Trade / Sell Policy

[Andy]

Hey folks - now that there are some trades and sales happening in the AFB community, which I think is great, can we please discuss a standard policy for how we handle these transactions to minimise any angst or conflict?

What I propose:

Another site some of us live at has a policy that where money is to change hands, payment is made once the item is sent/ received. This saves the potential for rip-offs from the sellers end but obviously places the onus on the buyer to follow through. Obviously if someone doesn't follow through on the end of the bargain then we'd deal with that, a bad trader's list or some other form of public shaming.

Also, that we only expect people to pay the actual cost of the item and actual shipping cost - no extras added on.

I'm not talking here about someone who is running a business like Mike - he's got his own payment policy and he's been invited to trade his wares here, but rather for those one off, single figure sales / trades between individuals.

Just want to hammer this out before things really take off so we have a set guideline. Obviously individuals will always be able to make their own negotiations between themselves.

Okay, what do we think?

[FB]

Strongly agree with all the above points,i only ask that any negotiating for stuff between Members should take place off Boards.By all means let someone know if you've PM'd or emailed in their Thread but negotiations definitely stay private.
Also maintain and update your same trade Thread and title,do not start new ones.This keeps things tidy and simple as we grow.
If there is a dispute again don't let it spill onto the Boards,if someone is dissatisfied with someone else and want a Mediator contact one of the AFB Team and we will assist.
This is very much a trust system and with a few simple guidelines as specified should be profitable for all of us.
As Andy stressed though this is a not for profit deal,make sure both sides are completely agreed with the deal before going ahead.

[Andy]

Cool, those are good points. If no one else comments on this soon I'm gonna write it up and make it law. 

[dozymuppet]

Personally, I'm all for paying up front. Having said that, I've not been burnt, and I generally trust the guy in the first place.

[Andy]

Thanks for the feedback. We want to develop something that's fair and that everyone agrees on with the right balance of buyer / seller protection.

Keen for more thoughts on this.