For Sale/Trade Guidelines/FAQ

[diredesire]

Hey TW,
I was hoping to get some For Sale/Trade guidelines posted, so people (especially new traders) can get their questions answered about shipping, dealing with traders with no feedback, and perhaps getting a standardized format going. If you find this post suitable, please stick the entire thread in the FS/T forum, I'll be updating/editing it as I go along. I've got no mod rights in the FS/T, so I can't post/sticky the thread. Thanks!

To make the FS/T section easier to browse, we ask that sellers please include the following:

In the thread title:

• Type of trade: For Sale = FS, For Trade = FT. If you are Selling OR trading FS/T.
• Item(s) and Quantity if possible. e.g. (2x) Tecnifibre 325
• If there is room:
  • Condition
  • Grip size
• Example Thread title: FS/T: (2x) Tecnifibre 325, 4 3/8, 8/10

In the thread itself:

• Grip size: Often times I see racquet listings without grip size. This is one of the more important determining factors of a sale. Due to the nature of our FS/T sub-forum, it is hard to ask questions, please include ALL pertinent information UP FRONT!
• CONTACT INFORMATION!!!: If you are selling something, please include some contact information. Telling interested buyers to leave their e-mail address is inefficient, and can prolong the sale. Leave an e-mail address if you are comfortable, or enable e-mailing through your profile. This protects your e-mail from spam bots, and allows interested parties to contact you quickly and easily. If you DO enable your profile e-mail, please leave a note in your thread with this information.
• Payment Terms: Although Paypal is a popular, and relatively secure/usable service, not everyone supports it's use. Please leave your terms of payment so there is no confusion or questions. Having all the information up front could mean the difference between a sale and a buyer backing out. Common payment terms include: Cashier's Check, Cash On Delivery (COD), Money Order (Postal, or otherwise), Paypal (include whether or not you accept credit card paypal), Cash.
• Delivery options: Please list your preferred method of shipment. USPS Priority is a good one, for sellers that are new. Fedex, UPS, DHL, and method are all options. Local Pick up is also an option that users may like.
• Condition of goods: A rated condition is mandatory. Please include an "out of ten" rating for your items. 8/10, 9/10, etc. (More included in FAQ)
• Pictures: Obviously, you can only describe so much in words, pictures are a great addition to a thread. (More included in FAQ)
• For racquets: If the racquet is strung, include the string type and tension if you know it. Date strung is also good if you know it.
• Any other conditions you might have: Some people allow "dibs" on an item. This is not such a big deal with our system, but if you leave a "dibs" message in the thread, you should be committed to purchase the item. Do NOT call dibs if you are unwilling to follow through.

Q: What do I do with my thread after it has outlived it's usefulness? (Items sold) Can I delete my thread?
At the moment, users are not allowed to close or remove their own threads, if you'd like your thread removed, or would like it to die, edit the original post as "SOLD." and let it drop. If you prefer to have it deleted, contact an admin of the site (TW Staff), as the moderators have no post editing powers in the for sale/trade sub forums.

Other loose guidelines:
Please do NOT shout (i.e. write in all CAPS). This is annoying. 'Nuff said.
Please do NOT "crap" on another user's thread. If you don't like the price, or find something outrageous, just leave the thread alone.

These are trading guidelines. It would be nice if new thread makers follow these guidelines, but it is not required. If you are new to trading, or are unfamiliar with the way things work, I encourage you to use these ideas to make trading on our boards as easy, and as hitch-free as possible. We know that people make mistakes, so here are some helpful hints/tips to make your sale as quick and easy as possible!

[diredesire]

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):
Note: Parts of this FAQ and guidelines thread have been borrowed/edited from other internet forums such as http://www.hardforums.com

Q: What kind of information should I include in my For Sale/Trade Thread?
A: Please see the above post.

