A casual, friendly exchange of fossils is a great way to expand a collection, and the results usually exceed everyone’s expectations.
Occasionally though, things can go awry. Poor outcomes can usually be traced to poor communication and other aspects of human nature.
It is this possibility, and its impact on the Forum, that we wish to address here.
TRADE AT YOUR OWN RISK:
There is no recourse through the Forum for bad deals. Know who you are trading with.
You might consider a person's history on the Forum. If they are brand new, and offering things that seem much too good to be true, they are probably being deceitful.
It is NOT the responsibility of The Fossil Forum to mediate disputes; this is solely the responsibility of the parties involved, and must be undertaken privately and off-forum.
SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE:
It can benefit the community to alert fellow members of an unscrupulous trader, but such warnings can quickly devolve into a witch hunt. For this reason, only the bare, non-pejorative facts may be stated.
ACCUSATIONS AND PERSONAL ATTACKS ARE NEVER PERMITTED ON THE PUBLIC FORUMS; such posts will be deleted, and are considered an infraction of the rules.
Public announcements of great transactions, however, will let other members know who the good partners are, and are encouraged.