♥ G S J FAQs ♥________ ★! Garagesalejapan Buy & Sell
Frequently Asked Questions ♥♥
Please use ctrl+f to help you look for your question.
If you still have any questions after reading the FAQ, feel free to contact a GSJ moderator over at this post.
01. The GSJ joining process
I followed the joining process, why have I not heard back yet?
We apologize for the delay, but there are only so many of us mods. Please wait at least 10 days before sending us an inquiry whether your application was approved or not.
I have received a Livejournal alert saying that you have replied to my application comment, but I cannot read your reply. What's going on?
Unless we require further information from you or need to ask you a specific question, the comment will be screened.
For example: If we ask you to supply further feedback proof.
Most of the time our reply is just a confirmation that your application is being processed (i.e. your ebay / etsy account has been contacted). There is no need to reply to us. Instead, please check the inbox of the feedback account that you have supplied (e.g. ebay, etsy) and follow the instructions given.
I see that you have replied under my comment, but your reply seem to be asking for something that I have already supplied. Is this comment directed at me?
Only comments requiring further communication via Livejournal will be visible. If the comment was directed at you, an edited version of your Livejournal username should appear in the subject heading.
For example: Your username: gsj_mods
Reply subject heading: g**_***s
If the subject heading does not look like your Livejournal username, please do not reply to it.
Can I join your community with more than one account?
Yes, you can join with a maximum of 2 Livejournal accounts (one personal, one sales journal). We only ask that you follow our posting rules (specifically the 'one post every 3 days' rule) when you post. You can only post once every 3 days regardless of whichever journal you will be using.
For example:
Journal #1 post on the 1st of August, Journal #1 or #2 can post again on the 4th of August. - Allowed.
Journal #1 post on the 1st of August, Journal #2 post on the 2nd of August. - NOT Allowed.
I am already a member, I want to delete my previous LJ account and join with a new one. Can I join?
Yes, you can change to a new LJ account. Please make sure to take note of rule #6 when you do so. Failure to take this rule into account will mean that your membership application will be declined. You must go through the membership application process and declare the username of your previous account.
02. Scammers
I think I may have been scammed. What do I do?
We are very sorry that it is happening to you (despite our best efforts to keep GSJ an honest venue)!
Our best advice is for you to make a post over at garagesalejapan explaining your situation (please tag the post with '!scammer'). Chances are the person who scammed you has also scammed others, and they will be more knowledgeable about the person in question.
It has happened that the scammer, when confronted in such a way, is forced to rectify their mistakes in order to be able to complete future transactions they otherwise cannot with a tarnished reputation.
I made a post about a scammer, but the issue is now solved. What should I do?
We ask that you please do not delete your post. Edit the subject line and main content to say that the situation was resolved, but do not delete anything from your post or the post itself. This is to ensure that if such a person resurfaces as a scammer in the future, there will be a past post containing much useful knowledge about the scammer.
03. General Posting Questions ~ What can/can't I post about?
Are we allowed to make wanted posts?
Yes, as long as it abides by the general GSJ rules (you may only request Asian items, no requesting bootleg, at least 3 days from your previous post, only 1 image outside of LJ cut, etc).
Are shopping services allowed?
Yes, as long as you are requesting/offering items bought in Asia or Asian items.
Sellers: For example, if you are currently in Japan and are willing to purchase items upon request, you are welcomed to advertise your service and list what items you can purchase for the customer (you are allowed to, but not required to, ask for a service fee from the customer).
Buyers: For example, if you see something from an online Taiwan auction site, but the site only ships to Taiwanese residents, you may make a post asking to see if someone living in Taiwan could buy the item for you.
Can I sell something I don't currently own?
This is absolutely against the rules, as it is different from shopping service. For shopping service, you are selling the service. However, if you advertise that you currently own an item, but it is not physically in your possession and will never be in your possession in the future, it is not allowed.
For example: You advertise the sale of jrock CDs, and when a customer pays for the item, you go online and buy the CD, then get the online seller to send directly to your customer. This is not allowed. This is different from a shopping service as you did not work for this, therefore, you should not profit from this. GSJ is not a place for you to scam people.
What about survey/group orders? I don't currently own the item, are they not allowed?
Group order/Pre-orders/Surveys are allowed. You are not advertising as already owning the item, instead, you are advertising your service for organizing such an event, and it is thus allowed.
For example: Certain online malls require a minimum dollar amount for each purchase, which you cannot obtain alone. So you make a post asking if others are interested in doing a group order together. You are offering your service to pool everyone's money, place the order, and ship out the individual items to each person.
In essence, you have worked for it and have earned the right to collect a service fee/profit from your time and effort spent into organizing the group order.
Are we allowed to sell DIY items?
Items such as fanart, handmade plushies, handmade stationery, etc are allowed as long as there is a tangible product being sold and the items are obviously Asian-inspired.
