=-=-=-=Classifieds Rules, Usage Agreement, and FAQ=-=-=-=

Thanks to TalkBass Moderators John Turner, Bob Clayton, JoshB, Blackbird, and HeavyDuty for their contributions to the following.

Note that this rule set pertains only to the Bass Guitar Classifieds. For Double Bass Classifieds rules, see DB Classified Forum Rules - READ BEFORE POSTING | TalkBass.com

About this Forum

The TalkBass Classifieds "For Sale" Forums are designed to be used by TalkBass members to sell personally owned gear to other TalkBass members and visitors. It is not to be used by commercial users (as defined by the Commercial User Policy). Talkbass classifieds are intended for personal usage. Buying items wholesale elsewhere for express purpose of selling on TB for a profit is forbidden. Please Note: Any abuse of this system (i.e. someone selling gear for a commercial user under the pretense of it being personal gear) will result in harsh penalties for both the seller and tche commercial user.

Usage Agreement: Transactions between TalkBass members are done at their own risk. TalkBass.com, LLC does not guarantee that the transactions members choose to engage in are safe and that the descriptions provided by sellers are accurate. TalkBass.com, it's administrators, and moderators, can provide no assistance in dispute resolutions, or otherwise become involved. Members who choose to buy/sell gear through the TalkBass Classifieds understand that TalkBass, its administrators and moderators are not liable for any loss that may occur due to the use of the Classifieds Forum.

Commercial User Restrictions
(Excerpted from the TalkBass Commercial User Policy)

Commercial Users who operate as dealers of used equipment, where buying/selling is purely for profit, cannot use the TalkBass Classifieds to advertise items for sale and must instead purchase a subscription to the TalkBass Bazaar. There are no exceptions to this.

Commercial Users who are owners / employees of musical equipment manufacturers / distributors / retailers may not use the TalkBass Classifieds to advertise items for sale, unless prior permission is granted when one of the following is true:
1. You are a manufacturer of musical equipment, and the item in question is not made by your company or a subsidiary. For example, you work for Fender and are selling a Lakland bass.
2. You are a distributor / retailer of goods, and the item in question is not one your company / division usually handles. For example, you work for Guitar Center and are selling an early 80s Aria bass.

An occasional exception to this may be made for individual users (as long as permission is sought before posting in the classifieds, as stated below). For example, you work for a store that sells Fenders, but wish to sell a used Fender instrument personally owned by yourself, on a one-off basis.

These are guideline rules, and not a blanket authorization. Any Commercial User, or any member with a commercial affiliation in their profile disclosure field, must request prior permission for any thread they may wish to start from time to time in the Classifieds section, before posting. These requests will be dealt with on a case by case basis, and any Classifieds thread started by members in the Commercial User category without such permission may be deleted without notice.

To request permission, contact TalkBass.com.​

How to post:

You must be a Supporting Member or Gold Supporting Member of TalkBass.com to post a new thread (ad). All threads are limited to ONE POST. Additional information can be entered by editing the post. Thread starters have no time limit on editing.

Where to post:

All US and Canada-based sales should be posted in one of the main For Sale forums, whichever is appropriate: Bass Guitars, Amps, or Accessories. All European and International-based sales should be posted in the "For Sale: Europe and International" forum. If you are willing to ship to the US, please simply mark the appropriate checkbox when creating your ad.



How to BUMP:
Simply push the "Bump Thread" button, located directly next to "Post Reply", on your classifieds thread. After clicked, the "Bump Thread" button will display a live timer showing when you may next bump your thread. No replies by you or anyone else will bump a classifieds thread.

How to Mark an Item Sold:
When your item sells, click the "Mark Sold" link atop your ad. We are not closing threads to mark sold any longer.



Rules:

• Items that are not allowed to be sold here under any circumstances: Weapons (including firearms, knives, bows, etc.), weapon accessories (ammo, holsters, gun racks, etc.), controlled substances, counterfeit items (this includes Fender decals on non-Fender basses). All sales are subject to approval by site administration. If you are not sure that the item you wish to sell or use as a trade with another member is appropriate, please contact a moderator, or site administration via the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page.
• If you cannot ship an item yourself within two business days of it selling, DO NOT list it here. Sellers should make a good faith effort to keep buyers informed of the status of the shipment throughout the process, letting the buyer know any relevant information, including but not limited to:
  - the payment was successfully received
  - when they plan on shipping
  - when the item is shipped
  - any applicable tracking info
  
  Sellers will make every reasonable effort to ship within 2 business days of payment and let the buyer know if that doesn’t happen.
  
