Adverts Rules

From boards.ie Wiki

Contents 1 Disclaimer 2 Definitions 3 General rules 4 Off thread dealing/Valid offers 5 What should I include in the advert? 6 Replying to an advert 7 Some general guidlines when dealing with Buyers/Sellers 7.1 Transaction Advice 8 Profiteering 8.1 Ticket touts / ticket selling 9 Forbidden items

[edit] Disclaimer

adverts.ie is a place for private individuals to sell or trade items.

If you are not familiar with these rules, you forfeit your privilege to post on the adverts.ie subsite.

adverts.ie accepts no responsibility for transactions that take place on the site, however, to provide some form of redress, you may contact any of the Adverts Moderators via PM or you may post on the Adverts Support forum for clarification of rules before engaging in a transaction, or for help if there are problems with a transaction. The moderators will do their best to advise and assist in any way they can.

While ideally adverts.ie is an informal area for selling between members of a community, there are still people who will take you for a ride. Caveat emptor - let the buyer beware - but also let the seller beware. Information is the fuel of the Internet, and information on people who cheat others is very cheap to buy indeed. Don't try to rip anyone off.

Please take note that these rules can be updated/changed at any time, without warning. It is up to you, the user, to make sure you are up to date with all the rules. Recent changes to the rules will generally be listed under the "discussion" heading of this page.

Note: If you think these rules bind the moderators hands, think again. The moderators have discretion to react and moderate as they see fit in the best interests of the site. You can challenge a decision using Adverts.ie Helpdesk, but don’t think for a moment you can use the guidelines above to find some semantic loophole to excuse your behaviour (people who do this are known as “rules lawyers” and are seen as a small step above trolls). It’s not going to work. The spirit of the rules is more important than the wording of the rules on Adverts.ie and our guidelines can and will change if and when there’s need.

[edit] Definitions

This is a short list of definitions that will help you understand both the rules of the adverts.ie, as well as some of the language of selling.

Buyer - defined as "the person offering to purchase an item or service".

Seller - defined as "the person offering to sell an item or service".

Trader - defined as anyone who posts up for sale several of the same item(s) or who sells for profit. This does not imply that a Trader is a business (be that limited company or sole trader), nor does it imply any illegallity in relation to their sales. It is simply the word we use to describe these types of user. It is noted in the sign up email that adverts.ie does not allow Traders (defined there-in as users who sell regularly to make profit).

Asking price - this is defined as "the price at which the Seller will agree to sell". You must post a guide price on your advert.

• If this price is met/offered by a potential Buyer, and if any other stipulations are met, the sale may be agreed.
• Do not offer above the Asking price if it is set.
• You may not make ridiculous offers; far less than the Asking price or tiny increments in offers (i.e., "I offer 40 euro" followed by a stupid offer like "I bid 40 euro and 1 cent!"). If no Asking price is set, there is no such stipulation.
• Important: If the Seller, at some point in the thread agrees to sell at a price lower than the original Asking price, that price becomes the new Asking price.
• A quick way to avoid any pitfalls is to research the worth of the item you are selling.

ONO - "Or nearest offer".

No offers - the Seller wishes to sell only at the Asking price.

[edit] General rules

This is a FREE service. adverts.ie doesn't charge anything for placing an advert here (unless you choose to highlight your advert for an extra fee). We don't take a commission like other sites. Because it is FREE there are certain conditions:

