HPC:Factor hpcBay Terms, Conditions & Posting Rules

1. All Posts in hpcBay must comply with the Mandatory Post Formatting rules outlined in section 2. Any post which fails to comply will be deleted without notice
2. All hpcBay posts must adhere to the Handheld PC Community Forum rules and forum charter found here.
3. The hpcBay service is offered only to Registered members of the HPC:Factor Handheld PC Community Forums.
4. To ensure the registration requirement is maintained, hpcBay thread starters may not post contact e-mail addresses into a hpcBay thread. Private correspondence should be conducted over the Forum Private Message system or alternatively via email addresses stored in the forum users profile - available only to registered forum users.
5. Attempting to circumvent the registration requirement will result either in the deletion of any publicised contact information or the removal of the thread from hpcBay.
6. hpcBay is to be use only for Hardware and Software related to the Handheld PC, any edition of the Windows CE Core or HPC:Factor.
7. You may not use hpcBay to sell or publicise items that are not related to the Handheld PC without written approval from an Administrator.
8. 1 hpcBay listing. 1 item. Unless you are selling a specific package/bundle where the collection of goods is the item, please start a new thread for each item you wish to list. For example, if you are listing a Jornada 720, a NEC MobilePro 790 and a bSquare Power Handheld, start a new ‘FS’ thread for each.
   The exception is if you are selling a large quantity of the same item please. In this instance you should specify the quantity you have for sale in the thread title as a single sale thread.
9. Do not post onto the Forums asking whether you can post an item into hpcBay – requests should only be directed towards an Administrator.
10. Spamming and off-topic posts will be deleted without notification and a warning issued. Abuse of hpcBay will result in an unconditional ban from the forums.
11. Thread Spoiling is by our definition any action taken to discredit, dissuade or undermine a specific transaction on hpcBay. Following complaints of unfair tactics by users, thread spoiling considerations are:
    
    
    1. If you do not like the price on offer/being requested – Do Not Post
    2. If you have no personal interest in following through with an item – Do Not Post
    3. “That price is too high” comments will now be deleted and you will receive a formal warning. If you wish to discuss pricing please use the PM system
    4. Informing people “I can get that cheaper on eBay/elsewhere” will result in the comment being deleted and a formal warning – If you know where, post a deal alert
    Thread spoiling is not considered to be any action designed to help enhance a listing, correct an error in a listing or asking a question to the poster.
12. Thread hijacking is expressly prohibited. Anyone caught attempting to out-sell / cross-sell their listings in someone else’s post will be black-listed from using hpcBay in the future. This includes the insertion of your eBay links into someone else’s thread. If you think that users might be interested in your item – Please PM them or edit your hpcBay listing with better information as a means to attract them.
13. The hpcBay is not a communal discussion area. If you wish to pass comments on how good / bad you think something is, please do so in the correct section of the main forum. While HPC:Factor encourages and respects the open-nature of our forums, and the banter that can be generated. Please remember that hpcBay is not the place to do it.
    Thread posters are empowered to intervene in requesting their hpcBay thread return to topic. Any such actions done in an appropriate way will be supported by the forum staff. Any Moderator is free to intervene in any hpcBay thread and has authority to take whatever action they deem to be necessary.
14. Bumping Threads: Bumping threads is permitted, but not as a method to ensure that your thread remains at the top/first page of the listing. Only the original poster may bump threads, and not more than once in the period of a week.
15. Thread Suspension: The owner of any particular thread in hpcBay can request in writing to an Administrator that their thread be closed (preventing any further posting into it). This should be done through the Forum PM system. Please do not post inside the thread asking for it to be closed as it is unlikely to be noticed.
    You may request an hpcBay thread be deleted as with any thread on the forum, however you will be required to justify why you wish for it to be deleted. Users cannot request another users thread be removed unless it is in breach of the posting violations.
16. Anyone persisting in abusing hpcBay will be forcibly prevented from accessing hpcBay, the H/PC Community Forums or HPC:Factor.
17. hpcBay is a serious forum which operates using real money and the desires of real people. If you are not serious about an offer or a listing, please do not post. Users caught breaking this rule will be banned from not just hpcBay, but the entire community forums.
18. The hpcBay is exclusively for use by private sellers. It is not a commercial sales outlet, or a cheap way to get around eBay buying fees. Any commercial posts will be deleted. HPC:Factor reserves the right to impose legal actions against repeat offenders of this rule.
19. Threads listed into hpcBay are automatically entered onto the HPC:Factor RSS feed system for browsing by other users. By using this service you accept that by posting into the public domain you waive any rights over the availability of your post on the RSS channel. You do not have the option to have your post cleared from the RSS channel. In the event that your thread is deleted from hpcBay, your post may remain in client cache systems of subscribers as public domain material. For more information on HPC:Factor's RSS feeds click here.
20. You may not list or request items on the hpcBay that contravene the Laws of the overriding legal authorities to which HPC:Factor are party to; being the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland and the United States of America.
21. HPC:Factor may periodically clear out old requests from the forum without notice to any BBS member. Such post deletion may artificially impact upon post counts.
22. If as a buyer or a seller you wish to leave feedback on a transaction carried out through hpcBay, please do so within the original thread. Do not create any new thread in hpcBay for this purpose as it will be deleted and viewed as a posting violation under the formatting rules laid out in section 2.
23. hpcBay is an Administered forum. Final decisions and dispute resolution related to posts within this forum are made by HPC:Factor Administrators only. All decisions are final.

