The following rules have been adopted to promote a clean, healthy, respectful atmosphere. By posting a Classified Ad, you are acknowledging that you have read and agree to abide by the rules of conduct listed below. Claiming ignorance of a rule will not be considered sufficient cause to excuse a violation of said rules.
Violation of these rules may result in the removal or modification of your ad or an official warning. Repeated violations may result in a temporary suspension or permanent ban from posting ads. In certain cases, if a moderator or administrator determines the action is severe enough, user rights will be terminated without warning. Appeals to disciplinary action may be sent to John Alberti.
If you feel that an ad posted in the Classifieds is objectionable, you are encouraged to notify a moderator immediately. If you are not comfortable speaking with a moderator, please contact John. The moderators and administrators reserve the right to remove objectionable content, within a reasonable time frame, if they determine that removal is in the best interest of the community.
Additionally, please note that Windstone is not responsible for the personal actions of anyone who posts or responds to a Classified Ad.
- Any and all transactions and communications with other members are entered into “at your own risk” and are between you and that individual. If you believe a law has been broken or fraud has occurred, please contact the appropriate enforcement agency.
- You remain solely responsible for any content you post. Furthermore, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the owners of this website, its staff, and its subsidiaries for any and all consequences of your actions.
- The owners of this website reserve the right to reveal your identity (or any other related information collected on this service) in the event of a formal complaint or legal action arising from any situation caused by your use of the Classified Ads.
OFFICIAL WINDSTONE CLASSIFIED AD RULES
- The Classified Ads are for buying/selling/trading Windstone sculptures and Windstone-related products and services only. A separate subforum exists for buying and selling non-Windstone-related items. Please don’t post non-Windstone items here. If you have non-Windstone-related items listed in an ad, a moderator may ask you to move the non-Windstone items to the Non-Windstone Flea Market. You may not use the Classifieds section for non-selling purposes, such as posting messages. That is what the forum is for.
- If you are looking for help in identifying your Windstone, use the Looking for a Windstone thread.
- If you are trying to find out what your Windstone is worth, please post in the Windstone Appraisals thread.
- Don’t create multiple ads for the same item or group of items.
- Windstone dealers should not use the Classified Ads to market or advertise their stock, or to post items that are “on sale”, “clearance”, or “reduced price”. An exception is if a dealer is offering an item that has been retired for more than 1 full year.
- You may not offer (for sale, trade, etc.) repaints of non-PYO Windstones, nor may you offer to repaint a non-PYO Windstone or offer to purchase a non-PYO Windstone for the advertised purpose of repainting it. Repainting a non-PYO Windstone is not illegal, but Windstone Editions strongly discourages it and does not support repaints in any way. Any sales of repaints should be done privately OUTSIDE of the Windstone website. Note: Repairing and restoring damaged Windstones to near factory condition and color is not considered “repainting”, but we encourage you to disclose any repairs/restoration that has been done to an item before selling it.
- You may not offer (for sale, trade, etc.) anything that is illegal in the USA or the state of Oregon, or that is infringing upon Windstone’s or anyone else’s work.
- You may not post material that is false, profane, of adult content, sexually oriented, or in violation of any International or United States Federal law. Spam, flooding, and pyramid schemes are also forbidden.
- You must be nice to other people. You may not post material that is discriminatory, defamatory, degrading, abusive, belittling, hateful, harassing, or threatening, or that is deliberately hostile, insulting, or offensive. Personal attacks on other members, for any reason, will not be tolerated. If you have a problem with another member or the way something was handled, please contact a moderator. If you are not comfortable speaking with a moderator, please contact John Alberti.
- You may not post material with intent to discourage, intimidate, hinder, divert, or otherwise afflict any transactions (buying, selling, trading, etc) taking place on this website or elsewhere.
- When using PayPal, you must not request a “personal payment” in exchange for services or goods. Some sellers may feel this is an easy way to avoid PayPal fees, but it is against PayPal’s Terms Of Service when used to exchange money for physical items or services (i.e. commissions or repairs).
