Premium Dealer Program Guidelines

Welcome to the Premium Dealer Program

Thank you for being an Audiogon Premium Dealer. These guidelines explain what we expect from every dealer in the program, and why.

Audiogon is one of the only marketplaces that lets its commercial sellers exchange contact information with buyers and complete sales off-site. We have allowed our dealers to do this for more than a decade, and it rests on trust and a business relationship.

We know audiophiles want to talk through the details of a product and how a new piece of equipment will fit into their system. We also know you are far more likely to close a sale once a customer is on the phone or on your website.

Moderating contact information exchanges and off-site sales takes a great deal of work from our staff, and it would be simpler for us to restrict them. We keep this privilege in place because we value the precedent and what it means for our Verified Dealers. These guidelines explain what we ask in return.

What we expect

The most important rule is simple: if you sell an item off-site to a buyer who found your item on Audiogon, you must Mark Sold on that listing. The sections below explain this rule and the others that keep the program fair for dealers and buyers.

These guidelines are part of your program terms. Audiogon enforces them, and repeated or serious violations can lead to removal from the program.

What Audiogon does for your listings

Audiogon has been building a marketplace specifically for high-end audio equipment since 1998, and today we are the largest hi-fi marketplace. When you list with us, you reach buyers who are looking for exactly what you sell.

Google Shopping promotion

Google Shopping promotion is included in your Premium Dealer Program benefits. Your listings with Buy It Now enabled are eligible for promotion on Google Shopping, and Audiogon pays for this advertising to put your products in front of buyers who are searching for them.

When one of those buyers finds your item through Audiogon, the sale should be recorded on Audiogon. This allows for moderation in the case of disputes, and for buyer/seller feedback. That is the reason behind the rules below.

Always Mark Sold on off-site sales

If a buyer found your item on Audiogon and you complete the sale anywhere other than Audiogon checkout, you must use Mark Sold on that listing.

This applies when the sale is completed by phone, by email, in your store, on your own website, or through any other channel. If the buyer found the item on Audiogon, it counts.

Why it matters

• Audiogon connected you with that buyer. Whether they found your item through our marketplace, a search or our Google Shopping promotion, the connection started on Audiogon.
• Marking items sold keeps your inventory accurate, so other buyers are not chasing items that are gone.
• It keeps the program fair for every dealer who completes sales through Audiogon.

How to Mark Sold

Mark Sold once you have received payment from the buyer, using the buyer's Audiogon username and the sale amount.

• The buyer paid you directly, without buying on Audiogon: use Mark Sold from the listing or from your Selling tab.
• The buyer committed to buy on Audiogon, then paid you using one of your Direct Payment Methods: confirm you received payment, then mark the order sold on the order page. If you don't, the order is marked complete automatically one week after the buyer marks it paid.

Do not end or close a listing in place of marking it sold. Ending or closing a listing that has buyer activity is flagged for moderation review.

For step-by-step instructions with screenshots, see How to Mark an Item as Sold.

Off-site sales and payments

Audiogon's Off-Site Solicitation Policy requires most members to keep communication and payment on Audiogon. Because Verified Dealers are vetted commercial businesses, you are an exception: you may provide your contact information and take payment through other channels, such as:

• Processing credit cards yourself
• Sending an invoice for payment
• ACH or eCheck
• Wire transfer

This exception comes with one condition. If the buyer found your item on Audiogon, you must Mark Sold on that listing, as described above.

Answer buyer questions on Audiogon

When a buyer asks a question about your listing, answer it in Audiogon messages. If the buyer asks for your phone number or email address, you are welcome to share it. Replying with only your contact information, before the buyer has asked for it, is treated as off-site solicitation and may count as an infraction.

Once a buyer's questions are answered and they are ready to buy, you may complete the sale and take payment through your own channels, as long as you Mark Sold.

This benefit is built on trust. Dealers who consistently show suspicious behavior may receive an infraction.

Keep it on Audiogon when you can

We recommend keeping communication and payment on Audiogon whenever possible. If a dispute comes up, messages on Audiogon give us the record we need to help resolve it.

If your main concern is the loss of revenue via payment processing fees (PayPal, Stripe, etc.) then consider using AgonPay™ Powered by Fortis, which allows you to take ACH payments at 1%. They may even be able to match or beat your existing in-store credit card processing rates.

Keep your listings accurate

Buyers trust that what they see on Audiogon is available to buy. Every listing should represent a real item you have in stock and intend to sell.

• Only list what you have. If an item sells or is no longer in stock, update the listing right away. Mark it sold if the buyer found it on Audiogon; otherwise, end the listing.
• No bait-and-switch. Do not keep a listing active to collect inquiries and then offer the buyer a different item.
• Listings are for selling that item. Do not create listings mainly to advertise your business or to drive traffic elsewhere.

What counts as an infraction

The following are violations of the Premium Dealer Program Guidelines:

• Selling an item off-site to a buyer found on Audiogon without using Mark Sold.
• Soliciting Audiogon buyers immediately to take communication off-site.
• Leaving listings active when you do not have them in stock
• Creating listings in a way that is strictly designed as advertising for your business

How we enforce these guidelines

Audiogon reviews dealer activity and acts on reports from buyers. Each infraction is recorded as a strike on your account:

1. First infraction: Audiogon Support will contact you with a warning.
2. Second infraction: You lose the ability to exchange contact information with buyers. Any contact information you try to share will be filtered and flagged for moderation.
3. Third infraction: You will be removed from the Premium Dealer Program.

Strikes stay on your account and do not expire. We review each case individually, and we reserve the right to restrict your account or remove you from the program at our discretion, at any point.

Depending on the infraction, we may also:

• Remove the listing
• Suspend your account
• Charge a transaction fee at our standard site rate, even if the item did not sell, since Audiogon introduced you to the buyer. See the Off-Site Fee Assessment section of our Fees article.

Questions

If you are not sure whether a sale needs to be marked sold, or have any other question about these guidelines, contact Audiogon Support through live chat or by submitting a request. We are happy to help.