1. All dealings on thread - the golden rule.
   
   • All dealings, bargaining, offers, etc. must be kept on the thread. The only exception comes when the deal is made and personal information needs to be exchanged.
   • Both Buyer or seller may not PM eachother unless a deal has been closed on thread (unless a viewing is required to close the deal).
   • If you are discovered to be engaging in off-thread dealing, your thread will be locked and you will be banned. If you make an offer via PM you will be banned. If you received an offer via PM and failed to notify the moderators, you will be banned. It's in every honest user's best interest to keep dealings on thread. It helps us weed out the people who try to rip you, and others, off.
   • The ONLY exception to this is with high value items, where a viewing would need to be organised before a sale is agreed. Where viewing of high value items is necessary, prior to concluding a sale all offers must be made and accepted on thread before any PM's can be exchanged. After this, the seller should post on thread letting users know the outcome.
   • Posting Phone numbers or Email addresses is considered to be inviting Off thread dealing and will result in a ban.
2. No "off Site Dealing"
   • You are, of course, entitled to advertise your item(s) elsewhere. However, when availing of the community service here on Adverts.ie, you have a duty to other members of the community. You are expected to complete the sale of your item(s) here on Adverts if a member or members have expressed active, definite interest. This is only fair to our members.
   • Note that you cannot link or refer to any external ad in your free Adverts.ie ad (including logos on pictures). This is in order to avoid auctioneering-type threads. You must also promptly mark your ad as 'Closed' if the item has been sold elsewhere.
   • No "off thread offers". Do not post anything along the lines of "I've received an offer of X elsewhere/from a friend". If we see these posts, your ad will be immediately binned and you will most likely be banned. Always remember that Adverts.ie is here to serve the interests of community members.
   Further clarification here.
3. Asking price rules
   • An Asking price must be set: Either an overall cost or individual prices in the Advert description.
   • The Asking price is the last price that the Seller has requested for the item.
   • The first user to offer asking price gets first refusal, unless they have conditions attached to their offer such as "including postage" or "subject to inspection". If a user comes along after that and makes an offer with no conditions, then they have first refusal unless the seller has already accepted the first conditional offer. The seller may also refuse an offer if they have a valid reason (bad feedback would generally be the reason).
   • If a user makes an unconditional offer (see above) of asking price and a subsequent user comes along and makes an offer of asking price but says that they can collect then the seller must still accept the first offer unless they have specified in the ad that they would prefer if the buyer could collect. In that case, the seller has preference to whom he sells to.
   • After the Asking price is met, no user may offer "beyond" this; they may, however, continue to offer that Asking price in case that the first to offer drops out. Similarly the Seller may not increase or ask for more then the current Asking price.

   Some examples of valid and invalid offers are here.

4. No "thread spoiling" - see here to find out what defines thread spoiling.
5. No commercial selling. - adverts.ie does not make a profit from its users; neither will any other company. If you wish to engage in commercial interaction, please contact one of the Administrators. The Consumer Information Advertisements Disclosure of Business Interests Order 1984 (Republic of Ireland) requires all advertisements from persons selling goods in the course of a business to make that fact clear. This requirement applies whether the advertiser is acting on his own behalf or for some other person in the course of whose business goods are to be sold.
6. No "dealers", or Vendors, of any kind. - if you purchase any items in quantity, with the sole intent of bringing them here to resell, you are a dealer, by our definition. See Rule 4.
7. No non-sale related threads - this service is for selling / buying items, it is not for chit-chat. You may post on the Adverts Support forum if help is required. Be aware that non-sale related threads will be locked, binned and you may be banned for such threads. We occasionally make exceptions for this (informing of stolen items which may end up for sale, etc., entirely at the AMods discretion).
8. No interest tests / price checks - you are either selling the item or not. These threads have been shown to cause problems in the past and will be immediately locked and binned.
9. Multiple threads / reposting - Do not post multiple threads offering the same item, no matter how long it has been since your last sale attempt. Do not post in multiple categories even if you feel that it belongs there - choose the single most relevant category.
10. Mulitple accounts - You are only permitted to have 1 account on adverts.ie. Any further accounts will be deleted and your original account will be banned.
11. No "bumping" - Bumping is keeping your own sale thread active at the top of the thread list by posting empty or non-informational posts. Some bumping will be tolerated, e.g., where it would conflict with the reposting rule above. An AMod may choose to ignore you bumping your thread, or they may not. If they do not, your thread will likely be locked, preventing further transaction, so it is recommended not to bump. We have prevented the Original Poster (OP) of an advert from replying to it for 24 hours UNLESS someone else has replied first. This forces no bumping for the first day. Please do not continue to bump your own thread every day. You may be banned for this.
12. No profiteering
13. No forbidden items - check the full list of forbidden items *cue spooky music*. The short version is:
    • No illegal items
    • No stolen goods
    • No pirated materials
    • No mod chips or modded consoles
    • Any items or products that we (the Adverts moderators) consider to be generally used for illegal purposes, even if they are not illegal in themselves, are forbidden on Adverts.

    You must be aware of the other items before posting.

14. It is against the rules to edit out or delete the content within the description of old or finished ads as this can cause confusion for both moderators and users. Users will be cautioned and may be banned if they do this.
15. User feedback - User feedback is for reporting how a sale went. If you have not completed or tried to complete a sale with a user, do not post them feedback! Abuse of the feedback system will result in a lengthy ban.
16. All communication must be in English - adverts.ie is an English language speaking site. If you posts/comments are in another language they may be deleted. This is to facilitate the vast majority of our userbase and our moderators.

[edit] Off thread dealing/Valid offers

Anybody who sends a pm, email, or otherwise contacts a buyer or seller about an item advertised here before a deal is agreed will receive a no warning ban. A deal is only agreed when the seller posts their acceptance of an offer on the thread.

