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From: dking@cn.ecn.purdue.edu (Daniel King)
Subject: <<<HOW TO POST/BUY/SELL on MISC.FORSALE.* (FAQ)>>> Read me 1st!
Summary: This posting describes proper usage of the misc.forsale and
misc.forsale.computers.* groups, including descriptions of
what is appropriate where, and brief instructions on selling
to individuals by mail. Commercial and entrepreneurial ads
are NOT permitted in misc.forsale.
Originator: kingd@sage.cc.purdue.edu
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Date: Mon, 9 May 1994 08:03:05 GMT
Expires: Thu, 26 May 1994 08:03:03 GMT
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Archive-name: misc-forsale-faq
Posting-Frequency: every 4 days
Last-modified: 1994/05/03
Version: 2.12
Major-Changes: Restricting article distribution
MISC.FORSALE.*.FAQ
maintained by Daniel King (dking@cn.ecn.purdue.edu)
I welcome your suggestions/comments/flames
-----------------------------------------------------------
Contents:
I. Welcome to the misc.forsale hierarchy.
II. Purpose of the misc.forsale groups.
III. What is appropriate to post, what isn't?
IV. How to Buy/Sell off the Usenet
----------------------------------------------------------
Before posting to the Usenet, you should read the articles in
news.announce.newusers, as well as the FAQ for the groups in
question. This will save you, and everyone else, a lot of
hassle.
I. Welcome to the misc.forsale hierarchy!
Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Usenet
Marketplace, where anything and everything changes hands
at better-than-average prices. Many, many satisfied
computer-users have walked away from here knowing they
got the best deal available on everything from computer
accessories to sailboards, houses, and rollerblades.
Please feel free to use the Usenet Marketplace to your
advantage, and read on to find out how.
II. Purpose of misc.forsale.*.
In the misc.forsale hierarchy, you will find 6 newsgroups,
each tailored to a specific market. Please post to as
few groups as possible, and only to APPROPRIATE groups.
Be aware that commercial and entrepreneurial ads are NOT
appropriate in any of these groups, except in certain
computer groups as described later. Commercial ads may
be posted in the biz.* hierarchy available at some sites,
or in certain other cases outlined in specific groups' FAQs.
misc.forsale
Individual-to-individual sales of
non-computer items ONLY
(i.e., sporting goods, garage sale announcements,
houses, furniture,...)
Non-computer WANTED ads, if "WANTED" is in the subject
NO DISCUSSION (discussion goes in m.fs.c.d)
misc.forsale.computers.mac
Macintosh computers, hardware, and software,
Mac-compatible PowerPC
misc.forsale.computers.pc-clone
IBM-Compatible computers, hardware, and software
(i.e. Motherboards, hard drives, games, monitors,
scanners, modems, complete systems, memory,
DOS-based workstations, 80x86 chips, pentiums,
DOS-compatible PowerPC,...)
misc.forsale.computers.workstation
Workstations, software, and related hardware
(i.e. HW/SW for HP Workstations and others,
1 gig hard drives, networking peripherals,
very-high-powered stuff,...)
misc.forsale.computers.other
Anything computer related which doesn't fit in
one of the other categories, and cross-
platform hardware.
(i.e. Lisa ;-), Commodore 64, hard drives,
printers, 8-bit simms,...)
misc.forsale.computers.d
Any and all discussion about misc.forsale.*
Debates like "What is a workstation?"
(i.e. "Don't Buy From Him...", questions
about buying/selling on the Usenet, questions
about buying/selling computers in general,...)
NO WANTED or FORSALE ads, please.
In addition to these, several other groups exist which are
tailored to more specific items, as follows:
rec.autos.marketplace
Motor vehicles
rec.collecting.comics.marketplace
Comic books
rec.games.board.marketplace
Board games
comp.sys.next.marketplace
NEXT equipment and compatibles
comp.sys.sun.wanted
SUN Microsystems equipment and compatibles
comp.sys.apple2.marketplace
Apple II equipment
comp.sys.amiga.marketplace
Amiga equipment and compatibles
III. What is appropriate to post?
Before posting to *any* newsgroup, you should read the
articles in news.announce.newusers. These articles provide
much insight into the niceties of newsgroups, including
appropriate netiquette when posting.
COMMERCIAL and ENTREPRENEURIAL advertisements are a STRICT
NO-NO. One small exception does exist to this rule:
Occasionally, computer dealers are able to make a special
offering not normally available to the public. ONLY IF
the price of your computer-related item is SIGNIFICANTLY
LOWER than the BEST PUBLISHED PRICE in all national computer
magazines like Computer Shopper may you post your ad.
Many computer dealers occasionally offer surplus or
refurbished factory goods at excellent prices.
These ads are welcomed IN THE APPROPRIATE GROUPS ONLY.
NO OTHER COMMERCIAL POSTS SHOULD BE POSTED TO MISC.FORSALE.*
(That means no books, no tungsten, no phone companies, nothing.)
Recommendations for certain companies are welcomed in some
groups, but are NOT welcome in misc.forsale. If someone
solicits one, please respond by E-MAIL only.
