Forum Posting Rules - Index

General Fiesta and car related topics.

Forum Posting Rules - Index

Postby andymac on Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:48 pm

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General Guidelines

Postby andymac on Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:50 pm

General Guidelines

These aren’t rules, they won’t result in bans (though they may result in warnings, which may ultimately result in a ban).

Keep on topic - Or try to, at least. Everyone appreciates a bit of banter but repeated attempts at derailment only serve to create bad feeling among forum users.

Post in the correct forum - Consider what you want from the post and where it realistically belongs. If you repeatedly post in the wrong forum you’ll receive warnings for that and ultimately a temporary ban if you persist.

Don’t cross post - Posting the same message in multiple forums is spamming, you’ll receive a warning at the very least if you do this.

Don’t post offensive messages - Offensive, inflammatory, discriminatory or libellous posts may result in a perma-ban.

Don’t thread hi-jack - or at least apologise if you’ve done so! We’ve all been guilty of that at some point and it’s fairly common in the technical and gallery forums.

Use the search facility - Often questions have been asked before; it’s always worth doing a bit of research before asking a question and you may just find a better answer that way.

Read the FAQs - Really do this, some forums have particular sets of rules that aren’t covered here.

Do not bump - This only really applies to the trading forums, but bumping your own threads IS irritating for other forum users.

Do not troll / fish - Just google “trolling” to see what we mean here.

Don’t feed the trolls - Really, please don’t!
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General Buying & Selling Guidelines

Postby andymac on Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:51 pm

General Buying & Selling Guidelines

A lot of buying and selling through forums is about common sense. There are rules, but they are simple to follow and ultimately, for everyones benefit.

Important things to bear in mind though :
  • Never agree to a sale or purchase through PM. Aside from annoying people who may be posting on a "for sale" thread, IP addresses are not logged in the PM system, making it difficult to impossible to trace the person buying / selling.
  • Always get a postal address up front. Verify this if at all possible. If someone wants to pay by PayPal then that’s great as they’ll have a verified address on file. If not then query it, genuine people generally aren’t offended by these questions.
  • If selling, make sure you have the money FIRST. Don’t rely on a promise of funds, ensure it’s there, in the account first. If they’re paying by cheque then bank it and wait for it to clear.
  • Don’t post on peoples for sale threads without good reason. If someone wants to sell rubbing strips for £150 then that’s their bag - you shouldn’t post in their thread, this constitutes trolling and will be treated as such.

If you have any queries regarding the content of this posting, please PM a member of the moderation team for clarification - don't start a thread in General about it.
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Selling through the forums - Not For Profit

Postby andymac on Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:07 pm

Selling through the forums - Not For Profit

As per the forums posting guidelines, ensure that you use the trading forums appropriately by posting your adverts or requests in the correct forum,

Bear in mind there are certain things you can’t sell through the forums. This includes ANYTHING that’s subject to copyright, including autodata discs, music or films unless it’s original product. If you’re selling items of this nature then you MUST POST IMAGES OF THE ACTUAL ITEMS or your thread will be deleted and a warning issued. Stealing a photo from ebay or google image search is a sure-fire way of getting perma-banned - we will check them and if it looks suspect then your thread will be pulled. Remember that the forum admin can he held responsible for the content of the forums in certain contexts and trying to flog pirate or counterfeit items is likely to land him in hot water.

You MUST POST A PRICE along with the item for sale. Any “offers” threads will be deleted and a warning issued. Remember, the forums are not an auction house, please don’t start open bidding threads on here. Instead, start an Ebay (or similar) auction and link to it. You can say you’re open to offers but they must be made through Ebay.

There are guidelines for buyers as well as sellers. Where a prospective purchaser registers by PM alone (or leaves it a long time between PMing and posting publicly) bear in mind that if they win the item then this may be seen as being "unfair" by other interested parties. This is always a subjective matter but it is suggested (though not the rule) that people registering interest publicly are doing so in order to follow forum guidelines (see below) and that should deserve a degree of consideration and respect on the part of the seller. It's up to you what you do in that situation but remember that karma's a Bic™.

