Please re-read the ToS for classifieds if you use them

[admin]

Classified ads Terms of Service

I will highlight something from the above ToS link that I am seeing as an increasingly big problem and will eventually result in people being removed from access to the classifieds:

as a reminder for those who use the classifieds:

- The classifieds are not discussion forums. Except in rare circumstances, the only one to post in the ad should be the seller.
- If you have a question for the seller, you can either PM them or post it up in the forum, especially if it's a question that might be of general interest to others. This doesn't mean, though, you can post questions like: "Did you know you can get it for less at ABC store?" or similar.
- Purchase offers should be done via PM or via email. An "I'll take it" or "PM [or email] sent" is fine to post.
- All ads must have a clear value posted, either a cash purchase price or a trade value. Ambiguous values or "best offers" are not appropriate and will result in your ad being deleted. This is not an auction site.
- Do not "crap" on ads!

What is "ad crapping"? It's quite simply, anything negative within the ad posted by someone other than the seller. Examples of "ad crapping" include:

- prefacing your comment with "Not to be a jerk..."
- writing "yeah, but you can buy it for $X at <insert store name here>"
- writing comments about a poor experience with the seller, like "This guy is a liar and ripped me off" ...that's what the Feedback section is for.

If you have any doubt as to whether something is crapping, it probably is.

Legitimate questions about an item, such as color, condition, model, "are you sure it's a Whizbang #3, it looks like their #2", or any question that deals with the ITEM and the SALE, are OK. Questioning the seller's parentage, whether you think the price is fair, or whether the seller used an American flag for a backdrop is NOT OK. That's what PMs are for.

Selling prices in AZS.ORG classifieds are generally very fair so I have seen relatively few of the examples above... most of what I have seen is someone posting their experience about X item being sold and comparing it negatively to some other similar item. That's not something that belongs in a classified ad. If you want to have a discussion about something, post it in the discussion forums!