Q: How does TW protect forum members from scams and illegitimate traders?
A: Simply put, TW does NOT offer any sort of protection, warranty, guarantee of any sort on the FS/T section of the forum. By participating in trading & selling, you accept all implied or explicit risks, and agree to not hold Tennis-Warehouse or it's staff responsible for anything that may happen. With this said, TW does "filter" each and every post that finds it's way into the FS/T section. Obviously, this is to filter out competition, but obvious scams are also stopped at this step.

Aside: Protecting yourself and your investment(s) starts with common sense, please adhere to the guidelines and tips presented shortly, and the risk of trading online will drop considerably.

Q: How can I protect myself from illegitimate traders and scammers?
A: Good question! Here are some tips to ensure your trades always (hopefully) go smoothly!

• IMPORTANT! Exchange Personal Information IMPORTANT!
  By trading online, you are assuming personal risk and loss of money and/or goods. To protect yourself, it is ALWAYS a good idea to exchange personal information. Personal information entails: REAL name, a home address, a HOME or WORK (land line) telephone number. Cell phone numbers are fine, but they are easily terminated. If you want further security, verify the telephone number by calling it, and cross reference the number and name on an online service such as http://www.switchboard.com Many people would deem this excessive, but if you are making a trade for multiple hundred dollar items, the long distance phone call and 5 minutes of your time is worth it.
• Always use (when shipping) Delivery Confirmation of some sort. If you are the buyer, request (and be prepared to pay extra (typically under $1)) for Delivery Confirmation and/or Tracking information. This service protects both parties. If an item arrives, the buyer cannot claim it hasn't arrived, etc.
• Keep proof of shipping until the deal is considered complete! Failure to do so can result in sticky situations. I consider a deal to be complete when both parties have received their "prizes" (be it cash, or merchandise) and both parties have agreed that everything is in order. Receiving monetary compensation would require checks clearing, e-checks clearing, cashing of said funds, etc. Receiving a racquet would entail a full inspection of merchandise, and agreement of it's condition.
• If you have suspicions of a seller, contact a moderator or administrator. You can do this by using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom right of any TT page, or by e-mailing a moderator (myself, or Kaptain Karl) through their e-mails provided in their profiles (assuming they are activated, mine is). Follow this golden rule: If a deal sounds too good to be true, chances are, it is.
• In case there is a delay, or a lack of communication, do NOT jump to any conclusions (don't post a negative reference if your item is only a week late). E-mail the seller, or call the seller. You SHOULD have their personal information to get some clarification. It is important to communicate and be honest throughout a trade, but please realize people do have lives outside of tennis and this message board. Try to get in touch before going crazy.
• If you feel that you’ve been scammed, you can file complaints about internet fraud directly with the FBI at their Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFFC) http://www.ic3.gov/. You can also go to www.usps.com and file a complaint for postal fraud, and most state Attorney Generals have an online internet fraud complaint form
• Use Credit Card Paypal when possible: Many times, if you are scammed, you can recuperate much, if not all of your funds through either Paypal, or your Credit Card company. IF this is to happen, please search Paypal's site for proper procedure.
• If Paypal, or CC Paypal is not an option, checks are another good way to trade. They can be traced if contact to the police needs to be made. Checks are NOT good for "instant" types of payment. Please make sure they clear first.
• CHECK REFERENCES: I cannot stress this enough. We provide a sub-section of the FS/T subforum. Search this by clicking "Search" at the top bar of this page. Go to advanced search, and in the right pane, select the "References" section in the Search in Forum(s) pane. Do a search in thread titles with either the seller's e-mail address, username, real name (if provided) or all of the above. This will allow you to check any/all successful trades the user has completed in the past. Be careful when dealing with traders with a recent registration date, or low references. To be extra careful, also check the traders that have left references for the trader in question. There are rare cases of users who will register multiple screen names to give false feedback. This is rare, but it DOES happen.
• Do NOT ship first, or pay first unless the trader has plenty (I would start at 50+ since I deal a lot online, if you are very new, you may have to settle for ~20+ trades) of references. Often times, established traders with good feedback/standing can (and will!) ask new users to either ship first, or pay first. Reputation is everything in online trading, do not be surprised if someone with 50+ successful trades asks you to ship or pay first. This is common in online trading, and is a great way to build feedbacks. It is an "honor" system of sorts. You are not obligated to participate this way, but be warned, it is a common way for "newbies" to trade.
• Keep a record of all correspondences between you and parties you are trading with. If you contact each other by e-mail, save the e-mails (or at least do not delete them) until the trade is considered complete. This is common sense, and can be used to "prove" a case when necessary.

