Ron A

REVISED 27 November 2008

THE BLACK MARKET RULES

The original spirit of the Black Market was to help members get rid of used car parts etc, it was never meant to become the mini craigslist it's turned into. Qualified members in good standing may sell anything they want to, as long as it conforms to the rules and spirit of the Black Market. We do not intend to restrict sales to used car parts only; that's how this forum started but it has evolved into its present format and we mainly needed to restrict the opportunists and freeloaders.

We have been inundated with people registering just for the sake of selling things. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does increase the amount of threads considerably which moves items to the back pages too quickly, and aso exposes our good and loyal members to additional risks.



A. Members may not post anything for sale or trade until they have been a registered member for sixty (60) days and have 30 acceptable posts.

Members may not start a new thread until they have been registered for 15 days and have at least 5 posts, but they may respond to other threads if they wish, and make purchases, and also post Want To Buy (WTB) threads, when eligible. Members are cautioned to not mention any items for sale or trade when posting in other threads.

…..1. Members are cautioned not to post just for the sake of getting your required number of posts. Posts considered unacceptable will either be deleted or will not be counted towards the minimum requirement.

…..2. Posts made in the Black Market Forum will not be counted towards the minimum requirement. If you registered for the sole purpose of selling things, you are not meeting the intent of this forum, which is to give our active members a forum for buying and trading. All of your posts will be scrutinized and the management will make the final decision on your eligibility to sell items here. Members may still post WTB (Want to buy) posts or threads, or buy items, without regard to eligibility.

…..3. The minimum post rule may be waived for members with at least 4 months membership.

B. BRAND NEW items may be posted for sale only if they were bought for your own use, or received as a gift, and only in a quantity reasonably required for your personal use. They may not be sold for more than retail price under any circumstances. A reason for selling, and where you got them from, must be provided for each BRAND NEW item posted for sale.

C. Selling things for friends or relatives (except members of your immediate family) is no longer allowed. If they want to sell their property, they can either register as members and wait the required time before posting, or go to craigslist or eBay.

D. Effective 8 September 2009, each member may only have two (2) open threads in the Black Market, plus one (1) open thread in the Members Cars for Sale Forum. For more information, see this thread.

Kennedy

iTrader: (2)

Thank god...
I was so tired od looking at that guy trying to sell his old crappy Tippman paintball gun for some ridiculous $500 or something.

I've never understood folks selling non Acura stuff on an Acura forum. That's what ebay is for.

.... fades back into crowd....

VoLLy

iTrader: (8)

i usually snoop around here for good deals, some of these rules may be closing some doors.

dreem1er

iTrader: (2)

A. should be used with more than just the BM....new members are just starting new threads without searching and in some cases its something new but in others broken record.......i say keep the 50 post min for the BM

B. what do you mean by high dollar amount......for the price regardless of what the item is.......or a for things that are just too over priced.......

C. what if that friends items happen to fit, or are from an acura.......


i have to agree with VoLLy_1llusioNz.......how about a time limit for items......and a min amount of time before they can be put up again for sale........

CleanCL

iTrader: (4)

my only question is do you have any plans for some more organization? some forums are TOO organized, but i think a simple break up of, For Sale and WTB would help smooth a few things out. i find it easier to move items if i stop over at the WTB areas and see if someone is looking for something i have. i guess this is more a suggest than anything else. but keep up the good work Ron, don't forget to sticky this, i applaud you for all the hard work, you basically are a one man show over here and things can get sticky.

astro

that is not what the BM is for. use kijiji, craigslist, ebay, or the super shopper if you're looking for deals.

Ron A

the original intent was to sell used car parts, what we do object to is people joining just to sell anything they want to sell knowing they don't have to pay any fees, and having no intention of supporting this forum or participating in it in any other way.

BigLizard

Hope you're not refering to me. This thread isn't meant for bashing.

Mods, what about making another section that is for Non-Acura items? I know, I know...Astro you've already said it yourself of going to other websites. But I've seen other forums where they have it set up for car parts only AND non-car parts and they seem to be pretty successful.

How come it's all of a sudden a big deal?

I honestly thought the BM was for selling what you don't need anymore.

