Members of the forum are welcome to leave messages in Section 14 listing items they may have for sale. CompuServe's policies prevent commercial advertising in the forums, so individuals or companies cannot use these messages to list sales, promotions or other "new" merchandise, or where it is obvious that a stock of items is involved. The "for sale" messages should be limited to used or pre-owned items which a member is disposing of. Unfortunately, "group buys", where someone tries to get several members to agree to purchase a product so they can all get a better price based on the quantity, are considered commercial activity, and will not be allowed. When you leave a "for sale" message, please include the word "Sale" in the subject line of the message, so folks who are looking for various items may find all such messages with the direct command: RS;S;SALE;0. "Model 100 For Sale", "Printer Sale", or "Stuff For Sale" could all be found easily; "I've got some stuff...", or "Panasonic Printer" would be less likely to be found. Please note the number of each message you leave in the private sales section (message section 14), and when you sell the item, come back and delete the message from the board. You can use the direct command DEL n, where "n" is the number of your message, to delete it. You can't delete other messages, but you can delete messages that you left using that command. Your message will remain on the board for a period of ten days to two weeks, depending on how many other messages are left in the meantime; as new messages are left at the top of the queue, old messages drop off the bottom. Please wait for the message to scroll off before you post it again; it's not necessary to post the same message every couple of days. Also, don't post the same message in several different message sections. Section 14 has been provided for private "for sale" messages, and everyone can read such messages, so there is no value in posting copies of the same message in other sections. All such duplicates will be deleted by the forum administrators. We recommend you ask for responses by Email or EasyPlex, to keep down the clutter of responses on the board, and also to help keep your message on the board that much longer. You can settle price, exchange addresses, and arrange for payment much easier that way. - But remember, when you sell it, come back and delete your original message. If you listed several items, and only sold one or two, you might still want to delete the original message, so you could post a "fresher" message, listing only those items that are left. It serves as a memory jogger to those that are looking for various items, and keeps your message on the board that much longer, with up-to-date information. Members here know what a Model 100 looks like, and what it's capable of doing, and similarly know what many peripheral and support items are, and what they do. So if you have a Model 100 for sale, don't bother to describe what it is, and what software comes built-in, we all know that, just list what you have, and what you want for it. Price your items realistically. Nobody is going to pay as much, or almost as much for a used one as they can currently buy a new one for at Radio Shack. And generally, "individual items" sell faster than an entire "system" for a single price. Regardless of how much money you have invested in such a system, or how good it's been for you, you won't get nearly that much back when you sell it. Be realistic - read some of the current messages on the board to see what similar items are being sold for. Don't over-price your items, and don't under-price them either, unless you're just looking for a quick sale. If you don't know the current value of something, ask the forum sysops - they are pretty well informed as to what current values might be, and will be glad to advise you so you don't lose money. As always, if you LEAVE a message, come back now and then to see if it has generated any message traffic here. Folks often miss quick sales because someone has asked a question, or for more information, and the person who left the original message doesn't come back to read his replies. So if you leave a message offering something for sale, drop back in a few days to see if there are any messages for YOU. Not everyone understands how to use the Email/Easy Plex service to reply. Good luck with your sale. 3/2/90