  This all helps but the buyers mind at ease and can be helpful to both parties should any issues arise
• Wireless items: Items that cannot be sold within the country or have a limited time before their license expires (such as wireless microphones that use disallowed frequency ranges), must be clearly detailed in the original post. Please check the FCC’s page to verify if your item falls under these rules: Wireless Microphones
• No Ebay or other auctions. Threads started with the intent to advertise an auction will be deleted. Links to auctions will only be allowed if posted as a reply to an existing (at least one week old) thread originally advertising the direct sale of the same item.
• Mark Sold Items If your item sells, click the "Mark Sold" button on your ad.
• NO Piggybacking Do not mention your item for sale in another's thread. Only list your items in threads you start; crossposting your thread is also not permitted, meaning only one thread per item.
• Please don't attempt to help non-SMs dodge the rules by posting their gear for sale. TalkBass For Sale ads are only to be used for listing a Supporting Member's personally owned gear. If you list an item for a friend and your thread is deleted, you will not be permitted to relist the item again as "your own."
• If you post a "feeler" ad, you MUST post a price with it. This is not an auction site - If you want people to "bid" on your item, take it to ebay. Trade feeler threads are allowed, but if it turns into a FS thread, seller MUST post a price or the thread will be immediately closed or deleted.
• Posting a price does NOT mean something frivolous. For example, posting a bass for sale with a sale price of $1,000,000 will not fly.
• If you list an item in a way that’s clearly an attempt to circumvent the no auction rule by listing it with exaggeratedly high or low prices but asking for offers, or saying an item is for trade without listing anything you’re looking to trade for, the thread will be deleted, you will receive an infraction, and you will not be permitted to relist the item for any reason again.
  
• You must have an accurate price listed in your title. If you are selling multiple items you can post a price range such as "$25-$75". Listing an inaccurate price like "$1" to draw views is not permitted.
• You must currently be in possession of the items you are selling (ie no selling items on consignment where the buyer would have to deal with the consignment shop, etc)
• If you are selling multiple instruments concurrently, or if you have several threads posted, please consider consolidating your items into one thread ("Fender XyZ and Warwick AbC FOR SALE!").
• While you are not required to post photos of your items, you must use your own photos of the items you are selling. Using a previous owner's photos or photos of a similar item may not give an accurate representation of the current state of your item, so they are not permitted.
• Please do not keyword spam either your title or within the content of your thread.
• Questions for sellers Potential buyers are permitted to ask relevant questions/make relevant comments in your thread (this does not include any disparaging or negative comments that could affect a seller’s ad). Do not request that potential buyers not post in your thread or to PM you if they have any questions. All pricing discussions or trade offers must be kept to PMs.
• As classified ads are now infinitely editable, we no longer allow users to delete their own ads. This benefits all users in that they can use the archived pricing history as a guideline, as well as not allowing users to try to hide suspicious activity by deleting their own thread. When you no longer wish to have your ad be active, simply open your thread, click Thread Tools, select Edit Title, select "No Longer Available" from the pull down menu, and click Save. Editing all the information from your ad in an attempt to self-delete is not permitted and your posts will be edited back to their original state. Deleting the price from your title/ad or all the information from your ad for any reason is not permitted- it will be reverted back to its previous state and a mandatory warning will be issued as well as a reply ban to prevent further editing.

Full disclosure

The TalkBass classifieds operate to a large degree on trust. As such, *any* known material modifications or damage to a bass - including, but not limited to pickup / preamp replacement, neck change, repairs, etc. - MUST be disclosed at sale time.

Buyer FAQ's

Q: What should I do if I’m interested in an item or have a question?

A: Reply to the post or contact the seller via e-mail or private message.
'''NOTE: using the “Report this post to a Moderator” link will NOT contact the seller.'''

Q: If I'm 100% sure I'm buying an item, can I post a message saying the item is sold?

A: '''No one but the seller can say whether their item is sold or not.'''

Q: How do I know if a price is negotiable?

A: Usually a seller will say if his price is an “Asking price” (open for negotiation) or if it’s “firm” (meaning that’s the final price). “OBO” means “or best offer”, meaning the seller is willing to sell the item for the closest offer to their original asking price.


Q: What if someone’s asking price is too high?

A: Sellers are entitled to ask any price they want for their item. Please do not contact a seller regarding their prices unless you’re interested in purchasing the item. Also, do NOT question a seller's price in a For Sale thread. Making offers via PM or email is OK, but thread interference (debating price publicly) will not be tolerated.

As an addendum to this rule, please remember: The seller is under no obligation to weigh an instrument for you. In fact, s/he is under no obligation to field any of your questions. S/he is under no obligation to cater to your wishes, and s/he is most definitely under no obligation to accept your offer, whatever it may be. It may be considered in her/his best interest to do so to conduct a successful transaction, but it is by no means required, and should not be expected.

Under no circumstances should members disrupt sellers' threads by posting challenging, derogatory posts, or in fact post anything that is not either directly related to purchasing the item advertised or at the very least specifically complimentary, to the seller or the item being sold. To do otherwise is to risk a trolling infraction.

These threads are not discussion threads. Your opinion is irrelevant and unwelcome unless specifically asked for.

There are -thousands- of items up for sale on the tb classifieds. If you don't like a particular seller, or a particular item, don't post about it, don't comment about it, don't pm the seller about it. Just move on to something else that more acutely strikes your fancy.

Q: Does TalkBass provide any form of buyer/seller protection in the event of a problem?

A: '''Transactions between TalkBass members are done at their own risk.''' TalkBass administrators and moderators do not guarantee that the transactions members choose to engage in are safe and that the descriptions provided by sellers are accurate. Members who choose to buy/sell gear through the TalkBass Classifieds understand that TalkBass, its administrators and moderators are not liable for any loss that may occur due to the use of the Classifieds Forum. But if loss does occur, make sure you leave the other user negative feedback, to help out the TB membership when dealing with this user in the future. Retaliatory feedback is not permitted- negative feedback left as a result of receiving feedback you dislike will be deleted.
When paypal gift payments are used, we will not get involved at all, since you have given up your legal recourse to reimbursement by doing so.