Message board

The message board is provided for the enjoyment of the entire Trade Me community and is moderated by them and, at times, by Trade Me staff. The person posting a message on the boards may be liable for its content. Trade Me is not responsible for the content.

The basic rules are:

It's a family show
Keep your messages clean. Don't start messages about offensive or contentious topics, or post messages that include swearing, offensive or adult content.

Respect others
Don't abuse or harass people on the message board. Personal attacks are not acceptable. You may express a view on an issue, or criticise a particular approach. But the message boards are not a place for you to attack a person or their character.

The message board is also not an appropriate place to raise concerns about other traders or their auctions. If you have concerns about an auction, please use Community Watch (at the bottom of each auction). If you're concerned about a trader, please contact us directly.

People have a right to their privacy. Don't post any contact details in the message board, including your own, or reveal personal information about others.

No commercial use or self-promotion
Over-posting or spamming of the message board ruins it for others. The message board is for open discussion only, so please don't advertise any auction, product, or service. This includes trying to facilitate a trade through the message boards (including wanted postings).

Keep it legal
In particular, do not name, drop hints, or post any other information which identifies members of the public who have name suppression.

You also need to be careful you don't post defamatory statements about anyone. A widely used definition is:

A defamatory statement is one that tends to lower the person in the estimation of right-thinking members of society, or which tends to cause him or her to be shunned or avoided, or which tends to cause a person to be exposed to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or which is a false statement about a person to his or her discredit. The statement may be in the form of words or pictures, visual images, gestures, and other means of signifying meaning.

Finally, anyone who breaches the rules above may have their message board privileges or membership removed.