Q: I want to post pictures of my gear in my thread, I have no clue how to go about doing this, any advice?
A: Sure! Provided you know how to take pictures (preferrably with a digital camera) and get them on your PC, here is what you need to do.

1. With your pictures on your computer, please ensure they are sized appropriately (800x600 is a good resolution). Also ensure they are in a web-friendly format, such as .jpg, jpeg, gif, (and less common .png). RAW photo data, or BMPs are NOT encouraged, as they are uncompressed, and take up a lot more space.
2. After resizing and compressing (into .jpg or .gif), upload your photos to some sort of host. If you do not have your own, personal web space, I suggest using free photo uploaders such as http://imageshack.us or http://www.photobucket.com
   These sites offer free hosting for your photos, as well as instructions on how to access them through other sites.
3. When inside your thread, click the "insert picture" button using the editor.
   
   A pop up window will appear, asking you for the "URL" of your picture. If you are using your own webhost, insert the address of your picture. If you are using a free uploading site, such as photobucket, or imageshack, insert the URL that was provided to you.
4. If you inserted the URL correctly, the image should show up when you hit "OK."

Q: What should I take pictures OF when selling my gear?
A: I suggest taking picture of any damage, blemishes, chips, cracks, etc on your gear. I typically take one "full body" shot, so that the buyer can see that I am actually selling the item advertised, and then if I mention any blemishes (court rash at 3 0'clock for example), I take a picture of the said court rash. I suggest taking pictures in a well lit room with flash OFF, and if you are going to take close up photos, use the "Macro" mode on your camera. Most modern cameras do offer Macro Mode, it is typically indicated by a "flower" symbol.

[diredesire]

Q: How do I rate my gear?
A: It isn't easy to give a number (out of 10) for gear, because each item undergoes wear and tear differently from person to person, player to player. A loose guideline will be posted, if you use this, please mention it. Guidelines are subjective, so if we put effort to use a standard, please mention it! For instance (By the TW guidelines, I would rate this a 8/10!)
The below ratings are for racquets, you can use these guidelines loosely to translate to other gear.

These are loose guidelines, indicate any discrepancies such as play time (in hours, preferrably), string life, paint chips, nature of chips, bumper guard condition, etc)

