✏️ Marketplace Change Log

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Marketplace Change Log​


This thread is the official change log for all Marketplace updates. It’s created to keep sellers and buyers informed of any changes to the Marketplace Rules or procedures.


⚠️ IMPORTANT - STAY IN THE LOOP ⚠️​

To avoid confusion, missed updates, or potential warnings, we strongly recommend that all sellers hit the “Watch” button at the top of this thread. That way, you’ll receive a notification immediately when something changes.


Staying informed is the easiest way to stay in good standing :)
 
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[Change] High-priced account selling services

New pricing cap rules have been introduced for account selling services to improve risk management and transparency. All accounts listed for sale are now initially capped at $500, with the maximum price increasing gradually based on the seller’s Marketplace activity history (years of active sales threads).

These changes apply only to account selling, not renting.

Existing (grandfathered) threads remain valid under their original pricing.

Full details can be found in Account selling/renting -> Account selling cap section.
 
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[Update] Sales thread contact details

Sellers are required to keep all contact information in the opening post of their sales threads accurate and up to date. If any listed contact method becomes invalid and the seller fails to submit a thread edit request to correct it, the thread will be closed, and a warning will be issued.

The idea is clear: provide accurate contact details for your prospects and prevent disputes.

Full details in General Marketplace rules -> Enforcement and consequences section.
 
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[Update] BHW Media metadata rules

Keyword stuffing /spam in titles, tags, or descriptions is now explicitly forbidden. Additionally, including call-to-action messages or any contact information in metadata is strictly prohibited.

Full details in General Marketplace rules -> Prohibited activities and services section.
 
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[Update] External platforms rules

Crowdsourcing and task-execution platforms (e.g. micro-task or micro-worker services) are now explicitly allowed. Other platforms designed to help individuals/businesses sell or promote their own services to clients (in other words, competing Marketplaces - e.g. Fiverr) remain prohibited.

Full details in General Marketplace rules -> Restrictions and limitations section.
 
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[Update] Review-related services rules

Marketplace listings, ads, and promotions involving fake or undisclosed incentivised consumer reviews (e.g. Trustpilot, Amazon, Google, etc.) are no longer permitted. This includes services offering fake reviews or commissioned reviews presented as genuine. This does not mean that all review-related services are forbidden. Legitimate reputation management, genuine customer outreach, and compliant review tools remain allowed.

The test is simple - If a review is genuine and not misleading, it may be allowed. If it is fake or disguises incentivization, it is not allowed.

In the upcoming weeks, our Marketplace team will actively review all review related services' sales copies. If your sales copy breaks the law and an action is taken against your sales thread, you will be notified. If your sales copy does not, you can continue selling your service.

Official announcement posted in the General changelog

Full details in the Miscellaneous section.
 
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[New] Marketplace Rules Revamped

The Marketplace rules have been fully reorganized and updated.
The core principles remain the same. However, the new version is now modular, easier to navigate, clearer to read, and simpler to maintain going forward.

Major Changes

Sales Thread Expiration & Reopening
  • Sellers may reopen their sales thread within 1 month after expiration (previously 6 months).
  • After 1 month, expired sales threads are permanently archived and cannot be reopened.

Improvements

Structure & Clarity Enhancements
  • Clear suggestion on what to include in your sales copy (especially helpful for new sellers).
  • General requirements applicable to each service category.
  • Category-specific rules and limitations.
  • Etc.
Content Standards
  • Clearer examples of what is not permitted.
  • Guidance on compliant alternatives where applicable.

Quick Marketplace Process Overview
  • A simplified, step-by-step overview for brand-new sellers.
  • Designed for users who want to understand the Marketplace process quickly and efficiently.

Full details in the Marketplace rules.
 
[Update] Unrenewed sales threads and opening post content removal

A new change in the Marketplace rules was introduced - going forward, all sales threads that expired and were not renewed within the given 7 day gratis period will have their opening post content removed.

Those sales threads can still be extended within the given timeframe mentioned in the "Closure and reopening requests" section. In case of a renewal, the last version of the opening post's sales copy will be retrieved (unless the renewal included a thread edit request).
 
[Change]Archive Expired BSTs

Going forward, all sales threads that have expired for more than 30 days (i.e., those considered archived, as listed in the "Closure and re-opening requests" section) will have their opening posts removed from the content. This includes title and sales copy.

Please note that this does not include follow-up posts in the same sales thread.

This has been requested and discussed extensively/voted on before making a final decision, which aligns with what the majority of the community wanted.

This is quite a substantial task, and it will take us a few months to complete.
 
[Update] Contact Details & External Links in Sales Threads

The content below reflects the change in the contact details and external links in sales threads.

Please note the change applies going forward. Meaning, all previous sales thread posts are grandfathered in.

1. Where are contact details & links allowed?
  • Contact details and landing page links are allowed only in the opening post of your sales thread.
  • A link to your BHW DM is allowed in both the opening post and subsequent replies.
  • Linking to the opening post of your sales thread from any subsequent post.