• Comments such as:
  "I'm interested"
  "I'll take it"
  Are Not considered valid offers.
• Comments such as:
  "Offer €xx"
  "Offer asking price"
  Are considered valid offers.
• This also applies to soliciting off thread dealing, comments such as (but not limited to):
  "pm me, I'm interested"
  "I offer €xx, pm me"
  "pm more details / pics please"
  Will also receive a "No-Warning Ban"

[edit] What should I include in the advert?

Basically, include as much information as possible. Try and inform the Buyers/Sellers what exactly you want to buy/sell. Try and put the most relevant information in the first line (so that it will appear in the printable PDF sheets).

Take note that from now on we will be looking for the following items to be present in all posts on the adverts.ie site:

• The name of the item
• Make and model (if possible)
• A good description of it, including the condition it is in
• Include a manufacturer's website showing the item if possible
• Include a guide selling price, otherwise people just post stupid offers

Honour your commitment to buy or sell.

[edit] Replying to an advert

The main problem we get on adverts.ie is not people trying to selling dodgy stuff, but muppets replying to item posts.

No thread spoiling - if you are not interested in an item do not comment on it...

And persons posting, either an item or a reply to a post, shall...

• ...not post pointless comments stating appreciation or distaste of the item for sale. Use the report tool for any problems with adverts.
• ...not impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity;
• ...not reply saying "you can get X cheaper here";
  • We don't care. Replies like that end up in flame wars. It is up to the Buyer to find that out. It is a Buyers market after all. Genuine comments are welcomed if someone is really trying to rip someone off. We personally think "let the Buyer beware". You have net access, we have Elara and Komplett to name but a few low cost suppliers, a bit of research never hurts. If someone is way off the mark with an Asking price (and we mean WAY off), post a link to the current available price (like-for-like VAT and postage must be commented on).
• ...not carry out any unsolicited, or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail", "spam", "chain letters", "pyramid schemes" or any other form of solicitation;
• ...not disrupt the normal flow of dialogue, cause a screen to "scroll" faster that the other users of the site are able to type, or otherwise act in a manner that negatively affects other users' ability to engage in real time exchanges;
• ...not offer a stick of rock, granny, sister, cat or any other item that you may think is funny in return for the item for sale;
• ...not try to carry out a conversation for whatever reason, as there are other boards for that;
• ...not send "PM SENT" or "check your PMs/e-mail" messages;
  • Since these system are there so you DON'T HAVE TO post. Also if you continue reading the rules, you will become aware that dealing through PMs and e-mails are now banned.
• ...NOT act the vigilante mod;
  • The adverts.ie moderators are more than capable of looking after the site. If you feel someone is breaking a rule, you may politely inform them of this via PM. Alternately, you may use the "Report Product" feature.

[edit] Some general guidlines when dealing with Buyers/Sellers

These guidelines (and they are just that - guidelines) are here to help you enjoy the facility that is adverts.ie in relative safety. Ignore them at your peril!

As soon as you and another party strike a deal, then immediately exchange e-mails/PMs providing both parties with the following information:

Recommended:

• Full name
• Full address and postcode
• Telephone number (NOT a mobile)
• Confirmation of details of the trade
• Payment method
• Clearly state your understanding of when you expect the money or goods to be sent

Optional:

• Preferred and alternative e-mail addresses
• Mobile number(s)

Do not post your personal contact details in any advert.

Print out or make a note on paper of the contact details of the above person. It is not unheard of for people to lose such information stored on a PC due to virus or hard drive problems.

Should there be any delay in completion then both parties will have full contact details to hand.

Please do NOT approach the adverts.ie moderators for assistance if you have neglected to take these most rudimentary precautions.

[edit] Transaction Advice

When you have made a deal with another user, you'll have to decide how goods/services and money are going to change hands.

We recommend that you do a reasonable background check on whatever user you are dealing with, this is made easier on adverts.ie with the feedback system available through the users adverts.ie profile.

Even if you are satisfied that the user has a good transaction history, it is worth taking some precautions for the transaction.

• Meet in Person - where possible, physically meet the person you are dealing with. Of course, this is not always possible as users are based all over the country. The benefits here are that you get to see whatever it is you are purchasing (or ensure the correct amount of money is being given) before committing. In the event that a serious problem arises, you know what the other party looks like.

• Use Registered Mail - if meeting up is not an option, then use registered mail or insist on it for postage of items. This way, the parcel is both insured and is tracable. For any moderately valued item (€100+, and even below) it is worth paying the extra cash to ensure peace of mind if there is a problem with postage.

