The changes to the Classifieds that have been communicated the past few weeks are now in place. It's possible that some of you may have bookmarked specific custom views like just Used Mandolins. In the consolidation process, the decision was made to eliminate the New vs. Used distinction for reasons explained in my blog (but who reads those!?)
So if you hit your old Used Mandolins link, there won't be anything there to see, but all the instruments that were there this morning are still there, but just under a different category.
In the process of this, I streamlined the posting guidelines a bit and they are reproduced here. Those of you that use the Classifieds really should re-read these. They are mostly then same, but there are changes and it's important they're understood.
* You will post only items for sale, trade or in search of plucked, strummed or bowed string family instruments including mandolin, guitar, banjo, violin family, ukulele, resonator guitar, and general musical accessories (amps, tuners, mics, etc.). Examples of items not allowed: pianos, saxophones, the family washing machine, your 79 Chevy, etc. If in doubt about what is allowed, contact the site owner.
* Items appearing simultaneously here and on eBay for auction or at other auction sites, or referencing future eBay listings are not allowed.
* Unless your product is successfully sold or traded, you should allow the ad to auto-expire at the end of 21 days (the minimum ad length) or more before resubmitting. The practice of "bumping" an ad to the top by deleting and resubmitting it is not permitted.
* Refrain from adding links within ads pointing to the Cafe's message board where pictures of your items you are selling appear. Leave the message board for discussions, and the classifieds for selling and buying.
* Dealers are permitted to post ads and should clearly identify themselves as dealers.
* Multiple ads for one instrument/product are not permitted
* Trades in either direction involving non-stringed musical products are not allowed.
* Posting large groups of ads--five or more in a row--is not an appropriate use of this site, and no single individual or organization should ever have more than five ads posted at any one time. If you have many instruments, include them in one single ad.
* Solicitating donations is not allowed. Exceptions may be made but *must* be clear with the site owner first.
* We do not accept ads requesting sale or trade of bootleg tapes.
* HTML is not allowed inside an Ad description and is removed by the program software.
* The practice of "baiting", ie., advertising one price and then increasing the price upon inquiry will not be tolerated.
* We do not accept posts dealing in the sale or transfer of tortoise-shell products protected by the 1973 Endangered Species act. This includes picks made from antique shells.
* Ads posted looking for musicians to play in bands or for performances should be posted on the message board.
* Use of the classifieds ad posting or Reply feature to make "statements" (excessive overpricing with intent to mock, slander, expression of political and religious views, inappropriate sexual references, stalking, etc.) and other like minded ads or related replies will not be tolerated.
* No ad promoting activities that would be illegal under the laws of this State or Province, this Country, or of the state or country of domicile of the person posting the ad shall be allowed.
* The Mandolin Cafe reserves the ultimate discretion as to when ads are in violation of these guidelines.
Additional changes are coming. In general, Dan and I are working on some programming tools that we hope will enhance the experience. Long-term this may include the ability to search past ads that have been removed.
Also in the works soon will be a more formal statement regarding security. If you've been reading the news you should already know that cyber crime is increasing dramatically. We will implement additional steps and suggestions for users to help protect you, but ultimately, your safety is your most important responsibility.
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