Everything you need to know about the B/S/T

[luvmysuper]

By using the B/S/T you're agreeing to our "Caveat Emptor" (Let the buyer beware) policy. This means the administrators, moderators and B&B are not responsible for possible negative outcomes that may result from sale/trade agreements made in the B/S/T forum. This is a place to swap goods among friends - but this isn't ebay and we don't charge members or provide a "service" we merely allow folks a relatively unstructured medium to sell/exchange goods with one another.

If you do get burned though, or you do have an issue - please contact a moderator from the moderator team as we will investigate your issue and if we feel a member is being disingenuous or ungentlemanly we can/will remove their B/S/T access and/or terminate their membership. The B&B Terms of Use states in Item 4b;

Members without a bonafide internet or brick and mortar storefront may be considered vendors (at the sole discretion of the mod team) and may lose their privileges in the B/S/T forum if they are marking up items to unreasonable prices, or selling large quantities of items on the B/S/T on a regular basis - again, both of these variables are at the sole discretion and classification of the mod team.

We welcome members who wish to add further value to the membership of the forum by selling items here in the B/S/T - however this community is not intended to be the free storefront and marketing arm of businesses.

Eligibility to sell/trade: Participation in the community at Badger and Blade is a requirement to sell items or to participate in a trade. Sellers/traders must be members of B&B for at least 45 days and have contributed a minimum of 50 quality posts on this site in order to qualify to sell or trade. The vast majority of a member's posts should be in the core areas of B&B.
The FREE B/S/T is a PRIVILEGE for good standing members to use, NOT A RIGHT! We're giving you all a lot of rope here, so if you abuse the privilege of using the B/S/T, you'll lose it. If a moderator contacts you with an issue relating to the B/S/T, please keep this in mind. If you're understanding, reasonable and respectful, 100 out of 100 times, we'll be able to come to a mutually beneficial resolution. With the growth of B&B and the vast majority of moderator-time being spent policing the B/S/T - if you're indignant, disrespectful or argumentative, you'll quickly lose your B/S/T access.IMPORTANT NOTES:

1.) Members can post one new thread in the BST every 14 days--this is an automated feature programmed into B&B software that prevents you from starting another BST thread until 14 full days after your last one ... so don't PM a Mod asking what's up or can he 'fix it for you ... it's hardwired into the system. As before, there is no limit on the number of items listed in the initial post (IE: you cannot add more items later on in the week). Members may have more than one Active Thread at a time. Linking to an open BST thread in your signature or any subsequent new thread is not permitted.

2.) Listing a plethora of items will prove to make navigation difficult for members, and will likely result in less traffic on your thread as the title of the thread will not be able to accurately describe the contents of your thread, nor will our tag system (which is voluntary). Should members complain about repeated offenders making the forum difficult to wade through, the offender may have a maximum item limit imposed upon them.

3.) Listing the same items over and over week after week is frowned upon, the B/S/T isn't a storefront. If it doesn't sell, and you'd like to re-list it in a future thread, you'll need to reduce the price by at least 20% in each subsequent relisting. Items which have not been listed for sale for at least 90 days may be relisted without the 20% price drop.

4.) The B/S/T is not a storefront. While admittedly ambiguous - should moderators feel a member is abusing the B/S/T and is using it as a storefront, the user will be required to become a vendor and follow vendor guidelines.

5.) ON TOPIC discussion is highly encouraged in the B/S/T. This means commenting on how great a deal is, how unique an item is, reminding a member of the rules, etc. The Mod Team does not enforce fair pricing. If a listed item is unrealistically priced, members are encouraged to comment on the price in a gentlemanly fashion. The B/S/T is NOT a place for off topic jokes, discussions or comments which do not add value to a prospective buyer. Personal attacks will be sanctioned in accordance with the B&B Terms Of Use.

6.) Transactions in the B/S/T are to be conducted via Private Message, not in thread. Sellers may choose to whom they sell their items and are not required to sell to the first responder.

As a reminder - Since transactions are conducted via PM, ensure your PM inbox is empty enough to receive PM's from prospective buyers!

7.) No post bumps from the seller will be allowed, however sellers can answer any questions posted in the threads, and can post minimum 10% price reductions as frequently as they desire.

8.) B/S/T threads should be as descriptive as possible. Original photos are encouraged, preferably with your username in the photo. Product condition, amount of product left, and shipping and pricing details are to be included in every thread.

9.) Ebay listings and "make me an offer" or auction-type sale/trade threads are not permitted in this forum.

10.) For the sake of posterity, we ask that you do not delete the price from your original post after the item has sold.

11.) Tobacco, alcohol, firearms, and products of questionable taste or dubious legality may not be sold nor traded on B&B. Sales and trades are limited to in hand goods or services. Gift cards, store credits or reward points are disallowed. Non-shaving items that may be of interest to our members are allowed in limited quantity - if in doubt, PM a moderator.

12.) Payments via Paypal are to be made under the "Goods and Services" option. Sellers are forbidden to request or require "Personal Payments" for items in the B/S/T.

