====== Deal Posting Guidelines ======
===== Posting deals =====
The community guidelines are a rough blend of what this site was intended for and the changing attitudes of the community. They have been written to try and help make your experience here more pleasant. Please note these are guidelines and are at the discretion of moderators.
**Summary of Guidelines**
^ {{https://www.ozbargain.com.au/files/images/vote-up-btn.png}} ^ {{https://www.ozbargain.com.au/files/images/vote-down-btn.png}} ^
| **[[help:title_guidelines|POST]] a clear title including price and location.** | **[[help:deal_posting_guidelines#search_first|DO NOT]] post duplicate deals.** |
| **[[help:faq_merchants|DECLARE]] if you are a merchant or have some relationship with the merchant.** | **[[help:sockpuppeting|DO NOT]] sockpuppet or artificially vote for your deal.** |
| **[[help:deal_posting_guidelines#link_directly_to_the_source|LINK]] directly to the deal.** | **[[help:deal_posting_guidelines#only_sites|NO]] Adult websites.** |
| **[[:price_comparison_sites|CHECK]] competitors prices before posting.** | **[[help:deal_posting_guidelines#free_software_freeware_free_websites|NO]] Freeware or Free Websites.** |
| **[[help:deal_posting_guidelines#limited_quantity|MAKE]] sure there is sufficient quantity.** | **[[help:deal_posting_guidelines#gambling_betting_deals|NO]] Gambling Sites.** |
| **BE respectful to others.** | **[[help:banned_items|NO]] Banned Items or Websites.** |
| **REPORT any problems to a [[help:moderators|MODERATOR.]]** | **[[help:deal_posting_guidelines#charities_donations|NO]] Charity Links.** |
|**[[help:deal_posting_guidelines#group_buy_deals|POST]] only active deals for [[:list_of_group_buy_sites|group buy sites]].** | **[[help:deal_posting_guidelines#competitions|NO]] Competitions or private sales.** |
|**DEALS that are available to New Zealand.** | **[[help:deal_posting_guidelines#affiliate_referral_links|NO]] Affiliate Links anywhere. [[help:deal_posting_guidelines#affiliate_referral_links|NO]] Referral Links anywhere ([[help:deal_posting_guidelines#affiliate_referral_links|see exception]]).** |
|**[[help:deal_posting_guidelines#multiple_bargains_for_the_same_site|COMBINE]] deals from the same merchant.** | **[[help:deal_posting_guidelines?&#price_matching_in-store_negotiations|NO]] Price Matched or In-store negotiated deals.** |
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==== Before posting a bargain ====
* Did someone else post the deal already? [[help:deal_posting_guidelines#search_first|Search]] for your deal.
* Is this really the best price on the web? [[:price comparison sites|Check for the lowest prices.]]
* Is the cost of postage, fees or other costs included?
* Is this deal available to New Zealand?
* Is there enough quantity? Ensure there is [[help:deal_posting_guidelines#limited_quantity|adequate quantity]].
Do not post the following:
* Auctions.
* Competitions or contests within the deal as this detracts from the bargain. [[help:deal_posting_guidelines#competitions|More information.]]
* Adult sites or adult items. Check [[help:banned_items|banned items]].
* Gambling or Betting websites.
* Deals that resemble work or a job.
* Deals available only to staff or employees.
==== Posting a bargain ====
Be transparent about why you are posting a deal here:
* Declare upfront if you have a relationship to the business.
* Declare upfront if you will benefit from the posting or if someone asked you to post here.
* If you are affiliated with the company.
If any of the above is true, check the *I am a Store Representative* box.
Do not ask users to vote on your deal or attempt to solicit votes (in your deal description or by any other means). Do not ask users to vote on your deal, attempt to solicit votes, solicit subscriptions for your user profile or for the related store (in your deal description or by any other means).
==== Search first ====
Someone else might have already submitted the deal. In that case, vote on the existing deal instead. Duplicated deals will be removed.
There are 3 ways of searching to see if your deal has been posted.
- Use the search function to find the product or special you are posting.
- See deals by domain to see the recent deal posted from that store.
- See [[help:tagging_guideline|product tags]] to see recent deals posted that are tagged with your product.
==== Starting Etiquette ====
* New users shouldn't write I'm new, don't flame me etc.
For first time posters, it's best to avoid telling the community that you are new and asking them to take it easy on you. The "L-plate icon" {{:help:l-plate.png?nolink12&|}} will be shown to indicate if this is your first post.
