions not directly related to the sale.
• Address all questions to the seller/ Allow the seller to answer all questions.
• Do not offer 'better price' re-directs or links to someone else's sale.
• Do not offer your item for sale in someone else's F/S thread.

6. Privacy & Personal Info: Do not post personal and/or private information in the public forum such as full name, address, phone number. Keep those details to PM or email.

7. The Deal: Conduct actual negotiations via PM or email, the forum does not need to know the details. Don't forget to rate your buyer/seller via the Trading Post Feedback forum.

8. Mark Thread "Sold" or "Found": Make a final "sold" / "found" post as a courtesy to those searching the forum and to stop activity on your thread and allow newer posts to move to the top. "Sold" and older threads may be closed at Admin's discretion. Please do not post in a thread after it's marked sold/found, but be sure to close your own thread once it has served its purpose.

9. Disputes: Are not the business of forum members and should be handled privately. If every possible attempt to settle a dispute has been made with no resolution, a negative comment in the Trading Post Feedback forum permitted. Post comments in a factual manner.


NOTE:

**Handle all transactions with common sense and courtesy - "Buyer Beware" conduct yourself accordingly

**These rules may be changed, or amended, without notice. Failure to comply with the rules will result in the deletion of your thread/post and/or sanctions

**ALL other Forum Rules apply to this section

Disclaimer: Sellers on this site are in no way related to, or affiliated with, the forum or its agents. This site does not endorse or guarantee sales transactions between users and is not liable. The content of posts and/or threads is the sole responsibility of the user who posted them and all users are responsible for their own actions.

You will find these rules posted as a sticky thread at the top of every Trading Post forum. They are in place to ensure that the Trading Post is used properly and that those forums remain a valuable resource to TGO members.

Lately the moderating team has been cracking down on off-topic remarks being made in Trading Post threads. This isn't being done because we're bored and had nothing else better to spend our time on. It's being done because off-topic remarks are a real problem within the Trading Post. Here's why:

Many times a seller of an item will elect to receive instant email notification whenever a reply is posted to his or her ad in the Trading Post. They do this so that they can respond quickly to those looking for more information or making an offer to buy. Whenever someone posts something absurd like "I sure wish I had the money for this!" in their thread, the seller hurries back to TGO to see what they hope is a relevant reply, only to find a bunch of nonsense.

This is extremely irritating to the seller and becomes a problem for TGO.

At the moment, we are giving serious consideration to changing it so that the only person who can post a reply to a Trading Post ad is the person who started the ad to begin with. All other replies would have to go through Private Messaging. The reason we haven't done this yet is that I see several potential flaws in these restrictions. With your help we can avoid having to make any further changes to the Trading Post forums. We just need your assistance in keeping irrelevant chatter out of Trading Post threads. And in the meantime, the moderators will be sending warnings and, in some cases, infractions for chatter until the problem is resolved.

Your cooperation with this is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

By way of an update...

I have received several PMs and emails asking that we please reconsider and lighten up the restrictions on chatter in For Sale threads since sometimes they are posts voicing support for the seller being a good person to deal with, or are voicing support that the price being asked is a fair deal.

The moderators have, to this point, been acting on my directive that we needed to stop all off-topic remarks in Trading Post threads so they were just doing as they were instructed.

Since we have had messages asking us to reconsider this tactic, I am asking the moderators to only crack down on rude, inconsiderate and "worthless" replies in Trading Post threads. Most others will be left alone, but subject to the moderator's discretion.

Thank you all for the feedback.