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[Admin]

The Cosplay.com Marketplace is a classifieds section provided as a free service to our members. It is there for two things, and two things only:

1) To advertise your commissions-based business
2) To sell used cosplay items.

The following fixes/changes have been implemented:

The basic software has been updated to be more robust and faster. There are a few cosmetic changes but the core functionality is the same. We'll tweak more of this later.

In order to post ads in the marketplace, you must now have at least 10 posts on the forums and be a member for at least 30 days. This is where most of the abuse was from.

All ads over 30 days old (except commission ads) have been removed. Ads will now auto-expire after 30 days, or sooner if chosen in the options for your specific ad. You will receive notification a few days in advance if your ad is expiring. (Note: Ads were originally supposed to delete themselves after 30 days, but the function was broken. It is now fixed.)

Contacting is now done via PM.

A few people were banned from the site completely for deliberately abusing the marketplace and flooding it with ads containing links to their online stores. Since they all fell into the "never posted on c.com before" category, they won't be missed.

The rules have been updated to reflect the new changes, and now appear on every single page where you can submit an ad. They are as follows:

1. The Cosplay.com Marketplace is a free service available to all registered and active Cosplay.com members who have been members of Cosplay.com for at least 30 days, and who have at least 10 posts in the forums.

2. Buyer beware. Cosplay.com is not responsible for any transactions that take place using the marketplace. The service is provided as-is, for our members to use at their own discretion. By using the service, you agree to not hold Cosplay.com liable for any issues that arise from the use of the service.

3. Seller beware. Cosplay.com is not responsible for any transactions that take place using the marketplace. The service is provided as-is, for our members to use at their own discretion. By using the service, you agree to not hold Cosplay.com liable for any issues that arise from the use of the service.

4. Cosplay.com does not warrant the accuracy of any ad or any information posted in the marketplace.

5. By posting an ad, you warrant that the item is in your possession and is available for sale. No pre-sales are allowed.

6. Cosplay.com may, at its sole discretion, remove any ad without the permission of the seller.

7. Anyone receiving repeated complaints will have their account reviewed, with possible site-wide account suspension.

8. All items posted for sale must be used/pre-owned items. NO RESELLERS ALLOWED. Breaking this rule is the fastest way to get banned from the site completely.

9. All advertisements expire after 30 days. After expiration, you may relist your item if it hasn't sold yet.

10. All "commission" ads must be cosplay-related.

11. Photography services, including but not limited to photoshoots, photo prints and photo manipulation, are not allowed.

12. Your ad may not link to any website selling new cosplay items.

13. Your ad may not be used for the purpose of sending people to another website.

14. No links to auctions.

15. No contact lenses.

16. Please clearly define the terms of your sale in your ad details. For example, if you are only accepting Paypal, then say so.

17. Describe your item as specifically as possible.

18. Keywords used in ad placements must be relevant to the item for sale. Intentional keyword abuse will result in the removal of the advertisement.

20. No illegal items. No obscene items. No bootlegs. By using this service you agree to adhere to all applicable laws with regard to the legality, sale, accuracy, payment, and delivery of any item contained in any advertisement you submit.

21. Transactions must be completed off-site. Cosplay.com is not responsible for your transaction. Cosplay.com will not review your transaction. Cosplay.com will not arbitrate or broker your transaction.

22. You are allowed to post the following:

One ad in each of the "Commission For Hire" categories.
Multiple ads in all other categories.

23. When an item is sold, please mark it as sold. You can do so by clicking on "SOLD IT" while looking at your advertisement.

24. Images uploaded must be of the actual item you are selling.

25. No selling of your items in comments for other items. You may not take sales from other members by posting in their advertisements.

26. If you post more than one ad in a Commission category, we will remove all but the oldest ad.

27. Cosplay.com reserves the right to modify these rules at any time. It is up to you to periodically check the rules for your own compliance.

[Admin]

We now have the option to purchase ads for commission businesses, for the main page of the marketplace only. These will not appear on ad pages themselves, only on the index. This is a perfect way to get your ad seen by your target demographic for a cheap price.

