- Follow all forum rules, which can be found here.
- Only one trade thread per person.
- All posts must be legible and easy to read and understand.
- In your trade post, you should list what pokemon/items/etc. you wish to obtain, and which pokemon/items/etc. you are offering in exchange.
- Avoid use of the pokemon icons. Excessive use of the icons can cause pages to load slowly for some people.
- If you see someone breaking rules listed here, you may use the reporting feature. If someone is breaking rules set by the owner of the trade thread, do not use the report feature.

For the most part, the trading topic owners should set up the rest of the rules as per their own standards (for example, if they are willing to accept/trade out hacked pokemon, they should state as such in their OP).

Any and all rules, including those set up by individual topic owners, are subject to Moderator and Administrator discretion and may be changed or removed at any time.

Some additional rules and guidelines:

-Keep your current reference of wanted or offering entries in your first post. Don't make repeated posts in the topic with an edited list. This should go without saying, as otherwise the thread would become an unnavigable mess.

-Trading negotiations may take place within the thread. This will keep the more active threads to the top of the page, because of the next rule:

-Self-bumping your own thread is allowed but restricted. At most, you can bump your own thread once every one week (subject to change), and ONLY if you have new things to add.

-To start with, there will be no strictly enforced guidelines to topic titles. That being said, please be reasonable with your choices. Guidelines may or may not form after staff observation of the forum's behavior.

-Direct violations may cause thread privileges to be temporarily revoked.

Added the rule about reporting. If its a thread-specific complaint, I don't want to hear about it unless its very excessive.

Apparently this wasn't very clear:


This INCLUDES the first post you make. There's no sense in bumping your own thread the same day that you post it. Your impatience doesn't matter to anyone.

Of course, you are still fine to do as much negotiation in your thread with other people as you would like.

I'd like to clarify and emphasize Krisp's post: don't make a general or themed trading thread for everyone to participate in. People are welcome to make their own thread where they can negotiate with others. In a thread started by you, it should be for only your negotiations with other members. If you have categories such as legendary-specific trading (etc.) then consolidate them into your own ONE thread.

Also, please do not make pointless polls. I really don't see how a poll could really contribute much to a topic in this forum, so don't make one unless you have a very good reason. And no, wanting to know somebody's favorite color is NOT a good reason.

I doubt anyone will recheck this list if a new post isn't made, so I just wanted everyone to note:

I've lowered the minimum bumping interval from two weeks to one week. Meaning, each seven days you get a free bump to your thread, PROVIDED THAT something new is updated in your main post. Remember that this doesn't include normal trade negotiations. As long as there are people posting in your thread, you may reply to them as needed.

Some more things to note:


If you're arranging trades with several people, clutter can amass quickly. This makes your thread difficult to navigate for you and your clients, so it is in your best interest to make each and every post count. Specifically:

-Refrain from filling topics up with off-topic conversation. The forum is for trading.

-Don't be afraid to use Private Messages! Things like arranging times, notifying the trader that you are online, etc. are more suited to PMs, as it doesn't contribute much to your thread and just makes things messier for everyone else.

-Keep important contact information easily visible in your first post! This includes but is not limited to friend codes and time zones. This will save you and everyone else time, and again prevent clutter.

Clutter is the main issue here. As threads fill up they become more difficult to use, and that's not something anybody wants, so do your best to avoid that. As a topic owner, don't be afraid to impose rules upon those posting in your thread. The neater, the better!

No, this doesn't mean your thread will be locked for a single "violation" of space wasting. This isn't a communist state, but it can become one if people don't use discretion.