Hi gang,
Sought clarification from Cigarbid.com of The Trading Forum Rules regarding offering cigars for cash. Damarie, the head honcho, responded. Here's what I learned, followed by the questions I posed. Her response is infinitely reasonable, don't you think? It's great of Cigarbid.com to host the very-active Trading Forum.
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Subject: Offering to trade-- OR SELL-- cigars on Trading Community Forum
Customer service comment by: DaMarie Date: 5/13/16 10:33 AM
Good morning Mr. Hull,
Thank you for contacting CigarBid.com. I appreciate your concerns. I have revised your post to state PM you for additional details about the "or best offer". Offering cigars for cash should be done off the forum either by private messaging, email, etc. CigarBid.com is the only one to conduct sales on the website. That is why we call it a trade not trade and sell forum.I hope you find this information helpful. If you have any further questions or concerns please let me know.
Sincerely,
Damarie
Customer Service
My comment Date: 5/12/16 02:35 PM
Hi,
I'm a newbie to the Trading Forum but a frequent, regular purchaser of sizable numbers of cigars from Cigarbid.com and a HUGE fan.
Please read my Trade Forum post. I revised the post from trading cigars for cigars only to offer the cigars for trade OR cash, because it appears that not too many members have 24 of the cigars I want in trade, OR they only want certain brands of cigars that I'm offering, but not all.
A number of members say in The Forum or via pm, that, offering a trade of cigars for cash in addition to a trade of cigars for cigars violates the Rules.
The Rules state, "The basic rule for using the Forum is that you use good judgment and common sense in keeping your comments and messages reasonable. Some examples of unreasonable messages may include the use of profanity, advertising or commercial purposes...."
In pms to a member or two, I have replied, "The reason I offer cash as an option is that I looked at other posts and some do cash. But, I will 'closely monitor the situation.' Cigarbid.com's working on this rule is HUGELY vague-- perhaps intentionally so. It says, don't do posts of an "advertising or commercial nature."
Cigarbid.com may mean-- based on them allowing other cash posts, and using such vague language-- that "commercial" means a cigar retailer repeatedly and frequently offering cigars for sale (not trade), with the intent to make a profit. I am not a retailer, have not and won't make frequent offers, offer to trade as well as do cash, and definitely will not make a profit.
Having said that, I hope they don't come down on me, and, if they do, I will respectfully ask them to clarify their language. Wish me luck!"
What says Cigarbid.com: re: trade or cash?
Some members have suggested it's OK to do cash via pm. Seems to me pm is part of Forum, and thus Trade rules still apply. What says Cigarbid.com?
I believe cash in trade for cigars, as an alternative to cigars in trade for cigars, etc., should be allowed, as long as a member does not make frequent cash offers, takes cash only, and is a retailer/etailer/other type of resller, and clearly intends to make a profit. To me, that is the definition if "commercial." After all, cash is the most convenient way to do transactions.
Further, it also seems to me that offering cigars for cash only-- not as an alternative to trade cigars for cigars-- should be permitted. Allowing cash in trade as an alternative to cigars in trade would make the transaction similar to a private party selling an unwanted item in classified ads or on craigslist. Unless the advertiser is a commercial entity, it doesn't make the offeror "commercial;" it's just a person-to-person transaction, facilitated by currency. Seems to me to be an exercise of "good judgment and common sense."
HOWEVER, it's your Forum-- Cigarbid.com makes the rules!
Thank you for your help.
