Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

• Do I have to register first before I can use US Audio Mart?
• How do I register?
• How much does it cost to use US Audio Mart?
• How does this system work?
• Do I have to be a American to use US Audio Mart?
• Do I have to use my real name when posting a message?
• Why am I not receiving any emails from US Audio Mart?
• Why is everything in American dollars?
• What is the Gallery feature for?
• What and How do I use the User Hotlist?
• How do I change my username?

Feedback

• How does our feedback system work?
• What are the feedback rules?
• I am looking at an ad, but there is no link to leave feedback?
• I cannot find an ad to leave feedback.

For Selling:

• How do I post an ad?
• How do I modify my ad?
• How do I remove my ad?
• How do I mark my ad as "SOLD"?
• Why do I still see listings of "SOLD" items?
• If I post an add on US Audio Mart, will it also show up on the other Marts?
• How do I add images to my ads?
• Can I use HTML tags anywhere in my ad listings?
• What should I put in the "Caption" text box?
• Why didn't my classified ad show up in the search?
• How do I leave feedback for my buyer?
• Why am I prevented from posting more than 5 classifieds per hour and 5 per day?

For Buying:

• How do I contact someone who has posted a classified ad?
• How do I make a search on products?
• If I want to view only Private Ads or only Dealer Ads, can I limit my search?
• Why didn't my search turn up any hits?
• How do I make a search finding users?
• How do I leave feedback for the seller?

For Businesses/Advertisers:

• Who qualifies as a Dealer?
• I'm a Business/Dealer, can I sell my items on US Audio Mart?
• How can I advertise on US Audio Mart?
• How do I send payment?

• Who qualifies as a High-Volume User?
• My ad expired and my product was not sold. If I re-list the ad, will it count as another product?
• Why do I have to pay even though I am using US Audio Mart for personal use and I am not a Dealer?
• How do I send payment?

Depends.

If you are a buyer, you do not need to register to browse through classifieds and approach sellers about the item(s) they are offering for sale. Feel free to browse through sellers' classifieds and reply to them with inquiries. However, it is highly recommended that you register for an account as that gives you greater credibility as a buyer, and sellers are therefore more open to doing business with you.

As a seller, you need to register to get a user account before you can start to list to items for sale on US Audio Mart.

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Click on the "Register" link located on the top right hand corner of the US Audio Mart site. Then please proceed by filling out the entire form.

*Note: With all personal information submitted, you are given the option to display or not display the information to other users. Therefore, please fill out the form accurately. Information you submit will only be used by US Audio Mart to maintain our database and to verify users to prevent scammers. Your information will not be used by a 3rd party. You may read our Privacy Policy for further information.

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For a limited time, all US Audio Mart listings are FREE for hobbyists and commercial users. Our intention is to eventually charge a small listing fee for SALE and TRADE ads and to sell Commercial accounts to help support the running of the site. WANTED listings will always be free.

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Anyone is free to browse through classified postings on the main page of the site and by clicking on the "Classifieds" link located near the top middle section of the site.

• Profile: To modify your personal information.
• My Ads: To place new ads and view all the ads you have posted up. Users will be able to view all your ads and you will be able to edit your ads from one easy-to-use account.
• Notifications: To add keywords (ex. product names, brand names, etc.) that you would like USAM to search for on the site, and then notify you once we find the listing.
• My Responses: To view all responses you made to other users' ads.
• Log Out: Make sure you log out after every session on US Audio Mart.

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No. But your item(s) must be available in America. The point of this site is to sell and buy items within American borders to avoid customs, duties, and extra taxes. It's also advantageous if both buyer and sellers live in nearby areas to do in-person transactions so both parties' obligations are fulfilled instantaneously. Anyone, American or non-American, can be a buyer on US Audio Mart. However, in order to be a seller, you and your item must be situated in .

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No. Even if you use your real name when you register (and we encourage that), you do not have to use your real name when you post an ad. Our system will simply display whatever you put in the First and Last Name fields. If you feel more comfortable, you can use a nickname or pseudoname.

