Let's Talk about Posting E-Bay Auctions.

[judiaci]

It seems like a lot of us here like AG and e-Bay. We post a lot of links to auctions. Some members here get really, really mad when the auction that they are hoping to get a good deal on gets posted here. The price then tends to sky rocket. [img]graemlins/grrr.gif[/img]

Of course, people here who are selling like to post their auctions here because the price tends to sky rocket. [img]wink.gif[/img]

Several people have cheap dolls fix her up dolls on their wishlists. Please, don't post links to this types of auctions. Use the PM function to communicate these type of auctions to each other. After all, we want our members here to get the best deals and not necessarily the lurkers. [img]wink.gif[/img]

E-Bay Rules:
You may post links to ebay auctions if:
You want others to know about a possible good deal or if you know that someone on the board is looking for a specific item (subject to the restrictions below), if others might be interested in the item, or if it is something especially noteworthy. You may also post about your own auctions, but they must be American Girl related. Any completed auctions may also be posted.

You may not post links to ebay auctions if:
It is already obvious that there is a mistake in the item description or picture and everyone knows it, or if the sole reason for posting the auction is to remark on a high price. These situations lead easily to making fun of sellers and bidders, complaining, and allegations of fraud. Additionally, you may not post links to auctions of any retired AG items that appear in anyone's "ebay wishlists," which you can find in a sticky thread at the top of the board. This goes for Buy It Now (BIN) auctions as well as regular auctions. If you see an auction for an item on someone's "ebay wishlist," send a private message to the person who are interested in that item. If you are not sure whether posting about an auction is OK, contact a moderator first and ask. If you have an "ebay wishlist" in the sticky thread, be sure to update it promptly if you manage to obtain anything on your list.

If you have a question on an auction:
You may post a message saying, "I am looking at a certain auction and there is something I have a question about [then describe the issue]. Anyone willing to help me answer the question, please send me a private message." This rule is instituted to prevent any seller's reputation from being questioned publicly in case there is nothing actually wrong with the item, and to prevent items on people's "ebay wishlists" from being linked to the board, as it leads to skyrocketing auction prices.

Do not mention specific sellers or bidders in any way except for praise. Do not use the board to accuse sellers of anything, because mistakes can be made and misunderstandings can take place. A bidder/seller's ebay feedback and rating should speak for iteself.

Additionally, if you ask people on the board to help you identify a fake or an untrue statement in an auction description (remember, you cannot post a link to the auction), and the consensus turns out that the item probably is fake or some untrue statement has been made about it, it is against ebay rules to contact any of the bidders on the auction and warn them away from the item.

<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ February 13, 2006 03:52 PM: Message edited by: judiaci ]</font>

[moderator]

I'm confused by the eBay rules . . . and I don't even use eBay! [img]wink.gif[/img]

For example, you said, "Some members here get really, really mad when the auction that they are hoping to get a good deal on gets posted here." Yet the rules say "You may post links to ebay auctions if: You want others to know about a possible good deal." These two seem to cancel one another out.

Would it be easier if we didn't mention eBay? I know that's probably not a popular option, but the eBay topics often seem to either ultimately break the rules or are known to potentially make others (members or not) upset for various reasons.

[judiaci]

Originally posted by Melissa:
I'm confused by the eBay rules . . . and I don't even use eBay! [img]wink.gif[/img]

For example, you said, "Some members here get really, really mad when the auction that they are hoping to get a good deal on gets posted here." Yet the rules say "You may post links to ebay auctions if: You want others to know about a possible good deal." These two seem to cancel one another out.

Would it be easier if we didn't mention eBay? I know that's probably not a popular option, but the eBay topics often seem to either ultimately break the rules or are known to potentially make others (members or not) upset for various reasons.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That is exactly why I posted the [img]graemlins/cry.gif[/img] graemlin when I brought up this "delicate" topic. The main rule is if it is on someone's wishlist, don't post a link to the auction. PM the person.

Since cheap dolls are on many wishlists, don't post the links to those type of auctions. Either look at the wishlists and PM the person or post about it without a link, and ask anyone who is interested to PM you for the link.

If there is a good AG deal on e-Bay and it is NOT on anyone's wishlist, you are free to post the link.

[cami713]

I just posted in the one thread, and I really second the idea of not mentioning ebay nearly as much on here. As a VERY infrequent ebay user, there seem to be an awful lot of posts here about ebay to sift over. However, it doesn't hurt me in the least bit to do that, and I will continue to, but I do think that for the newer members who may not have read the rules, seeing so many ebay topics might lead them to thinking that any ebay topics are acceptable.

I do think if there are fakes, it would be nice for someone to post about it, and PM people the sellers ID's.

I think the bit about the wish lists is a bit silly. Who really has everyone's wish lists memorized? And if you see a REALLY good deal, it could be gone before you even finish looking through the wish list to see if anyone has it on there's.

[judiaci]

Originally posted by cami713:


I think the bit about the wish lists is a bit silly. Who really has everyone's wish lists memorized? And if you see a REALLY good deal, it could be gone before you even finish looking through the wish list to see if anyone has it on there's.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Again, that is the reason for the [img]graemlins/cry.gif[/img] . This has always been sort of a ticklish topic here. For frequent posters and those who know each other, they have a pretty good idea of what is on people's wishlists. Newbies are not going to know about this. That is why I am bringing it up. [img]graemlins/cry.gif[/img]

If in doubt, don't post a link. Just post a general thread like "Great buy it now on retired Felicity item" Then, anyone interested can PM for the link. This will hopefully not give lurkers a great shot at a great deal. I know this is not full proof. If anyone has a better idea, post about it here.

As far as fakes go, we have been threatened with legal trouble for posting about fakes without actual proof. So, feel free to post about it without using a seller's name or E-Bay ID. Also, feel free to use the PM function for this.

[LordofthePumpkinPatch]

Is it still okay to post an item after you won it & want it to tell everyone about it?

What do you mean theratened with legal trouble???

[Ds9jullian]

But am I allowed to post a link to my auctions for items that I make as OOAK.

Ashley

[judiaci]

Originally posted by LordofthePumpkinPatch:
Is it still okay to post an item after you won it & want it to tell everyone about it?

What do you mean theratened with legal trouble???

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yes, it's in paragraph #1 - You can post any completed auctions.

As far as legal action, sellers who felt like their auctions were incorrectly deemed "fake AG" on our board lost money. Some members of our board e-mailed the bidders and warned them away. This could damage a seller unfairly. Sellers complained to our mods, etc. So, we just don't want to post auctions accusing sellers of anything. That doesn't mean that we cannot privately message each other and discuss auctions.

[judiaci]

Originally posted by Ds9jullian:
But am I allowed to post a link to my auctions for items that I make as OOAK.

Ashley

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yes, again this is in paragraph 1 of the rules. You can post your own auctions, but they must be American Girl related.

I know these rules are long and tedious, but they have evolved into this because of past problems. For the most part, these guidelines have helped members here get better deals on e-Bay and also kept our board free from threatening e-Bay sellers.

[Ashley1972]

Judiaci, the lawsuit issue is why I deleted my thread about my ebay troubles. I was afraid that the seller might be lurking and not only cause trouble for me but for the board as well. Even though I didn't mention any names, there were a lot of requests for the link and I got nervous about it. I do think that we should warn others when a seller is being unscrupulous, though.