Chain letters like MAKE.MONEY.FAST are not permitted, and will
cause you to lose your account at many sites. Please keep
this in mind before wasting already-tight network resources.
In the misc.forsale.* newsgroups, a good rule of
thumb is to follow the purpose of the group to
which you post. If you have a hard drive for sale, you
can cross-post it to a few of the misc.forsale.computers.*
groups as appropriate, but NOT to misc.forsale. If you
have a 386DX system for sale, you should only post it
to misc.forsale.computers.pc-clone. In general, avoid
posting to multiple newsgroups whenever possible.
Also, please limit the distribution of your article whenever
possible. If you are selling something in the U.S., and don't
plan on shipping it to Myanmar, then use a distribution of usa.
If it's a house, or maybe an automobile or anything too large
to ship, then restrict distribution to your state (use the postal
abbreviation: ca, in, il, oh,...), or even your city/school.
This will send your article to a handful of sites in the local
area, rather than hundreds of sites worldwide, and will save a
LOT of memory.
PLEASE--keep responses to others' ads to a minimum. If
someone offers something at a good price, and you MUST
respond that you know where there's better, then BE SURE
to include the following info: (KEEP IT SHORT)
The advertised price
The company selling it
An address/phone # to order the item
Wanted articles are permitted on misc.forsale.*, but
PLEASE put "WANTED" in your title, as well as the item
desired.
If you're not certain if you should post or not, then please
ask first. I'd be more than happy to answer your questions,
just e-mail Dan King, dking@cn.ecn.purdue.edu
IV. How to buy/sell on the Usenet
If you've satisfied the above requirements, then you're ready
to post your item for sale. Please post your ad with an
appropriate title, like "Household items for sale" if you're
vaccuums, pots, and furntiure,
or "204 meg Hard Drive for sale" if you're selling a hard drive.
Be as SPECIFIC yet concise as you can in the subject. In the
body of your ad, be sure to include the following:
Asking price (or say "best offer takes it")
Your true name and e-mail address
A complete description of the item
--technical details are good
Will you warrant the item?
(Standard is guaranteed to work on arrival)
Who pays for shipping?
What city are you near? (Particularly w/large & heavy items)
(restrict your article's distribution if it
would be impossible to ship the item)
If you're selling multiple items, try to group them into
different articles as appropriate. Specifically, don't mix
hard drives, a surfboard, and a Sun Workstation in one article
which you post to 4 newsgroups. Break it into 3 separate
articles and post each appropriately. On the other hand, don't
advertise an SVGA monitor, 1megx9 Simms, and a 486 motherboard
in separate articles--this only wastes everyone's time.
ONCE SOLD, PLEASE CANCEL YOUR ARTICLE. At most sites this can
be done by pressing a capital C when you go back and reread your
article. Some sites, however, work differently. Please find
out how to cancel articles on your site *BEFORE* you post.
O.k., now you're looking to buy something off the Usenet.
How do you complete the purchase? There are, in effect, 2
ways commonly used, and a third method for very expensive
items:
Method 1: COD -- Reccommended
The seller ships the item COD to the buyer,
who pays for it on arrival. The extra few
bucks are worth the hassle that could arise.
When the package arrives, pay by check or
cashier's check so that you can stop payment
in the unlikely event the sender sent you a
very expensive brick, instead of the hard drive
you ordered. Unfortunately, with UPS and the
USPS, you may not inspect the package contents
before paying.
Method 2: Payment by check -- Good for small items
The buyer sends a check, cashier's check,
or money order to the seller, who then
sends the item when the check arrives.
With big items, the seller may wait a
short time for the check to clear.
Method 3: For extra protection in the case of
extremely expensive items, contact a local
lawyer about escrow--he holds your funds
until you receive the item. It costs--
about an hour's worth of lawyer's fees--
but it may be worth it for items like
high-powered workstations/bulk deals.
Paying half in advance, half on arrival is frowned upon.
Buying off the Usenet is relatively safe, as many thousands of
successful transactions have taken place. However, there have
been a small number of incidents of fraud, and, more often, of
gross miscommunication. We suggest the following precautions
as a guide--
--Keep records of your e-mail, checks, proof-of-mailing
--Insure your package adequately
--Make sure both of you are ABSOLUTELY clear on the
items and arrangements.
--Exchange and double-check addresses and phone numbers
If the items are terribly expensive, you may wish to have a
notarized bill of sale drawn up and/or other legal formalities.
Contact your lawyer for more information.
If something does go wrong, the best place to start is to
contact the other party--via e-mail or telephone. Again, the #1
source of problems is miscommunication. If this doesn't work,
however, and the deal appears fraudulent, contact the other
person's system administrator by e-mail at 'postmaster@[systemname]'.
Often times the threat of losing net access is enough to help
the process along. But please do this ONLY when discussions
fall through.
DISCLAIMER:
While rare, occasionally fraud does occur on the Internet.
It is ultimately the buyer and/or seller who must take precautions
to ensure that he/she is not taken for a ride. Presented here are
merely suggestions of means of transaction which worked for others.
There is no guarantee that they will work for you.