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Several email providers like Hotmail and Sympatico, filter out emails that they may consider junk mail or SPAM. When a user replies to your ad through our form, our servers sends an email to you as notification. Because this email account (DoNotReply@canuckaudiomart.com) comes from a web server mailing program, email providers sometimes identify it as "Junk Mail." Also some email providers identify text in email content that sound like junk mail as "Junk Mail."

*Important: You must put the following emails on your "safe" list or "whitelist":

• CanuckAudioMart@canuckaudiomart.com
• sales@canuckaudiomart.com
• webmaster@usaudiomart.com
• DoNotReply@canuckaudiomart.com

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Why is everything in American dollars?

US Audio Mart is a place for Americans to buy and sell items from other Americans.

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The Gallery feature was created by US Audio Mart to enhance the "community feeling" of our enthusiasts. It is for users to upload images to their profiles to showcase their hifi, home theatre, car, audio items. (You will find this feature as a tab on "My Profile"). These are also displayed and rotated between users' galleries on the main page of the site in the lower left corner.

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A User Hotlist is a list of users whose ad listings are of interest to you, or just users who you want to keep an eye on because you've had positive experiences with them on US Audio Mart or have been recommended by other users. It's a place where we provide you quick links to their classifieds so you can easily bookmark them or check what new items they may have on sale (or want). This feature also displays the most recent ads of all your hotlisted users on the front page of US Audio Mart when you log in.

There are 2 ways to add a user to your Hotlist:

1. Go to the user's account by either making a search on their username or email address (see the FAQ on "How do I make a search finding users?" OR just click on the user's classified ads). Once on the user's account, click on the "Add to My Hotlist" button located near their profile information.
OR

2. Click on your "Profile" link located on your User Navigation Bar. Click on the "User Hotlist" tab. Type in the user's name and click on the "Add to My Hotlist" button.

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Each registered user has a feedback profile. Our feedback is based on receiving 3 different types of feedback: positive, neutral, and negative. A buyer can leave feedback for the seller, and a seller can leave feedback for the buyer. Our system counts the number of different types of feedback left on a user's account and displays the number of each type. As with most feedback systems, the higher number of positive feedback the more reliable the user is. It is recommended to check the user's feedback to read comments and look for negative remarks before making transactions with them.

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Please observe the following rules when leaving feedback. If you do not follow these rules your feedback may be DELETED!:

• Only leave feedback in the ad that relates to your buy/sell/trade.
• Only leave feedback for a deal where items/money have exchanged hands.
• Do NOT leave feedback if a deal fails to go through
• DO leave feedback if items are not as described
• DO leave feedback if you never received your item or money in an exchange!
• Do not swear or use strong language in feedback.
• Do NOT leave phone numbers, home addresses, and other personal information of the user. Please leave this information as confidential.
• Do NOT use feedback to warn users about OTHER exchanges you may have had with the user. Report those in our Negative feedback forum instead.
• Do leave feedback anytime before 60 days since the expiration of the ad. Any feedback from either party left after 60 will be discarded.
• If you suspect this person of fraud due to his emails or ads, report either his ads, or one of his replies, or post in our fraud forum.

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If you are viewing an ad and do not see a link to leave feedback, you may notice a message that says:

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If the ad creator sets the ad to OFF or SOLD status you will no longer be able to find the ad on their profile. There are several ways to find the ad to leave feedback in this situation:

• When you respond to an ad, a copy of your response is emailed to you along with the link to the ad. Find this email, and use the link to leave feedback.
• When you are logged in and respond to an ad, your response is saved in your account for 6 months. Go to the My Responses page where you can click on the ad even if it is OFF or SOLD.
• Call or email your buyer/seller, and ask them to send you the link to the ad. They can still find the ad within their ad list (this will likely only be possible if you are leaving positive feedback).

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Usernames can only be changed for a $25 USD fee, payable using Paypal. There are no exceptions. If you wish to change your username, please contact us via sales@canuckaudiomart.com and we'll give you instructions where to send the payment.

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Once registered and logged in, click on the "Place an Ad" link located near the top of the screen. Proceed to fill out the form with information regarding the item for sale. Once you have filled it out, click on the "Place Ad" button. You should then see confirmation text on the page if your ad was successfully posted. You can then continue to edit the ad if necessary.