- When using PayPal, you must not add a SEPARATE, additional cost “to cover PayPal fees”. Requesting that a buyer pay fees separately is against PayPal’s Terms of Service. As a seller, you are responsible for those fees. Examples:
- NO: “The dragon is $100, +$10 shipping, +$10 to cover my Paypal Fees.”
- YES: “The dragon is $110 +$10 shipping.”
Notice the seller receives the same amount in both situations, but the fees are not listed as a separate cost to the buyer in the acceptable example.
While only PayPal has the authority to enforce their Terms of Service, we will not allow listings that break the above rules, for the safety of all (buyers and sellers alike). - Do not use the classifieds section to post feedback or buyer/seller “ratings”. Feedback is often a very useful part of the selling and trading experience, but we can’t allow it to be posted in the classifieds section. Please refer to this forum post to access the unofficial feedback lists.
GUIDELINES, SUGGESTIONS, AND OTHER INFORMATION
General Buying/Selling/Trading Guidelines
- As someone selling, trading, or sending an item:
- -Don’t send items that are not paid for yet! (if you are selling)
- -Be honest about the condition of your item, to the best of your ability.
- -Be clear, before the transaction, if “all transactions are final” or if you will accept returns or offer refunds if the person you are selling to or trading with doesn’t want the item after they get it. If you are clear before the transaction, then it can’t come back to “bite you”.
- -Pack the item well enough that it can survive being dropped, kicked, tossed, punched, etc. All of these things can and have happened to packages before. We recommend wrapping the item very securely, and “double boxing” with a layer of packing material between the boxes.
- -Require some sort of delivery confirmation and insurance for any item you send. This will protect you if an item arrives damaged or gets lost.
- -If you are sending an item to someone who you don’t know very well, consider placing additional protection on a package (such as signature required). This will protect you against the receiver claiming not to have gotten the package. The few dollars it costs can possibly save you a world of problems!
- -Keep all postage records and emails/PMs about the transaction for at least 90 days afterwards (and if you are trading, ask the person who you are trading with to do the same). That way if someone later tries to file a claim against you, you will have proof that you sent the item and it arrived properly! Additionally, you may need the postal receipts if insurance must be claimed.
- -When selling an item, if using PayPal, consider invoicing your buyer. This is easy to do when logged into PayPal. Invoicing a buyer makes sure not only that they understand exactly what they are getting, but that they will send the money to the correct PayPal account, and will not send it accidentally as a ‘personal payment’. This also makes record-keeping easier, and tax time easier too!
- -When trading, consider “buying” piece from each other as a form of protection. Trading items comes with no “buyer/seller” protection, as no money is exchanged. Because of this, it is trust based alone, and where we see the most problems! We strongly suggest upon agreeing to a trade that you actually purchase each other’s items at an agreed upon, fair, and equal value via PayPal (or another service that grants buyer protection). This gives you recourse if something goes wrong with the trade. The money lost to transaction fees can be worth it, if something goes wrong!
- As a buyer or receiver:
- -Pay using a method that lets you open a dispute if the seller “takes your money and runs”. PayPal is one method that lets you open a dispute if you did not receive an item as described. Nearly all credit card companies do this as well, if the seller accepts credit cards. Postal Money Orders carry no protection, cash carries no protection, and the only way to protect yourself if you send a personal check is if the seller hasn’t cashed it yet (and even then, the stop payment fees are expensive!).
- -Ask for some method of delivery confirmation and insurance. This will protect you if an item arrives damaged or gets lost.
- -Keep all postage records and emails/PMs about the transaction for at least 90 days afterwards, and ask the seller or sender to do the same. You may need the postal receipts if insurance must be claimed.
- -If an item arrives broken, try to reasonably determine if the sender packed it incorrectly, or if the fault is with the shipping company. If it’s the latter, keep all packaging since you will need it to file a claim. Photos of how the item was packed could also help in damage disputes with the sender.
- -When using PayPal, don’t send “personal payments” when buying goods or services. PayPal only protects you as a buyer if you pay for items by paying for “Goods”. Never send a “personal” payment through PayPal if you are buying an item. It is also a violation of PayPal’s Terms of Service.
