dnewton3
Staff member
REBATE - SALE - PROMOTION Forum Rules
The purpose of this subform is to help members and visitors find good deals, and make them aware of how to increase their savings through smart shopping. In an effort to be responsive to questions and concerns about this sub-forum, BITOG has streamlined and realigned the rules herein. We have relaxed and/or eliminated some confusing restrictions of the former. We have also simplified the expectations for posting. We believe the overall experience will be enhanced by these changes.
Thread Title:
- Example of a bad thread title..... "Mobil oil on sale" ..... (too vague and does not mention the retailer)
- Example of a bad thread title..... "Awesome price on Mobil 1 ESP 0w-30 at $8.99/qrt while supplies last on the shelf at my local Walmart store" ..... (way too wordy; it makes for a difficult read at first glance)
Original Post:
In the body of the post, be as descriptive as you can about the following details …
The following is unacceptable, and will be cause for taking the thread down and possible action taken against the poster:
Further, it is important to understand that regional sales and promotions are going to cause consternation regarding how some folks can find the deal when others cannot. Remember that large, national retailers still work in regional markets. Also understand that online retailers often will use 3rd-party sellers; there’s always a risk of no-stock conditions, poor service after the sale, long shipping delays, etc. Online retail pricing is very fluid; what you see today will often not be what you see tomorrow, or from zip-code to zip-code. In short, Caveat Emptor is the watch phrase and you are likely to find conflicting information in threads which do not align with your market area, or delays in timing.
The purpose of this subform is to help members and visitors find good deals, and make them aware of how to increase their savings through smart shopping. In an effort to be responsive to questions and concerns about this sub-forum, BITOG has streamlined and realigned the rules herein. We have relaxed and/or eliminated some confusing restrictions of the former. We have also simplified the expectations for posting. We believe the overall experience will be enhanced by these changes.
Thread Title:
- The purpose of the thread title is so that a quick visual “scan” by the readers will help decide if the thread is of value to them or not, and to improve "search" results.
- The thread title must state a simple product description and the offering retailer name; no more or less, please.
- DO NOT be too specific or too vague.
- DO NOT include price in the title.
- DO NOT overload the title with extra info; all other details belong in the body of the original post.
- Example of a bad thread title..... "Mobil oil on sale" ..... (too vague and does not mention the retailer)
- Example of a bad thread title..... "Awesome price on Mobil 1 ESP 0w-30 at $8.99/qrt while supplies last on the shelf at my local Walmart store" ..... (way too wordy; it makes for a difficult read at first glance)
Original Post:
In the body of the post, be as descriptive as you can about the following details …
- Price of the product, discount, etc (as of date of posting). Pricing belongs in the post, not the title.
- Link to the sale, rebate, etc
- Date range of the sale or rebate, if applicable to the offering
- Product images, photos and screenshots are OK, but keep the size reasonable. Please remember that really large photos make viewing on a smartphone very difficult to follow the post(s). Size the image such that the subject material is shown, but so that it does not overwhelm the post itself.
- All products and services are acceptable for posting, subject to our controlling policies/rules in the User Information section (Standard of Conduct, etc).
The following is unacceptable, and will be cause for taking the thread down and possible action taken against the poster:
- Scams of any nature
- Gaming the system of the retailer
- Marketing errors in pricing or conditions which the retailer is unlikely to honor
- Fraudulent and/or Illegal manipulation of pricing, rebates, etc
- Violation of any other BITOG rules or policies such as the Standard of Conduct, etc
Further, it is important to understand that regional sales and promotions are going to cause consternation regarding how some folks can find the deal when others cannot. Remember that large, national retailers still work in regional markets. Also understand that online retailers often will use 3rd-party sellers; there’s always a risk of no-stock conditions, poor service after the sale, long shipping delays, etc. Online retail pricing is very fluid; what you see today will often not be what you see tomorrow, or from zip-code to zip-code. In short, Caveat Emptor is the watch phrase and you are likely to find conflicting information in threads which do not align with your market area, or delays in timing.
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