Forum Policy on Things for Sale

You are allowed to notify the forum of items you have for sale within certain guidelines. These would include excess livestock (but not if you are a commercial breeder), used livestock equipment (but not if you are a dealer) and property (but not if you are a realty agent). Also excluded are arts and crafts-type items which you have made for private or public sale. Each item for sale will be reviewed on an item-by-item basis and are subject to deletion if they appear to be of a commercial nature.

Forum participants are reminded the forum reaches only a very small fraction of Countryside readership and are thus encouraged to place advertisements in the classified section. You will find the rates reasonable compared to other publications.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 12, 2001

Answers

Ken, What do you think about homesteading-type books?

-- DW (djwallace@ctos.com), September 12, 2001.

Basically the same criteria applies. If they are your books you are selling because you need to free up shelf space, or something, then fine. If you are a commercial book seller then that will be another story.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 12, 2001.

Thanks for clarifying this for us, Ken, I was wondering what the official policy was on these matters. Occasionally I have stuff/animals that are being replaced or upgraded and have been afraid to post them here as being unacceptable policy.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), September 13, 2001.

It is the AMERICAN way, punish the achiever.

If you have established yourself as a "commercial" type person in your enterprise you may expect punishment. In this case it will be financial. God help you if you educate yourself. You will then be consedered knowledgable, and probably liable too.

If you are a dealer, or agent and you are honest and establesh yourself as a business person you are NOT really welcome to use this forum. However if you are just someone who does business, but does not reort it (pay your taxes) then it is O.K. for you to ply your craft here.

I guess that it all boils down to what the individual definition of the word "IS", is.

If however you are an educated, skilled, and tax paying business person your knowledge and free tips will be welcome.

Now I understand.

-- Ed Copp (OH) (edcopp@yahoo.com), September 13, 2001.

Ed, I don't think it is as bad as all that. I read the policy as one way to keep this from being completely overrun by buy/sell (a lot of boards can get this way if you don't watch out), instead of a board where people can learn something new themselves and in turn educate others.

Most boards have prohibitions against selling anything at all--this one has struck a happy medium, although I tend to disagree with Ken about the audience that this forum reaches. I think you are reaching a much wider audience than you think, and from all over the world.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), September 14, 2001.

Ed:

Let me give you an analogy: You have a small family-owned grocery store (re: Countryside magazine) and it contains a produce aisle (re: Classified Section) which produces a fair amount of your revenue. A commercial market gardener approaches you and says, "You wouldn't mind if I set up in your parking lot at no cost do you? Why, I can not only undersell your prices (re: free forum ads), but I can provide fresher produce as well (re: almost instantaneous contact)." Would you allow them to set up? Same goes for commercial selling on the forum when the classified section is available.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 14, 2001.

Cs is a magazine and for it to survive it needs it's advertises.If they let everone do it for free we all loose.Why should you as a buisness make money but not them ?

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), September 14, 2001.