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Once registered and logged in, click on the "My Ads" link on the User Navigation Bar located at the top right-hand corner of the site. You will be shown a list of all the ads you have posted. You are each given the option to "Manage Images", "Edit Ad" or "Mark as Sold". Just click on "Edit Ad" for the appropriate ad from that screen. You will be taken to a form which has the current information from your ad which you have already filled in. Proceed to modify the fields accordingly. When finished, click on the "Update" button. You should then see confirmation text if your ad was successfully modified.

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Once registered and logged in, click on the "My Ads" link on the User Navigation Bar located in the top right-hand corner of the site. Click on "Edit Ad" of the appropriate ad and scroll until you see the "Status" option. Select Status as "Off" to pull your ad from circulation. You can always turn ads back on as long as they have not reached the maximum 180 day expiration.

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Once registered and logged in, click on the "My Ads" link on the User Navigation Bar located in the top right-hand corner of the site. Click on "Edit Ad" of the appropriate ad and scroll until you see the "Status" option. Select Status as "Sold" to put it into SOLD mode. In SOLD mode your ad will not show up on the listings to the public, cannot be searched for, nor can anyone make any offers on the ad.

Note: As the creator of the ad, you will still be able to see your own SOLD ads listed in the classifieds, but no one else can see these.

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Items properly marked as sold are not shown to the public. However, as the the creator of an ad, you will still be able to see your own SOLD ads listed in the classifieds, but no one else can see these.

If you see ads that appear to be "sold" but are still showing to the public, those ads have NOT been properly marked as SOLD by the seller.

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Items from US Audio Mart will sometimes show on our other marts. This is up to YOU as the ad poster, and the visitor on the other marts. If you want your ads to be visible on the other marts, edit your user profile, and select all the countries you are willing to ship to. Your classifieds will then be visible on any of the other marts as long as those users elect to view classifieds outside of their own country.

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You can add up to (9) images of the item you're selling per ad. When first placing an ad you can only upload the first image. After you post the classified, you can add additional images by visiting the ad and clicking on the "Manage Images" link.

To do this:

1. Go to "My Ads" (you can always reach "My Ads" from the User Navigation Bar at the top right of the page)
2. From the list of classifieds, find the one you want, and click the "Manage Images" link
3. Follow the instructions on the page to upload images.

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No. You can not use HTML tags in the body of the message. If you put HTML tags in your message, the system will just throw everything out in between the <>'s. You do have the option, however, of putting a link to a site with more information of your product in the "Information URL" field box on your ad's page.

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Please describe the item that you are trying to sell in as much detail as you can. When posting a classified ad for audio equipment, tell people about the brand, model, how old they are, options, etc... Being honest about what you're selling will help avoid misunderstandings in the future. If you're posting a "Wanted Ad", tell people about the type of item you are looking for and if you can, be specific.

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Your classified ad most likely did not show up because either you were in the wrong category (such as "Speakers" instead of "Home Theatre") or you specified search criteria that does not appear in your ad. If so, please verify that you selected the correct category and then broaden your search by leaving more of the search fields blank.

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In order to leave feedback for the buyer, the buyer must leave you (the seller) feedback first. After the buyer has done so, in your own account, click on the link "User Feedback." Locate the feedback the buyer has left you for the specific item. The textbox located directly underneath the buyer's feedback is the space where you input your feedback for the buyer. Once finished, please click on the "Respond to Feedback" button to upload your text. You may edit accordingly and then press on the "Respond to Feedback" to update your response.

If you wish to remove your own feedback as a seller (to a buyer), you may click on the "Remove" link to do so.

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All user accounts have the same hourly and daily classifieds post limits. These limits exist to protect the site, and other users, from "floods" of classifieds by the same user. They also protect YOU, the poster of the classifieds, from being ignored by visitors. Through the years, visitors who follow the classifieds have expressed they do NOT want to see a flood of classifieds from the same users, as it deteriorates their shopping experience and hurts the variety on the site.

We ALL win, when US Audio Mart limits the number of classifieds each user posts per day, because of increase in variety of ads and also so that users who post fewer ads don't have their classifieds pushed out too quickly by more active users.

Note: Both free, and paid accounts follow the same hourly and daily limits.

