*** READ FIRST *** Lingo, Rules, Feedback/Trust, and Liability

Lingo

FS (For Sale)
Offering something in exchange for money. In your post, state what you're selling as well as how much money you're looking for. You must include a selling price with anything you are selling. Failure to do so will result in me deleting your thread.

LTB (Looking To Buy)
Looking for something you will pay money for. In your post, state what you're looking for. Sellers with your item will reply to the post and state what they want for the item.

LTT (Looking To Trade)
Looking for something you want to exchange for something else. In your post, state what you're looking for and what you're willing to give in exchange for it.

FSoT (For Sale or Trade)

LTBoT (Looking To Buy or Trade)

LFS (Looking For Service)
Looking for a specific service such as Web Development, Graphic Design, Technical Support, and any other virtual service.

The subject for your thread should begin with one of the following (exactly as shown):
"FS: ", "FSoT: ", "LTB: ", "LTT: ", "LTBoT: ", "LFS: "

Any posts not fitting into one of these categories will be deleted. Off-topic subjects are to be posted in the General Forum.

Browsing Threads

Browsing threads should be for finding what you're looking for or discussing the item in question. This means talking about the condition of the item being sold and other details about it. If you want to find out the specs on a gaming system someone is selling, go to the manufacturer's website to find it, not here. Generally, the seller should be posting links such as this in their initial post.

If you are going into threads and trying to cause trouble by posting about disagreement in price, condition of items, usefulness of items, and so on, your posts will be deleted immedietly. Multiple instances of doing this will cause me to have your account banned.

No one is allowed to reply to a thread and discuss the price of an item for sale such that they make the item look worth less than it is. You may discuss price only if you are offering the person another amount for the item(s).

Making Threads

When posting a thread, make the subject as informative as possible. For example, instead of making the subject "FS: Hard Drive", use "FS: Western Digital 60GB 7200RPM". This will make browsing the forum much more effective since users will not have to click on every thread to see exactly what the item is.

Always get a picture of what you are selling or looking for. If you do not have a photo of the actual item you are selling, at least find a picture from the product's website. If you have trouble locating one, try using google's image search.

Please also take the time to find URLs that will give people detailed information on each of the items you are selling.

If you start a "tons of sh*t" type thread, make sure that you check it often, and keep it up to date. You should edit it every time you sell one of the items on the list, and note or remove items that have been sold.

It is important that you only enter communication with people who are posting in your thread. Since this is a public forum, those without registered accounts may be looking at your thread and e-mailing you without being a TribalWar member. It is not suggested that you do transactions with them.

Also, you should do a profile check on any TW member to get a vague idea if they are trustworthy. If someone has only been a member a week or two, you may choose not to deal with them due to their infant status on the forum.

Ebay Threads

Any items being sold through Ebay (or any auction website) are only allowed to be posted on this forum if they have a "Buy It Now" option. All other auction threads are not allowed on this forum. The basis of classifieds system is not to bid against others for item(s), but rather to know the exact price of them.

Any users who post auction threads will have their thread deleted. Repeat offenders will be banned.

Bumping Threads

Bumping your own threads is allowed, as long as you do not do it excessively (more than once every few days). If your thread has been up for a long time with no interest shown in it, do not bump it.

Transaction Process

After a transaction has been made in regard to a thread, the poster of the thread must close his thread. This is done by viewing the thread and looking in the very bottom left corner of the page. Choose Close thread and press Go. The thread will no longer be able to be replied to.

When a For Sale thread is posted, the seller must sell to the person who first replies to the thread stating they want to buy. If that sale falls through, the seller is to move on to the next person on the thread who wanted to buy the item(s). This person does not have priority unless they are the lowest bidder. So, if someone posts underneath them they will buy it for half as much, the seller can choose to go with that buyer instead. This rule enforces that you will not ignore someone's request to buy your items. If you want only your friends to buy it, only tell your friends about your sale privately and do not post here.

Here is a typical situation in which one user wishes to sell something on the forum, and the process which should be followed.

• User "Bob" is selling an XBOX and wants to receive cash for it. He posts a thread called "FS: XBOX with 4 games, 2 controllers." In the thread he describes the condition of the system, which games are included, how long he has owned the system, and how much he wants for it.
• Users looking for an XBOX will browse Bob's thread.
• If interested, they will reply to the thread. Buyers are to reply to the thread if they are insterested. They are NOT to contact the seller initially by E-mail, IRC, or other method. Their post may be their offer of how much they are willing to pay for it (if not the same as the original asking price), or they may ask Bob for more details on his XBOX.
• Bob browses his own thread frequently (or, preferably, Bob will check Email Notification in the options of his original post, so he is notified by e-mail whenever there is a reply) and answers all questions he has been asked. He ends up choosing user "Jim" who is willing to pay the amount Bob has asked for.
• Through either E-mail, Private Messages, or another form of communication, Bob and Jim exchange addresses.
• Jim sends Bob the money.
• Bob sends Jim the system.
• Bob deletes his original thread now that the transaction is complete and his XBOX is no longer for sale.

