International Kimono Auctions FB GROUP RULES

This is a more complete version of the International Kimono Auctions facebook group's rules. If you are looking for the IKA forum's rules, please go [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

Unfortunately, the facebook group's description has a limit of characters, which made impossible to add any more important rules or guidelines, so I decided to add them here. New rules can be added or changed according to the group's needs. Please keep updated about them.


Rules

1 - Do not disrespect other members
2 - Do not create flaming
3 - Do not discuss prices in a depreciative way. Every seller has the right to sell their items for the price they wish. If you want to make an offer, take it to private messages.
4 - Post only kimono-related items
5 - Describe your items accurately
6 - Don't scam or cheat
7 - Do not spam
8 - Be always honest when selling/buying
9 - We are an international group. Language is English only

Breaking the rules will result in being banned and blocked from the page without previous warn.

What are the items considered kimono or kimono-related?
- Genuine japanese kimono
- Geta Sandals
- Tabi
- Kimono bags (ex: Kinchaku, Kago)
- Kanzashi
- Kitsuke dressing accessories
- Obidome
- Traditional fans (ex: Sensu, Odori, Uchiwa)
- Japanese umbrellas (ex: Bangasa, Kasa)
- Books, posters, postcards, magazines about kimono
- Geisha and Maiko items (ex: Hikizuri, Oshiroi Makeup, Katsura wig, etc)
- Japanese traditional musical instruments (ex: Shamisen, Koto)

What are the items NOT considered kimono or kimono-related?
- Fake kimono (satin chinese copies, cardigans, western clothing which imitates kimono)
- Fake obi (which usually is from the same fabric as the fake kimono)
- Cosplay costumes
- Ceramics
- Shawls (those who obviously are not japanese and have nothing to do with kimono)
- Art prints
- Any other items

Exceptions
- Promotion of kimono or kitsuke related events (worldwide)
- Japanese Dolls (ex: Gofun, Ichimatsu, Bunka)
- Japanese lacquered boxes
- Traditional japanese Tansu
- Kiseru pipes (if antique or potentially related to Tayuu or Oiran)
- Real Miko kimono and accessories (NOT cosplay ones)
How does this exception posts work: You must PM me first, so I can grant you permition (or not) to post this specific items. If they are few, and posted rarely, it will be fine. I won't grant permission for many of them to be posted, since the main focus of this group is Kimono, and I won't compromise the visibility of Kimono related items because of other items.



Warnings about scammers or copyright violation

As a place for buyers and sellers, IKA eventually turned into a place where can be posted warns about suspicious sellers or possible scam listings.
However, for several occasions this warn threads turned into a massive ball of drama, chase and bandit hunt, and in some cases it turned the members against each other. As this type of behavior can't be allowed, and eventually lead people to being banned from the group, I've found necessary to make rules just for this issue.

Rules about warnings:

8 - You are free to post a warn about a suspicious seller/listing, or a copyright infringement
9 - The warn discussion should be taken politely
10 - Do not make false accusations or slander in any way (you never know when you are ruining the image of a fellow member that has no fault in the matter. This will be considered bullying and therefore forbidden)
11 - Avoid the gather of people to charge violently on the suspicious seller/plagiarist (the issue should always be solved in the most smooth, respectful way possible)
12 - Try to be fair and cautious when judging something suspicious

Some advices:

- When you find a page/person that is using your or a friend's Intellectual property, try to solve the issue by private message. You must take into consideration that many images posted online(yours included) end up on Google Images, and some people are totally unaware that the photos in question are not public property. That doesn't mean that the person stole them or had that intention, so try to message them politely saying that the artwork is yours and it's protected by copyright, so you wish they remove it or else you have the right to sue them by law. Contacting them with insults and accusations will only make the situation worst and won't solve anything.

- When you find a suspicious listing on Ebay or another website, you usually have in the page itself the option "report this seller" or "report this listing". You just have to click and choose the options for the report, and then send it. Ebay will review the listing and if your report proves to be true, they erase it and certainly warn the seller. They might also contact you asking for more details or proves to help them with the case.
Sending messages with accusations and threats to the seller in question will not stop them and will make you lose credibility if Ebay needs your cooperation, or even in a more serious situation where the police is involved in the case.