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All of the classified ads will have a "Reply to Ad" link located on top of the Description of the ad. Please click on the link, and you will be directed to a form where you can send an email to the user. You and the seller may then communicate through your regular email program.

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On the left hand navigation menu near the top, you will find a section called "Search Classifieds." In the text box, type in the brand name, product type, or any other descriptive feature and hit "Search." Your search results will be displayed subsequently on the page.

You may also make an Advanced Search by clicking on the "Advanced Search" link to narrow down your search criteria based on keywords, category, type, state, photo available, etc...

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If you would like to see only Private Classified Ads, or only Dealer Ads, you can do so by selecting the "Advanced Search" link on the left navigation menu.
The third option down on the Search Form is Type - this is where you specify the Type of ads you would like to see. It defaults to All, but you can click on the down arrow at the right of the input box and select the Type of classified ad you wish to see. This will apply a "filter" on the database, and only the Type of ad you select will be returned in the search results.

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Your search criteria may have been too narrow. Go back to the Search form and leave more of the search fields blank, or just click on the "Search for Matching Ads" button and do a general search. For the broadest possible search, simply click on the "Browse All Ads" button.

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On the left hand navigation menu, you will find a section called "Find User." In the text box, type in the username or email address and hit "Search." Your search results will be displayed subsequently on the page. You may also make an Advanced Search by clicking on the "Advanced Search" link to narrow down your search criteria based on keywords, category, type, state, photo available, etc...

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Above each classified ad Description, there is a link "Give Feedback On User." To respond to a specific ad consisting of the item you purchased, please click on the "Give Feedback on User" link, and you will be directed to a feedback form. *Note: In a complete transaction, the buyer must leave feedback for the seller first. The seller will then be able to leave feedback on the buyer by responding to the buyer's feedback which is now located on the seller's account.

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A Dealer is anyone who buys and sells for non-personal reasons. This includes businesses and distributors.

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We now have "Dealer Accounts" that allow for Dealer Ads from businesses. You can acquire these through 2 ways:

• Directly purchase a Dealer Account
• Become an advertiser on US Audio Mart, and receive a FREE Dealer Account with advertisement purchase. This doubles your exposure on US Audio Mart!

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Click here for our rates. There are a variety of options, different banner types and advertising lengths you may choose from and we are always flexible with anything you have in mind. Please contact sales@canuckaudiomart.com for more information.

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A High-Volume user is anyone who is posting more than 8 unique products a month for sale consistently over a course of 3 months or more. Please click here for info on our High-Volume user account.

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No, only the unique ads count. Meaning if you posted an ad, and 30 days later your ad has expired and you were not able to sell your item, then you may repost it and it will not count as an additional unique ad.

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We have noticed that there are a few users who post a large number of ads. Many other users and some Dealers have complained this can be unfair because some high-volume users also make a decent amount of money. Through enforcing the High-Volume user account, we are hoping to rebalance things. It's about making it more fair.

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How do I send payment?

For users who need to pay for services, we accept cheque, money order, Interac e-Transfer and PayPal.

Send payment using cheques and money order

Cheques and Money Order can be mailed to our address, also found in your invoice. Please make sure to make all payments to Canuck AudioMart Inc:

Payments to:
Canuck AudioMart Inc
P.O. Box 27531
Oakridge
Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4M4

Send payment using Interac e-Transfer

Interac e-Transfer is a simple, and nearly instant alternative that lets you log into your bank account online and send money via our email. Paying by Interac is easy, secure, costs you only $1.50 (cheaper than Paypal), and is the fastest way to pay for services. Our payee address is sales@canuckaudiomart.com (please make Interac e-Tranfer to Canuck AudioMart Inc and send us the security answer for deposit, or we will not be able to receive your payment properly).

To pay using Interac e-Transfer, log into your bank account and look for instructions. Learn more about e-Transfer here.

Send payment using PayPal

PayPal is a simple, instant and secure payment method that allows you make payment with your bank account, credit cards or even your PayPal balance.

To pay using PayPal, visit the My subscription page and make payments from there. Please Note: Using PayPal, will add 4% as the PayPal fee to your total payment.

DO NOT SEND PAYPAL PAYMENTS DIRECTLY. It will be NOT be correctly credited to your account and the amount will NOT be refunded.

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