Here are some helpful hints and tips to make your swap shop experience a great one!
GENERAL USE
Items are not SOLD unless the item is picked up. Please do not mark anything SOLD unless the item is gone. Mark the item, PPU (Pending Pick Up) or Sold PPU. Then rather than marking the item Sold because it's gone, delete the post instead. This way, if someone else is interested they can be on a waiting list if the first person, doesn't show and you can move on to the next.
Everything on these groups should be assumed to be first-come, first-serve. If you have the cash and can get it within 24-48 hours it's yours. If you ask someone to hold and they agree, then that is up to the seller. If you ask a bunch of questions, but haven't said you want the item and will come and get it by setting up a date and time, then it's not yours. If someone comes behind you and says they will come pick it up or wants to come look at it and sets a time and place, then that's how first-come, first-serve works.
Eveyone has a right of refusal regardless of where they sell their stuff, just like a buyer has a right to say no if they don't want when they come to pick it up if it's not what they want or expected. If you say you are going to come, SHOW UP! Because you might get refused service by the seller next time you post.
CHECK YOUR MESSAGES - IT MIGHT BE IN "OTHER" MESSAGES
"OTHER" Messages is what you might receive is someone is not your friend. If someone says they have sent you a message, please check your "OTHER" messages to see if it has landed there.
1) If you are posting/checking from a phone, go to messages and scroll all the way to the bottom. There it should say "View Other Messages".
2) If you are posting/checking from a computer, click on Messages on the left side and under that there should be a place called "Other".
UPLOADING A SINGLE PHOTO
This is the option you use if you have less than five photos that you want to post.
1) At the top of the page above where it says "Write Something", there are several options. Go to Add Photo/Video.
2) For a single photo choose "Upload Photo Video" on the next screen.
3) Write in your description.
4) Then click on "Choose File", which you should have ready on your computer to choose.
5) Click on the file to upload
6) Put in your location under the next block
7) Then click "Post"
DO NOT PLACE PICTURES IN THE FILES SECTION, THEY WILL ONLY BE DELETED.
CREATING AN ALBUM
1) When you are at the top where it says "Write Post" or "Add Photo/Video" - Click on the "Add Photo/Video"
2) Then, there are three options - "Upload Photo/Video" on the right or on the left is "Create Photo Album". Please do not use the middle one for swap shops. Go to the right to "Create Photo Album".
3) That will open up a box to choose pictures from your source. Choose all your photos by highlighting them and click "Open". They will then start loading.
4) Under each picture it will have "say something about this photo". That's where you put the information about the item - description, price, location.
5) When you are done with each photo, click the "Post Photos" blue box and your album is created.
6) You can always go back and add photos at a later time as well to the same album, by going to the album and at the top right it will have "add photos".
7) If you are posting from a phone, you will either need to get to a computer, find a way to post an album from your phone (which might depend on the phone you have) or you will be limited to the five posts in a 24 hour period.
DO NOT PLACE PICTURES IN THE FILES SECTION, THEY WILL ONLY BE DELETED.
EDIT INFORMATION IN ALBUMS AND DELETING PICS WHEN ITEM SOLD
After a picture is posted, you can still edit the information on the image. You can also delete your picture by doing the same from this location.
*Go to your album or picture and click on the photo.
*At the bottom of the picture there is a disappearing menu. Hover at the bottom and the menu shows up with several links - 1) a link to the album, 2) Tag Photo, 3) Options and 4) Like
*Go to Options, another menu will come up where you have a choice of seven items.
*The first allows you to change the location.
*The second and third option is to rotate your picture in case it's upside down or side ways.
*The fourth and fifth option really doesn't apply to groups, unless you want to download the pictures or make it your profile photo.
*The sixth is where you choose to "REMOVE THIS PHOTO".
*The last is for you to Enter Full Screen, if you wish to see the image bigger.
To EDIT information, such as size, price, etc. this is not in the drop down menu. Go to the picture and above where comments are there is a blue EDIT link, click on that and put in the information that pertains to the picture posted.
GETTING TO ALBUMS
Did you know to get to Albums and pictures in Facebook? Go to "PHOTOS" at the top of the page, next to the group name and click on the tab.
POST ALBUM FROM YOUR OWN PROFILE
When you create an album on your own personal profile to share with many groups, the setting of the album must be set to “Public” or no one in the group can see it but your friends.
To share an album from your personal profile, you can do one of two things. Go to the album and copy the link at the top and paste it into each group as a post OR you can click Share and choose all the groups that you want to share the album with. If you use the Share link, then the pictures show up just like they would as if they were loaded to the group. If you post a link, the people have to click the link to get to the album on your profile. Either way works.
