ShareYourGroupShareYourGroupGroup Chat Ideas

Buy and sell group rules

Rules for a local buy and sell group or a community market group, to keep deals honest and the group free of spam.

*Group rules* 1. Each post needs a clear photo, the price, the condition and the area. 2. One post per item. Repost only after three days. 3. Mark the post "SOLD" or delete it when the item is gone. 4. Deal in private chat. Do not bargain in the group. 5. Meet in a public place in daytime. Check the item before you pay. 6. Never pay in advance to a stranger, and never share an OTP or scan a QR code to "receive" money. 7. No fake goods, medicines, weapons, animals or anything illegal. 8. The group and its admins are not responsible for any deal. Buy carefully. 9. Sellers who cheat are removed and named to the admins of nearby groups.

Trust is the only stock a buy and sell group has

People use a local buy and sell group instead of a big website for one reason: they believe the sellers are neighbours who can be found again. Every rule on this page protects that belief. A post must describe the item honestly, with clear photos and its faults mentioned. Prices are stated, not hidden behind "message me". And when an item is sold, the seller says so, which keeps the group clean and saves twenty people a message.

Keeping deals safe

The group's rules should also guide members to deal safely, in general terms: meet in a public or shared place in daylight, check the item before paying, and be careful with any request to pay in advance or to share a code received on your phone. An admin cannot guarantee a deal, and the rules should say plainly that buyers and sellers deal at their own risk. That one line protects the admin from being dragged into disputes.

What to keep out

Decide early on the hard cases: repeated advertisements by businesses, the same post every day, items that may not be legal to sell, live animals, medicines and second-hand safety equipment. It is easier to list what is not allowed on day one than to remove a neighbour's post on day thirty. Allow each seller a fixed number of posts per week, and the group stays readable.

If your buy and sell group belongs to a housing society, link it to the main society group rules and use an admin announcement to remind sellers once a month.

How to use these rules

  1. Copy the rules and change any line that does not fit your group.
  2. Post them in the group and pin the message, so that it stays at the top.
  3. Put the one-line version in the group description. Ready lines are on the descriptions page.
  4. When a rule is broken, remind the person privately first. See how to be a good admin.

Rules for other groups

Family groupFriends groupClass parents groupSociety groupOffice team groupStudy groupपरिवार (हिंदी)सोसाइटी (हिंदी)