There's been a few concerns expressed with the sales/markt forums on here over recent times, some posted by members. some by myself and the team

Some of the concerns are

poor use of topic titles, not marking sold items, not answering pms, comments on sales, not understanding how the forums work, moderation comments and so on

We do have long running guidelines that have evolved over time to try and assist in keeping things worthwhile and effective sales wise

And every 14 days every member posting a new sales topic is shown these guidelines and asked if they accept and follow these guidelines by ticking a box if they do

The Guidelines are shown in 3 places and the main one can be viewed here

https://www.soul-source.co.uk/source-help/content-guidelines/soul-markt-guidelines-record-sales-forum-r57/

Due to those concerns we are making a determined effort to gather members feedback on all things Markt/Sales Forum related, so we can adapt the guidelines if felt needed, discuss the ins and outs of the current guidelines and take a good look at feedback such as suggestions etc

Hence this topic and the announcement on all the markt/sales forums for a week

Feedback as in questions, suggestions, criticisms and so on

So if you do have any feedback then please take the time to share and post below...

I know i should but i still can not locate how to mark items as sold. If this could be made clearer some how that would be great.

if you look at the first post in the topic you have posted

you should see a '+add tag' link under the title

tap the '+add tag' link

and then tap the 'choose tag' link

scroll thru the list till you see 'sold'

tap the 'sold tag' and then select 'save'

your post should now be tagged 'sold'

does that help ?

The guidelines are pretty clear I think, just the bits like stating sold as above. I’m sure there used to be a button ‘mark as sold’ but that seems to have disappeared and you have to go into the add a tag. I wasn’t aware of this for a while. The mark as sold tag would be more straightforward, but either way doesn’t work if you list multiple items with some selling and others not.

Clearer titles would be a help. Not necessarily the artist etc, as that is difficult for multiple items, but something “indicative” at least eg Mixed list 60’s and 70’s or maybe Four modern soul 45’s. At least we know and can make a judgment.

Had a situation where someone bought an item but didn’t give their address for postage as requested. No response after 4 days of PM’s and then resolved. Apparently buyer only visited the site occasionally. If you sell or buy make sure you check back regularly.

We should have ‘ Dick Turpin ‘ button for some of the prices asked 😀😀😀

Adding pictures, and ( more? ) importantly, soundclips of the actual vinyl ( not youtube ) really ought to be standard procedure.

Some items also don't have youtube soundclips which i think thankfully is not common..but it happens. Unless an item is well known and heard out a lot anyway, really the seller should put up a soundclip?.

Do folk find they have a problem with posting their own goods label scans and soundclips?....why don't they discuss this more on the forum?, i think " can't really be bothered, or too long winded " dosn't do potential buyers any favours.

Sorry if i'm emphasizing coals that have been raked over before but, the sales page would look the part if everyone made the effort?

I've only just started selling records on here on a regular basis, just recently. I'm not great with teccie but regarding the mark as sold question. I just used to edit and write sold. If I can, anybody can lol.

By the way SS always has been and still is, an excellent site.

ok thanks to all for taking the time and effort to pass on feedback on what is a major part of soul source

currently looking at upgrading our markt guidelines where needed over the next week or so

basically a re-working/re-writing to reflect the changes in the way that the forums do get used on here over time

as before feel free to post suggestions etc, always most welcome!

Current Guidelines - that all members have to agree to follow before posting in our sales forums every month or so

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Soul Markt Guidelines as at 15 Oct 2025

Intro
The aim of our Soul Markt is to offer a place where members can trade soul related items.

In order to try and offer all members equal and fair billing of items and to try and ensure that the sections work to the best effect we do have guidelines that all members are expected to read and follow

 

General Soul Markt Guidelines 

• TOPIC TITLES - Give the user an idea of what's on offer. A solid title may attract more viewers and hopefully sales!

• NO TRADING OF RECENT BOOTLEG/PIRATED OR ILLEGAL MATERIAL - See site wide guidelines.  Any such items/topics may be removed without discussion.

• LEAVE FEEDBACK - Once sold please use the feedback feature for all completed sales/purchases - link to feedback

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Sales Markt Section Guidelines

WHERE TO POST SALES

Sellers - where to post/advertise your record sale items in our Soul Markt sections...

• Member posting individual sale items or lists - selling directly via Soul Source (by pm/email/telephone) - Post in the RECORD SALES FORUM
   

• Member with a website/store - selling directly via Soul Source (by pm/email/telephone) - Post in the RECORD SALES FORUM
   

• Member with a website/store - posting listings for their website/shop sales and sells directly via their own shop/listings - Post in the WEBSITE SALES FORUM
   

• Members selling items on ebay/discogs - who wish to advertise those sales to members - Post in the WEBSITE SALES FORUM
   

• Members who own/run a website which is set-up to publicly charge other traders to sell/buy 45s (fee/commission) - BANNER ADVERTISING AVAILABLE ONLY

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COMMENTING ON SALES TOPICS

• Please do not comment on the merits/prices etc of Sale Forum items.  This can have a negative effect on the sale and can affect the listings of other members sales.
   

• The finer details of the deal should be done via the site PM (personal message) system. Use PMs for personal information, chat or off-topic chat. Any comments deemed to be in violation may be removed without discussion.

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SALES POSTING REQUIREMENTS

• SALES POST MUST INCLUDE TEXT BASED INFO - At the very least the post should include, the item title, the condition and the price of each item in an EASY TO READ TEXT format.
   

• SALES TOPICS ARE LIMITED TO TWO TOPICS in a 24 hour period per member
   

• NO REPOSTING OF SALE ITEMS WITHIN 3 DAYS, THEN 7 DAYS FOR FURTHER REPOSTS.
   

• NO UNNECESSARY SPLITTING OF SALES POSTS - Please only use one topic where applicable. When deemed unnecessary, topics may be merged. Formatting and spacing can be used to draw attention to items of special interest.

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NO SALES LISTS AS ATTACHMENTS OR FILES

Post sales lists up in text format only (not as an attachment/file). Non-members cannot download files/attachments. We want Soul Source to be as user friendly as possible and formatting on attachments or files can make it difficult for mobile users.

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WHEN SOLD USE THE SOLD ITEM FEATURE

Use the 'show 'SOLD' feature if wish or edit the title, but you must leave the sales info post intact, if there are any later issues/disputes or such regarding the sales process it will be hard to deal with if there is no record of the actual sale details.

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 SALES DISPUTES

Disputes:
The site considers all sales between members as private matters and it is up to the members involved to amicably resolve any issues. The site cannot act as final arbiter in disputes but can only suggest resolutions. There is always the 'Flag This Post' feature should you wish to bring it to the attention of the site if there are fears of fraudulent dealings.

Actions:
Sanctions available to the site in the event of ignoring warnings or persistent rule breaking can include removing adverts and if felt needed withdrawal of use of site features as per site terms of use.