This thread is for anyone, new or old to BitcoinTalk, that is interested in buying or selling bitcoin collectibles, and the unwritten rules of how to go about doing so.
This post will be updated continuously and compiled with suggestions from members who respond to this thread. 
Please post any info that you think should be added.... 
Edit 5/12/21 PLEASE READ: As Bitcoin and crypto continue to soar, so do the number of scammers as well as the reward for them to do so. This allows scammers to put forth more effort and sophistication into taking your bitcoin. Recently there have been numerous attempts across all social media platforms messaging unsuspecting victims posing as forum members. Getting scammed can happen to the best of us (and it has) so please stay vigilante. NO FORUM MEMBERS HERE WILL MESSAGE YOU ON ANY OTHER PLATFORM, IF THEY DO THEY ARE SCAMMERS. Here is a thread on what to look for and how to avoid being scammed:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5322537.msg56521101#msg56521101This is a work in progress.
SELLING1. In the subject line of your post please label, in brackets, what type of sale you are conducting. [AUCTION], [SALE], [RAFFLE], [WTS], [WTT]. (WTS = Want to Sell) (WTT = Want to Trade)
2. Post a picture of the item(s) you want to sell, along with your username and date/Block height next to the item.
IF YOU ARE SELLING VIA DMS ONLY AND NOT A PUBLIC SALE OR AUCTION THEN MAKE SURE THE PICTURE CONTAINS BOTH YOUR NAME AND THE SELLERS NAME ALONG WITH THE DATE AND/OR CURRENT BLOCK HEIGHT. This helps to verify you actually have the item you want to sell. If you are new to the forum, post the picture at
https://talkimg.com/or
imgbb.com and provide a link or use BBCode to post. Don't worry if your picture does not show up in the post. Someone with a rank higher than 'newbie' will likely add it to the thread in the following posts for you.
3. Select an end time for the auction, including timezone. This should go without saying, but changing the ending time after the auction has started is a cardinal sin. Adding a countdown timer is always appreciated. If the countdown timer fails to give the proper time for any reason, then the stated time will be used for the auction end time. Countdown timer can be found here...
https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/create4. List your price or starting bid in
BTC, as well as the MINIMUM bidding increment.
5. List a payment address.
6. Is shipping included? If not, how much extra is it? What country/region of the world is your item shipping from? (this helps buyers quickly determine whether or not they would like to bid/buy)
7. Allow buyers to utilize escrow service. This especially goes for new accounts. See below for common escrow procedures.
8. If you are selling multiple lots in the same auction please specify in the sniping rules if all lots are extended with any bid or not. (To make life easier for bidders to follow the action, it's best to extend all lots after each bid)
NOTE: Considering this is a dedicated section for collectible items, hosting auctions on such items here will make everything more accessible. Posting them in Auctions board -> https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=73. is entirely optional. The OP and posts within the topic in that section cannot be modified or deletedBUYING/
BIDDING1. Please keep posts limited to bids or questions regarding the item for sale.
2. If there are multiple lots for sale please specify which lot you are bidding on, followed by your bid.
ex: Lot 1 @ 0.02 BTC
3. To avoid confusion, please post an exact bid. Posting an increment to someone's previous post, especially without quoting that bid, can lead to unnecessary problems.
4. Please do not edit your bids once they are posted. Instead, post again and state the issue. The Auctions board by default does not allow for edits, but being able to host auctions here in the collectibles section is convenient. Lets try and keep it that way. Thank you!
ESCROWOk, so you just won your first auction. Now what? Do you send pmt to the seller in the hopes that they ship your item? No. Just utilize a trusted escrow member. Here are two recommended bitcointalk escrow service threads:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2439910.0 & here:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=276897.0
1. Inform the seller that you would like to use an escrow service.
2. The seller and yourself will contact the escrow and let them know you would both like to utilize escrow.
3. Escrow member sends a group pm stating the terms and payment address
4. The buyer sends winning auction bid to the escrow plus any fees
5. The seller ships item to escrow
6. Upon arrival to escrow, the funds get released to the seller and item is reshipped to buyer.
SNIPING- Sniping rules can sometimes get confusing, especially if there are multiple lots in the same auction. (as we saw with the Gold Halving Coldkeys auction)
example: Any bid made within the last 10 minutes of the auction ending will extend the auction by another 10 minutes.
