Swap-n-Shop Rules

These rules apply to the https://www.olyham.org/oars-swap-n-shop web page only.  These rules do not apply to other OARS business practices.

1.0 Purpose 

The purpose of these rules is to promote fairness for both buyers and sellers and to help prevent fraudulent and illegal activity. This web page serves to connect OARS members and the general ham radio community wishing to buy and sell amateur radio gear. 

There is a separate category for General Merchandise which may be used to list any non-amateur related merchandise of any kind (except as noted under Prohibited Items below). For this document, amateur radio gear is defined as equipment that is used in the regular operation of a station, including radio equipment, antennas, power supplies, cabinets, test equipment, parts, supplies, and literature. One notable exception to this list is computers. Computers and non-RF specific computer parts (including computer power supplies) are NOT considered amateur radio gear by these rules and therefore must be offered only in the General Merchandise forum. In addition, furniture and household items, consumer electronics, vehicles, and real estate, shall be listed in the General Merchandise Section. 

1.1 How it works

  1. Write up your ad in MS Word or Libre Office Text (.pdf’s will be declined) following the rules outlined in this document.  If using Libre Office text, save as a .docx.  See section 6.0 in this document.    
  2. Send the ad to w7plc78@gmail.com, include photos separately (do not embed the photos in the text of      your ad)     
  3. I will review the submission and report back to you either accepted, or declined (I will detail the reasons for any declined ad so that you can make corrections and resubmit).     
  4. I will post all accepted ads on the Swap-n-Shop page of www.olyham.org.


2.0 Prohibited Items Prohibited Items that may not be offered for Sale or Trade on the OARS Swap-n-Shop include but are not limited to:

  1.     Any merchandise that is illegal to possess or sell in the United States.           
  2.     Radios or amplifiers that may not be offered for sale per government regulations.           
  3.     Services or other non-tangible goods.           
  4.     Commercial sales.           
  5.     Weapons and/or firearms.           
  6.     Items that are not family friendly, i.e. no adult material.           
  7.     CB Radio Amplifiers and/or manufactured amplifiers that are not type accepted by the FCC will not be listed.



2.1 Item categories

  1. Radios     
    1. HF          
    2. VHF/UHF          
    3. Receivers     
  2. Antennas     
    1. HF          
    2. VHF/UHF          
    3. SWL     
  3. Accessories     
    1. Soundcards          
    2. Microphones          
    3. Antenna tuners          
    4. Power Supply’s          
    5. CW keys          
    6. Cables, (usb, computer to radio, etc.)          
    7. Transmission line          
    8. Parts     
  4. General Merchandise     
    1.           CB Radios & other clearly CB gear, GMRS, aircraft/air-band and marine Transceivers.                    
    2.          Computers and IT/computer parts and/or non-radio related peripherals (printers, monitors, etc.), home stereos & stereo speakers and related, AM table and console radios, or any radio not           designed primarily for ham radio use.          
    3.          Homebrew amateur radio amps.                    
    4.          Other items that do not fit into any of the above categories.     



3.0 - OARS Role

  1. OARS takes no fee, percentage, or revenue of any kind that arises from the sale of merchandise between participants in person-to-person transactions.     
  2. If you are purchasing an OARS owned item, payment can be made through the “Payments to OARS” link on the “Links of Interest” page, (https://www.olyham.org/links-of-interest).  DO NOT USE THIS PAYMENT METHOD FOR PRIVATE, PERSON-TO-PERSON, NON-OARS TRANSACTIONS.          
  3. OARS will not be held liable or responsible in any way for any transaction that takes place between the participants.           
  4. OARS does not provide a satisfaction guarantee of any kind, nor does it offer any warranty on any merchandise sold here.           
  5. OARS will respond to and cooperate with law enforcement when requested by officials.      



4.0 - Listing Policies

  1. Listing Title
    The title will contain the Brand and Model only, nothing else.  Don't include the words "For Sale" in your listing title. It's unnecessary. Don't include decoration eBay words like "L@@K", "new", "NOS", "NIB",      "Mint", "cleaning shack", "Shack in a box", etc. as these will be rejected by the webmaster. No prices,      "radio specifications", serial numbers or shipping details in the title - no superfluous adjectives or      descriptions. No "LOWERED PRICE" etc. Keep the title simple and as clean as possible.    
  2. If the web developer edits your title to conform to these rules, please do not be offended. And please: don't use "ALL CAPS" in your titles. It's internet yelling, and just doesn't look good.           
  3.     Photos are required for all items listed that clearly show the actual item, (items in sealed boxes are allowed but discouraged, many buyers will reject the ad. It's always best to open the box and clearly show the item for sale).  Compose your photo to show only the item for sale, a cluttered background makes it      difficult for potential buyers to make a decision to buy your item.  All photos must clearly show your call sign or the ad will be rejected.     
  4.  Expiration of Ads     
    1. All ads expire after 90 days and will be removed if unsold.                    
    2. If an ad has expired and you wish to re-list the item, it must go through the submission process described in section 6.0 of these rules               
  5. Item Status     
    1. Sellers are responsible for notifying the web developer (w7plc78@gmail.com) of the status of their listing, “SOLD”, “Canceled”, etc.   This status notification allows the web developer to maintain a current and accurate list.        
  6. Preferred Method of Contact     
    1.  Sellers should always state their preferred method of contact in the ad.                    
    2.  OARS will not assist shoppers or relay any messages in contacting sellers as it is the seller's responsibility to provide clear contact information.               
  7. Third-Party Sales     
    1. Third-party sales are prohibited.  All sales must be made in the first person, by the owner of the gear. Parent/child relationships are not subject to this policy. Silent Key gear is also exempted from this rule as long as the seller has control of the items.              
  8. eBay Listings     
    1. Listings that exist on other sites, such as eBay, Craigslist, QTH.com, or elsewhere, may be simultaneously listed on OARS; however, the OARS listing must be a complete listing with photos and a description, and not merely a link to another site.              
  9. Solicitation of Payments     
    1. Sellers should not request or suggest payment methods that avoid the payment of transaction fees such as, but not limited to PayPal Friends and Family.                    
    2. Sellers may not request payment via Paypal Friends & Family.  Not only is it a violation of Paypal policy, it deprives buyers of all buyer protections that they think that Paypal offers so is misleading to buyers as well. Ads asking for F&F (regardless of how it's written or expressed) will be rejected.               


 5.0 OARS Right to Refuse

  1. OARS reserves the right to refuse to publish any posting, by any participant, at its sole discretion. If your listing is rejected, you will be notified by email of the reason for the rejection.      

6.0 Method of submitting an ad

  1.     You do not need to be a member of OARS to submit an ad.           
  2.     Send your ad via email to w7plc78@gmail.com.     
  3.     Write your ad in plain text, no bold or italics, no embedded photos, save as a .docx file.           
  4.     Include asking price and price flexibility.           
  5.     Include detailed contact information, email, phone, etc.           
  6.     Include photos as a separate attachment in .jpg format.           
  7.     Allow up to 72 hours for your ad to appear on the website.           
  8.     If the final ad is not to your liking, email me your desired adjustments.           
  9.     When your ad is posted, you will be sent an email with the ad’s expiration date.







A significant portion of these rules are borrowed from QRZ.com. I would like to recognize QRZ.com as one of the premier ham radio websites and thank them for the inspiration for these rules. Sent to the OARS Board of Directors for approval on June 29, 2023