Welcome to the Hack Forums Marketplace!
Introduction
Hello and welcome to one of the greatest online marketplaces! You can find just about anything that you desire here, or you can sell your junk (which may be treasure to others). In this guide I'll be explaining how the Hack Forums Marketplace works and some tips to becoming a better merchant. You will also learn how to avoid scammers and what to do if you are scammed. If you already know most of this stuff, let this guide be a refresher for you! Enjoy the guide and I hope you pick up some new tips.
Marketplace Rules
- No Marketplace Thread Trashing - This is when a user tries to discourage customers from buying a certain product on a thread without a proper reason. This includes linking customers to your own thread (even if you offer better prices).
- Do not try to buy, sell, or offer services that have to do with fraud. This includes, but is not limited to, credit cards, bank accounts, PayPal accounts, identity theft, call-ins, and the use of drops.
- No Leaking/Reselling Products - The only exception to this is if the original seller gives you resell rights or decides to release the product for free. Other than that, NEVER try to leak or resell products without permission from the original seller first. Make sure to report the user to the appropriate person if you find someone doing this.
- Post in the Correct Forum - Posting in the right forum may result in faster selling or buying of a product. If you're not sure which forum to post in, you may want to look at the next section of this guide.
- Follow All Hack Forums Rules! - Make sure to follow all other rules that weren't stated in this guide. Remember to always be respectful to other members, and report someone if you find them breaking the official Hack Forums rules.
- NO RuneScape Discussion/Trades - Jagex and Omniscient have made it very clear that they do not want RuneScape accounts, items, authorization codes, or anything having to do with RuneScape to be purchased/sold/discussed on this forum.
Overview of the Marketplace Forums
Marketplace Discussions
The Marketplace Discussions forum is great if you're unsure about certain rules regarding the Hack Forums Marketplace. I'd highly recommend reading the stickied threads before asking any questions about the marketplace. This forum can also be used to post upcoming items you'd like to sell, get quotes for certain products, or even find a team of people to work with to achieve the same goal: make money. This forum has two subforums, which are:
- Free Services and Giveaways - Just like the title suggests, you can find or giveaway free services or products. You may not giveaway adult website (porn) accounts. Just like in all other parts of Hack Forums, you may not request (or hint) for a reputation rating. This is strictly forbidden and will lead to all of your current reputation to be deleted, except for the negative/neutral ratings. Please do not use this forum to post your referral links, you may do that in the Referrals forum.
- Deal Disputes (formally known as Scam Reports) - This is one of the most important forums on Hack Forums. We can find out who is trustworthy and who isn't by searching the Scam Reports forum. If you plan on scamming, think again. You'll most likely end up being proven as a scammer because of the Scam Reports forum. This can lead to negative reputation ratings and insults directed towards you.
If you have been scammed, first you should make sure you are reporting the correct user. Sometimes people impersonate other users via MSN. This can be prevented by asking for a private message on Hack Forums from the user that you think you're talking to. To successfully prove someone scammed you, post as much proof as possible. This includes MSN logs (do not copy and paste, post screenshots of the chat logs), private messages, and PayPal transactions if PayPal was involved.
To report someone for scamming you, use the template below.- Link to the user who scammed you:
- Link to the thread that discussed the item you were buying/selling:
- Links to any other scam reports against the user you are reported:
- Proof (Screenshots, Videos, Private Messages, etc.):
You may add anything else that you think is necessary. Try not to flame the member in anyway, this may end up getting you in trouble too. Be mature about the situation so that other users will try to support you.
For more information about scamming, move on the the next category called Before Trading in this guide. - Link to the user who scammed you:
Sellers Section
Just like the title of the forum suggests, this is the place to sell your items! Before making a new thread, try searching the Buyers Bay for people that are interested in the same product that you are selling. There are two different forums to sell on - the Premium Sellers Section and Secondary Sellers Market. The difference between the two is that only upgraded members (L33T and Ub3r) may post threads in the forum, but normal users may also post in the threads (remember, they can't post threads, only post in them).
If you're a buyer, don't be afraid to ask questions. You'll want to get as much information about the product you are interested in before buying it.
If you are a seller, don't forget to include the following information in your thread.
- Pictures - Posting a few pictures never hurts, and it will help boost sales. It lets the buyer know that you really have the product that you are trying to sell.
- Payment Method - Make sure your customers know what you accept. The most popular service is PayPal at the moment. Also specify if you are willing to exchange it for an item of equal value.
- Contact Information - Always post how you want to be contacted. It's usually via MSN, AIM, or private messaging. Sometimes sellers ask their customers to post in the thread first.
- FAQ - If you see the same questions being asked over and over again, adding a FAQ section to your thread may help prevent the clutter.
- Be Honest - Post ALL information about the product you are selling. Don't lie - this may result in bad feedback or a scam report (only if you lied about something very important).
Buyers Bay
This forum is the exact opposite of the Sellers Section. If you're interested in buying something, this is a good place to start. Similar to what I said earlier, make sure to search the Sellers Section first before posting a new thread in the Buyers Bay.
Don't forget to include the following information in your thread.
- Payment Method - The seller may only accept a certain method of payment, so include how you plan on buying the item.
- Contact Information - If a seller has the product you are looking for, he'll want to contact you. Make sure to specify how you want to be contacted. People usually use MSN, AIM, or private messaging.