Member Feedback / Trusting Users (By Rooster!)

Most major FS/FT forums use some type of feedback system, similar to the EBAY feedback system. Far and away the most popular outside of EBAY being HEATWARE which is a site used by the traders of the Anandtech, Fatwallet, [H]ard OCP, and Arstechnica boards. It is completely free and provides quick and easy access to the culmulative ratings of traders across this and many other boards. For example, you can see my feedback rating Here, which lists all the transactions I've completed (that people have left feedback for anyway) outside of EBAY (in which feedbacks are restricted to EBAY transactions only). It will save you countless instances of pain and aggrevation due to bad, or shady (no pun intended) traders. Another HUGE resource for those who have been slighted by someone is The Trollhunters, A group of individuals that are quite helpful in tracking down bad traders as well as informing you of your legal rights in regards to resolving disputes because someone ripped you off. Also, in closing I would like to ask that newer members with no EBAY or Heatware feedback be willing to ship items FIRST to established traders that have proven reliability. Showing this common courtesy is the first step in providing a reputable name for yourself, and lessens the chance of someone being ripped off, and is an established practice of many of the aforementioned trading boards.

Remember: If a deal seems to be too good to be true, IT IS.
And ALWAYS check a users Heatware/EBAY email address, and make them reply via that to ensure that they are the real user of that feedback rating

I also reccomend that if you plan on trading here often, you do something similar to what I've done, and include feedback that you've attained in your sig.

Liability

By using this forum you acknowledge that TribalWar holds no responsibility for anything that results in your transactions with another user. This includes but is not limited to: Paying for an item and not receiving it, sending someone an item as a trade and not receiving anything back, and sending someone an item and not getting paid for it. This forum is provided only as a means for locating buyers and sellers.

UPDATED 21 May 2009

Concerning firearms...

Rayn said:

I'm willing to give this a chance as long as its done LEGALLY through FFL.

If we see any indications that under the table deals are going on, I'm compelled to go to law enforcement. I'm not anti-gun, but at the same time there is no incentive for me to allow this kind of unpopular thing which could eventually come back to bite me if misused.

No ammo, no gun parts, no other weapons please. Only through an FFL intermediary.

Trial period, if it gets too prevalent or problematic, we'll revisit the policy.

Click to expand...

If there's a way for either party to provide evidence for their use of FFL in the transfer of eligible firearms, that would be a smart thing to do. Post it in your thread. Cover your ass.

Rayn may choose to pull the plug on this at any time.

Recently, people have started creating new threads under the pretense that they're "testing the waters". We're not going to become the One-Stop Internet Blue Book for all your junk. If you have something you want to sell, and you're not sure of the value, ask in General Discussion first. Better yet, create a "For Sale" thread with an approximate value (what it's worth to you) and go from there. If you don't get the price you're looking for, you're still under no obligation to sell.

The point is: don't create threads to check value with the possibility of a sale. Instead, sell, with a definite goal in mind.

What we call "thread shitting" - posting links to online retailers offering a particular product lower than the Classifieds seller's initial price, or otherwise making a product appear to be worth less - has been an increasing problem lately. This post will serve to clarify the rules and establish a "posting etiquette" for FS threads.

Inappropriate:

WTF? $500? Retailer has it for $299!!!
http://www.threadshitters.com/lowlowprice.html

Click to expand...

Appropriate:

I'm seeing it much cheaper online. I'll offer you $285 shipped.

Click to expand...

And if there's any question where, exactly, you're seeing it cheaper, post the link.

You should only be posting in For Sale threads if you're actually interested in whatever is for sale. This isn't an invitation for everyone on the forum to stop by and let everyone else know that they found a particular item cheaper somewhere else. That's a quick way to get banned.

Hope this helps.

Concerning MMOG accounts and characters:

You may not trade, sell, or buy accounts, characters, items, or "currency" for "Massively Multiplayer Online Games", or MMOGs, on this forum unless the game in question specifically allows this practice.

The burden of proof is on you. You must provide a link to the official End User License Agreement (EULA) for that game, and quote the applicable text which specifically allows the sale or trade of accounts/characters/items/currency in your thread. Failure to do so will result in the immediate deletion of your thread without question. Continuous violation of this rule will result in a ban of your forum account.

I will not do the research for you.

Most games do not allow the sale or trade of accounts or game content, and specifically prohibit such transactions through their respective EULAs. In an effort to protect this forum and TribalWar.com from the potential of legal action, you are not permitted to sell or trade MMOG-related content here unless it is specifically allowed by the game's publisher.