2. What is strictly forbidden in subsequent posts?

Including any of the following in replies after the opening post:
  • Phone numbers, Telegram, Teams, email, or any other contact details
  • Landing page links
  • Clickable URLs
  • Plain text URLs
  • Contact details or links embedded in images/graphics
  • Quoting your opening post in subsequent replies is also forbidden.

3. Limited exceptions

The only permitted external links in subsequent posts are:
  • Educational resources (e.g., tutorial videos)
  • Credible citation sources (e.g., recognized industry publications)
Important:
  • Your own website or landing page cannot be used as a citation source.
  • Educational or citation links must not contain your contact details or external contact information.
The reason

In recent years, quite a few sellers lost access to their off-forum contact details one way or another, and sales threads resulted in thousands of posts, containing incorrect contact details, that were not edited, which frequently led to scams. In addition to this, once a sales thread expires and it's archived, this decision prevents members from contacting sellers who do not offer that service anymore. To protect the community and the integrity of the forum and the Marketplace, we've decided to reinforce the rule of no contact details (aside from BHW DM links) in the follow-up posts of a sales thread.

Full details are available in the "Restrictions and Limitations" section.

PS: You can now also include up to 5 sales thread links in your BHW "About" section, as mentioned in the official statement.
 
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[New] Permission to sell the sales thread slots in seller's profile "About" section

As you might be aware, we've added 5 new sales thread slots for each seller to display their top sales threads.

Sellers are now permitted to sell profile "About" section sales thread slots (individually or as a package) via a dedicated sales thread in the Misc subforum. These offers must not be combined with any existing sales thread.

All standard Marketplace rules and content standards apply.

Full details can be found in the "BHW Profile – Sales thread fields ('About' section) rules" section.
 
[Update] Sales thread edit request rules and addons

We've made a small adjustment to the thread edit request rules - going forward, all sales thread edit requests cover only the opening post by default.

If you wish to update any number of subsequent internal posts in your sales thread, you can use the "addons" option. You will need to provide staff with a list of all internal posts you'd like to change, along with the content you want to include or instructions for deletion.

Each post would add an additional $1 to your invoice. The base thread edit request would be included, even if you don't wish to update the opening post.

E.g., you wish to change 15 internal posts in your sales thread, which would cost you $45 in total - $30 for the base thread edit fee + $15 for all posts ($1 per post).

Full details can be found in the "Sales thread maintenance -> Thread edit & re-testing rules" section.
 
[Update] Contact link/anchor text rules in sales threads

We've made a clarification to the rules around linking to your contact details in opening post of sales threads.

When including a link to your contact details (which we highly recommend), your anchor text must be one of the following:
  • Generic - e.g., "Click here", "my Telegram", "contact me"
  • An exact match of the link destination - e.g., if your handle is JohnDoeLinks, the anchor text must be exactly JohnDoeLinks
Using a misleading anchor text that resembles but does not exactly match the URL or handle is not allowed. For example, using NiceLinks as the anchor text for https://t.me/NiceLink would be a violation of this rule.

Full details can be found in the "Sales thread formatting → Mandatory requirements → Contact Details" section.
 
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[Update] Sales thread review copies deadlines

We've clarified the rules on providing review copies to your customers. We strongly advise specifying a deadline for the expected review in your sales thread- e.g., 72 hours after delivery. If you don't set a deadline, the default is 7 days.

Note: If you have provided a review copy, but the reviewer failed to post their review by the expected deadline, feel free to contact Support and your query will be handled.

Full details can be found in the "Sales thread formatting → Samples and review copies" section as well as "Rules for buyers and viewers → Review copy & compensated reviews disclosure".
 
[Update] Sales thread JV rules clarification

A brief clarification on JVs in sales threads: all parties involved in a sales thread JV must be explicitly mentioned in the opening post and approved by staff.

This can happen either in:
  • New sales threads - during the approval phase of a sales thread.
  • Existing sales thread - through a thread re-testing request.
Failure to comply with this rule would result in a warning for all parties involved and the closure of the sales thread until the issue is resolved.

Full details can be found in the "General Marketplace rules → Sales thread joint ventures (JV)" section.
 
[Update] Contact details requirements in sales threads

We've updated the contact details rules for sales threads to reduce the risk of scams, make it easier for members to contact sellers, and further strengthen the Marketplace.

External contact details (email, Telegram, WhatsApp, phone number, etc.) must now be clickable links, and the anchor text must match the handle or number exactly.

An exception applies to websites and BHW direct message links, where you may use anchor text of your choosing - as long as it remains a clickable link.

In the case of contact details being included in a sales graphic, the seller must either chop the sales graphic into pieces and link each piece to the source, or include all contact details below/above the sales graphic as links.

Note: All active sales threads are grandfathered in and are not subject to change until the seller requests a thread edit to the opening post.

Full details can be found in the "Sales thread formatting → Mandatory requirements → Contact Details" section, where you can also find multiple examples.
 
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