13.) Sellers and buyers completing transactions that are contrary to the guidelines above will receive warnings and potentially lose their access to the B/S/T forum.

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[hide][top] The Marketplace: A Primer

Folks, we wanted to make you aware of changes to B&B's Marketplace fora, effective 12/1/11. These changes predominantly involve three areas of the site: the Shaving Mall - Buy/Sell/Trade, the Vendor Items For Sale forum (formerly the Vendor Corner), and a new forum, Hobbyist/Vendor Classifieds.

The Shaving Mall - Buy/Sell/Trade forum (b/s/t) is for the use of active B&B members to sell and acquire goods. Back in the days of B&B's founding, this forum was started as a means for like minded community members to exchange items with each other, thus making it easier for everyone to try new items, at prices befitting exchanges between friendly acquaintances. Camaraderie, not profit-taking, is the spirit of our b/s/t forum.

As the site has grown, several individuals have turned their expertise at restoration, etc. into a side business. We encourage this. We think it's great for our members, who get access to more products offered by innovative and enterprising individuals. We think it's great for the burgeoning small-businesspersons. We think it's just dandy for B&B. But, we don't think it belongs in our b/s/t. So we created Vendor subscriptions, highlighting the great offerings made by good folks who share our passion for quality shavegoods and other fine items. We want these folks to be active members here, sharing their own joys and triumphs alongside their wares. We want them to succeed. Since success means profit from our membership, though, we think it only fair that these folks contribute a bit to site upkeep via a paid subscription for access to vendor fora. The first such forum was known as the "Vendor Corner." Based on feedback from these valued vendors, we've renamed that forum "Vendor Items for Sale". Vendors use this forum to advertise new offerings, special sales, and now, via a new sub-forum, contests for our members. Only subscribed vendors can start threads in the Vendor Items for Sale forum, but everyone is free to comment in those threads.

One of the wonderful things about the good folks who provide the goods B&B members crave is that the vast majority of them have day jobs -- their B&B-related business is a gig on the side, and certainly a labor of love. For a while now, though, some of our members have been caught in limbo: they would like to try their hands at restoring a few razors here and there or turning a few brushes, making great soap or aftershave, etc., but don't feel right about walking into it at full steam, vendor subscription and all. We want to encourage those folks to pursue that entrepreneurial spirit, as it's good for all of us. Because of this, we've created the "Hobbyist" member category for folks who are not yet vendors with regular stock and steady sales volume, but not selling within the mission of our b/s/t, either. To help these folks out, access to the hobbyist category comes at a very modest cost, and includes posting privileges not in the b/s/t, but instead in the new Hobbyist/Vendor Classifieds forum. Here, hobbyists are free to post items for sale once weekly, with all commentary and transactions taking place via PM. Vendors with non-stock items for sale get posting privileges in this forum, too. Think of it as a b/s/t for pros -- the prices may be a bit higher, but the variety will be impressive.

While moderators reserve the right to remove b/s/t posting privileges in cases where a member's actions seem overly commercial in nature, we trust our members to make their own decisions about whether they wish to pursue a hobbyist or vendor subscription. Hobbyist subscriptions are available via the "Contribute" link at the very top of the page. Vendor subscriptions require a brief application -- PM a friendly moderator for details, or if you'd like some guidance on which category would be best in your situation. Importantly, the hobbyist and vendor categories apply to a scant few of our members as described above. We don't want folks to feel bashful about using our b/s/t, nor about providing services and goods to one another. We're not actively seeking to remove folks from the b/s/t, but we will act to remove commercialization outside of the vendor and hobbyist fora if it becomes apparent. If you're afraid you may be crossing a line, ask a mod. We're here to help.

You'll want to get in the habit of checking out all three of these fora. Between them, there are amazing deals to be had, wonderful folks to meet, and an unparalleled assortment of new and used items to enjoy. We hope you'll like these changes. They've been a long time in the making, and are only possible thanks to the good ideas of all our members, hobbyists, and vendors. Thanks for being part of our great and growing community.

Last edited by Gruder; 03-24-2012 at 10:14 AM.

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[top] Here's the Scoop on a Few BST Improvements

We wanted to make you aware of a few small changes to our Marketplace, as we take pride here at B&B in keeping our members in the loop on our rationale for site changes, no matter how big or small!

Three changes to briefly mention:

1) New BST tag capability. We're really excited about this one, as it's a measure of B&B's phenomenal growth. As B&B has grown to include fora far beyond wetshaving, we've consistently fielded member concerns about non-shaving items feeling out of place in our bst. A temporary solution to this was threads in fora such as the Nib, Cafe', and Brown Leaf where members could point out forum-specific bst threads. Such an action goes against our stated intention of keeping commercial activity out of non-Marketplace fora, however, so tags represent a solution that should entice members from all corners of our website to make better use of the bst. Importantly, use of bst tags is your choice, both as a seller and as a buyer. It's a simple system, and a quick tutorial is posted here: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...at-and-the-How

2) Combination of WTB and BST fora. Unfortunately, WTB threads were increasingly being used to skirt BST policy with regard to trades and sales, so the team came to the conclusion that the same 50 post/45 day policy that has long applied to the bst would be useful for WTB threads, as well. We also had some concerns about an entire WTB forum serving as an easy target for sellers with fraudulent or profit-centered intentions. A third rationale for this change is our desire to keep rules as easy to understand as possible. One BST -- one set of rules. Many moons ago, there was genuine concern that new members might need to make use of WTB in order to procure items they needed to get into wetshaving. For quite some time now, though, the bst has contained everything that a new member could want, and then some! Our tag system makes separating sales threads from WTB threads simple and clear.