You're not the only one. There are tons of people that come from other forums that sell stuff that are non-Acura related. People from other forums that sell stuff here are sometimes pretty successful at it too.

So does that mean the threads we've opened in the past that are non-Acura related will be closed besides the exceptions?

BigLizard

Ron you spoke to soon...sorry.

dro_15

RON....

maybe if others agree you can break up the black market into different catergories, such as...

1st,2nd,3rd Gen TL parts
1st, 2nd Gen CL
TSX parts
wheels/rims
WTB
MISC. items

Just a suggestions of catergories. It sucks to get excited about a part to find out it's not for your car.

dro_15

probably even combine a catergory for 2nd Gen TL/CL since you can pretty much interchange parts.

TOPHER33884

iTrader: (6)

unless Ron has a program to auto-sort all of the posts into the correct categories.......the idea is great, but could turn out to be more trouble than its worth for the MODS. Just my 2 cents

Kennedy

iTrader: (2)

Is the intent of this posting to solicit input or dictate policy? I'm also confused as Ron and Astroboy are slightly contradicting each other...:

If you're listening to the community, I agree with dro... except I would stipulate that everything in the misc. forum has to be "car related", aftermarket universal things like car stereo equipment and such. I certainly would appreciate a seperate generation community. How many times have I clicked on a link hoping it was for a 3rd gen, and alas, it was for a 2nd gen...

A car enthusiast forum is no place to sell your new Wii, your old paintball gun, or your previously viewed DVDs. That's what wiiforums, pbnation, and the local pawnshop is for.

My 2 cents, and that's all it's worth.

AMGala

iTrader: (4)

If that sort of categorizing were to happen, it wouldn't/shouldn't be Ron's responsibility to organize them. Whoever is posting the thread should do it in the correct section, otherwise it would be closed.

I Fear No Five O

+10000 I've seen this done on a bunch of other forums and it works really well with very minimal problems. For example, SVTperformance.com has been very successful with this...they got their stuff together. Check it out http://www.svtperformance.com/forums...splay.php?f=28 Just my .

Corrosion

Definately looks like something we could have.

But what about those items that fit anything?

i.e. LEDs, radios, etc.

I Fear No Five O

That would go under "Miscellaneous Items: Buy/Sell"

All Mine

Great improvments, Ron. I like the rules.

On this local forum I'm on, they have
-Vehicles for sale
-Vechicle parts
-Non vehicle related
-Want to Buy.

It's been that way for about 3-5 years, and has worked extremely well since day 1. Just a suggestion though.

astro

you make this statement, yet you question why we are taking the steps we have? i think it's all laid out in black & white right there.

astro

astro

Clarification has been added to this thread, the purpose of which is to dictate policy, we are not asking for member input, our decision has already been finalized.

SuperJ

I agree with comments from dro_15 and All Mine.

As a recent noobie, sometimes its difficult searching for items for sale, even though I use the "Search" function exclusively.

I belong to another vehicle forum and categories are working very well. Continuing with the recommedations:

Acura Cars for Sale
Acura Parts for Sale
Wheels/Tires for Sale
Wanted
Other Stuff for Sale (non-Acura related)

astro

I am confident that with these new rules in place, we will see a lot fewer threads cluttering up this forum. Within a month, it will be much easier to scan through the thread titles to find what you are looking for.

sunnyflava99

Mods I understand what you guys are trying to do. It sucks it has come to this though.

A few have ruined it for the many. I view this site daily, and I see the same guys listing brand new stuff. It makes sense to have some checks and balances in place.

However, I did like the fact you could buy non-acura items on here. It's just that after being a member for almost a year there is a certain level of trust. We're all Acura enthusiasts and thus we share a common bond, but, again there are those that exploit and abuse these privileges.

I think many of us can live with these new rules. Thanks for all your hard work.

johnny--2k

good stuff Ron.


Might want to sticky this thread though....it's already half way down the first page!

astro

studies find sticky threads are just ignored faster

EnvisionTL

I was wondering what would be considered high dollar value to be excluded? I've seen plenty of posts for used rims + tires for $1000+. Would that be considered an exemption? What about those people who bought items but never installed them but it is new and for an Acura? Also, is selling Honda parts that fits Acuras also an exemption? (ie: the ksport coilovers, or the front sway bar, etc.) I am sure you guys have a whole list of exemptions, why not post it and sticky it in the general rules? I apologize if these have already been previously addressed in another post or thread.

