EVERYONE PLEASE READ ***DFO Marketplace classifieds*** rules and guidelines from the staff

[lossforgain]

Hello Drumforum,
This is a newly updated thread with the latest rules and guidelines for use of the classifieds. Several people have asked for this update recently, so hopefully this thread will clear up any confusion. Please review these and familiarize yourself so we can continue to have the great buying/selling experience that we all appreciate here on DFO. First you will see a list of current things to know, followed by quotes from present and former DFO staff to elaborate on where these ideas have come from.

**********************************************************************************

The DFO "Marketplace" is the area of Drumforum set aside for buying, selling, and trading of gear.

1. Any active member in good standing may list items for sale or trade in any of the FOR SALE or SWAP sections after the member has reached a minimum post count of 50. (This rule took effect on 3/24/2021.) Any active member (regardless of post count) may post a thread in the Wanted section, please no selling items in that section.
2. Please post your sale thread in the appropriate section: Drums for sale, Cymbals for sale, or Everything Else for sale.
   • No sales or transactions are allowed outside of the Marketplace, so please don't mention your items for sale in other areas. If you see someone posting about something and you want to buy from them or sell to them, use a private message.
   • Non-music-related items are not allowed for sale in any section of Drumforum.
   • Retail Row is ONLY for the use of retailers and their agents, and they must comply with all stated requirements in order to list items on Drumforum.
3. If you have multiple types of items for sale (i.e., drums AND cymbals), please make separate threads in the correct sections for your items. You may either list items individually or as a group within the sections. For example, if you have 3 snare drums for sale you may choose to post them all for sale in one thread OR in 3 separate threads. Please, no double-posting.
4. If you have an item up FOR SALE OR TRADE, list the item in FOR SALE first, and include any trade information. Then you may create a new thread in the Swap Shop trading area with a link back to the original for sale thread. This cuts down on duplicate threads and makes it easier for you to manage.
5. When posting a for sale ad, please include your asking price as a courtesy to your potential buyers. If you are linking to a Reverb or eBay ad, please also include a price for Drumforum members. Tip: Many sellers give a break to buyers on DFO (since there are no fees to sell here), but it is not required.
6. DFO staff is available to help you attempt to resolve difficulties with a buyer or seller, but Drumforum is a listing place only and is not responsible for the actions of individual buyers and sellers. Drumforum cannot be held financially responsible for transactions involving its members, and by using this forum you agree not to hold the organization or its owners/operators responsible for any loss or damages you may incur.
7. Please do not ask for a PayPal "friends and family" payment (or other fee-free service like Zelle, Venmo, Cashapp, etc.) to avoid fees. This violates PayPal's/other service’s terms of use and removes buyer protection. Any ad that asks for this type of payment will be removed.
8. The Marketplace is for selling your own gear, or in some cases gear that you are facilitating for another person. This is not the place to post about the deal at your local shop or online. We have deal alert threads for that purpose in both the General and Vintage sections.
9. If you would like to post in your sale thread as a "BUMP" to bring it to the top of the listings, please do this no more than once per day. Tip: People probably won't appreciate if you do this every day, so it's best to wait until your post is nearing the end of the first page of listings or has moved off of the first page.
10. When your item is sold, add "SOLD" to your THREAD TITLE so that the staff can move this inactive thread out of the active sale listings. If you only mention the item is sold within the body of the thread, we will often miss it.

If you have any questions about where your thread belongs, how to list, etc., please feel free to message one or more of the moderators and we will gladly help you.

 

[lossforgain]

Hello all, as a person who buys and sells a lot on the internet, I would just like to share some points to make a transaction as smooth as possible.

Sellers....describe the good and the not so good as accurately as possible and encourage questions from buyers and when you have a sale pending, best is to give the buyer a phone number or email as aback up to contact you, our pm service is not bullet proof. And make sure you pack it right, double box if need be. And make sure it is insured.

Buyers, ask questions before you send money, not while it is in transit. use paypal, and send payment pronto, sellers shouldn't have to remind you etc.

AND if there is ever a question, hiccup or a problem with a transaction......CONTACT ME....either buyer or seller, I will dive right into the situation to help get it resolved.

Now that being said, won't ever apply to about 99% of the transactions here because we are all drum guys and a few gals.

So thanks for reading, Ben

Just a heads up, we now ask members to have at least 50 posts before listing an item for sale. The site wont let an item be listed otherwise.
We feel this is fair as it means more of becoming a part of the community, rather than someone jumping in and selling gear.
Thanks, Ben and the DFO team.

 

[lossforgain]

Hi, it has come to our (the mods) attention that some sellers request the paypal"gift" option when purchasing an item.

We highly frown on and do not approve this. It is not right and the buyer has no protection, in the rare event it might be needed.

In fact, going forward if we see that in an ad, the ad will be pulled.

One simple solution is to simply split the fee, and all is good. Plus it is free to sell here.

Thanks, Ben and the DFO team.

Right on! This is the right call.