==== Write a descriptive title & description ====
* //Please check [[Title Guidelines]] on how to write a descriptive title for your deal.//
* //Please check [[Tagging Guideline]] on how to correctly tag a deal.//
Please explain clearly what the deal is about:
- State the merchant and product model, and provide a brief description if you wish.
- State the price.
- State the location (city and state) if it is specific to an area.
- If it's a deal for walk in customers, mention that
- If shipping is required, state the shipping cost to major New Zealand cities if this information is available; approximate range is ok if the exact cost is variable or not available. (Store representatives **must** provide this information - there should be no reason to hide this from potential customers.) At the least, state "+Shipping"
- State any relevant terms & conditions, such as expiry date and any "hidden catches".
- Summarise briefly why it is a bargain - why did you buy it or consider it worth sharing? How does the price compare to elsewhere? Can you comment from personal experience on the quality of the product?
* Do provide the most relevant details but do not copy pages and pages of specifications from the link.
* Please use the > sign at the start of any line of text copied from webpages, flyers, etc. The [[http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax|Markdown]] [[http://michelf.com/projects/php-markdown/extra/|Markdown Extra]] syntax will mark this text as a quote (with a left-hand orange border), rather than appearing to be your own words.
* Each deal should be specific to one store as far as possible. All deals posted for a store are listed on the appropriate store page, and the store page is often used by users to check for duplicates. If you have multiple deals from multiple stores, post them as separate deals so that other users can easily find them by store.
* Note: If you know someone who works for or owns that business or if someone asks you to post or comment, state this when posting or commenting
* Store Representatives ensure that any links to your site are both relevant (not unnecessary advertising) and at the **bottom** of the deal description only
==== URL / Link ====
* Always link directly to the specific product page.
* Do **not** link to the company's top-level website unless there is no specific page that can be used instead.
Linking to a top-level website, especially when there is a direct link to the product, is often regarded as spam-like conduct and is not welcomed.
* Do not post affiliate or referral links in the URL.
If you have an affiliate or referral link, please put the URL in the description only. The unaffiliated link that links directly to the specific product should be put in the URL field. More about [[help:deal_posting_guidelines#affiliate_links|affiliate links]].
*If the link is from a third-party site like Facebook or Twitter, please complete the Store Domain field (located below the URL field) if it has not been automatically pre-filled.
For example, if you are linking to a promotion for Countdown that is published on Facebook, enter 'countdown.co.nz' in the Store Domain field.
* Do not link to a picture.
There is no need to link to a picture on a website. A [[help:foxshot|screenshot]] will automatically be generated from the URL of the linked website.
=== Media File Uploader ===
* Use only when there is no direct link to the bargain or information supporting the bargain.
The media file uploader is not needed in the vast majority of cases. The uploader should only be used for scanned images (e.g. catalogues, flyers) and photos (e.g. receipts, pricing displays) when there is no webpage or website that could be linked to instead.
If you are using the link generated by [[media file uploader]] as the URL for a deal, please complete the Store Domain field if it has not been automatically pre-filled.
===== Special Notes =====
==== Limited Quantity ====
If your deal has limited quantity, please mention it in the description. If the quantity is too small then your deal may be removed. As a guideline, less than 10 quantity of items is not enough for a deal unless the item has a high price.
==== Questions about Seller ====
Where a seller is unknown, has very little history to establish a sales history, or there are other problems identifying that the end organisation really is a retailer, wholesaler or manufacturer, the deal might be unpublished or modified. Please also ensure you identify a bargain on your site or don't post until you have a suitable bargain.
==== Listings on Mass Retailing Sites ====
If it's a listing on a site such as [[help:posting_guidelines_on_ebay|eBay]] please follow all other guidelines to see if the listing should be excluded for any reason.
Remember to consider whether it really is a bargain as compared with stores.
If it still looks okay, next look at the history of the seller. If they've been selling for a while and still seem to be active, the listing is more likely to be allowed.
* //Related article -- [[Posting Guidelines on eBay]]//
* [[Posting Guidelines on Amazon au]]
* [[Posting Guidelines on AliExpress]]
==== Multiple Bargains for the Same Site ====
Think twice if you are posting more than one deal from a site. Are they all really good deals?
It's also possible to post a deal, mentioning the best offer, and mention "+ more" in the title, then put details of the other bargains in the same posting (along with direct links to those items too)
If more than one post is made for the same site/store within 24 hours, it may be combined (especially where posts aren't considered bargains or are related sales/products). Moderator discretion applies.