SEARCHING FOR A LINK
You cannot search for a post that contains a link in the search box. Many people have problems finding their post because they have a link. Two ways to help with that. After you have made a post containing a link, make a comment on words you can remember that you can search because the comment should show up in a search. Or go to your post and click on the time and date link of the post and message it to yourself, so you can find it later.
LENGTH OF COMMENTS SECTION
That only the last two comments show up when there are multiple comments on a post? Then you have to click “view all x comments” to see the rest. This is great if you are on a computer and directly on the group page. On most phones though only the most recent comment shows up and some phones don’t have an option to click links. This is why it is helpful to keep comments down to a minimum.
GETTING LINK TO ONE SPECIFIC ITEM
That if you click on the time of a post, it is also a link, it will bring that post up so that when you send a link to someone it will take them right to that very post rather than them having to search for it in a group.
SEE ALL POSTS YOU'VE MADE IF YOU HAVE TIMELINE
You can see all the posts you've made in any group and easily delete things that are no longer available in just a few clicks right from your profile without having to search your groups. Here's how -- 1) Click on your name and go to your profile. (You must have Timeline)
2) Go to "Activity Log", underneath your main picture.3) At the top right, where it says "All", that's a drop down menu.
3)Click and go down to "Groups".
There ya go, now you can go to any post you've made in any group you've posted in and remove posts or items that are sold or are no longer available.
USE LIKE BUTTON
That if you click “Like” instead of commenting, it does not bump the post to the top and because people automatically set to “follow” their own posts regardless of the settings they choose for the group. They should get a notification. Though should doesn’t always mean they will because sometimes notifications get lost if people get too many and don’t check them often.
IF SOMEONE "LIKES" an item, it doesn't mean they want the item. Just means they Like it, so please don't ask someone if they want the item just because they liked your post or photo.
POST TAGGING
If you tag someone in a comment, they will get a notification that they have been tagged and if they check their notifications should get back to you sooner, rather than later. Tagged posts override group settings as well. If they don’t follow their group posts, they most likely will if they get a tag.
To tag someone in a post to make sure they get a notification that they have been tagged. Start typing their name and a box should come up that gives you a choice of whom you may be seeking. Click on the person who matches the person you are tagging. You may have to backspace or put in a few more characters to get the person's name to show up. Once you have that person tagged, their name will show up in blue as a link in a post or comment and they will receive notification that they have been tagged.
THANK YOU'S AFTER PURCHASE
That it is rather helpful in the post bumping and with the sheer number of posts in the group if folks would send a Thank You by message, rather than to post it on the group. It’s nice to be thanked and everyone should be doing it after they make a purchase, it’s just good manners, but it doesn’t need to be done publicly.
SETTING ALBUM POSTED FROM YOUR OWN PROFILE
When you create an album on your own personal profile to share with many groups, the setting of the album must be set to “Public” or no one in the group can see it but your friends.
To share an album from your personal profile, you can do one of two things. Go to the album and copy the link at the top and paste it into each group OR you can click Share and choose all the groups that you want to share the album with. If you use the Share link, then the pictures show up just like they would as if they were loaded to the group. If you post a link, the people have to click the link to get to the album on your profile. Either way works.
SET YOUR MESSAGING FOR EVERYONE
If you set your messaging to everyone, people can then message you regarding an item and it keeps clutter off the group as well as some people get messages faster than they get comments. To change your settings
1) go to little arrow next to the HOME button on the top right, which is a drop down menu.
2) Then go to PRIVACY SETTINGS and click.
3) Then in the middle of the page, go to HOW YOU CONNECT and Edit Settings to the side and click.
4) A box will come up, third one down is "Who Can Send You Facebook Messages", change that to EVERYONE.
TYPES OF GROUPS
That this is an “Open Group” and by being so, anyone can view the posts regardless of whether they are a member or not. If you choose to post personal information like your phone number, address or meeting time and place, please be aware that the whole world can see if they go to this group. It would be better if you messaged people this information.
Also, the differences between open and closed groups: an open group, besides being visible to anyone on Facebook, it also puts the posts in your feed to all your friends; a closed group, the posts cannot be seen by anyone but the members of the group and the posts do not show up in your friends feeds. When most groups were created, FB didn’t give anyone instructions for this or most administrators probably would have changed their settings, but after a group gets to a certain number of members, those settings can no longer be changed. This group cannot be changed to anything but an open group because we have met that member number.
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