scoopster
04-07-2009, 06:39 PM
This post will outline the rules and benefits provided for Vendors and Hobbyists, discussing what is the same and what is different between these types of subscriptions. Most of this stuff is pretty cut and dried and in most cases things like vendor benefits and posting limits will be automated by VB software customizations developed by B&B administrators. This post will also discuss some etiquette items, more of a "spirit of conduct" set of guidelines. We can't possibly cover all aspects of personcal conduct and etiquette so we may impose restrictions above and beyond what is documented here based on specific behaviors observed. Please note that the Vendor and Hobbyist programs will evolve over time and are subject to change. Also note that your feedback will be incorporated into those changes as has been done in this second major iteration of the vendor subscription program.
The essence of our policy toward Vendors and Hobbyists is to keep Badger and Blade commercial free with the exception of the designated Marketplace forums. We do welcome Vendor participation at B&B and believe it enhances the membership's experience here. Adhering to these guidelines will meet B&B's goals and allow your business to have visibility to our large community.
For the purposes of the B&B, generally a Vendor or Hobbyist is selling for a profit, may have multiples of an item and periodically replenishes their stock. This may or may not include various services for profit, such as razor restoration/sharpening or barbering. The difference between Vendors and Hobbyists is that vendors typically have larger operations, dedicated web presence, brick & mortar storefronts and/or larger volumes/variety of merchandise. If you are not sure if you should be categorized as a Vendor or Hobbyist, contact any Moderator via a PM and we'll work with you.
Benefits for Vendors and Hobbyists found here... (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/262994-Information-about-the-B-amp-B-Vendor-Hobbyist-Program-Program-Changes-Described-Here) This is the list of all benefits and features associated with these subscriptions.
Guidelines & Etiquette for Vendors and Hobbyists:
Hobbyists are required to have a minimum of 45 days membership and fifty posts in order to post into the Vendor/Hobbyists Classified forum.
You may not add or reply to product reviews in the "reviews" section of B&B. This is to prevent "shilling" or posting of reviews for financial motives. If a Vendor wants to post a review for a product they clearly have no financial interest in (for example, you sell razors but are reviewing a scotch), please contact a moderator and we can add it to the review system manually.
Unsolicited E-mail and PMs to members are strictly prohibited and are cause for immediate cancellation of membership at B&B.
You are not allowed to use the B/S/T forum to sell items or alert members to sales/promotions. Vendors may use the Hobbyist/Vendor Classifieds to sell non-stock (e.g. personal, one off, scratch & dent) items only. All Hobbyist sales are limited to the Hobbyist/Vendor Classifieds, including stock and non-stock items/services.
You should expect in-depth, specific questions about their products and be prepared to discuss manufacturing process and ingredients.
You must respect members’ opinions, and cannot argue with or badger members on negative reviews as long as they are factual and respectful, if you have an issue please contact the team.
You are welcome to respond to questions and participate in discussions in the various forums outside of the Marketplace forums. However, you should not be plugging your sites or products in those forums. This is a delicate balance to maintain and B&B requests you be very careful about this. You can talk about your experience with various products and answer questions about technique or product formulation but again, be careful! Anything that could be perceived as a sales pitch should be avoided. Err on the side of caution.
If you are a new Vendor or Hobbyist to Badger and Blade, we encourage you to read as many posts as you can in our forums. You'll see that there are many of your peers that are able to adhere to the posting guidelines and also add value in the other forums without making those discussions commercial in nature. You'll also quickly notice that our members regularly praise various vendors' goods and services. You can't have a more effective way to promote your outfit here than letting satisfied members do it for you!
Other Important Information for Vendors & Hobbyists:
Guidelines for Vendor Contests:
Vendors may, and in fact should, have fun thinking of creative ways of highlighting new products and services via contest giveaways. We think this should be a very fun forum, and a rewarding one for vendors and members alike.
Vendor are allowed one contest per month.
We are not currently setting a minimum dollar amount for a contest item but request that vendors use good judgement when selecting prizes to give a way. For example, a 15 ml sample of Trumpers cologne readily obtained for free or a few ten-cent razor blades is a bit on the light side for a promotion to draw attention to your business.
As these contests are advertisements (albeit nice ones), vendors may not request anything more than creativity from our members. No money, no postage, no donations may be requested in exchange for a a contest entry.
Contest entries may be solicited in the thread, via PM, via email, and/or via Vendor's webspace.
Vendors may not use the contest forum to collect member contact information for purposes of advertisement via private message or other means. To do so would be a violation of site Terms of Use, and would result in immediate suspension of Vendor privileges.
