Normally I would reserve this kind of conversation for the mod forums, but since it is out here in the open I'll play the Devil's Advocate here. Note what follows is my personal opinions on the subject and my interpretation of the rules as listed.
First let's look at the ad...
H: Misc WHFB & 40K W: $ Paypal
Unread postby Grudgebearer » Sun Aug 19, 2012 5:59 pm
I'm selling some limited editions, oop minis, boxed sets and other misc. 40K and WHFB minis. Feel free to make a FAIR offer but keep in mind lowballers will be ignored. NO Trades. Paypal only. Buyer agrees to pay all shipping, handling, and optional insurance fees.
Pics of everything can be seen here:
http://s1130.photobucket.com/albums/m535/tonyp69/
Now let's look at the rules referenced....
Rule #4: Ad format: Use a proper DESCRIPTIVE Title & Content
If you want to post your ad in multiple relevant forums, which is good, then please title your ad appropriately.
Good example: "Have Eldar and Tau, want to trade for Dark Elves and Empire." This will fit NICELY in the 40K and Fantasy sections!
Bad example: "Have Eldar and Tau." If this shows up in the fantasy section, it will be nuked!
Other BAD examples: "Have stuff.", "H: Lots! W: Lots!"
The rule references titling your ad. Looking at his ad it doesn't seem there is a problem.
The second part of the rule...
Rule 4a: You are also responsible for accurately describing all items that you are trading or selling.
That includes version, condition, assembly status, converted or not, painted or not, any missing pieces and any other information you think might be helpful. Failure to do so may result in the other party filing a Backout Trader or Bad Trader report against you.
Rule 4a ask that you be descriptive in your ad. Is not a picture a description? Have we not allowed pictures in the past to be a form of description? If memory serves, we have.
I personally don't see how he broke either rule listed above, and do not understand why his ad was taken down. Now, would his ad have gotten a lot of responses from potential buyers? Maybe, maybe not. That remains to be seen. Could it have been better? Sure. Is it a mod or admins right to take an ad down because it doesn't conform to what they think is the "correct" ad format, even though it falls within the rules? I don't think so.
don_mondo wrote:So someone with a 0 rating (ie never completed a trade here) is too important to list their items? Good riddance.
Not directed solely at you don_mondo, your's was the first post I saw. Maybe if you guys had clicked on his reference number you would have seen he has 6 trades. One of which was a bad trade because of poor communication and some missing shields. He had 2 good trades after that one.
As to his suspension from the site...
I have no intention of changing the adds. If this is what you must do to inflate your sense of self worth then by all means do so. Also, feel free to, and I quote, " police our members' ads as best we can. " I can almost hear Eric Cartman saying " RESPECT MA AUTHORITAH!" I was under the impression this was a friendly site where people traded gaming supplies and not some sort of police state. So, I leave you and the the rest of the brown shirts to "police" your regime. I will be happily cruising other sites where the admins aren't currently trying to squeeze lumps of coal into diamonds using only the power of their rectums.
I do not understand why that resulted in a suspension. He did not name call or seem belligerent to me. He did seem a little self-righteous, but in context to what he was responding to I think it can be somewhat understandable. After all, in his view the people involved were trying to micro-manage his ad and tell him how it should be written. That would kind of piss me off to, I'm surprised it wasn't worse. I think a little anger is understandable.
Again, this is MY personal opinion.