The hpcBay allows buyers and sellers to get in touch and to advertise their Handheld PC related hardware or software sales to the broader H/PC community. In order to ensure smooth and effective operation of hpcBay, we require posters to adhere to a set of formatting guidelines.

The guidelines outlined below apply to all users of hpcBay without exception. Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in the unqualified deletion of your thread and may result in further disciplinary action against your user account.

1. Message Prefixing:
   Prefixes are used to differentiate between different types of post in the hpcBay. Threads started without the correct prefix will be deleted without notice or any opportunity for comeback. Your post count will be docked and actions may result in a formal warning being registered against your user account. You are free to repost the item using the correct formatting rules unless otherwise informed. Repeated violators will be banned from using the service.
   
   The Only prefix's you should use are:
   
   
   • REQ: - For software requests.
     e.g. REQ: [UK] bSquare Backup for CE 2.0
   • FS: - For Private Sale
     e.g. FS: [CA] Used Cisco 350 WiFi Adapter (802.11b)
   • FA: - For Formal Auction
     e.g. FA: [US] Intermec 6651 like new!
   • TRADE: - For Hardware/Software Trade requests.
     e.g. TRADE: [GLOBAL] 1GB CF Card for Linksys WiFi
2. Post Titles:
   The post title is the gateway into your hpcBay listing. Please consider how to best phrase your post into hpcBay, and make it as clear and relevant as possible. The clearer you are, and the most concise you make it, the more likely it is that a user browsing the site or RSS feed will look at your post.
   