Ad Pricing
Buttons: $80/month, or $200 for 3 months.
Text ads: $40/month, or $100 for 3 months.

Spaces are first come, first served.

Ads are for Commission sites ONLY. Ads must be pre-approved. Your ad may not lead to a page selling new items. Ads may not lead to Etsy or eBay sites.

We will not provide ad statistics. However, you can expect your ad to be seen around 1500-2500 times per day. How many people click on your ad will depend on the ad itself.

Buttons are 120x80 and must be under 30KB. Animated GIFs are fine.

Text Ads may not be misleading in nature. Your ad can have a title up to 40 characters, and a description up to 100 characters in length. Your text must be a proper sentence (e.g. "I can create custom props for you, free shipping" and not "CUSTOM PROPS!!!! FREE SHIPPING!!!++++!!!")

Ads must be paid for in advance. This includes longer term ads receiving the discount.

[kuroi_shi]

.. What counts as a 'used cosplay item' .. Example, I bought tons and tons of beads for an accessory (I bought 4 containers of beads).., but I still have lots left over (Got 2.5 containers left).. could those be sold? ... Or would that count as reselling?

[Admin]

Extra materials (including extra fabric) are fine. We'll normally be able to tell if someone is reselling things like that.

[Mekou]

I'm disappointed that I lost all my ads without any forewarning that they were going to be removed. x_x

So I assume they if they end up removed (in the future, I guess), the only way to relist the item is to place a new ad?

[Admin]

When the ads were uploaded, they were listed as 30 days max during the submission process. The marketplace just wasn't auto-expiring them correctly.

Yes, after 30 days all ads must be re-listed.

[Shining Polaris]

Hi, is there a way like last time aftr they expire after 30 days they can like stay in your "store." Because it makes it easier to relist it when I have the pictures and descriptions in there. I had a lot of listings and pictures and now they are all gone!

[Yui]

First on the regular M-P listings...I'm just confirming that if we must relist after 30 days (which is more than reasonable) do we need to submit the photos again, or are they achieved somewhere? (I back up all my pictures locally anyway, but I don't want to needlessly upload the same picture twice if it is not necessary.)

And thank you so much for the text ad options! I've been waiting for that feature to show up. And it actually makes a lot more sense than I originally had considered. We'll probably be purchasing a slot within the week. (When do the slots go live? Immediately, or are you waiting to fill them all up first?)

[NormanNerd]

10 forum posts before I can place a costume commission? I know I'm excessively shy, extremely strange, and avoid forums due to negative past experiences, but I'm also a mature and passionate cosplayer... and I need new costume, dag nab it.

Oh well, 9 more posts to go I suppose.

[shoujocessories]

I do miss doing business over e-mail, rather than PM, since I do all my quotes in Excel/OpenOffice Calc, and the PM makes it harder for me to send a bid out, since I need the clients to e-mail me first. Will the e-mail feature be coming back at all?

[Kukkii-san]

@NormanNerd
You only need that post count to submit a new ad. If you just want to buy / commission something from someone, you can still reply to their ads.

I prefer PMs over e-mail forwarding because now I can actually see the person's name and access their profiles when they contact me, and their mails will no longer fall in my spam box, yay ^o^ I can still give them my e-mail address later if I want to (or list it in my ad) so I think that's fine.

I would have liked the option to make a backup copy of my old ads before they were deleted, so a warning would've been sweet Other than that, good job on the changes, Admin! ^.^

[TimeWitch]

Who exactly do we pm for an add placement once we meet the criteria?
thanks
Timewitch

[Admin]

It's automatic but can take up to an hour or two.

[Lumasan]

I ahve ten posts for the required to post and add, but ?I can't find it. *confused* Am I missing something here?

[Winter Divinity]

I like how the system is a lot cleaner in terms of old ads staying up forever. However, the PM only thing is quite inconvenient, seeing as we are limited to 150 PMs to send and receive, the inbox can fill up FAST. I save some of my messages and I don't want to have to delete them all the time as some of them retain important stuff. It also contradicts rule 21: Transactions must be completed off-site. since PMs would be conducted directly within the site.

Is there a way to have a contact by email option for sellers?