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>>> About Posting <<<

We ask our members to try keep the posts clean and organized, so the page is easy to look at and not heavy to load.
Some guidelines:

13 - Please avoid creating too many posts in a day
(You can create a post, and use the Comment or Edit function to add more informations. You can give a link to an album, it can be an album from your own facebook, an album that you created in this page, or Photobucket).

14 - Every member should have only 1 album in the group
(You can create an album in which you can add or delete photos. DO NOT post the photos directly on your post, because they will end up in the group's photo tab, and thus they will be hard to find and eventually get lost from the timeline)

Here's a simple tutorial on how to create an album:


You can access your album easily any time by using the group's search function.

UPDATE (due to Facebook's new functions): If you have less than 13 items to sell, you're not obligated to have an album. You can do an individual post for each of your items. However, it is only allowed 6 items to be posted every 3 days (also, see rule 15). This way each member can have their visibility time in the top of the page.
Please note that the Admin is allowed to post more than 6 items if needed, however that will be rare.

15 - Don't bump your posts constantly
(Every member needs their time for their post being seen. You can bump your post so it appears up in the page again, every 3 days. For that, you only need to comment your post with the word "Bump". Any posts bumped before the specified time will be seen as spam)

16 - Don't double-post
Making several posts that are equal (ex: posting the same kimono twice) is seen as spam. You must be careful when you post, to avoid this. Sometimes I remove one of the repeated posts, but if this happens a lot with the same member, that member will be banned.

Note: When people comment in several photos of an album, the photos might appear in the main page as posts in a row. This is unfortunately a facebook's problem and there's nothing that can be done. Therefore this will not count as spam (unless if it interferes with other member posts visibility too much, some photos might be erased).

17 - Try to be specific in your writing
(You should include the price and description of the item you're selling)

18 - If you are looking to buy mutiple items, please make your questions in only one post

Posts that violate any of this rules might be deleted without further warning.



>>Honest Buyers/Sellers Policy<<

- Comments on sellers items with the following similar content will be deemed as spam, and erased:
''The item is pretty but I have no money to buy it''
''The item is beautiful but it's too small for me''
''Someone else buy this, because I can't, go fot it''
These type of comments are absolutely useless and will only create unnecessary bumps in the post in question. Therefore if you are not interested in the item, do not comment it.

- Only contact a seller when you are absolutely interested in an item and can pay for it.
Here in IKA we like smooth, fast transations that are pleasant for both parties.

- Please read well the item's description before contacting a seller. Many sellers are contacted with questions about the item that are already answered in the item's post. This will be seen as spam.

- Contacting a seller about an item, agreeing to pay for it and then do not fullfill the transaction, will get you banned from the group (if reported).

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* About Auctions *

Place a link for the image/album of your item.
When starting an auction, please state the price it should begin with, and also the day/hour it begins and also the day/hour it ends.
Bidders should only bid within that time. Any bidders who place a bid before/after the time stated should be ignored and will be erased.

* About Selling *

Place a link for the image/album of your item, and state the price. Any people interested should be able to buy immediately for that price, with no need of auction, in a first-come-first-served basis.

* About Trading *

Place a link for the image/album of your item, and state what would you like to trade it for. We encourage you to trade only with people you know, or state a safe way to do so.



Group Moderation

IKA as Facebook Group has no Moderators. The Admin is the only responsible person in charge.
However, I do really appreciate when members take their time to report a post or person breaking the rules.
I thank you for that and will act to that report as soon as I am able.

What I won't tolerate in any way is aggressive moderation (ex: members PMing me demanding me to remove a post or a person, or asking why the post/person was not removed yet). Be very careful as this behavior is disrespect towards the Admin, and will not only get you banned, but also blocked, from IKA and any other kimono related groups I own.



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Eternal Maiko and IKA will not take any responsibility in this sellings. Every transaction is the responsibility of both buyer and seller only. IKA is only providing a place for free, and an easy way for everyone to buy/sell/trade/auctioning, and will not solve any problems. Everything between users must be taken and solved by PM.
However, any break of the group's rules should be reported to the Admin by private message, so it can be dealt accordingly.

Also, IKA should not be associated with any conflict the members may cause outside the group. We have no control of what members talk and do outside, and it's their responsability only to bear the consequences.
Thank you,

The adminstrator,
~ Kimino