3) Change from 7 to 14 days between BST posts. Late last year we introduced the Hobbyist/Vendor Classifieds forum to accommodate those with an interest in producing, restoring, and selling shaving goods to members at a higher volume than what the BST has always been intended to be - a free space to occasionally sell or trade products that don't suit your individual needs and hopefully to find some that do. At the same time, the (all-volunteer) moderator team transitioned away from forcing individual BST profiteers/powersellers to discontinue BST use in favor of greater focus on group buys and positive technical changes to the site (many of which remain in the works -- stay tuned!). As the hobbyist program has taken off, our assessment of bst activity is that our members who are using the forum in its intended manner are selling far less than twice a month. If you feel that you need to post sales at a higher volume than 28 times a year, you might look into becoming a hobbyist. (See more information here:http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...place-A-Primer) It is our hope, and our expectation based on experience from prior BST changes, that the change to 14 days between BST posts will effect a very small percentage of our members, and will result in fairer BST pricing and the continuation of the BST ideal of occasional sales/trades of un/underused items between active members.

As with any change at B&B, we're monitoring the roll-out closely and happy to entertain member feedback in the BST feedback thread. Thanks to one and all for your contribution to the phenomenal growth of our site, and for your patience as we work to make a great community an even better, and safer, place to spend a few relaxing moments online.

Chad

************************************************** ************************************************** **************** BST Sorting Made Easy - The what and the How.

Here I am trying to find a Fountain Pen in the BST, and I have to wade through post after post of Razors for sale. I have all the razors I need, I just want a pen.I wish there was a way that we could sort the BST and only view items that we were interested in.Ever had a thought along those lines?

Announcing – BST Tag sorting!! We will soon be implementing the ability for members to sort BST threads into given categories. If you’re looking for a Straight Razor, you won’t even see Shaving Brushes.Looking for a Pipe? No Soaps to wade through in your search.The way this will occur is that when a BST thread is started, a member will have the option of assigning a single TAG to the thread. For instance;A Safety Razor sale might be tagged as DE/SE RAZORA Pipe sale might be tagged BROWN LEAFA Fountain Pen might be tagged NIBThe idea being that if you are looking for a particular item, it can be sorted for the general forum under which it falls.This would have no effect on those who would choose to do a regular search of the BST or those who choose to view the BST by New Posts.It’s just a little way that we are trying to make the B&B Experience a little more user friendly to our members here.Members using this option in the BST will have to bear in mind that if you don’t Tag your thread, you won’t show up when someone does a Tag sort.You are also reminded that since we are limited to a single Tag, ginormous den clearing sales will be less effective (some would argue that they are anyway). If large ongoing sales are your thing, we invite you to consider our hobbyist subscription option.This will take a little getting used to in that folks will have to decide and arrange their sales thread with items which are best identified by the available Tag.You might find that you get better exposure on your sale if you sell your brushes in one sales thread, and your soaps in the next rather than combining the two.Additionally, because Threads can now be sorted by Tag, we are rolling the WTB Subforum into the main BST Forum.This will reduce the Administrative Burden, and allow WTB threads to be more visible to all, as they are incorporated into the BST.Be aware that since the WTB has been rolled into the BST, the standard BST Software requirements apply to WTB threads - that is; In order to post a WTB an individual must have been a member for 45 days, and have at least 50 posts in the Core areas of B&B. We welcome your feedback on this planned user friendly improvement to the BST, and will post updates here as we progress.

How to sort the BST using the new Tag System
Scroll to the bottom of the Main BST Forum and you will see the various sort options available.



The options are "Show threads from the""Sort threads by""Prefix""Order threads in"Click the drop down on "Show threads from the" and you will see the options available for this selection.



This allows you to select the time frame for which you will have a return on your sort. Bear in mind that it will take time to build a database of threads with Tags attached.Next click the drop down for "Sort threads by" and you have the option of defining criteria for the search.



You may use this option or leave it in the default selection.Then click the dropdown for "Prefix". This is where you will select the Tag which identifies the Forum from which you wish to search for selected Items.



Simply select a description which best describes the items you are looking for.Then you may select "Order threads in" either Ascending or Descending order, based upon the selections you made in the first two choices.



Finally, click the "Show Threads" Button.What will appear is a list of all Threads that have the Prefix you selected, sorted in the order and time frame you selected in the previous steps.Simple!Any Questions or comments feel free to post them in the BST Discussion thread;http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...-Clarification