A Note on PayPal Transaction Fees

http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/ua/policy_fees-outside

Sending Payments. It is free to send money to another user, regardless of the funding instrument used for the payment. If you use the Mass Pay feature, a fee of 2% of the payment amount with the following cap will be assessed on each payment:

Payment Currency - Payment Cap
USD - $1.00 USD
CAD - $1.25 CAD
EUR - €0.85 EUR
GBP - £0.60 GBP
JPY - ¥120 JPY
AUD - $1.25 AUD

Receiving Payments. Personal accounts are not charged any fees for receiving payments, but may not receive credit card payments without upgrading to a Business or Premier account. Business and Premier accounts will be charged under the new performance-based fee structure, and the fees will be based on the country associated with the account.

U.S. Premier and Business Account Fees. Regardless of the currency of the payment, the Standard Rate for domestic payments received by U.S.-based merchants will be 2.9%, while the Merchant Rate will be expanded to three tiers, 2.5%, 2.2%, and 1.9% depending on the seller’s monthly transaction volume and successful completion of a one-time application. A domestic payment is a payment where the buyer and seller reside in the same country. Merchant Rate qualifications and criteria are listed on the Merchant Rate page. The Standard Rate for cross-border transactions, regardless of currency, will be 3.9%, while the Merchant Rate tiers will be 3.5%, 3.2% and 2.9%. A cross-border payment is a payment where the buyer and seller reside in different countries. The fixed fee for both domestic and cross-border transactions will be $0.30 USD, $0.55 CAD, £0.20 GBP, €0.35 EUR, ¥40 JPY or $0.40 AUD (depending on the currency of the transaction). For more information about the U.S. volume-based fee structure, please see the new U.S. Fees.

Click to expand...

Summary: Transactions between Personal Verified Accounts are not assessed any fees. Users have the option to sign up as a U.S. Premier or Business user. Those individuals are charged a fee of 1.9% to 2.9% on all payments received.


http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/ua/policy_payments-outside

No Surcharges. Under Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express regulations and the laws of several states, including California, merchants may not charge a fee to the buyer for accepting credit card payments (often called a "surcharge"). You agree that you will not impose a surcharge or any other fee for accepting PayPal as payment. This restriction does not prevent you from imposing a handling fee in connection with the sale of goods or services, as long as the handling fee does not operate as a surcharge (in other words, the handling fee for transactions paid through PayPal may not be higher than the handling fee for transactions paid through other payment methods).

Click to expand...

Summary: As the seller, you accept responsibilities for all fees acrued due to payments received via major credit card. This is not only PayPal policy, it is the policy of the card issuers.

If you signed up for a Business account at PayPal, then that's on you. You will not apply your PayPal transactions fees to users of this board.

THREAD CONTROL:

Thread authors may close and reopen threads they create using the following steps:
1.) Open the thread from the forum list.
2.) Click Thread Tools at the top of the thread.
3.) Make sure that Close Thread is selected in the drop-down, and click Perform Action.
4.) You will receive a confirmation from the forum.

That's it. If you want to reopen for some reason, follow the steps again. Close Thread will be replaced with Open Thread automatically in the Thread Tools drop-down.

Recently there has been a rash of incidents - and when I say "rash", I mean 2 - of individuals choosing, for whatever reason, to ship items without any sort of package tracking. This has resulted in "lost packages", lost money, hurt feelings and tarnished reputations.

That is unacceptable.

We're going to lean forward on this before it becomes a real problem. From now on, I expect sellers to provide some sort of package tracking on everything they sell. There's really no excuse. Delivery Confirmation through the US Postal Service is only an additional 45 cents, and Signature Confirmation is a measly $1.80. I think you can afford that. It's certainly easier than dealing with PayPal dispute arbitration for a week over a $20 DVD -- yes, it has come down to that.

For anything over $100, I want you to consider using a commercial carrier: UPS, FedEx, or DHL... You choose. Shop around. This is for everyone's protection. I'm not going to make this mandatory (yet), and the $100 benchmark is just a number that I felt comfortable with. Use your best judgment. There are special cases and restrictions on commercial carriers, especially on international shipments, and we can leave room for those.

Regardless of all that, buyers and sellers need to exercise communication prior to any money changing hands. I expect all of you to know exactly when something will be shipped, who's delivering it, and how much the shipping will cost before you push that SEND MONEY button on PayPal. Then I expect the tracking info to be shared with the buyer within 24 hours of shipment. If there is a dispute down the road and you can come back to me with a tracking number and/or a delivery confirmation, I'll consider the matter closed in your favor. That's all there is to it.

You will not sell Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii consoles for profit on this forum.

SEE ALSO:

NOTICE: Auction threads (incl. Ebay) are banned from this forum!

NOTICE: GAME ACCOUNTS are BANNED from this forum!

These threads were "unstuck" to clear the clutter at the top of the forum. This does not mean the rules have been redacted. New users, please read and review as necessary. Thank you.