   Tip: The HPC:Factor Devices & Specification database is configured to point users into hpcBay to search thread titles for the keyword of the model name and model number (e.g. Jornada 720). If you want to ensure your post is displayed when a user clicks-through from the Devices & Specifications system, be sure to include the full Handheld PC name in your title and not a short-hand version. For example, instead of MP900 which will not return a listing, write-out MobilePro 900 to get your listing displayed to buyers!
3. Location:
   Please remember that this is an International forum. Just because you are in the United States, don't assume that everybody else is. Please include your catchment area in the subject line as a 2 digit code e.g. US, UK, CA, AU, NZ, FR, DE, JP and so on.
   e.g. FA: [UK] Windows CE for Dummies book (new)
   Please be sure to include the information somewhere in the post. If you are not willing to deal with international members please be sure to disclaim this. If you require special terms for international transactions please disclaim this.
   If you are willing to ship globally or to pay to source something globally please use GLOBAL as the location tag.
   e.g. REQ: [GLOBAL] New hp Jornada 728
4. Post Body:
   Please try to be as detailed as possible about the item you are seeking/selling. Remember you are communicating with the masses, so going to a little effort will reap rewards.
   Threads that consist of little more than a hyperlink and are blatantly nothing but an attempt to inconsiderately self-promote will be deleted at the discretion of the Administrators.
5. Photo’s & Images:
   Images posted in hpcBay should comply with those of the overriding forum posting rules and not be wider than 640 pixels. Please remember: HPC:Factor is a Handheld PC forum, as such there are users surfing the boards on low resolution Handheld PC’s. Images should be GIF or JP(E)G only – please refrain from using TIFF, PNG or BMP.
   Please make use of on-line image hosting services and your own web space to embed graphics into your post, however please try to consider the needs of low-bandwidth users (Dial-up/GPRS) and use thumbnails wherever you can.
6. Deal Alerts:
   Deal Alerts (where by you wish to make a post informing the community of an outstanding commercial/non-commercial deal that you have found on the Internet/Real World) are a gray area, and anyone looking to post one should consider the following:
   
   
   1. Registered users are permitted to post the occasional deal alert if it is seen as directly related to the Handheld PC and something that a majority of users may be interested in.
   2. Please consider if your deal alert is best placed for dissemination through the forum, or is a significant news event that the broader community may be interested in. Anyone may submit news to the site using the main news submission form.
   3. You may not advertise your own commercial interests in hpcBay, or employ someone to do it on your behalf.
   4. All listings MUST be prefixed using: FS [Resource : COUNTRY]
      e.g. FS [Resource : USA]: $3 Jornada Cases at Walmart
   5. All listings MUST include the country of notification and must state “Resource”
      e.g. [Resource : UK] or [Resource : USA] or [Resource : FR] etc
   6. Deal Alerts may not be posted on any other part of HPC:Factor or the Handheld PC Community Forums.
   7. Any and all posts that fail to comply with any of these rules will be deleted and a warning logged against the posters account.
   8. The continuation of Deal Alerts being posted in hpcBay is subject to change, it will continue to be allowed so long as it does not detract from the main purpose of hpcBay
   9. If you are in doubt, please PM an Administrator before posting
7. Concluding a Transaction / Closing a Thread:
   Once you have finished conducting your business in a specific hpcBay thread:
   If you are the Buyer: Please consider leaving feedback on the seller and your buying experience in the item thread – do not create any other thread anywhere on the Forum to do this.
   
   If you are the Thread Poster: Please post into the thread stating that the item is no longer for sale/desired – in essence ‘close’ the thread. If you wish to leave a comment on any other party in your transaction please do so at the same time.

1. Under no circumstances are HPC:Factor offering any liability (implied or intended) over any resulting transactions that occur through this feature of our forum.
2. HPC:Factor does not offer any financial reassurances or involvement in any transaction listed in hpcBay
3. HPC:Factor recommends that posters look to complete their transaction via a certified source such as eBay and via an ESCROW agent who will properly certify that the transaction has been completed equitably.
4. HPC:Factor will NOT get involved in any disputes resulting from using this service. Neither will we make judgments on either party.
5. Any post into hpcBay made by a member of the HPC:Factor staff, including the HPC:Factor owners is regarded as a private sale and is in no way affiliated with the HPC:Factor organisation.
6. All users wishing to use hpcBay must be fully registered members of the HPC:Factor Handheld PC Community forums. In order to ensure this, the posting of personal e-mail addresses in hpcBay threads is specifically prohibited.
7. HPC:Factor reserves the right to update or amend these rules at anytime in the future and without consultation with the user community. In the event that the rules are updated, notice will be given to hpcBay users through the Handheld PC Community Forums outlining the changes.