Community Rules
Here are the rules for the community that all participants must read. Of course, they are up for suggestion and criticism. A lot of information, such as how to run group auctions/buys, are in separate helpful posts. These are just the raw "do/don't do this" rules.
Here are some other posts you may find helpful:
Guide on Group Auctions and Orders
Shipping Guide
Hello, and welcome to the Hetalia Selling and Collecting community! These rules are carefully chosen to give as much freedom to buyers and sellers as possible, yet offer security to both. We are a pretty open and welcoming group, but rules are needed to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.
All members are accountable to the rules. Any drastic changes to the rules will be posted about in the community. Feedback is gladly welcome if you have any disagreements with them.
LAST UPDATED: August 21th, 2011
General Posting Rules
1. All posts must relate to the community in some way. We are not a replacement for hetalia. Subjects that may be posted about:
- Selling merchandise and doujinshi
- “Willing to Buy” posts
- Collections
- New merchandise
- Questions about merchandise/doujinshi
- Discussions based around collecting/merchandise/doujinshi
We are rather flexible when it comes to this rule, just as long as it relates in any way to the community itself.
2. All large images should be placed within a cut. Outside the cut, only one image is allowed. It is not to excel 500 x 500 pixels. To learn how to use a cut, refer to this page.
3. Do not delete posts, unless there is a typo or you only change a very small part of it. You are not allowed to delete anyone else’s post. Post deletion should be rare. If for any reason you wish to delete a post other than for typo reasons, either your own or in your sells post, contact a moderator first.
Etiquette
1. Treat other members the way you wish to be treated. Don’t be rude or condescending of anyone for any reason, even if you think they deserve it. Unless there is good reason, don’t be suspicious or wary of anyone. Assume good faith in all members.
2. Do not whine, beg, or threaten for items. If an item has been claimed/won by someone else, or if someone has something you want in their collection, do not be rude to them. We have all lost out on items because we weren’t quick or able enough. Remember that the winner/owner is the same as you, and probably worked hard to get their prized piece. Work just as hard to get yours, or keep on looking for the item you want.
- Along the same idea, do not haggle (offer a different price) with sellers, unless they said it was okay to do so. You are free to ask, but if they refuse, just accept it and move on.
3. Keep private issues in private. If your issue only involves one or two people, contact them through PM, IMs such as AIM and MSN, and/or e-mail. Calling out to specific people should be a last resort, and only if the problem calls for it (someone owes you money, hasn’t sent out their item, etc.). Only involve moderators if the situation calls for it.
Buying
In General
1. Do not purchase anything if you do not have the money or you are not certain you want it. Just because this is a LJ community doesn’t mean that you can withdraw from buying whenever you want. Treat this as a contract: If you say you wish to buy something, pay as soon as you get the payment quote from the seller. Make sure you have the money on hand before you go into any sort of obligations. You MAY get excused if an emergency came up, but do not use this lightly! If we see you using this and going off to buy something else worth as much in the community, we will not take kindly to it.
2. Do not force sellers to take any sort of payment they don’t accept or to ship anywhere they don’t want to. You may ask the seller politely if they haven’t made it clear or offer alternatives, but if they clearly state in their rules that they won’t accept such-and-such payment or won’t ship internationally, do not complain. If they reject your offer or sell, do not harass them.
Auctions or Group Claims/Buys
1. If you make a claim or a bid, do not retract it. Claims and bids are just as much of an obligation as regular buying.
2. It is your obligation to check back on group auctions. Exceptions are that you are communicating privately with sellers, or if a seller agreed to contact you in a specific way.
3. In order to make a bid, you must reply to the highest bidder’s post. This is to make sure the current highest bidder gets a notification (if they have it turned on) and makes the auction easier to track. Otherwise bids made may not count!
4. Sniping is not allowed. If any new bids are made within the last 10 minutes of an auction, the timer will extend 10 more minutes to give the other bidders a chance. This is, of course, not applied to those who are currently in the bid itself, just as long as bidding had been taken place by said members throughout the entire bid time.
Selling
1. All sales advertised within the community are held towards the community rules, even those that take place in other journals. This is to reassure members that any sort of ill behavior on either buyer or seller’s part will result in consequences within the community. If you feel you need to be exempt from a rule due to whatever circumstance, talk with the moderators and we may let you have a pass at the rule. By advertising your sells in our community, you agree with our rules.
