Advertising: For Sale, Trade and Wanted Posts

[Admin]

Please use this forum to post about inventories, sales, coupon codes, closeouts, return policies and general shopping advice. Please do not advertise for specific products or stores or include referral or affiliate information.

While shopping, please consider the sponsors that help support our forums!

http://www.car-seat.org/forumdisplay.php?f=20

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As most of our members know, Car-Seat.Org is a volunteer operated website. Unlike many other forums, we are not owned or operated by a commercial, for-profit corporate entity. This means our budget has been very limited and relies exclusively on sponsorships and subscriptions. For this reason, and to prevent a flood of ads, we appreciate that all members and guests do not use our forums to sell or advertise items, websites or commercial interests without specific permission from an Admin. This includes links or solicitations for a corporate entity or personal business, including affiliate/referral information. To be fair to everyone and to prevent the proliferation of advertising and spam, we try to enforce these rules very strictly. Please feel free to use the "Report Post' feature if you see any violations of this type.

Personal transactions using Carseat Swap and Swap-O-Rama are now one of a few minor perks for subscribing to our forums, though these perks can also be gained for free over time if you are an active member. The Carseat Swap and Swap-O-Rama forums are the only forums to be used to post your own, personal wanted/sale/trade items regarding baby gear products not sold for a commercial interest. It may also be used to promote your personal child-related ebay auction items or to ask for a price check or other information on how to sell an item. You may post threads on the Swap forum for free when you are a Senior Community Member (100 posts, 50 reputation, 1 year registered). You may also gain access by subscribing through the forum system.

The Sponsor Forum is the only forum to be used to advertise websites, businesses, retail products or for other commercial purposes. Access is allowed for those who donate at the Car-Seat.Org Sponsor level. These sponsors may also include a simple text link and small logo for their childrens product related business in their signature and a commercial profile picture, but may not otherwise advertise in their avatar photo or solicit business using links or advertising elsewhere on the forums. The exception to this rule is that Car-Seat.Org sponsors may post limited information in the Shopping and Deals forum and sub-forums only, in regard to pricing and availability in direct response to post that requests such information on a product they carry.

Please do not try to bypass these rules with posts disguised as inquiries on how to sell an item, how to value an item, what to do with an unwanted item you just purchased, implications that you have an item for sale or any other type of comment that might be interpreted as trying to advertise something to sell or trade. To be fair, these types of posts will often be edited or removed by moderators without warning, even if there was no intent to solicit a sale, be deceptive or otherwise bypass the rules.

We thank all the members who have reported such posts in the past. We will do our best to make sure everyone plays by the same rules, though advertising issues are subject to interpretation of the moderators as necessary. We also appreciate everyone's cooperation to make sure no one takes advantage of our public forums or other members in order to arrange a transaction. If you do not have access to the relevant forums, private transactions may be arranged via email or private message.

Subject to approval, moderators may permit inquiries in the Coffee Break or Special Needs forum for those wanting to buy a special needs or hard-to-find restraint needed in a difficult application. We may also permit registered users to post a single new thread discussing a new product, if the thread contains detailed information and someone is able to answer followup questions. Well established members may usually post responses to inquiries with links to specific item sales at major online storefronts, as well as status on hard-to-find items, provided this is not done repeatedly to the same store or website. Members are also generally allowed to reply to each other regarding items for sale via Private Message, though use of the system for spamming is not allowed and will result in account restrictions.

If you have any questions or would like to ask permission to post something that might be considered advertising, please send a PM to Admin. More information can be found in the links in my signature and other forum announcements and sticky threads. Posts in violation of these guidelines may be edited, moved or deleted by the moderators without notice or explanation, particularly those from newer members and unregistered guests. Thank you!