For example: Ideas, concepts, licenses, copyrights may not be sold at GSJ.
Can I advertise my selling journal using my personal journal?
Yes, you can advertise your selling journal using your personal journal. We only ask that you adhere to our posting rules (specifically the 'one post every 3 days' rule) when you do so.
However, it is not okay to switch back and forth between your selling journal and personal journal in order to bypass the 3 day rule.
04. Technical Posting Questions
Help! When I try to post to garagesalejapan, the post doesn't appear at all! [when you can click 'post to community']
It is most likely a technical issue with LJ. Please check Livejournal Status and their Known Issues page. If your problem cannot be found there and/or persists, please open a support request with LJ.
My post has disappeared/been deleted! What is going on?
If you have successfully created a post, but found that it has disappeared a few hours/days later, it is possible that a moderator has deleted it due to one or more posting infringement(s). Please check the posting rules page for possible reasons for deletion.
We do not delete without warning! A comment is left in all posts prior to deletion. You should have received an email message alert with the content. However, it is possible that these alerts may be lost as a consequence of LJ glitches.
If you don't think you broke any rules and/or have LJ notifications turned off, and would like clarification as to what happened, leave us a comment here.
Post deletions vs !Mod Warnings, why was my post deleted when others were only warned?
Your post will be deleted for a number of reasons including, but not limited to:
- Breaking the 'one post every 3 days' rule.
- Advertising bootlegs/bootleg-containing journals, and failing to remove the specified bootlegs within 12 hours of your warning.
- Blatantly ignoring a moderator's request while continuing to reply/trade with others.
I can't post at all! Have my posting access been restricted?
If you are a member, but cannot find the posting button (i.e. you can comment in other people's posts but cannot create a new post to the community), then your posting access has been removed. This is because you have broken the garagesalejapan posting rules on 3 or more occasions. Instructions for how to regain posting access should have been given to you when it was removed.
If, for whatever reason, you have not received it, please contact a moderator.
05. Other Questions
Do you sell *******? / Do you send to *******?
garagesalejapan IS NOT A SHOP.
We are a community that allows multiple sellers to advertise what they have for sale. Please check the community if you are looking to buy specific items. Alternatively, you can post a 'Want to buy' post to see whether anyone have the item(s) you are looking for. Please be as specific as possible. You can tag these posts with the wanted tag.
The
gsj_mods account do not sell anything and cannot help you with buying any particular item.
Please use ctrl+f to help you look for your question.
If you still have any questions after reading the FAQ, feel free to contact a GSJ moderator over at this post.
01. The GSJ joining process
I followed the joining process, why have I not heard back yet?
We apologize for the delay, but there are only so many of us mods. Please wait at least 10 days before sending us an inquiry whether your application was approved or not.
I have received a Livejournal alert saying that you have replied to my application comment, but I cannot read your reply. What's going on?
Unless we require further information from you or need to ask you a specific question, the comment will be screened.
For example: If we ask you to supply further feedback proof.
Most of the time our reply is just a confirmation that your application is being processed (i.e. your ebay / etsy account has been contacted). There is no need to reply to us. Instead, please check the inbox of the feedback account that you have supplied (e.g. ebay, etsy) and follow the instructions given.
I see that you have replied under my comment, but your reply seem to be asking for something that I have already supplied. Is this comment directed at me?
Only comments requiring further communication via Livejournal will be visible. If the comment was directed at you, an edited version of your Livejournal username should appear in the subject heading.
For example: Your username: gsj_mods
Reply subject heading: g**_***s
If the subject heading does not look like your Livejournal username, please do not reply to it.
Can I join your community with more than one account?
Yes, you can join with a maximum of 2 Livejournal accounts (one personal, one sales journal). We only ask that you follow our posting rules (specifically the 'one post every 3 days' rule) when you post. You can only post once every 3 days regardless of whichever journal you will be using.
For example:
Journal #1 post on the 1st of August, Journal #1 or #2 can post again on the 4th of August. - Allowed.
Journal #1 post on the 1st of August, Journal #2 post on the 2nd of August. - NOT Allowed.
I am already a member, I want to delete my previous LJ account and join with a new one. Can I join?
Yes, you can change to a new LJ account. Please make sure to take note of rule #6 when you do so. Failure to take this rule into account will mean that your membership application will be declined. You must go through the membership application process and declare the username of your previous account.
02. Scammers
I think I may have been scammed. What do I do?
We are very sorry that it is happening to you (despite our best efforts to keep GSJ an honest venue)!
Our best advice is for you to make a post over at garagesalejapan explaining your situation (please tag the post with '!scammer'). Chances are the person who scammed you has also scammed others, and they will be more knowledgeable about the person in question.