- -When trading, consider “buying” piece from each other as a form of protection. Trading items comes with no “buyer/seller” protection, as no money is exchanged. Because of this, it is trust based alone, and where we see the most problems! We strongly suggest upon agreeing to a trade that you actually purchase each other’s items at an agreed upon, fair, and equal value via PayPal (or another service that grants buyer protection). This gives you recourse if something goes wrong with the trade. The money lost to transaction fees can be worth it, if something goes wrong!
General Commissioning Guidelines
- As a person accepting a commission:
- -Don’t send items that are not paid for yet!
- -Be honest about the quality of your work, to the best of your ability. When offering a commission service, it is a good idea to provide pictures of your past projects .
- -Consider making a Terms of Service or at least write up a quick guideline of what the client can expect from you in terms of skill level, turn-around time, shipping, etc. Be especially upfront about deadlines. Even if you do not have a deadline, it is a very good idea to set a soft “completion date” which you and your client can reasonably expect the work to be done by. The same goes for when payment is expected and what detail or accuracy level is expected in the work. Remove any uncertainties before money or work gets started!
- -Be clear, before the transaction, if “all sales are final” or if you will offer refunds if the client doesn’t like the quality of your work. If you are clear before the sale, then it can’t come back to “bite you”.
- -Pack the item well enough that it can survive being dropped, kicked, tossed, punched, etc. All of these things can and have happened to packages before. We recommend wrapping the item very securely, and “double boxing” with a layer of packing material between the boxes.
- -Require some sort of delivery confirmation and insurance on the package you are sending/receiving. This will protect you if an item arrives damaged or gets lost.
- -If you are accepting a commission from someone who you don’t know very well, consider placing additional protection on a package (such as signature required). This will protect you against a client claiming not to have gotten the package. The few dollars it costs can possibly save you a world of problems!
- -Keep all postage records and emails/PMs about the transaction for at least 90 days afterwards. That way if someone later tries to file a claim against you, you will have proof that you sent the item and it arrived properly! Additionally, you may need the postal receipts if insurance must be claimed.
- As a person seeking a commission:
- -Ask the person you are commissioning if they have some sort of Terms of Service or at least guidelines. Ask how they expect payment to be sent, and see if they can make a deadline for the work to be completed. Even if you do not have a deadline, it is a very good idea to set a soft “completion date” which you can both reasonably expect the work to be done by. The same goes for when payment is expected and what detail or accuracy level is expected in the work. Remove any uncertainties before money or work gets started!
- -Pay using a method that lets you open a dispute if the person you are commissioning “takes your money and runs”. PayPal is one method that lets you open a dispute if you did not receive an item as described. Nearly all credit card companies do this as well. Postal Money Orders carry no protection, cash carries no protection, and the only way to protect yourself if you send a personal check is if the check hasn’t been cashed yet (and even then, the stop payment fees are expensive!).
Other Selling/buying methods:
Craigslist/Classifieds/Private sellers – Sometimes Windstones turn up in the craziest places, such as in classifieds or in a yard sale. Since these tend to be location-specific and are not common knowledge it is perfectly acceptable (and appreciated by many) if you want to post links/information to these ads on our forum (not the classifieds section).
Independent stores – In the spirit of trying to support “brick and mortar’ dealers and help keep them in business, collectors are welcome to post on our forum (not the classifieds section) if they come across an unusual find in their local store such as retired or special Windstones. Please be respectful of store owners and ask if it’s okay to post their information on this Forum though–some prefer not to ship and may not appreciate rabid collectors asking them to do so.
eBay – Users can post links on our forum (not the classifieds section) to their own personal eBay auctions, or to those where they know the seller personally (i.e., “My Uncle is selling his collection, I’m going to help him pack them, check it out on eBay!”) Keep posts about eBay items that are NOT your own personal listings to a minimum. If you know someone who is looking for a specific piece and it shows up on eBay, it’s best to just PM or email them the link.