Don’t start “What’s this [insert item here] worth?” threads, as an effort to advertise your sale through the general forums in this way will result in the thread being deleted and a warning or ban issued.

If you are a trader and are regularly selling to make a profit then you should register as a trader with the forums. This gets you a custom status and prospective purchasers are likely to take more notice of your sales. If you’re apparently a trader (this doesn’t mean you’re a business, but if you, for example, regularly break cars for profit) then you should register as a trader. It’s only £10 as a starter so really won’t break the bank.

If your item is sold then update your thread.

If your purchaser pays by PalPal then ensure that the delivery address is correct and that if at all possible, they have a credit card on file. Items sold through forums such as this are often not eligible for seller protection under PayPal rules. Once you have received fund, click on My Account -> History then “details” at the side of the transaction to see if you are eligible for seller protection or not.

You should dispatch your goods in a timely manner and advertise the type of delivery service available as part of the advert - ideally this will be using a tracked delivery service such as a courier or royal mail recorded. It is in your own interest to refuse to send goods by regular mail, even at the request of the buyer. If the buyer is insistent that you send by regular mail then it may be wise to be suspicious.

While it’s not the role of the moderation team to adjudicate disputes between buyers and sellers, we will attempt to aid both buyers and sellers where there is a dispute by trying to ascertain what the facts of the matter are and ask for an explanation from the relevant party and if at all possible, to expedite a resolution.

Following on from the previous point, if the moderation team feel they have received a significant number of complaints about a given seller then, trader or not, they will temporarily ban the seller from posting on the forum until such time as they provide adequate explanation for their behaviour.

No bumping. It’s annoying and unnecessary. If you bump your thread expect a warning and your thread to be deleted. If you keep doing it then your account will be suspended. Bumping a topic by posting a new, lower price is acceptable.

If you are selling a car and then subsequently decide to break it instead, please update your original thread and PM one of the moderation team to have to topic moved to "Parts for Sale".
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Selling though the forums - Multi-Posting

Postby andymac on Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:11 pm

Selling though the forums - Multi-Posting

If you are selling several small or linked items (e.g. are having a garage / loft clearout or are breaking a vehicle) then please keep all the items for sale in a single thread (remember, you can go back and edit your first post as many times as you need to). Don't start cluttering up the forum with lots of threads, it makes it hard to follow and pushes other peoples threads onto the second page. While that may not sound too bad, it's going to cause people to bump their threads (and consequently warnings issued) if the forum gets busy.

If you're selling high value items (e.g., refurbished box with quaife LSD, ECU with loom) then by all means create separate threads; just try to be sensible. If discussion among mods suggests that you've created too many threads for a single lot then we may merge your threads or the contents of the threads into a more manageable lump. Bear in mind that if you do this, peoples replies will bump up your thread too...!

Here's a good example of a thread advertising multiple items and is the sort of thing we are aiming for.
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Buying through the forums

Postby andymac on Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:14 pm

Buying through the forums

Register your interest by posting on the original thread, not by PM. This at least guarantees interest on a “first come, first served” basis. It also means that, if something goes wrong, the moderation team (and seller) have at least some tracking information. If it’s an “ONO” sale then post your offer too, there’s no shame in trying to blag it. If you make an offer by PM alone then that might be seen as "underhand" or "unfair" - bear in mind your reputation may (will!) suffer as a result.

Your method of payment is up to you, but it’s generally accepted that cash-on-collect or PayPal are the most secure methods of payment. Of course, if paying in person then you get the opportunity to check the goods are as described.

Do not respond to “Offers” threads by PM or by posting on the thread. Please report the thread to the moderation team instead.

Do not make offers where a price is clearly stated and offers not invited (unless a part exchange is available). These posts may be deleted if inappropriate and a warning issued.

You should pay in a timely manner. Up to three working days is considered acceptable. If you pay by cheque be aware that the clearing time for cheques is up to five working days and that your seller may not dispatch the goods until your cheque has cleared. This means, if you take your time about sending payment, you couldwait for up to a fortnight before you receive your goods.

