Swap Meet Guidelines – SCENTRAS.org

>>>YOU MUST BE A SUBSCRIBER TO POST “FOR SALE” LISTINGS <<<

SCENTRAS SWAPMEET RULES

SCENTRAS.com offers the Swapmeet forum as a service for Subscribed SCENTRAS member amateur radio, GMRS and CB operators to buy and sell gear. This set of rules is based on decades of experience and is designed to minimize risk and fraud. These rules are not open for debate. If you find them too strict, you are welcome to use another venue.

While SCENTRAS provides the space, it does not guarantee the outcome of any transaction. All transactions are private matters between the buyer and seller. SCENTRAS will not intervene in a deal unless actual fraud can be proven. Disputes over packaging, shipping delays, or poor communication are not considered fraud.

If fraud is proven, SCENTRAS may take action against the user, including banning. However, we will not moderate disputes over equipment condition, pricing, or other subjective issues. SCENTRAS will not assist in recovering funds, or legal actions.

1.0 PURPOSE

To provide a safe, fair venue for amateur radio operators to buy and sell personal ham gear, and to help prevent fraud and misuse.

“Ham gear” includes: ham radios, ham radio antennas, test gear, ham radio power supplies, ham-related software, ham product literature, homebrew ham radio items, etc.

“Ham gear” does NOT include: general-purpose electronics, computers, furniture, tools, cameras, clocks, appliances, toys, cars, boats, real estate, etc. These must be listed under the “General Merchandise” section.

1.1 WHO MAY SELL

Only current SCENTRAS Subscribers (of any level) may post “For Sale” listings in the Ham Gear For Sale category.

You must be logged in as a Subscriber to create a listing. “Ham Member” accounts may upgrade to any paid level to become subscribers to then be eligible.

2.0 PROHIBITED ITEMS

The following items may NOT be offered for sale or trade:

Items illegal to sell or possess in the U.S.
Radios/amplifiers banned by U.S. law or regulation
Services, repairs, or intangible goods
Commercial sales of new/used equipment (see Ham Made Gear rules for exceptions)
Firearms, knives, explosives, fireworks
Adult content or anything not suitable for a family site
CB amplifiers (only legal, FCC Type Accepted amps may be sold). See details below.

The following items are NOT ALLOWED IN “Ham Gear For Sale”: (But may be posted under in the correct categories or forums):

CB, GMRS, air-band, marine, weather, and other non-ham radios – even if they have a ham band access as an option.
Radios on the “FCC banned radios” list
Computers, displays, printers, FAX devices of any kind (including “weather FAX”), clocks (including “Hamclocks” & similar), computer accessories of any kind
Portable receivers of any kind – Grundig, Tecsun, Radio Shack, Sony, etc. even if they have shortwave band coverage or can copy CW/SSB. Portable ham transceivers of course are allowed (Elecraft, Drake, etc.)
Telephones of any kind including VoIP phones even if used for “internet services” like Hamsphere etc.
Power strips, power distribution panels, surge suppressors, power sequencers, ground rods, grounding blocks, or similar items that are generic and not specifically ham radio branded (Yaesu, Kenwood, etc.)
DJ gear, stereo systems, PA equipment, MIDI controllers of any kind, USB “stream controllers” or selection devices not specifically ham branded, or car audio devices – unless specifically “ham branded” – this includes Behringer, Gemini, Numark, Alesis, Mackie, Yamaha, etc. etc. – only audio gear with ham brands such as Yaesu, Kenwood, W2IHY, etc. may be listed in the Ham Gear section – even if they can be used in ham applications.
Parts not specifically ham-related (bulk wire including bulk coax, fuses, switches, etc.) including large batteries of any kind that are not specifically “ham branded”. All “bulk items” must be listed in General Merchandise.
Clothing of any kind – ball caps, hats, coats, etc. (even if ham-themed); jewelry, watches, pendants, etc. of any kind even if they are ham-radio branded or themed
Trailers, campers, or other vehicles of any kind, even if “equipped for ham use” with towers or radio gear.
Real estate of any kind, even if “equipped for ham use”
Gift cards or certificates of any kind, even if from a ham radio store like HRO
Solar power devices of any kind, or related parts including “roll-up solar chargers”, solar controllers, battery controllers, etc.
Non-type-accepted commercial amps (e.g., “Dave Made” style truck-stop amps even if sold as covering ham bands, or RM Italy models without FCC ID). ALL questionable amplifiers must include a photo clearly showing the FCC certification label – otherwise the amplifier ad will be moved to General Merchandise. This is at moderator discretion and won’t be argued.
Generic tools: wrenches, hammers, bench vises, drill presses, generic power tools of any kind, screwdrivers and other basic standard hand tools, soldering stations, de-soldering stations, “soldering guns”, wave soldering gear, microscopes, etc. –
Generic parts – non “ham branded” bits and pieces, knife switches, knobs, empty gear racks of any kind if not “ham branded”, no-name non-ham branded inductors, random old panel meters (not branded EFJ, Collins, etc.), resistors, capacitors, generic porcelain or plastic insulators even if they are antenna insulators, etc. even if useful for a ham project, generic “wall wart” power supplies unless specifically ham branded for exact models, etc. – all such items must be listed in General Merchandise