Maybe we can have a trial run of the category idea? Section it off in Off-Topic and Topic it as trial run. You can put up a disclaimer and say that if we don't like how it is going we can shut it down anytime.

astro

Coco-bun

props to our mod who keeps the black market free and clean.

Ron A

Members in good standing can still sell anything they want to sell, as long as it conforms to the rules and spirit of the Black Market. We do not intend to restrict sales to used car parts only; that's how this forum started but it has evolved into its present format and we mainly needed to restrict the opportunists and freeloaders.


As Astroboy said, and I have found through experience, most people never read the sticky threads. This is getting enough response at this time to keep it on the front page, and for a while I will bump it up, and as interest in it dies down, then I will probably make it a sticky.

The wording may be a little confusing but meant that BRAND NEW included wheels, electronics, and high dollar items. It does not apply to used items in reasonable quantites that are your own personal items.

This is a lot to digest all at once, and there will be a learning process as we both get used to the new rules, but for clarification, I will say again that used items of any description which can reasonably be expected to be your own personal items can still be sold here. If I see anything suspicious I will send a PM for information, but I won't be nit-picking.

BigLizard

I see, keep the people that aren't really into Acura, and ARE NOT an enthusiast will keep the BM clean. That does make more sense.

We want enthusiasts not freeloaders cluttering up bandwidth.

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Those with less than 69,000 posts should not be telling the powers that be how to run their site.

CJITTY

Ron, I think the rule changes are great It provides some added protection for all of us.

I do agree with member All Mine and we should categorize the items to make it easier to navigate. I assume it would be easier to administer also. Those categories that All Mine mentioned seem perfect

Ron A

I can appreciate your wanting the categories, but it isn't going to happen. They would have to be subforums, of course, meaning you have to open up more than one forum, and then the moving and editing would drive me crazier. Also, you will always get the people who want to sell vehicle parts and non vehicle parts and this would increase the number of threads.

Mainly it's the additional subforums, though, because I go through enough trying to watch 3G TL with its 5 subforums and one main forum, and that's a very slow forum compared to the Black Market.

I try and make sure the thread title tells enough of a story so you can make some kind of identification before opening the thread, and edit many thread titles so they better tell what's going on, and that's enough extra work for me.

rshanahan

Ok, I think this might be an ok post for the BM but I'll ask 1st. I got rid of my 626 loaded with audio equipment that will not fit into a TL but may be of use to owners of previous G's of Acuras that have standard DIN openings or for those who want to load up their trunks with amps. These are not NEW electronics items. OK to post??

Rick

CJITTY

Thanks for the response Ron! At the end of the day, it's you that has to manage all of this madness and probably know best how to go about it.

I think this would be a good time to remind everyone, especially noobs, to utilize the search function if they want to find/buy something specific. I typed in "Zenetti Five" and found my wheels right on our black market and bought them, so I know it works and I didn't have to sort through a ton of pages to find it.

The SEARCH TOOL is a very powerful resource for us, lets make sure we all use it! At least it may cut down on WTB posts!

JCharged

iTrader: (5)

I'm all for cleaning up the threads and highly respect the mods for doing this. I would also like to make a suggestion to help things flow more easier for buyers, sellers, or traders. How about creating a template for what you are selling, what you are looking to buy, or what you are trading for?

Here's an Example:

Item(s) Description:
Location of Seller/Trader:
Condition item is in:
Price of Item(s) (including OBOs and/or shipping costs) or Willing to trade for:
Pictures of Item(s):
Additional and/or Contact information:

Let me know what you guys think. Just want to help the community out.

05tlvietboi

i still can't PM people, because the other day you told me i could after 24hours of being a member

Ron A

Some of that is in the Black Market rules already, but that's a lot of reading so it would be helpful if you could get people to read and follow it in this condensed form.

The old guys know that, and there's no way to get the noobs to look for it or read it, so it's kind of a lost cause.

But if there was a way to do this, it would help a lot.

Ron A

It's ok to post. Don't forget to follow the template. And the rules.