I like almost all of it, with the exception of the final paragraph:
A note about making profit on reselling goods:
The classifieds subforum is a perk of community membership. It is not a retail outlet or a resource to be deliberately exploited for profit; you are encouraged to buy, sell, and trade more or less at cost. That said, reasonable profit on sales and trades cannot in practice be stopped and is not disallowed. Please use good judgment and discretion. Remember that other forum members are not customers -- they're friends, fellow hobbyists, and community members. Posting huge markups on items (while not forbidden) is generally frowned upon by other members and may have social consequences on the forum. Polite discussion of prices in the Classifieds is encouraged (particularly in this thread) to help both buyers and sellers arrive at a fair price.
If you wish to respond to someone's listing and point out constructively and politely that the average sale price of an item is lower than what they chose, you may do so, but do include references. Any personal insults or aggression in price arguments may be subject to moderator action, potentially including muting or banning of participants."
The line: '[the classifieds] is not to be deliberately exploited for profit; you are encouraged to buy, sell and trade more or less at cost.'
To me, and others, this sets a bad tone. The rest of the preceding document sets up rules, a policy. This entire paragraph amounts to more of a manifesto than a policy. The use of the word 'exploited' casts users who seek a profit in a negative light, which doesn't help the document outline a policy. This line is then followed up by: 'That said, reasonable profit on sales and trades cannot in practice be stopped and is not disallowed.' Again, the subtext is negative: "The owners of the forum would really
like to police sellers to make sure they
don't make a profit, but we don't have the technology to get
deep enough inside everyone's intestines to do so.
But we really wish we could."
It feels like we installed an in-ground pool, and put up a sign that says: 'No Splashing, No Urinating in the Pool, Fun Should Be Kept to a Minimum.*'
* That said, reasonable 'fun' in the pool cannot in practice be stopped and is not disallowed.
Let's stick to the facts -- don't pee in the pool, don't splash. Leave out the manifesto stuff. Or just get rid of the pool entirely.
The language about forums members being more than just customers, great. The bits about public, polite and constructive discussion of prices, the possible social consequences of elevated prices, that's all great -- very good ideas. But the slant on the first part will leave a bad taste in people's mouths, and it will hurt the forum.
How about this:
The classifieds subforum is a perk of community membership. Remember that other forum members are not only customers -- they are friends, fellow hobbyists, and community members. Posting huge markups on items (while not forbidden) is generally frowned upon by other members and may have social consequences on the forum. Polite discussion of prices in the Classifieds is encouraged (particularly in [link]this thread) to help both buyers and sellers arrive at a fair price.
Comments in sales threads are now not only allowed but encouraged, so long as they are relevant (to the sale), constructive and polite. This includes discussions of price, the condition of the items, the provision of photographs, etc. Personal insults, aggression (passive or overt) in sales threads (by anyone, including the seller) will be subject to moderator action. Citing previous sales is encouraged. Complaints about large markups and 'price gouging' will receive the sympathy of moderators but no action will be taken.
Shorter and more focused on the policy. It doesn't enshrine capitalism as a 'Force for Good' and it doesn't make the self-flagellating socialist percentage of this community into superstars.