What is the policy on inactive items on ebay?

[David Weaver]

I thought I recalled a while ago (though the ebay information never seems to be very clear) that it was fine to post links to items on ebay as long as they weren't active and as long as it was for discussion purposes? Can someone clarify that?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

No direct links to E-bay are allowed....whether active or inactive. It's been the policy here seems like forever.

One can mention E-bay and the E-bay item number but no direct links.

[David Weaver]

If it's the policy, why does it fail to get mentioned in the TOS?

From the TOS - E3:

3. External Linking

Links to other websites are allowed in posts. In fact, they are encouraged. However, links for the sole purpose of marketing, generating traffic to a site, or any other commercial advertisement deemed to solicit commercial benefit are not allowed. Links to other public or private forums are not allowed. Links should be submitted as references, for the sole purpose of generating or supporting discussions on SawMill Creek

It would be nice if the TOS and the policy matched. I searched prior threads discussing this and I can't see any good reason why the TOS can't flatly say "no direct links to auctions are allowed", when it clearly already says it about other forums. It irritates me as a contributor to this forum to read the TOS and intentionally follow it as closely as possible when so many don't, only to find my posts edited. I doubt I'm the only one.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

David,

It is covered in the "Rules for the Deals and Discounts Forum" which is the forum where you would typically expect to see a link to E-bay or other auction sites:

* Links to Ebay or any other auction site are prohibited, you may post the item number and a description if you like but do not provide an active link. We do not need to have thousands of non-woodworkers registering here just to post links to their auction items.


If you think about it, any link to an auction item becomes a link to absolutely nothing once the item is no longer is listed at the auction site. Thus even if you use it for an argument in a discussion today, when or if the auction site cleans up their threads, the link will point to something that is absolutely nonexistent. Your link would then become meaningless.

It would be an endless task for the Moderators or other staff members to try to track every direct link to an auction site to see if the link posted to something that still exists.