Ebook Bazaar
At the Ebook Bazaar forum you can buy or sell any kind of ebook you desire! If you're going to sell an ebook, it must be original and you must have resell rights if you didn't write it yourself. Don't try to sell any ebook that you found for free on another website, your customers will find out! Also, if you bought an ebook, never give it out for free or try to resell it without permission! If you find anyone breaking this rule, report them to the appropriate person as soon as possible.
Planning on selling an ebook? Use this template!
Code
[b]Title:
Author:
Pages:
Description:
Payment Options:
Copies Available:
Review Copies Available:
Resale Rights:
Price:[/b]Getting your ebook reviewed by a member of the official Hack Forums review team is an excellent way to boost your sales! To get your ebook reviewed, contact Skill, [https://hackforums.net/member.php?action...]Notorious Mental[/url], or phire nuk3r with the template below and they will either review it themselves or distribute it to other official reviewers.
Code
[color=#FFD700][b]E-book Name:[/b][/color]
[color=#FFD700][b]Thread Link:[/b][/color]
[color=#FFD700][b]Download Link:[/b][/color]
[color=#FFD700][b]Number of Review copies:[/b][/color]
[color=#FFD700][b]Additional Information:[/b][/color]If you're a buyer, don't be afraid to ask questions. As I already said earlier, you should get as much information as possible about the product you are interested in.
Service Offerings
The Service Offerings forum is used for people to start their own services such as setting up programs (RATs, Port Forwarding, etc.), coding, making several accounts of the same website (YouTube, MSN, etc.), and even for typing research papers. I'd recommend using the same template I provided you with in the Sellers Section overview. You may need to include a few more things though, such as how long it will take you for a certain service.
Hosting Services
At the Hosting Services forum, you can buy or sell offshore, dedicated, or shared hosting. Before choosing a host, make sure that you have read all of the details and their terms of service/privacy policy. Also, if you have any questions at all, ask them first and buy hosting later. You don't want to make any mistakes, as hosting can be expensive.
If you're selling any kind of hosting, post all information. This will save you sometime in the future so you won't have to answer too many questions. Posting the price rates is also essential to a successful hosting thread. Make sure that the hosting you're selling is reliable; if your customers find that their host has too much downtime, they'll consider a more reliable host. You should strive to satisfy your customers by providing support and having good communication with your clients.
VPN Hosting and Services
This forum serves the same purpose as the Hosting Services forum, but the difference between the two is that this forum focuses mainly on VPNs.
Traders Topic
This is basically another Sellers Section or Buyers Bay forum, but with trading only. An example of trading would be offering a World of Warcraft account for a different World of Warcraft account with the same value but with a different in game character class. Before you trade, make sure you're getting around the same value as the item you're offering! Again, you should use the same template that I provided in the Sellers Section overview. Specify what kind of items you would like to trade, such as game accounts, Xbox LIVE items, or ebooks (with resale rights of course). There is only one subforum, which is:
- Currency Exchange - This forum is great if you're looking to transfer money between certain payment processors. Please remember that some members expect a fee to be paid. For an example, you may have $15 in your Liberty Reserve account that you would like to transfer into your PayPal account. The person who is willing to go through with the exchange may ask you to send an additional fee on top of the $15 to be sent to their Liberty Reserve account, but you will still receive the original amount of $15. For more information about the Currency Exchange forum and what it's all about, please read the stickied guide for that forum.
Before Trading
Reputation
Understanding reputation and how it works can be a bit confusing at times. The number one thing you must understand in the marketplace is that just because someone has more reputation than you, it doesn't mean you have to go first in a trade. With that said, don't automatically assume that someone is a scammer or is not trustworthy because the user has negative reputation. Sometimes people get positive reputation for other reasons such as a funny post; this doesn't mean the person is trustworthy in the marketplace though! I'd highly suggest reviewing a user's reputation before trading with them. See why they have positive and/or negative reputation, and decide if you'd be comfortable with going first or not.
Scam Reports
If you're going to trade with someone, first search for any scam reports against the user. Sometimes users change their username, so you might want to check their past usernames for scam reports too. If you do find a scam report against the person you want to trade with, check if the scam report has enough proof to confirm that the user scammed the reporter. If the user that you want to trade with has been confirmed as a scammer, stay away from him or her. Even if they offer to go first, it might not turn out well in the end (an example is charging back on PayPal).
Ready For Trading?
Hold on! If you're talking to the trader using a third party application such as MSN, ask for a private message first. This will verify that you are trading with the person you think they are. During the trade, take a few pictures just in case things turn out badly for you. This includes private messages, chat logs, PayPal transactions, and other important things. If the trade happens to turn out well for both users, make sure to post some feedback for the user on the thread where you originally started the trade. If it's your thread, close it or request the thread to be closed if necessary. It would also be nice to give the user a positive reputation rating if you thought the trade was smooth and you got what you expected.
Vouch System
Not Yet Released
Quote:Currently Hack Forums is working on a marketplace voucher system. We do not have an ETA on completion but we will be actively developing the system asap. While we understand a reputation system is vital to a marketplace we ask that you do not use the current reputation system of HF as a replacement for caution and diligence. We urge extreme caution in all deals. The staff of HF will not get involved in deal disputes. All deals are at your own risk. Please take the time to review the Scam Reports section and read our stickies in that section. Thank you.