==== Price Matching & In-store Negotiations ====
Some merchants offer [[:pricematch]] against the same product listed online or in other shops. However, price match itself **is not a deal**, but rather a method to make a merchant to sell you the same product at a lower price than another merchant's publicly listed price (which is usually the lowest price around).
Therefore, instead of posting the price match as a bargain, the //real deal// should be from the merchant who is offering the lowest price. Price matching is a bonus, and other members of ChoiceCheapies need to arrange their own price match. For example a specific model of HP laptop is cheapest at DickSmith, and you get Warehouse Stationary to price match at 5% less. To post this deal:
* Use the merchant you are price match against. For example:
* Title: HP Laptop $500 at DickSmith ($475 at Warehouse Stationary via Price Match)
* URL: URL of the product at DickSmith's website.
* Mention that you are able to use price match at a competing merchant.
* Remember to have a link to your receipt as a proof that (in this example) Warehouse Stationary do allow price matching on this product. Use [[media file uploader]] if you need to.
In-store negotiated deals are dependent on the store, salesperson and other circumstances. In-store negotiated prices (haggling to receive a further discount on the ticketed price) aren't available to everyone and are not guaranteed. You should post a deal for the ticketed/guaranteed price, you can then add your experience with negotiating further discount in the deal description only. Alternatively you may wish to post your experience in the forums.
==== Affiliate & Referral Links ====
Referral links & codes are prohibited almost* everywhere on ChoiceCheapies; this includes all deal, forum and classified posts and comments. Referral links & codes can however be added to our automated [[https://www.cheapies.nz/node/8153|referral system]] from My Account - Edit - Referrals. Do not solicit referrals by any means (eg asking users to PM you or by drawing attention to the referral system). Affiliate links are prohibited on ChoiceCheapies.
**EXCEPTIONS:**
* Competition referral links (to gain entries) ARE permitted in competition posts (at the bottom of the post) and competition comments.
* If you have a referral link or code for a deal you are posting AND it is not in the automated system, please add it to the bottom of your post & a moderator will add it into the referral system (and remove it from your post).
**Can I post a deal for the Referral offer itself?**
* If the retailer offers a referral program, you may post it as a deal (e.g. signup to ABC site via referral code and earn $10 credit) if all of the following conditions are met:
- The referee also earns credit.
- It has NOT been posted as a deal previously.
- It has been less than 7 days since it was added to the ChoiceCheapies referral system (i.e. a new edition).
- It is not an update to a store's referral system, unless it is a limited time offer.
* Examples: Airbnb updates their refer a friend credit from $32 to $34. As this is already in the referral system, it should simply be updated to $34 and not posted as a new deal (updates to the referral program should not be posted as a deal).
* A Bank has a promotion for the month of April only: Sign up to a new account and both the referee and referrer receive $50. In July they have the same promotion again (this can be posted as a new deal as it is a new offer and the previous offer had expired/ended).
//Main article: [[referral and affiliate link differences]]//
==== Merchants & Store Representative ====
* As ChoiceCheapies is a community website, deals that you have posted will be judged and voted by our community members. Post when you have a bargain and not just for advertising purposes. Generic advertisements may be removed or may make it difficult for you to post, when you have something that really should be popular. Reps posting deals which are constantly attracting low or negative votes will see their domain banned from posting by the system, as per our [[https://www.cheapies.nz/wiki/help:store_representative?s#performance-based_store_bans|performance based store bans]].
* Merchants should note that small reductions, excessive conditions, and other costs related to the deal will NOT be well received. Users will likely vote negative for your deals which in turn leads to performance based store bans.
==== Price Comparison/Tracking/Product Review Sites ====
Third-party price comparison, price tracking or product review website operators need to follow the [[https://www.cheapies.nz/wiki/help:price_comparison_site#deal_posting_guidelines|Third-Party Website Operator deal posting guidelines]] in addition to the guidelines here. Deal posts are subject to posting limits.
==== Overseas Deals ====
Physical Goods - Only post deals that can be paid for using New Zealand payment methods. If the deal does not ship to New Zealand and freight/mail forwarding is required, your deal MUST include the final price including shipping and the name of the freight/mail forwarding company used for the calculations. Deals without a final price will be removed.
Virtual Goods - Some deals require a VPN or similar to access them, including the [[http://www.hola.org|Hola]] browser extension. These deals are acceptable but please write clearly in the title 'VPN Required' or similar and give basic instructions in the deal.