1. Broken racquet
2. Used, unplayable, racquet.
3. Used, very poor condition. Racquet is structually un-sound, restring at your own risk.
4. Used, poor condition. Racquet shows abundant wear, often through to the graphite, Paint chips, cracks, and wear is very noticeable. Paint is worn through to the graphite in multiple areas, Bumper guard is worn through to the graphite in multiple areas, grommets are cracked, or worn through and need replacement.
5. Used, OK condition. Racquet is playable, but there is noticeable, and abundant wear of bumper guard, paint, grip, strings, grommets. Frame may show graphite wear, but is still in playable condition.
6. Used, fair condition. Racquet is structurally sound, no cracks. Paint may be chipped or blemished down to the graphite, but no graphite wear is evident. Bumper guard is in decent condition, but spots show wear to a thin layer, or even slightly through to the actual frame. Grip shows noticeable wear, and may need replacement. Grommets show significant wear, but do not need replacement.
7. Used, good condition. Paint chips and scratches are minor, but noticeable. Grip shows some wear. Strings are used (obviously if they're not, make a note). Grommets show wear, and/or show multiple string jobs (i.e. they are getting squished, and or are enlarged). Bumper guard shows medium wear.
8. Used, Very Good condition. Paint chips/scratches are small, but minor. No graphite has been exposed. Bumper guard in very good to excellent condition (scuffing OK, but please make a note). Scuffing on the frame, note whether or not it is noticeable, and/or into the paint. Grip worn slightly. Grommets in good condition, perhaps enlarged/smooshed, but no cracking/damage.
9. Opened/Used, Excellent condition. Used, but otherwise in near perfect condition. This is for an item that has been opened, plastic taken off the handle, used once or twice, etc. Item has seen very, very little wear and tear. Any scratches are very minute, and should be noted. Grip is in excellent condition, perhaps covered by an overgrip it's entire life. Paint blemishes are cosmetic only. No paint chips, No cracks, scrapes are very, very small (1-2 mm) and superficial only. Bumper guard in very good, to excellent condition. Grommets are in excellent condition, little to no smooshing of tie off holes, little to no enlarging at tie off holes. Note: Any items rated from 9.1-9.5 will be moderated more closely with more description expected. (Anything rated higher than 9.5 will be automatically deleted as 9.5 is deemed the highest possible rating for any used item in the eyes of TW) If there is only a rating with no description in this rating zone, it most likely will be deleted as too many users in the past have used this particular rating as code for "brand new."
10. Brand new, no use, NIB (New in Box). TW does not allow the sale of any new products with the exception of out of production grommets. Barely used racquets will be evaluated on a post-to-post basis to determine if they compete with the sale of new products by TW. We reserve the right to refuse any ad.

Q: What kind of Delivery options do I have?
A: You can ship ground using any of the popular methods of delivery. USPS Priority, USPS Parcel Post, Fedex Home, Ground, UPS Ground, DHL Ground. I personally like USPS Priority shipping quite a bit. It is a 2-3 day service (most often 2 days), and shipping materials are free. Pick up two of their flat, rectangular boxes at the post office (for free), and tape them together when shipping racquets. This service ranges from $4.05 (in your immediate region) to about $7.50 (across the nation). Labels for shipping items are easily printed online, and include Delivery Confirmation free!

Q: What kind of payments should I accept?
A: This varies from person to person. I find Paypal (Non-CC) is the most convenient form of trading. The payments by paypal (Non-CC) are as good as cash, fast, and easy. If you do not have a paypal account, or do not want to sign up for one, you can use Personal Check (need to wait for it to clear), Money Order (can obtain one at Wal-Mart, the Post Office, etc for a small fee), or Cashier's Check. These latter methods all have risks, such as an inability to refund the cash if you are scammed. Paypal and CC-paypal have built in security, but it IS a hassle. Protect yourself up front.

Note: CC (credit card) paypal requires an upgraded account to be accepted. These include business and premier accounts. There IS a charge to accept credit card paypal, which is (i believe $.30 + 3%). You won't often find people accepting of CC-paypal in the world of racquet trading, so be aware of this. It is AGAINST paypal policy to charge extra to accept credit card payments, but it does happen.

[diredesire]

Q: How do I determine a good price for my item?
A: Chances are your item has been sold recently, or is currently being sold. It is common for used items to go for a considerable discount. Do a search in the FS/T section of TTW, and check prices for your item. Price accordingly. If you do NOT see a price, google/froogle your item, and discount a percentage (15-25% is common). As always, "classic" frames, and collectors/rare items are worth more. Do your research! Please do NOT post Interest Check threads/Price check threads, as they just serve to clutter up the FS/T section.

Q: Can I post a thread for EACH item I want to sell?
A: Sure, but please only keep ONE active thread open. Do NOT have multiple threads open simultaneously, you can just as easily sell 10 items in one thread instead of selling one item separately in 10 different threads. This helps us keep the FS/T section less cluttered, and prevents peoples threads from getting "bumped" too far down.