OK to sell: Homebrew amateur radio amplifiers built by an individual ham for use on the ham bands.

3.0 SCENTRAS’S ROLE

SCENTRAS charges no fees or commissions on sales
SCENTRAS assumes no responsibility for transactions in any way
SCENTRAS does not verify identity or ownership claims
SCENTRAS does not provide escrow or warranties nor can assist in any way with funds recovery or other issues that may arise out of a transaction. The SCENTRAS Swap Meet is “use at your own risk”
SCENTRAS will cooperate with law enforcement if called upon

4.0 LISTING POLICIES

Listing Titles:

Title should include make and model only (e.g., “Yaesu FT-991A”) – nothing else. DO NOT including pricing, shipping, specifications or ANYTHING ELSE in your title. Just brand and model.
Do NOT include words like: “For Sale,” “TRADE,” “L@@K,” “Rare,” “NOS,” “Mint,” “Shack in a Box,”, “New!”, “NIB”, “restored”, “refurbished”, “Never Used!”, etc.. (“As-Is” is acceptable)
Do NOT include specs, serial numbers (unless you have been specifically granted permission to do so by a Moderator), or payment/shipping info in the title
Do NOT post “Lowered price,” “Reduced,” “New price”, “Final price,” etc. in title
No slang or vague terms (e.g., “doodad,” “thingy”); No titles like “bunch of neat stuff”, “Shack cleaning”; “All sorts of ham goodies”; NONE of that. Brands and models ONLY.
Avoid all caps (e.g., “Icom IC-7300” is OK, “ICOM IC-7300 TRANSCEIVER FOR SALE” is NOT)

If an item is not operational for any reason, please put “as-is” in the title. Please avoid terms like “tech special” or “for restoration” as those descriptions might confuse a buyer. Everyone knows what “as-is” means – and buyers not wanting something in need of repair can simply scroll on by.
RETURNS: If you do not accept returns, simply say “No Returns”. There’s no need to explain why you don’t accept returns. Either you accept returns or you don’t. Any additional wording (“due to parts swappers”, “as with all used items”, “per the way this site runs”, etc. etc.) will be removed by a moderator. Such terms are superfluous and not needed. “No Returns” says it all.

Title Edits: Moderators may edit titles to meet the rules or for clarity. Do not re-edit titles back. If you do, your ad will be locked to editing.

Removing any content from ads is prohibited:

Sellers are prohibited from deleting any content from their ads. This includes images, prices, shipping information, or any details about the item. This is to keep all parties honest and maintain a historical record of items sold.
If sellers remove content, the ad will be restored and locked. Sellers who routinely persist in deleting ad content of any kind may find themselves suspended from privileges in the Swapmeet.

Users who CONSISTANTLY ignore these rules may lose access to sell on SCENTRAS, regardless of your subscription level. Rules apply to ALL users equally.

Photos:

Every item listed for sale MUST have a clear photo showing the ACTUAL ITEM and a visible call sign on a paper or callsign tag.
EACH item in the ad must be in a photo with the hand-written name, date, and call sign. The ID paper must be dated within 30 days (and not dated into the future – in other words, the date must be the listing date or older, up to 30 days)
Boxed items must be unboxed and the photo must clearly show the item for sale. We understand some sellers won’t want to open a sealed box. That’s fine but you cannot list it on SCENTRAS that way.
Ads without photos will simply be removed
Stock photos may be included as supplements, but not as substitutes for photos of the actual item
Do not post 3rd party links to photos only; use the forum’s “Upload a File” feature. 3rd party photo links (Photobucket, etc.) frequently break. Photos must actually appear in the ad itself and not require downloading a file or visiting some other link.
Photos must be of sufficient resolution and quality or your ad will be flagged for correction. The Qualifying ID photo must very clearly show your name, date, and call sign and unmistakably be in the same shot as the item. Any ID papers that look to be digitally inserted will be cause for the ad to be pulled.