• Use PayPal - while there is a charge for the usage of PayPal, it provides a user-friendly interface between you and your credit card company, and is a welcome alternative to giving your credit card number to the seller! In the event of a problem, PayPal can make use of the fraud protection system of your credit card company and get your money back. We recommend that you get a name and landline number on the offchance that a dispute arises.

[edit] Profiteering

Profiteering, in all its forms is prohibited on adverts.ie. This applies to all goods/services sold on adverts.ie. Profiteering is defined as: To make profits on goods in demand or where attempt to profit is suspected or apparent, such as the reselling of highly sought items (e.g. game consoles being sold in the run-up to Christmas above face value plus any reasonable postage or delivery charges).

[edit] Ticket touts / ticket selling

Buying selling or trading of tickets on adverts.ie is currently suspended for legal reasons.

Please visit our friends at http://www.toutless.com for ticket sales, trading, etc.

[edit] Forbidden items

What is not allowed on adverts.ie?

Basically, anything illegal is not allowed. However, there are some items which, while legal to sell, buy or own, are not permitted to be sold on this site.

• Offensive material.
  What we deem offensive is probably about what you would expect. This includes items such as crime-scene photos or human organs and body parts. We reserve the right to determine the appropriateness of listings posted on adverts.ie. Also, be aware of cultural differences and sensitivities. Some items may be acceptable to some people, but unacceptable to others. Please be careful to post items that are appropriate for our global community.
• Illegal items.
  Items sold on adverts.ie must adhere to all applicable laws. This includes the sale of items by individuals outside the Republic of Ireland and the EU. Some items that may not be sold include: Cuban cigars, stocks and securities, lottery tickets, illicit drugs, prescriptive devices and drugs, lock-picking devices, smart cards, and any product which may lead to the production of an illegal item or illegal activity.
• Stolen goods.
  If we learn that an item listed in on the boards is not the property of the Seller, or was obtained through illegal means, we will lock the thread and delete any inappropriate information. We may also pass on any appropriate information to the proper authorities.
• Recopied media.
  Copies, dubs, duplicates, or transfers of books, music, videos, software, images, etc., are prohibited. Just as you cannot sell a photocopied book without the author's permission, you cannot sell copies or duplicates of videos, music, video games, software, photos, etc. Likewise, you cannot sell transferred media - whether laserdisc to video, CD-ROM to cassette tape, or from the Internet to any digital format - unless explicitly approved by the author.
• Promotional media.
  Movies, CDs, software, books (including advance reading copies and uncorrected proofs), etc., that are produced and distributed for promotional use only are prohibited for sale through this site.
• Pirated video games.
  Video games sold through adverts.ie must be full retail versions. Recopied and transferred video games are prohibited. Mod chips, silver disks, video game emulators, Sega bootdisks, game enhancers, unauthorised video game compilations, and accessories are also prohibited.
• Pirated software.
  Only full retail versions of software may be sold through adverts.ie. Software that has been copied or duplicated in any format is prohibited. Additionally, academic, NFR (Not for Resale) software, back-up, fulfillment, promotional, beta (pre-release), unauthorised freeware/shareware, and "softlifted" software versions are prohibited. OEM software must be sold with the hardware with which it was sold, or in accordance with the terms the OEM software is sold with. Anyone who knowingly buys or sells pirated software through adverts.ie will be permanently banned.
• Pirated movies.
  Copies of movies (VHS, DVD, etc.) may not be sold through this service. Also, movies that have been transferred from one format to another are not permitted. For example, NTSC to PAL and PAL to NTSC conversions are not permitted. Unreleased/prereleased movies, screeners, trailers, unpublished and unauthorised film scripts (with no ISBN number), electronic press kits, and unauthorised props are prohibited.
• Television programs.
  Copies of television programs, including pay-per-view events, are prohibited. Commercially produced and licensed copies of television programs are permitted. Unauthorized television programs and programs never broadcast, unauthorised scripts, unauthorised props, and screeners are prohibited.
• Pirated music.
  Recopied music in any format is prohibited. Bootlegs, unauthorised live concerts, unauthorised soundboard recordings, unauthorised merchandise, etc., is not permitted.
• Replicas of trademarked items.
  The sale of unauthorised replicas, or pirated, counterfeit, and knockoff merchandise is not permitted. For instance, replicas of Rolex watches may not be posted.
• Pornography.