It has happened that the scammer, when confronted in such a way, is forced to rectify their mistakes in order to be able to complete future transactions they otherwise cannot with a tarnished reputation.
I made a post about a scammer, but the issue is now solved. What should I do?
We ask that you please do not delete your post. Edit the subject line and main content to say that the situation was resolved, but do not delete anything from your post or the post itself. This is to ensure that if such a person resurfaces as a scammer in the future, there will be a past post containing much useful knowledge about the scammer.
03. General Posting Questions ~ What can/can't I post about?
Are we allowed to make wanted posts?
Yes, as long as it abides by the general GSJ rules (you may only request Asian items, no requesting bootleg, at least 3 days from your previous post, only 1 image outside of LJ cut, etc).
Are shopping services allowed?
Yes, as long as you are requesting/offering items bought in Asia or Asian items.
Sellers: For example, if you are currently in Japan and are willing to purchase items upon request, you are welcomed to advertise your service and list what items you can purchase for the customer (you are allowed to, but not required to, ask for a service fee from the customer).
Buyers: For example, if you see something from an online Taiwan auction site, but the site only ships to Taiwanese residents, you may make a post asking to see if someone living in Taiwan could buy the item for you.
Can I sell something I don't currently own?
This is absolutely against the rules, as it is different from shopping service. For shopping service, you are selling the service. However, if you advertise that you currently own an item, but it is not physically in your possession and will never be in your possession in the future, it is not allowed.
For example: You advertise the sale of jrock CDs, and when a customer pays for the item, you go online and buy the CD, then get the online seller to send directly to your customer. This is not allowed. This is different from a shopping service as you did not work for this, therefore, you should not profit from this. GSJ is not a place for you to scam people.
What about survey/group orders? I don't currently own the item, are they not allowed?
Group order/Pre-orders/Surveys are allowed. You are not advertising as already owning the item, instead, you are advertising your service for organizing such an event, and it is thus allowed.
For example: Certain online malls require a minimum dollar amount for each purchase, which you cannot obtain alone. So you make a post asking if others are interested in doing a group order together. You are offering your service to pool everyone's money, place the order, and ship out the individual items to each person.
In essence, you have worked for it and have earned the right to collect a service fee/profit from your time and effort spent into organizing the group order.
Are we allowed to sell DIY items?
Items such as fanart, handmade plushies, handmade stationery, etc are allowed as long as there is a tangible product being sold and the items are obviously Asian-inspired.
For example: Ideas, concepts, licenses, copyrights may not be sold at GSJ.
Can I advertise my selling journal using my personal journal?
Yes, you can advertise your selling journal using your personal journal. We only ask that you adhere to our posting rules (specifically the 'one post every 3 days' rule) when you do so.
However, it is not okay to switch back and forth between your selling journal and personal journal in order to bypass the 3 day rule.
04. Technical Posting Questions
Help! When I try to post to garagesalejapan, the post doesn't appear at all! [when you can click 'post to community']
It is most likely a technical issue with LJ. Please check Livejournal Status and their Known Issues page. If your problem cannot be found there and/or persists, please open a support request with LJ.
My post has disappeared/been deleted! What is going on?
If you have successfully created a post, but found that it has disappeared a few hours/days later, it is possible that a moderator has deleted it due to one or more posting infringement(s). Please check the posting rules page for possible reasons for deletion.
We do not delete without warning! A comment is left in all posts prior to deletion. You should have received an email message alert with the content. However, it is possible that these alerts may be lost as a consequence of LJ glitches.
If you don't think you broke any rules and/or have LJ notifications turned off, and would like clarification as to what happened, leave us a comment here.
Post deletions vs !Mod Warnings, why was my post deleted when others were only warned?
Your post will be deleted for a number of reasons including, but not limited to:
- Breaking the 'one post every 3 days' rule.
- Advertising bootlegs/bootleg-containing journals, and failing to remove the specified bootlegs within 12 hours of your warning.
- Blatantly ignoring a moderator's request while continuing to reply/trade with others.
I can't post at all! Have my posting access been restricted?
If you are a member, but cannot find the posting button (i.e. you can comment in other people's posts but cannot create a new post to the community), then your posting access has been removed. This is because you have broken the garagesalejapan posting rules on 3 or more occasions. Instructions for how to regain posting access should have been given to you when it was removed.
If, for whatever reason, you have not received it, please contact a moderator.
05. Other Questions
Do you sell *******? / Do you send to *******?
garagesalejapan IS NOT A SHOP.
We are a community that allows multiple sellers to advertise what they have for sale. Please check the community if you are looking to buy specific items. Alternatively, you can post a 'Want to buy' post to see whether anyone have the item(s) you are looking for. Please be as specific as possible. You can tag these posts with the wanted tag.
The
gsj_mods account do not sell anything and cannot help you with buying any particular item.