Deals in Overseas Countries - Deals available overseas may be applicable to New Zealanders traveling to that destination. Some deals located overseas may not be applicable to the majority of New Zealanders in reasonable circumstances however. Currently only travel/tourist related deals should be posted on ChoiceCheapies, these include but are not limited to: Flights, Accommodation, Tours, Airport Facilities/Transport, Special Events (World Cup, Olympics etc) & Communication (Sim Cards, Roaming internet etc). Deals outside of these categories or not realistically applicable to the majority of members may be removed by a moderator.
For deals in other currencies, please include both the original currency and the $NZ equivalent in the title.
==== Sales, Catalogues and Stores ====
People generally value their time.
If you know there is a good bargain or two in a sale, catalogue or store, it's a good idea to mention one or even two bargains, in the title, and provide direct links where possible, to those items.
If there are multiple bargains in the same sale, catalogue or store, it is still advisable to post once only. Then multiple items can be listed in the same posting; probably with what looks to be the best or most popular bargains at the top. Multiple postings for the same sale and/or catalogue may be unpublished.
Deal posts that reference a sale, catalogue or store but don't provide enough information to find at least one bargain, may be unpublished. Deal posts that contains ambiguous or non descriptive titles such as '**up to** 50% off sale' , 'big clearance' or 'sale' may be unpublished unless specific items are mentioned within the deal description OR a dedicated offer/discount such as '50% off sale' is present (preferably in the title).
If someone else has posted items from the same sale or catalogue as you now want to publish from, please post under the other person's listing. If you do post separately, items should be an especially good bargain and you should also link back to the original sale or catalogue post in your separate post. If you are posting a deal using a coupon code from an existing post, please reference that original post in your deal.
==== Upcoming Deals ====
Deal posts that reference an upcoming sale or deal without information about any specific offer, or have an unknown/indefinite start date may be unpublished. Please post only when at least a product price or a specific discount is known, and include that in the description. //Please note that **up to XX% off** discounts are not specific discounts.//
Upcoming deals should not be posted more than 90 days in advance.
==== Airfare Deals ====
If the airfare is part of an advertised sale, please include both the booking period and travel period. If it is not an advertised sale, please provide at least one sample itinerary that shows the discounted fare as described.
==== Fuel Deals ====
Since fuel prices at petrol stations can fluctuate without warning, please post the latest observed fuel prices in a fuel watch thread in the [[https://www.cheapies.nz/forum/7| Forum]] and not as a deal. However, if there is a special promotion, such as a bigger-than-usual supermarket discount, or a special price with a defined timeframe for which the price is valid, then the promotion can be posted as a deal.
==== Group Buy Deals ====
[[:list_of_group_buy_sites|Group buy]] sites such as Jumponit & Scoopon sell their items after reaching a certain number of people who agree to buy their items.
* Only deals that are active are allowed to be posted on ChoiceCheapies. A deal is considered active when a user goes to purchase the deal and their sale is immediately finalised. A deal is inactive when a site requires X amount of people for the purchase to go through and that number hasn't been reached. (e.g. 35 bought, 65 more required to get the deal)
* Please remember to include the location that the deal is applicable to (e.g. $49 for a $100 Dinner Voucher & a Bottle of Wine at Example Restaurant [Auckland])
* As of September 2015 eBay group deals are EXEMPT from these guidelines.
===== What Should Not Be Posted =====
==== Duplicates ====
Don't post duplicates (deals that are already on the site). Please [[https://www.cheapies.nz/wiki/help:deal_posting_guidelines#search_first|search]] ChoiceCheapies before posting.
Exceptions:
* The original post is older than 1 month, and was marked as expired or sold out between then and now.
* The original post is active, but older than 6 months, and has not been reposted to the front page in the past 6 months.
* The duplicate gains an excessive amount of positive votes (10+) and the original deal was posted and had become active more than 24 hours ago.
* The item is not in the title of the original deal. Moderator discretion can apply if the post is seen as excessive.
Note: If an expiry date is not set on a deal post, it will be automatically marked as expired after 45 days (90 days for freebies). It is the poster's responsibility to either set an expiry date, or report the deal to have it marked as 'long expiry' (never auto expire).
These exceptions do not apply to [[https://www.cheapies.nz/wiki/help:deal_posting_guidelines#affiliate_referral_links|long running deals where the referral system]] is the offer.
==== Auctions ====
Don't post auctions.
==== Joke Posts ====
Please don't submit joke posts in the deals section - new deals trigger notifications to subscribers who are after genuine deals. Feel free to put any humorous finds in the forums.