  Pornography; x-rated movies; home porn; hard-core material, including magazines, that depict graphic sexual acts; amateur porn; soiled undergarments; sexual aid devices; and "adult-only" novelty items that are primarily sold through adult-only novelty stores and erotic boutiques are not permitted.
• Cigarettes, wine and other alcoholic beverages.
  Conducting sales of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes are prohibited for sale through adverts.ie.
• Advertisements.
  Listings that are intended wholly or mainly as "portals" to commercial or private Web sites for the purposes of advertising are prohibited.
• Living creatures and unauthorised/illegal wildlife products.
  The sale of live creatures and illegal wildlife products is prohibited, and this includes any type of pet or livestock. Furthermore, the sale of unauthorised wildlife items is prohibited. This includes illegal animal byproducts (skins, organs, tissue, bones, feathers, etc.) of animals and endangered species. As with all products posted to our site, please be sure to conduct proper research to ensure that your items are in compliance with all laws.
• Domain names.
  Because of the legal complexities regarding the sale of domain names and the potential for trademark or copyright infringement, the sale of Internet domain names is prohibited. Please use Sedo instead.
• Items that infringe upon an individual's privacy.
  We hold personal privacy in the highest regard. Therefore, items that infringe upon, or have potential to infringe upon, an individual's privacy are prohibited. Additionally, the sale of marketing lists (bulk e-mail lists, direct-mail marketing lists, etc.) is prohibited.
• Hate materials.
  Sectarian or ethnic offensive material are prohibited. These include, but not limited to, Hitler mousepads, Swastika flags/patches/posters, KKK patches/belt buckles/hats, etc.
• Illegal drugs and paraphernalia.
  No illicit drugs or drug related items are permitted. These include cocaine, heroin, marijuana, anabolic steroids, bongs, syringes etc.
• Prescription drugs and medical devices.
  Prescription drugs and medical devices are also prohibited. These include Viagra, Prozac, and contact lenses etc. Over the counter drugs are also prohibited, such as Paracetamol and Aspirin.
• Firearms, ammunition, fireworks, explosives, blades and hazardous materials.
  adverts.ie does not permit the listing of projectile and concussive weapons that employ gunpowder or explosives. The prohibited list includes, but is not limited to, ammunition, rifles, shotguns, pistols, other firearms, and fireworks. Other prohibited items include: swords, automatic knifes, throwing stars, spring-loaded knives, switchblades, crossbows, hunting bows, gravity-assisted knives, butterfly knives, throwing knives, nunchaku, weighted clubs, brass knuckles, BB guns, paintball guns, pellet guns, tasers, stun guns, pepper spray, mace, blowguns, weapons designed to be concealed, fireworks, bombs, dynamite, detonation devices, grenades and any other item deemed inappropriate for the community.
  Basically anything that is considered a weapon is prohibited.
  Toys that fire rubber pellets or foam darts are permitted.
• Government IDs, college IDs, etc.
  Any sales of identifation cards of any kind are not allowed. These include birth certificates, driver's licenses, law enforcement IDs, passports, immigration waivers or visas, college IDs, work IDs, etc.
• Mod chips / modded consoles.
  All mod chips and machines that have been modded are prohibited from been sold here. Although it is not illegal to mod chip a console in Ireland/EU (except the Xbox), the whole mod chipping scene is on dodgy ground. The main reason is that mod chips bypass security features on consoles, which allow pirate copies to be played on said machines.
  We don't care if the only reason you chipped it was to play imports. It's tough.
• Third-party Nintendo DS storage/homebrew devices of any kind (R4, DSTT, etc).
  Like Modded Consoles, it is not illegal to own one of these devices in Ireland/EU but these devices bypass security features on the DS, which allow pirated games to be played.
  Sorting out the genuine sellers and buyers from the pirates is too big a constraint of our time, so we don't allow them.
• Garda speed meter detectors.
  These are illegal. Here's the relevant legal excerpt.
• Illegal Sat/cable/mmds decoders.
  Any form of equipment to aid in the decoding of encrypted pay TV services. These include and are not limited to the following:
  • NTL boxes (resale of these is against NTL terms of service)
  • Starview boxes
  • Nokia/Sagem D-boxes
  • Dreamboxes
• Internet Service Provider Equipment.
  Some equipment supplied to you from an internet servie provider (ISP) remains the ISP's property and must be returned to them on termination of a contract. Some examples of this type of equipment are Irish BroadBand's RipWave or Digiweb's HomeWave. Ownership of the equipment remains with the company and therefore it cannot be listed on Adverts.ie.

Any adverts found containing above will be removed and the seller will face a warning/infraction/ban.

This is not a complete list (and there will never be a complete list here). It here only as a guide as to what is/is not allowed here. The Adverts Moderators and Administrators have the final say as to what is/is not allowed.

Thank you for reading these rules, and good luck with your buying and selling experience at adverts.ie.