Don’t pay by gifting through PayPal. You won’t get buyer protection, which means you're effectively giving your money away. You have been warned.

If goods are received and are not as described, or simply don’t arrive at all then your first recourse is to the seller. Ask them for proof of postage and failing that, your money back. Remember though, that the Royal Mail is not infallible and even first class post can take a few days to arrive. If you don’t have any joy from the seller or courier, then please contact a member of the moderation team to look into the issue. If you have used an escrow such as PayPal and are confident that all avenues to resolution are exhausted then you should contact them to start trying to get your money back. Remember there’s little point in arguing someone over the Internet, it’s like slapping yourself in the face; take a deep breath, send the messages and wait for a response. As mentioned further up this post, the moderation team are not in a position to adjudicate over whether or not someone is in the wrong or has mis-sold an item. All we can and will do is freeze the for sale threads as evidence for the buyer and request that the seller sort out the issues promptly.
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Items Wanted

Postby andymac on Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:15 pm

Items Wanted

In principle :

  • You should not request information or links to illegally hosted or shared materials. This means music, videos, films, autodata etc. Warnings and a ban are sure to follow.
  • Use the forum for its intended purpose. Do not use it to link to items you have for sale.
  • Don't bump your threads. It annoys everyone and will get your thread locked or deleted. Repeated incidents of annoying behaviour may result in temporary bans.
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Trading on FT - Businesses & For Profit

Postby andymac on Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:23 pm

Trading on FT - Businesses & For Profit

You need to open a trader account with the forum, this can be done on an ongoing basis or as a trial / one-shot classified advert . This is not negotiable, trading for profit (or apparently trading for profit) will result in a warning then account suspension.

For more details on how to sign up, please click here
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Current Moderator List

Postby andymac on Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:23 pm

Current Moderator List

The up-to-date moderator list can be found here.

Bear in mind that everyone has a day job, though the most active moderators are (in no particular order).

Andymac, jayrs, Rhinopower & ~nomad~

Occasionally you may see our guest mod (The Stig) online; he doesn't say very much but he's a dead shot with a banhammer, so please try to avoid upsetting him.
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Warnings & Bans

Postby andymac on Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:42 pm

Have I been Banned ?

Normally, the answer to this is pretty obvious. If you've received warnings for something that's in contravention of the board guidelines and then done whatever it was again then you've most likely been banned.

If you've done something really stupid (posted pawn, used racist language, ripped people off) you're likely to be perma-banned. Remember at all times that the forums are not a democracy but more of a totalitarian régime.

A reason is always given for banning and should be present on the screen when attempting to log in.

If (somehow) you're not certain...

The simplest way to check is to see if you can log in. If your username and password seem to be suddenly incorrect then you may have been banned, there again someone may have guessed and changed your password - this DOES happen.

Email a mod or the site admin to find out if you have been banned and why. In certain circumstances the mods will not lift the ban and you will be told to explain why you did whatever you did to the site admin if you want your account reactivating; there are several regularly active mods and banning is rarely done by one person acting alone, normally some form of discussion takes place first while the options are weighed up. Occasionally discussion will turn up new information that will warrant the reinstatement of an account, when this happens the moderators will reactivate the account and PM you regarding the situation.

What are warnings

If you have to ask this, well...

If you break forum posting rules or guidelines then you may be issued with a warning (sometimes called an infraction). This goes into a database that the moderators can view when making decisions regarding post editing / deletion or banning of disruptive members. A warning is NOT a ban and is not shown anywhere except in the moderation management pages - unless you post in General asking "why have I received a warning" no-one will ever know. :lol: Occasionally warnings will be issued for informational purposes (really as a nudge for newer members or members without any prior "form") - it's noted that this is the case in the warning itself so you shouldn't read much into it unless you receive them regularly, in which case get ready for a little posting holiday :wink:

You really should read the posting guidelines if you intend to be a regular board user, stick by them and you'll never get a warning (only a tiny number of people receive warnings in a year, probably in the region of 20).
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