==== Competitions ====
Competitions are not deals, so please do not post competitions, contests or anything that only a small number who have registered might win. Please do not run contests or competitions within deals as they detract from the bargain. If you have a competition that you wish to share with other members at ChoiceCheapies, feel free to post in our [[https://www.cheapies.nz/competition|competitions section]].
==== Private Sales ====
Private sales are not deals. Should you wish to sell personal items please use the [[https://www.cheapies.nz/classified|classifieds section]]. Note that only long standing or contributing members can post in this section. [[https://www.cheapies.nz/wiki/help:classified_posting_guidelines#requirements|More information]].
==== Free Multimedia Content & Websites ====
There are so many useful free multimedia content (e.g. ebooks, videos, photos, software, apps etc.) and websites out there that if we listed every great one, then we would be inundated with deals. Feel free to discuss any of these in one of our [[https://www.ozbargain.com.au/forum|forums]].
In general, always-free multimedia content that are available to everyone should be posted in the forums. Products that are temporarily free or have become permanently free qualify as deals. Moderators will make informed decisions on whether posts should stay as deals or be moved to the [[https://www.cheapies.nz/forum/30381|Free Software forum.]] As this is an evolving subject, community feedback is welcomed in our [[https://www.cheapies.nz/forum/5|Site Discussion forum.]]
Examples of what you **shouldn't** post:
* Software: [[http://getfirefox.com|Mozilla Firefox]] (Free Browser, Always Free)
* Websites: [[http://www.google.com/|Google]] (Free Search Engine, Always Free)
Examples of what you **should** post:
* Software: DVB Web Scheduler Pro is now free (Normally you have to pay for it, now free)
* Websites: Used Car Ads Free on Carbuddy (Free for now but later on not free)
==== Charities/Donations ====
Freebie deal posts from charities targeted at specific groups where you receive a physical item in the mail are not permitted (with exception of a deal posted by a rep). See [[https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/354078|discussion]] on Ozbargain.
Charity deals where the user receives nothing in return are not a bargain but feel free to post any charities or good causes on the [[https://www.cheapies.nz/forum|forums]].
==== 18+ Only Sites ====
Sites with adult themes should not be posted on ChoiceCheapies.
==== Too many deals ====
Store representative posting limits:
* 1 deal per 24 hours
* 2 deals per 7 days - provided the votes on past deal are not too low. This can be reduced to 1 deal per 7 days if past votes are low.
* If the past 2 rep posts for the domain made the front page (20+ votes), the representative is allowed an extra post per week, making it 3 deals per 7 days.
See [[store representative#posting_limits|posting limits]] for details.
User posting limits:
^ Frequency ^ New Users ^ Regular Users ^
| 5 Minutes | 1 | 1 |
| 1 Hour | 1 | 2 |
| 6 Hours | 2 | 4 |
| 24 Hours | 3 | 10 |
If users or representatives are found to be posting a high number of deals garnering negative votes, you may be put in the penalty box.
==== Gambling / Betting Deals ====
Deals which involve betting and/or gambling should not be posted.
While discussions on betting and/or gambling may be discussed in the forums, moderators reserve the right to remove them at their discretion.
==== Jobs / Work ====
Jobs or deals that resemble paid work are not bargains.
==== Staff Deals ====
Deals available only to members of the staff (e.g. Countdown) are not permitted to be posted as a deal. Feel free to post a thread in the forums.
==== Government Programs ====
Government programs that are cost saving measures (e.g. free public transport) are permissible to be posted as deals. However income producing programs (e.g. increase to government payments) should not be posted.
==== Crowd Funding Sites ====
Crowd funding or kickstarter posts are usually unreleased products with no guaranteed delivery, they are therefore not suitable for ChoiceCheapies. Should you find an interesting product via one of these sites you are welcome to discuss it in the [[https://www.cheapies.nz/forum|Forum]].
==== Sponsored Product Reviews ====
From time to time a company may approach a member of the community or staff to request a review of their product or service to be posted on ChoiceCheapies.
There are a number of restrictions in place to prevent abuse of this, as follows:
* All sponsored product reviews must be posted by a member of the Administrator or Moderator team.
* No sponsored product reviews are to be posted as deals, they must instead be posted in the [[https://www.cheapies.nz/forum/7|General Discussion]] section of the forum.
* These must be completely unbiased and impartial.
* No affiliate/referral links are to be used in the content of a sponsored product review.
* Posting of company sponsored deals have absolutely no bearing on the listing/location of any deal posts, or the moderation thereof.