Pro tip: to sellers....even better than just requesting money is to create an INVOICE.
https://www.paypal.com/invoice/create

Invoices provide seller protection and the buyers receive their normal protection as well. There are also some very nice organizational features which are helpful.

...there are plenty of ways to get around rules, and no one here can control what you do. If you post a drum for sale and then demand PP gift payment when someone sends you a PM, the mods won’t know and you can take in the extra 3% if it’s that important to you. But is it really worth all that?

When I’m a buyer and the seller asks for a gift payment, I simply make my purchase contingent on the seller accepting a regular goods payment from me AND I add the 3% to what I send. That pretty quickly weeds out anyone doing shady business because I am willing to pay the few bucks for the protection offered by the payment system. If someone simply won’t accept a regular goods payment even after I offer to pay the fee, it’s a major red flag.

 

[lossforgain]

Allow me to add:

When posting a for sale ad, please include your asking price as a courtesy to your potential buyers. "Make an offer" sends the wrong message; either you want too much or will take next to nothing. Likely you will get a lot of lowball offers, and people who might otherwise be interested will just pass you by because they don't want to play the bidding game. Set your price! If it's low, you'll sell quick and be happy. If it's fair, you'll sell in a reasonable period of time. If it's high, you won't sell and the market will have spoken about the value of your gear.

EDIT 3/24/21: There is now a 50-post-count minimum before a member is allowed to post in the for sale sections, up from the previous rule of 5.

This site is NOT a free-classifieds-for-anyone site, our sale section is for the benefit of our community members. These active members have complained in the past about the proliferation of what are essentially spam listings from people who are not connected here and are hard or impossible to reach, and aren't known to the community.

I recently had this discussion with someone who felt entitled to make 5 one-word posts and then grace us with his overpriced all-in-one package sale ad with no details regarding payment or shipping. When I asked him to continue contributing to other threads because our sale section is for active members, he decided I must just be on a power trip and how dare I deprive the members here of the opportunity to buy his gear???

Needless to say, he is no longer here.

If you want to be a part of this community, we want you here and we want your input. If you are just looking to sell gear, please use Facebook/Craigslist/other free avenues available to you.

Thanks!

 

[lossforgain]

Hello we have had quite a few requests for a Sold section it is now up, with recent sales.

Sellers all you need to do is mark the item sold in the header and we will move it to the Sold section.
pretty much what you would do now.

I think this will be a plus for a couple of reasons.

1) all items in the for sale section…will be for sale.

2) It gives people an idea of what sells.

So, hope you like it.

Ben and the DFO gang.

As most of you know, a couple years ago we initiated a "SOLD" section to be able to move such items out of the For Sale. This was done to keep the For Sale categories fresh and to also have a Sold area to retain items for references. Each day we run reports to show sold items that need to be moved. This report searches the TOPIC TITLE and looks for the word SOLD. When your item sells, we need you to modify the Title and add the word Sold. Many of you already do this and we thank you. However, many are not doing this. Awhile back, forum member Dexplosion took the time to make a post showing how to do this. I am going to include it for you to review. If you have any questions on how to do this, please PM me or any of the DFO Team for assistance. We are here to help. Our For Sale sections are FREE. But we need your help to keep them current.

FIRST-please do THIS: There are many items that have sold that have not had the title field modified to reflect this. Please go into the Advanced Search area to see what YOU have listed. This is the button at the top right of your screens. It is to the left of the blue color button. Click on it. Make sure that Forums is checked. Go down to the field for "Find Author". Input your member name there. Go down to "Find in Forum". Select Drums For Sale. Then click on "Search now". You can can then review what you have listed and modify as needed. Since we now have three For Sale sections, you can actually hold the control button and click all three to have the search look at each category.

This may sound complicated, but it is not. Again, please don't hesitate to ask for help. I hope to see many new items marked sold so that they can be moved. Thank you and Happy Selling!

P.S. Don't forget to check the Swap Shop as well.

 

[PhillipAycockOfficial]

How does one find out how many posts they have towards the 50 count?

 

[Hop]

How does one find out how many posts they have towards the 50 count?

Some user date including Message Count is posted at the left side of every post a user makes... see attached image.

 

[PhillipAycockOfficial]

Some user date including Message Count is posted at the left side of every post a user makes... see attached image.

View attachment 492812

I have 51 posts now and still cannot post in buying/selling wth

 

[Hop]

You may have to wait until the forum software scrapes the data and updates the tables to give you permissions.

 

[Piggpenn]

Acknowledged.

 

[lossforgain]

Note to buyers (or anyone other than the seller of a particular item):

Do not offer comments about someone’s price being too high (or questioning/suggesting that a price is too high) within someone’s selling thread. This is not only bad etiquette, it may effectively kill potential sales. Your opinion of what is too high may be different than others.

If you have a strong feeling that a price is too high and wish to discuss it, or if you are legitimately trying to help the seller, use a private message and engage with the seller directly.

 

[JazzDoc]

How do you "BUMP" a For Sale item?

 

[Squirrel Man]

How do you "BUMP" a For Sale item?

"Bump"

 

[lossforgain]

How do you "BUMP" a For Sale item?

