• Donations for Non-Profits: requests from schools, hospitals, shelters, womens' and childrens' programs, and the like
• Barter/Trade: goods services offered in exchange for other goods & services
• Free: giving away kids' and household items, pets, etc.
• Garage Sales: individuals as well as schools and other organizations
• Housing: house shares, rentals, house-sits, etc.
• For Sale: items you acquired for your personal use that you no longer need
• Wanted: seeking specific items, free or not

Prohibited items

However, we do accept postings for some things that eBay doesn't allow because of our "local community" nature. For example, we accept postings about concert tickets that you bought for yourself and can't use now, and offers for the family dog that you turned out to be allergic to.

As is the case for all other items in Marketplace, these must be items that you acquired for your personal use, not items you are selling as a way to make money.

1. The items that are sold in the Marketplace newsletter must be items that you acquired for your personal use and don't need anymore, not items you are selling as a way to make money.

2. Marketplace postings should conform to the policy on advertising and commercial use. In particular, the newsletters cannot accept advertising and they may not be used to run a business.

3. Marketplace is not a venue for businesses to sell items to BPN subscribers, or to obtain items at a good price in order to re-sell them later. The Marketplace is meant as a convenient way for parents to buy and sell household items directly from/to other parents. When we discover that someone is posting items for a business, or buying items for resale, we unsubscribe the address.

4. The "Housing" section is for rentals, shared housing, timeshares, etc. that BPN subscribers are offering or seeking. We don't accept postings from rental agencies.

5. Marketplace is not e-bay. We don't accept postings where people bid on your item and the highest offer gets the item. We ask that sellers set a price and stick to it.

6. The privacy policy applies to the Marketplace newsletter, just the same as for all the other newsletters. Members are reminded that they may not send unwanted email to someone who posts to Marketplace, such as complaints about a posting, or anything that could be construed as advertising for a business.

7. We ask people to please keep in mind that BPN has no control over the transactions that arise from Marketplace postings between members. We have no way to guarantee that prices posted in the Marketplace are fair, or that the condition of items for sale is accurately reported. We cannot regulate the negotiations that take place between buyer and seller, or the etiquette that is practiced on either side. While we offer the guidelines below, we must give this warning: Let the buyer beware!

Guidelines for Buying and Selling

• If you make an arrangement with the seller to come look at it or purchase their item, stick to your agreement. If something comes up, please phone or email to say you aren't coming. The seller probably has other interested buyers.

• Don't expect to get a reply to your inquiry to a seller. If you don't hear back, it's probably because the item is already gone. Many sellers receive dozens of responses and will not have the time to reply to everyone.

• Don't count on being able to ask lots of questions or look at it first or think about it for a few days. If it's a really good deal, there will be dozens of other parents who are also interested, and many of them will tell the seller they will take the item sight unseen.

• Be specific - include the size, color, brand, etc. so that potential buyers don't need to ask you for details before deciding whether they want your item.

• Be prepared for hundreds of emails or phone calls if you are offering something desirable for free or at a great price. A free climbing structure posted a few years ago had 237 responses.

• Be honest with the buyers about your intentions. Don't tell people you'll hold something for them if what you really want to do is to sell to the first buyer who shows up.

• Don't post it if you are not sure you really want to sell it at the price you gave in the post. It isn't fair to buyers if you change your mind about selling, or about the price you want.

Tips from subscribers:

Dec 2003

In response to the Marketplace Message from Members about callers not showing up, I'd like to share some info about selling items via the Marketplace newsletter. I call/e-mail everyone who responded to let them know when they can come by, and that the item would be sold to the first person who shows up/buys it (i.e. first-come-first-served).

I too was frustrated with people who called but never showed up even though I have only sold a few items, and I finally gave up on the idea that the 1st opportunity for buying should be offered to the 1st caller (or the 2nd caller when the 1st didn't show up, and so on.) Instead, I now offer everyone the same opportunity and hopefully the seriously interested one(s) will try and show up ASAP.

Multiple offers: first-come first served?

Some sellers are looking for a student family or low-income family or non-profit organization when they have something to give away or sell at a good price. Some sellers choose a buyer because their email offer was friendly-sounding or humorous. Some people are looking for someone who can pick up the item immediately. Others choose someone they know, someone who works where they work, or a family that lives nearby. Often sellers will skip over emails that ask for more information if they've received offers to buy the item outright. We think all of these methods are reasonable, and it also fine to use first-come first-served, or just pick someone randomly. We leave this up to the seller.

Another option suggested by a subscriber is to send email to everyone who expressed interest in your item, telling them when they can come by, and that you will sell your item to the first person who shows up and buys it. This takes care of the problem of people who make an appointment to look at your item, and then fail to show.

Questions

How often is the Marketplace mailed?

Can you ask sellers not to use "first-come first-served" in fairness to the people at the end of the list?

How can I include a photo of the item I'm selling?

Selling or giving away old carseats

Is it legal to sell/give away used software?