2. All sellers must have clear guidelines and information. This includes shipping, payment, possibility for trades, fees, and whatever you feel needs to be put across.
3. Make it clear when you plan on shipping. This is especially important, hence why it is separate from the guidelines rule. Say when you plan on shipping in your sales post, and make sure it is within a reasonable time span. If you cannot reliably ship within one or two weeks of the exchange, do not sell!
4. Do not accept payment for what you do not have. Group auctions/buys and customs are exempt from this.
5. If you are a new seller, you must provide a picture of your products. Stock images alone are not allowed. You must take your own picture of the actual items you are selling, and they must be of decent quality (we are not expecting professional quality, but enough to capture the details of the item). I know this may be a lot of work if you are selling a lot of items, but it helps reassure your customers that you actually have the item in hand. Group buys and auctions are exempt from this, once again making sure of your source.
6. You must honestly detail the quality and condition of the items you are selling, and most of them must be in good condition. This is not a place where you can sell broken junk!
7. Do not advertise more than once a week. Space out your postings, and only post if you have a lot of new stock or haven’t posted in a good while. If you haven't updated your sales, I suggest you only post once every two weeks at most, because constant advertisements do not help you and just annoy buyers.
8. All sales posts made directly to the community must only have Hetalia-related items.
Miscellaneous
Customs and Commissions - Requests for custom items, such as plush, keychains, etc. and artwork commissions are allowed here. Adhere to the sales rules and complete your work within a reasonable time span. Make sure to update your clients privately on updates on their customs, should they take a while to make. We will not judge the item itself, just as long effort is placed into it. For instance, you are not allowed to sell artwork you just quickly scribbled onto a sheet of notebook paper.
Trading - Trading is allowed, and is considered a sales of sorts, so most sales rules apply to it. Most discussion must take place within a post in the community or a sales post advertised on the community for it to follow under the community guidelines. This is so we can make sure everything went as smoothly as possible.
Here are some other posts you may find helpful:
Guide on Group Auctions and Orders
Shipping Guide
Hello, and welcome to the Hetalia Selling and Collecting community! These rules are carefully chosen to give as much freedom to buyers and sellers as possible, yet offer security to both. We are a pretty open and welcoming group, but rules are needed to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.
All members are accountable to the rules. Any drastic changes to the rules will be posted about in the community. Feedback is gladly welcome if you have any disagreements with them.
LAST UPDATED: August 21th, 2011
General Posting Rules
1. All posts must relate to the community in some way. We are not a replacement for hetalia. Subjects that may be posted about:
- Selling merchandise and doujinshi
- “Willing to Buy” posts
- Collections
- New merchandise
- Questions about merchandise/doujinshi
- Discussions based around collecting/merchandise/doujinshi
We are rather flexible when it comes to this rule, just as long as it relates in any way to the community itself.
2. All large images should be placed within a cut. Outside the cut, only one image is allowed. It is not to excel 500 x 500 pixels. To learn how to use a cut, refer to this page.
3. Do not delete posts, unless there is a typo or you only change a very small part of it. You are not allowed to delete anyone else’s post. Post deletion should be rare. If for any reason you wish to delete a post other than for typo reasons, either your own or in your sells post, contact a moderator first.
Etiquette
1. Treat other members the way you wish to be treated. Don’t be rude or condescending of anyone for any reason, even if you think they deserve it. Unless there is good reason, don’t be suspicious or wary of anyone. Assume good faith in all members.
2. Do not whine, beg, or threaten for items. If an item has been claimed/won by someone else, or if someone has something you want in their collection, do not be rude to them. We have all lost out on items because we weren’t quick or able enough. Remember that the winner/owner is the same as you, and probably worked hard to get their prized piece. Work just as hard to get yours, or keep on looking for the item you want.
- Along the same idea, do not haggle (offer a different price) with sellers, unless they said it was okay to do so. You are free to ask, but if they refuse, just accept it and move on.
3. Keep private issues in private. If your issue only involves one or two people, contact them through PM, IMs such as AIM and MSN, and/or e-mail. Calling out to specific people should be a last resort, and only if the problem calls for it (someone owes you money, hasn’t sent out their item, etc.). Only involve moderators if the situation calls for it.
