Admin How to buy and sell in the Marketplace

[Arcy]

Welcome to the Ukulele Underground Marketplace​

Here are some guidelines on how to most effectively use the Marketplace board.

Please note: 10 post minimum before first listing!​

As a community site, Ukulele Underground requires a minimum of 10 posts before making your first listing. Our suggestion for a good first stop: the New Member Introductions forum! Need to post sooner than that? For as little as $5, become a UU VIP!

Selling or trading a ukulele​

Create a new thread titled with the name of the instrument you want to sell / trade or what you are looking for.
Set the prefix to Sell, Sell / Trade, or Trade
Fill out the provided fields:

• Price: What price are you looking for? Please include the currency.
• Location: Where are you? At minimum, include your country.
• Size: What size instrument is it? Soprano? Concert? Tenor? Baritone? Bass?
• Shipping: Is shipping included in the price? If not, how much? Any restrictions on where you'll ship?

In your post's text include a description of the instrument you are selling, and if you're looking to trade include what you are looking to trade for. Include your preferred payment methods. Methods with buyer protection such as PayPal Goods-and-Services are strongly recommended.

A current set of pictures showing the entire instrument from multiple angles is strongly recommended. Include both full-sized overview shots and close-ups of important details. Be clear and forthright about the instrument's condition.

A time-stamped picture with "Ukulele Underground" and your username written on a piece of paper in front of the ukulele can help build trust that you're a real person and not a scammer. [Edit: now added as a requirement to the Marketplace Rules thread.]

If you have multiple instruments to sell, please list them in separate posts unless you are selling them as a combined set.

Seeking a ukulele​

Create a new thread titled with an overview of the instrument you are looking for.
Set the prefix to Wanted.
Fill out the provided fields:

• Price: What price range are you looking to spend?
• Location: Where are you?
• Size: What size instrument are you looking for? Soprano? Concert? Tenor? Baritone? Bass?
• Shipping: You can leave this as n/a

In your post's text include details of what you're looking for.

Managing your advertisement​

Monitor the post and respond promptly to any questions or offers. Pay attention to your Conversations, as that is a primary way people will make offers.
Edit the post to include any additional information in the main post.
Edit the prefix to match the status of your sale:

• If somebody has made an offer, then edit the prefix to Pending.
• Once the sale is committed (i.e., you've received payment or sent the instrument) set the prefix to Sold.
• If you've decided not to sell, then edit the prefix to No longer available.

​

Responding to an ad​

You can respond directly to the public thread, but most of the transaction including any identifying details such as contact info and shipping addresses should be done in private. You can use the "Start Private Conversation" link at the bottom of the thread to open a conversation with the seller, which will include the thread title in the conversation title, so that you both know exactly what is under discussion.

​

Discussion of ads​

Ukulele Underground is primarily a discussion forum, and that extends to the Marketplace. Don't be surprised if people discuss the ukulele you have for sale in your thread. If you've posted good pictures they're likely to gush over how cool the instrument is and how lucky the prospective buyer will be!

Protecting yourself​

Flags to watch out for:​

• New members. Scammers are unlikely to build a reputation on the site. All else equal, an active member of the board is more likely to be legitimate than somebody on their first post. That said, first time posters are often legit, but you may want to do some extra verification.
• Generic posts. Scammers often send pictures they got from elsewhere on the internet. Timestamped pictures with the seller's name are a sign that the seller is likely to have a real instrument. You can use reverse image lookup services such as tineye.com to find pictures that were taken from elsewhere.
• If you run across something suspicious please report it. Please don't start a thread calling them out.

Useful sites​

Selling stuff online? Here’s how to avoid a scam

Selling stuff online can be a great way to make some extra cash. Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and other sites attract a lot of buyers — and scammers.

consumer.ftc.gov

How to Safely Pay for Goods and Services With Someone You Don't Know

Consumer Reports explains how to safely pay for goods and services when dealing with a stranger.

www.consumerreports.org