=== INTERNET MUSIC WANTLIST RULES =============== Updated 23 December 1996 === This is the RULES file for the Internet Music Wantlists. [About The Lists] The Internet Music Wantlists are used to let people know what records and CDs you're looking for, and what you're willing to pay for them. This is *not* a list of items for sale! The lists are continuously updated by the Internet Music Wantlist mailserver. When you make a change to the Wantlists it is immediately reflected in the database; the files available on the Wantlist web page are updated hourly. Once a week, certain subsets of the Wantlist are posted to a number of Usenet newsgroups, including rec.music.info, rec,music.misc, misc.wanted, and the relevant rec.music.marketplace groups. The full wantlist is available on the web at http://www.swcp.com/lazlo/Wantlists/ or through the wantlist mailserver (use the HELP command for details on how to use the server). [Bid Format] Bids should be mailed to wantlists@swcp.com in the format: ADD | | | <format> | <bid> or ADD | <artist> | <title> | <format> | <bid> | <notes> All bids must include the five or six fields that appear above. These fields must be separated with vertical bars (|), not colons (:). If your full bid is too long to fit on a single line, or if you mailer has a tendency to autowrap lines at arbitrary locations, you can end the the first line of a bid with a backslash character (\) to signal that the next line is part of the same bid. Some sample bids: ADD|PET SHOP BOYS|Paninaro|12|$50|Version w/ with Ian Levine and\ Italian mixes ADD|SINATRA, FRANK|Columbia Box Set Sampler|CD|$25 ADD|HASSELL, JOHN|Voiceprint|12|$20|US version on Opal About the individual fields: The ARTIST field should be in LASTNAME, FIRSTNAME format whenever appropriate -- this will help the list alphabetize properly. Do not use the word "THE" in the artist name unless you're bidding on a THE THE item; use LONDON SUEDE instead of THE LONDON SUEDE, FALL instead of THE FALL, etc. The TITLE field should contain ONLY the title of the release. Further details should go in the NOTES field. The FORMAT field should contain one (and only one) of the following: LP - full-length album 12 - 12-inch single or ep 45 - 7-inch single or ep (not necessarily 45 rpm) VINYL-OTHER - other formats (10" singles, picture discs, etc.) CD - full-length compact disc CD5 - 5-inch cd-single or ep CD3 - 3-inch cd-single or ep CDV - 5-inch cd-video CD-OTHER - other formats (shaped discs, etc.) CASS - album on cassette CASSING - single on cassette VHS-NTSC - VHS music video, NTSC format (USA/Japan) VHS-PAL - VHS music video, PAL format (UK) VHS-SECAM - VHS music video, SECAM format (Europe) LD-NTSC - music laserdisc, NTSC format (USA/Japan) LD-PAL - music laserdisc, PAL format (UK) Please use the format specifier that most closely describes the item you are looking for. Bids for music and video tapes must be for FACTORY RECORDED TAPES ONLY -- please do not use the wantlists to set up tape trades! The BID field should contain your bid in whole US dollars. See below for more notes on bidding. The optional NOTES field may contain a short note describing the item you are bidding on in more detail. The longer your return address is, the shorter the notes field will be on the wantlist output, so keep it simple -- if you feel the item needs to be describe in more detail than the NOTES field allows, try setting it to "email for details" or something similar. [What Happens Next] The wantlist software will confirm receipt of your entries and notify you of any problems it found. Eash bid in the wantlist will be assigned a unique id number that you will need to use to change or delete your bid. You can get a list of your current bids and their id numbers with the GET MINE command. Please remember to delete your entries from the wantlist if they are no longer relevant. Be certain that the items you want actually exist before submitting an entry to the list. Many releases exist only on one or two formats. Be sure to include a specific title -- no "anything by [artist]" requests, please. If your offers do not appear on the list or if they appear incorrectly, please send email to lazlo@swcp.com explaining the problem and how you'd like it to be fixed. This also holds true if you have difficulty getting mail through to a listed address. For a summary of all the commands offered by the wantlist software, email wantlists@swcp.com with "HELP" on a line by itself in the body of the message. [Bidding Rules] All offers are assumed to be in whole U.S. dollars, for items in like-new condition, and that shipping costs will be paid by the buyer. Be sure to clear up any questions you might have (especially about the condition of the items, whether they are cutouts or promos, and how they will be shipped) before attempting to complete a transaction. Minimum bids are $5 for singles and $10 for album-length releases. Please respect the intent of these minimum bids and do not submit requests for common items. Abuse of the wantlists may lead to a return of the older, higher minimum bids or a fixed limit on the number of entries any individual may have in the database at one time. [Changing Your Bid] You can easily change any part of your bid with the CHANGE command: CHANGE | <id> | <change field> | <change field> ... as in: CHANGE|k4xt9l1w|bid=35|notes=no promos please Any of the five fields available to the ADD command (artist, title, format, bid, notes) can be changed with the CHANGE command. The same rules about formats, bidding, and so forth apply. [Buying And Selling Tips] Don't offer more for an item than you are genuinely willing to pay for it. Holding out for a price lower than your posted bid is, at best, extremely impolite. If this happens, your bids may be removed from the list. If you run across an item in a local shop that you've seen requested on the list, please be sure not to buy it with the intention of reselling it to a specific bidder unless you've first confirmed that the person is still interested. If you have an item that's on the list but want more money for it than the bidder is offering, let the bidder know anyway -- they may be willing to pay more than their entry indicates. [Bid Expiration] Bids are automatically expired after three months. You will be warned at least a week before any bid expires so that you can renew it with the TOUCH command. Please consider increasing your bid for any item which you have not acquired after several months. [Commercial Use Of The Wantlists] There are a number of retailers who periodically scan the list for items they have in stock. I don't have a problem with this, but if you're one of these retailers, please mention that fact when notifying bidders that you have some of the items they're looking for. By the same token, we have had retailers use the list to acquire items for their customers. Again, I have no problem with this, but ask that retailers identify themselves as such before finalizing a transaction. Failure to do this may result in your bids being removed from the lists. [Disclaimer] This list is a public service designed to help people find records and CDs that may not be readily available in their area. All transactions are the sole responsibility of the buyer and seller. Good luck finding the items you're looking for! -- Lazlo Nibble (Ernie Longmire) Administrator, The Internet Music Wantlists lazlo@swcp.com ==============================================================================