What does this mean exactly? What if there are 5 bids placed within the last 10 minutes of the auction? Does that mean there are 50 minutes added to the end of the auction?
It is much easier to follow an auction as a bidder knowing you have 10 minutes from the last bidder and the clock restarts with every bid. Feel free to copy and paste. Maybe eventually we can all just post "10 minute standard sniping rule" in our auctions and understand exactly what it means...
1.
10 minute standard sniping rule - Any bid made within the last 10 minutes of the auction, will restart a 10 minute clock for each bid thereafter. Meaning if the auction ends at 7pm and a bid is made at 6:51, the new ending time is now 7:01. If a following bid is then made at 6:55, the new ending time will be 7:05. This will continue until 10 minutes have elapsed from the last bid.
2.
15 minute standard sniping rule - Any bid made within the last 15 minutes of the auction, will restart a 15 minute clock for each bid thereafter. Meaning if the auction ends at 7pm and a bid is made at 6:46, the new ending time is now 7:01. If a following bid is then made at 6:49, the new ending time will be 7:04. This will continue until 15 minutes have elapsed from the last bid.
3.
1 hour standard sniping rule - Any bid made within the last 1 hour of the auction, will restart a 1 hour clock for each bid thereafter. Meaning if the auction ends at 7pm and a bid is made at 6:25, the new ending time is now 7:25. If a following bid is then made at 6:42, the new ending time will be 7:42. This will continue until 1 hour has elapsed from the last bid.
AUCTION TEMPLATEBelow is a standard template that can be used for quicker auction listings. All you need to do is copy and paste the template and then input your auction/sale info.
Just copy & paste the following:[center]
[u][b]AUCTION TERMS[/b][/u]
[b]Item for Sale: [/b]
[b]Bid Format: [/b] [color=orange][btc][/color]
[b]Starting Bid:[/b] 0.00 [color=orange][btc][/color]
[b]Minimum Bid Increment:[/b] 0.000 [color=orange][btc][/color]
[b]Auction End Time:[/b] Monday, September 21st @2100 EST countdown clock...https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/create
[b]Sniping: [/b] No sniping. 10 minute standard sniping rule. All lots extended with any bid to any lot...https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5277761.0
[b]Shipping:[/b] Paid for by buyer. Ships from USA. Buyer responsible for any and all customs/duties
[b]Payment Address:[/b] Bitcoin address goes here, unless using escrow.
[b]Payment Due:[/b] Within 24 hours
[b]Escrow:[/b] Available at cost of buyer
[img width=200 height=80 alt=image loading...]https://seanja.com/secret/countdown/gif.php?time=2021-01-03-20:59[/img][/center]
TOOLSPrice Trackers: Copy/paste the desired price tracker code and change the dollar amount from 2000 to your desired dollar amount you wish to peg to BTC.
price trackers set at $2000
[img]http://btc-priceimg.herokuapp.com/img/2000[/img]
[img]https://www.bit-it.eu/btc/?usd=2000.0[/img]
[img]https://youmeandbtc.com/bitcoin-converter-php.php?dir=tobtc&val=2000&cur=usd&btctype=btc&exchange=Bitstamp&dec=4&bgc=DDEEFF&txtc=111133[/img]
Countdown Clock Gif: Enter your desired ending time here:
https://getmara.com/static/email-countdown-timer.htmlEntering into forum should look like this...
[img]https://timer.getmara.com/c3R5bGU9MTImZGF0ZT0yMDIyLTA0LTA2JnRpbWU9MDAlM0EwMCZ0aW1lem9uZT1BbWVyaWNhJTJGTmV3X1lvcmsmYmNrQ29sb3I9RkZCQjI0JmZvbnRDb2xvcj0wMDAwMDAmbGFiZWxDb2xvcj0wMDAwMDAmZGF5TGFiZWw9ZGF5cyZob3VyTGFiZWw9aG91cnMmbWluTGFiZWw9bWluJnNlY0xhYmVsPXNlYw==.gif[/img]