Q: I want to get as much money as possible (who doesn't?). Can I put a "make offers" price?
A: As a courtesy for other traders, please post a price on all items. If you would like offers, put a price higher than you expect to get, and add an "O.B.O." (or best offer) to your price. This (again) prevents clutter and confusion. This way, users can contact sellers immediately, instead of playing the cat & mouse game by having to wait (up to a few days!) to get their replies posted. This may seem like a strict policy, but it is to help everyone get their merchandise/money A.S.A.P. PLEASE put a price on ALL items.


Q: Can I auction my item, or link to an auction?
A: No. Auction posts are not allowed because the way we operate the FS/T section requires filtering of every post. To alleviate the "traffic," we ask no auction posts be made. Links to E-bay are also prohibited. If you want some traffic to your E-bay auction, put a small reminder in your sig. For example: (Selling my TF 325 on the auction site. Check it out!)


Q: Can I post my Free iPod link on the FS/T?
A: NO. Please do NOT post any free offer site or referral site on TW. These will not make it through the filter, so please do not give the filtering admins more work. Do NOT post any pyramid schemes (or related) here at TW.

[skraggle]

Nice info! Thanks for putting it alll together and sharing it with us...

[diredesire]

Originally Posted by skraggle

Nice info! Thanks for putting it alll together and sharing it with us...

N/p. it's lengthy, but worth the read.

Hopefully people see this

[SBGirl]

Is there a reason you can't search this forum for a particular grip size (number)? When I use the search tool and put in my grip size it comes up blank. In fact, it does this no matter what grip size I try, even ones that are obviously posted. Am I doing something wrong? It seems like it would be an obvious way to want to search. Hope I'm not missing something silly here...

[racquetfreak]

i try to post racquets for sale (such as yesterday) but they necer show up on the board. i follow the guidelines. why is my stuff not posted? - at least there should be some explanation giving specific reasons in a communication/email sent to me.

[MIGHTY MANFRED THE WONDER]

I submitted an ad for sale last night, following the guidelines carefully. I patiently waited as a dozen other, later ads were posted, but not mine. I followed all guidelines and still I don't see it.
Maybe if there were some sort of rejection notice issued, this very nice feature of the board would be better.

[vsgut]

I have 27,500 points in the Gamma string cards. Can I offer them to sale?

[dr325i]

I listed my racket for sale yesterday and it is still not visible in the section...
Why, and how long before it appears there???
Also, not able to post pictures with 100+ posts, why?

[thejuice]

I thought I read through the rules fairly well but I can't see anything that explains why I am unable to edit my own posts. I used to be able to do this.

[Leelord337]

Ok, I posted my 2 rackets for sale and they never showed up.

[spacelizzard]

I was wondering why my post wasn't posted from yesterday and thursday? [wilson pro staff tour 95]

mb

[Cynnik]

Can it also be in the guidelines that people should list prices on their items so buyers dont get that run-around from sellers? Just a suggestion, most other forums with buy/sell/trade have this guideline to keep sellers in check... when sellers just say "give me your best offer" nothing really gets done, buyers are gonna give an offer but the sellers will wait for another offer and really slows the whole transaction process. Just let sellers post whatever price they want.

[chsu74]

Originally Posted by racquetfreak

i try to post racquets for sale (such as yesterday) but they necer show up on the board. i follow the guidelines. why is my stuff not posted? - at least there should be some explanation giving specific reasons in a communication/email sent to me.

I have tried to sell my old racquets here and posted it twice without success. It is very strange.

[AR15]

OK, I followed the rules and my ad is not listed. What gives?

[Max Davis]

thanks Max Davis

[thegame238]

why is my post not getting put in? is it not being allowed. I am trying to post in the FOR SALE/Trade area...

[truongazn]

I am a new user on this forum. May i ask why my posts have not been added into the threads in the Buy and Sell Section? Is this normal or are the moderators just testing things.


Cheers