Buying
In General
1. Do not purchase anything if you do not have the money or you are not certain you want it. Just because this is a LJ community doesn’t mean that you can withdraw from buying whenever you want. Treat this as a contract: If you say you wish to buy something, pay as soon as you get the payment quote from the seller. Make sure you have the money on hand before you go into any sort of obligations. You MAY get excused if an emergency came up, but do not use this lightly! If we see you using this and going off to buy something else worth as much in the community, we will not take kindly to it.
2. Do not force sellers to take any sort of payment they don’t accept or to ship anywhere they don’t want to. You may ask the seller politely if they haven’t made it clear or offer alternatives, but if they clearly state in their rules that they won’t accept such-and-such payment or won’t ship internationally, do not complain. If they reject your offer or sell, do not harass them.
Auctions or Group Claims/Buys
1. If you make a claim or a bid, do not retract it. Claims and bids are just as much of an obligation as regular buying.
2. It is your obligation to check back on group auctions. Exceptions are that you are communicating privately with sellers, or if a seller agreed to contact you in a specific way.
3. In order to make a bid, you must reply to the highest bidder’s post. This is to make sure the current highest bidder gets a notification (if they have it turned on) and makes the auction easier to track. Otherwise bids made may not count!
4. Sniping is not allowed. If any new bids are made within the last 10 minutes of an auction, the timer will extend 10 more minutes to give the other bidders a chance. This is, of course, not applied to those who are currently in the bid itself, just as long as bidding had been taken place by said members throughout the entire bid time.
Selling
1. All sales advertised within the community are held towards the community rules, even those that take place in other journals. This is to reassure members that any sort of ill behavior on either buyer or seller’s part will result in consequences within the community. If you feel you need to be exempt from a rule due to whatever circumstance, talk with the moderators and we may let you have a pass at the rule. By advertising your sells in our community, you agree with our rules.
2. All sellers must have clear guidelines and information. This includes shipping, payment, possibility for trades, fees, and whatever you feel needs to be put across.
3. Make it clear when you plan on shipping. This is especially important, hence why it is separate from the guidelines rule. Say when you plan on shipping in your sales post, and make sure it is within a reasonable time span. If you cannot reliably ship within one or two weeks of the exchange, do not sell!
4. Do not accept payment for what you do not have. Group auctions/buys and customs are exempt from this.
5. If you are a new seller, you must provide a picture of your products. Stock images alone are not allowed. You must take your own picture of the actual items you are selling, and they must be of decent quality (we are not expecting professional quality, but enough to capture the details of the item). I know this may be a lot of work if you are selling a lot of items, but it helps reassure your customers that you actually have the item in hand. Group buys and auctions are exempt from this, once again making sure of your source.
6. You must honestly detail the quality and condition of the items you are selling, and most of them must be in good condition. This is not a place where you can sell broken junk!
7. Do not advertise more than once a week. Space out your postings, and only post if you have a lot of new stock or haven’t posted in a good while. If you haven't updated your sales, I suggest you only post once every two weeks at most, because constant advertisements do not help you and just annoy buyers.
8. All sales posts made directly to the community must only have Hetalia-related items.
- Flags, flag-related items, and cosplay items and sets count as Hetalia-related.
- The exemption to this post is GAs of huge lots that contain a few non-Hetalia items. As long as the majority of items are Hetalia-related, the GA can be posted on the community.
- The main point of this rule isn’t to punish sellers, but to help our buyers find Hetalia items easier. This community caters to Hetalia collectors and fans. Buyers should not have to shuffle through long lists of other merchandise and doujinshi just to be rewarded with two or three Hetalia items.
- You may link to your other sales in the description/guidelines, just as long as it doesn’t draw as much attention at the Hetalia link.
Miscellaneous
Customs and Commissions - Requests for custom items, such as plush, keychains, etc. and artwork commissions are allowed here. Adhere to the sales rules and complete your work within a reasonable time span. Make sure to update your clients privately on updates on their customs, should they take a while to make. We will not judge the item itself, just as long effort is placed into it. For instance, you are not allowed to sell artwork you just quickly scribbled onto a sheet of notebook paper.
Trading - Trading is allowed, and is considered a sales of sorts, so most sales rules apply to it. Most discussion must take place within a post in the community or a sales post advertised on the community for it to follow under the community guidelines. This is so we can make sure everything went as smoothly as possible.