@Squirrel Man is correct, just post a reply to your thread and it will bump to the top of the section.

 

[Anthony84]

Hello Drumforum,
This is a newly updated thread with the latest rules and guidelines for use of the classifieds. Several people have asked for this update recently, so hopefully this thread will clear up any confusion. Please review these and familiarize yourself so we can continue to have the great buying/selling experience that we all appreciate here on DFO. First you will see a list of current things to know, followed by quotes from present and former DFO staff to elaborate on where these ideas have come from.

**********************************************************************************

The DFO "Marketplace" is the area of Drumforum set aside for buying, selling, and trading of gear.

1. Any active member in good standing may list items for sale or trade in any of the FOR SALE or SWAP sections after the member has reached a minimum post count of 50. (This rule took effect on 3/24/2021.) Any active member (regardless of post count) may post a thread in the Wanted section, please no selling items in that section.
2. Please post your sale thread in the appropriate section: Drums for sale, Cymbals for sale, or Everything Else for sale.
   • No sales or transactions are allowed outside of the Marketplace, so please don't mention your items for sale in other areas. If you see someone posting about something and you want to buy from them or sell to them, use a private message.
   • Non-music-related items are not allowed for sale in any section of Drumforum.
   • Retail Row is ONLY for the use of retailers and their agents, and they must comply with all stated requirements in order to list items on Drumforum.
3. If you have multiple types of items for sale (i.e., drums AND cymbals), please make separate threads in the correct sections for your items. You may either list items individually or as a group within the sections. For example, if you have 3 snare drums for sale you may choose to post them all for sale in one thread OR in 3 separate threads. Please, no double-posting.
4. If you have an item up FOR SALE OR TRADE, list the item in FOR SALE first, and include any trade information. Then you may create a new thread in the Swap Shop trading area with a link back to the original for sale thread. This cuts down on duplicate threads and makes it easier for you to manage.
5. When posting a for sale ad, please include your asking price as a courtesy to your potential buyers. If you are linking to a Reverb or eBay ad, please also include a price for Drumforum members. Tip: Many sellers give a break to buyers on DFO (since there are no fees to sell here), but it is not required.
6. DFO staff is available to help you attempt to resolve difficulties with a buyer or seller, but Drumforum is a listing place only and is not responsible for the actions of individual buyers and sellers. Drumforum cannot be held financially responsible for transactions involving its members, and by using this forum you agree not to hold the organization or its owners/operators responsible for any loss or damages you may incur.
7. Please do not ask for a PayPal "friends and family" payment to avoid PayPal fees. This violates PayPal's terms of use and removes buyer protection. Any ad that asks for this type of payment will be removed.
8. The Marketplace is for selling your own gear, or in some cases gear that you are facilitating for another person. This is not the place to post about the deal at your local shop or online. We have deal alert threads for that purpose in both the General and Vintage sections.
9. If you would like to post in your sale thread as a "BUMP" to bring it to the top of the listings, please do this no more than once per day. Tip: People probably won't appreciate if you do this every day, so it's best to wait until your post is nearing the end of the first page of listings or has moved off of the first page.
10. When your item is sold, add "SOLD" to your THREAD TITLE so that the staff can move this inactive thread out of the active sale listings. If you only mention the item is sold within the body of the thread, we will often miss it.

If you have any questions about where your thread belongs, how to list, etc., please feel free to message one or more of the moderators and we will gladly help you.

I was trying to figure out why I couldn’t post something for sale. 50 posts are required before you can sell anything.

 

[lossforgain]

I was trying to figure out why I couldn’t post something for sale. 50 posts are required before you can sell anything.

You got it! Thanks.

 

[lossforgain]

Update regarding the 50 post minimum, in response to a couple of inquiries from new members:

Our classifieds are free for the use of ACTIVE members. Using this part of the forum is a privilege, and should be treated as such.

1. No, we won't make an exception to the post count rule for you, even if you have a super incredible item to sell.
2. Making 50 one-word or otherwise worthless posts to hit the minimum won't make you any friends, and your posts will probably get deleted.
3. ACTIVE members are people who want to be part of this community and contribute to what happens here. Getting involved in conversations will not only get you to the point of being able to post things for sale, it will help people get to know you and feel more comfortable buying from you.

 

[espotj]

Hello, is there a maximum number of pic's a "for sale" ad allows you to post?

 

[lossforgain]

Hello, is there a maximum number of pic's a "for sale" ad allows you to post?

I'm not sure, as I've never tried for a maximum. Pretty sure I've posted 10-12 at a shot, but it probably depends how big the files are too.

 

[lossforgain]

REMINDER!

Note to buyers (or anyone other than the seller of a particular item):

Do not offer comments about someone’s price being too high (or questioning/suggesting that a price is too high) within someone’s selling thread. This is not only bad etiquette, it may effectively kill potential sales. Your opinion of what is too high may be different than others.

If you have a strong feeling that a price is too high and wish to discuss it, or if you are legitimately trying to help the seller, use a private message and engage with the seller directly.