Videos:

Optional, but must show the ACTUAL item – no some YouTube video of someone else’s gear
Do not use videos of similar gear or factory videos; show your own

Re-listing Items:

You must wait at least 8 full days before relisting the same item. Example: if you list on Monday, you many not relist until the next week on Tuesday
Do not re-list individual items from a previous group ad until 8 days pass
Mark sold items as “SOLD” within the thread (next to the item that sold) rather than reposting. Even if there are multiple items, you must wait to repost on the 8th day.

Like Items:

If you are selling identical items (two or more of one similar or identical item), you need to list those in a SINGLE AD. Please DO NOT start a separate ad for each identical item. Just create an ad and title it like this: “Qty 3 Astatic D-104 microphones” etc.

Marking Listings:

Once sold or withdrawn, use Thread Tools > Edit Title to mark as:
- “SOLD”
- “PENDING”
- “CANCELLED”
Do not delete content after the sale — keep pricing and photos intact
Sellers must change the title themselves

Contact Method:

Sellers must clearly state preferred method of contact
If not specified, buyers can use the “Contact Seller” button
Replies to ads are disabled – communication must be via PM (“Private Message” > use the SCENTRAS “Start a Conversation” function – or email
SCENTRAS does not mediate communication between buyers and sellers

Third Party Sales:

Not allowed unless seller has physical possession of the item, and the listing party call sign must be in the photo with the item. The listing party must assume all responsibility for the sale and shipping, just as if the items were the seller’s own.
This applies to Silent Key gear and estate sales

Wrong Categories:

Ads posted in the wrong forum will be moved by the moderator (or if a prohibited item, will be deleted)
If moved for the listed reasons, please don’t appeal to have it “moved back”.

Like Items:

Multiple identical items must be grouped into a single listing
Do not post separate listings like “Astatic Mic #1,” “Astatic Mic #2,” etc.

Excessive Complaints:

Ads receiving multiple complaints may be removed
Repeat offenders may lose access to the Swapmeet forum

Ad Quality:

Ads that are poorly written or misleading may be removed
Sellers must have some sort of descriptive text – not just photos. It’s strongly recommended that sellers spell out shipping options and list a selling price.

Brand Accuracy:

Misleading or incorrect branding (e.g., labeling a generic item as a known brand) will result in removal

Ad Limits:

Limit 5 ads per day – no more than 5 ads in 24 HOURS – the moderators count is the final word on this. It’s 5 ads in 24 hours, regardless of where your time zone is.
Combine multiple items when possible
If listing multiple IDENTICAL items, put them in the same ad. Please don’t start multiple ads for each identical item – such ads will be removed.

Cross-posting to eBay or other sites:

Allowed if item is fully listed on SCENTRAS — no “see my eBay listing” without content – the ad must conform in every way to the listing policies laid out above.

Payment Policies:

Do not ask for PayPal “Friends & Family” payment — ads requiring or offering “Friends & Family” (or “Friends only” or “FF”, etc. etc.) will be removed.
Sellers MAY ask buyers to pay the PayPal fee, but it is highly discouraged. Just build that into your price as a “cost of doing business”.

HANDWRITTEN Call Signs, name, and date required in Photos:

ALL photos of sale items MUST include a call sign on paper in the same photo with the item.
This helps prevent scams and ensures legitimacy – you are proving to buyers that you actually possess the item for sale, and that the name, date, and call sign were written by you and not digitally inserted.

5.0 HAM MADE GEAR

This section is for sellers of homebrew or custom ham-related gear
No resellers, “dealers”, no commercial businesses. Only “ham made cottage business” items may be sold this way.
Photos are required, as well as warranty and returns policies.
Limited to listings of gear made or modified by the seller

6.0 SCENTRAS’S RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE

SCENTRAS reserves the right to remove any listing or restrict access at its sole discretion. Violations of these rules may result in a warning, removal of listings, or banning from the Swapmeet.