Managing Vendor and Hobbyist subscriptions:
It is your responsibility to manage your subscription through PayPal.
We do not refund subscriptions.
How to cancel automatic payment for subscriptions if manual payments are preferred:
Log in to your PayPal account.
Click Profile at the top of the page.
Click My Money, then click Update beside My preapproved payments to find your payment.
Select the payment, and then click Cancel.
The essence of our policy toward Vendors and Hobbyists is to keep Badger and Blade commercial free with the exception of the designated Marketplace forums. We do welcome Vendor participation at B&B and believe it enhances the membership's experience here. Adhering to these guidelines will meet B&B's goals and allow your business to have visibility to our large community.
For the purposes of the B&B, generally a Vendor or Hobbyist is selling for a profit, may have multiples of an item and periodically replenishes their stock. This may or may not include various services for profit, such as razor restoration/sharpening or barbering. The difference between Vendors and Hobbyists is that vendors typically have larger operations, dedicated web presence, brick & mortar storefronts and/or larger volumes/variety of merchandise. If you are not sure if you should be categorized as a Vendor or Hobbyist, contact any Moderator via a PM and we'll work with you.
Benefits for Vendors and Hobbyists found here... (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/262994-Information-about-the-B-amp-B-Vendor-Hobbyist-Program-Program-Changes-Described-Here) This is the list of all benefits and features associated with these subscriptions.
Guidelines & Etiquette for Vendors and Hobbyists:
Hobbyists are required to have a minimum of 45 days membership and fifty posts in order to post into the Vendor/Hobbyists Classified forum.
You may not add or reply to product reviews in the "reviews" section of B&B. This is to prevent "shilling" or posting of reviews for financial motives. If a Vendor wants to post a review for a product they clearly have no financial interest in (for example, you sell razors but are reviewing a scotch), please contact a moderator and we can add it to the review system manually.
Unsolicited E-mail and PMs to members are strictly prohibited and are cause for immediate cancellation of membership at B&B.
You are not allowed to use the B/S/T forum to sell items or alert members to sales/promotions. Vendors may use the Hobbyist/Vendor Classifieds to sell non-stock (e.g. personal, one off, scratch & dent) items only. All Hobbyist sales are limited to the Hobbyist/Vendor Classifieds, including stock and non-stock items/services.
You should expect in-depth, specific questions about their products and be prepared to discuss manufacturing process and ingredients.
You must respect members’ opinions, and cannot argue with or badger members on negative reviews as long as they are factual and respectful, if you have an issue please contact the team.
You are welcome to respond to questions and participate in discussions in the various forums outside of the Marketplace forums. However, you should not be plugging your sites or products in those forums. This is a delicate balance to maintain and B&B requests you be very careful about this. You can talk about your experience with various products and answer questions about technique or product formulation but again, be careful! Anything that could be perceived as a sales pitch should be avoided. Err on the side of caution.
If you are a new Vendor or Hobbyist to Badger and Blade, we encourage you to read as many posts as you can in our forums. You'll see that there are many of your peers that are able to adhere to the posting guidelines and also add value in the other forums without making those discussions commercial in nature. You'll also quickly notice that our members regularly praise various vendors' goods and services. You can't have a more effective way to promote your outfit here than letting satisfied members do it for you!
Other Important Information for Vendors & Hobbyists:
Guidelines for Vendor Contests:
Vendors may, and in fact should, have fun thinking of creative ways of highlighting new products and services via contest giveaways. We think this should be a very fun forum, and a rewarding one for vendors and members alike.
Vendor are allowed one contest per month.
We are not currently setting a minimum dollar amount for a contest item but request that vendors use good judgement when selecting prizes to give a way. For example, a 15 ml sample of Trumpers cologne readily obtained for free or a few ten-cent razor blades is a bit on the light side for a promotion to draw attention to your business.
As these contests are advertisements (albeit nice ones), vendors may not request anything more than creativity from our members. No money, no postage, no donations may be requested in exchange for a a contest entry.
Contest entries may be solicited in the thread, via PM, via email, and/or via Vendor's webspace.
Vendors may not use the contest forum to collect member contact information for purposes of advertisement via private message or other means. To do so would be a violation of site Terms of Use, and would result in immediate suspension of Vendor privileges.
Managing Vendor and Hobbyist subscriptions:
It is your responsibility to manage your subscription through PayPal.
We do not refund subscriptions.
How to cancel automatic payment for subscriptions if manual payments are preferred:
Log in to your PayPal account.
Click Profile at the top of the page.
Click My Money, then click Update beside My preapproved payments to find your payment.
Select the payment, and then click Cancel.