We have listed some of the advertising policies that an advert in Buy & Sell must adhere to, it is not an exhaustive list and is subject to change but provides useful information on the content of adverts that we frequently receive for publication.
General
We require a Landline Phone Number for reference before we can place any ad, this number will only be printed if you request for it to be included in your ad.
A Quantity must be included in the wording of your ad if you are advertising numerous items. There are limits to the number of free advertisements you can have in a particular section, this is to assist in ensuring that the free ads in the paper are from private advertisers. Most of our customers never exceed their limits, however if your free ad is rejected on this basis you will have the option of paying to place a trade ad instead. Limits vary depending on the category and so cannot be listed.
Discriminating wording, advertisements cannot include wording that discriminate on any grounds including:
- Age
- Class
- Gender
- Marital status
- Member of the travelling community
- Nationality
- Race
- Religion
- Sexual orientation
- Brand Names
Jeep is a trademark and therefore can only be printed when referring to Wrangler Jeeps, Cherokee Jeeps & Grand Cherokee Jeeps. Four wheel drive & 4x4 must be used for all other vehicles.
Hoover is also a brand name & shouldn’t be used to describe vacuum cleaners unless they are made by said company.
Category Specific
Trade in Native & Exotic Species is subject to Wildlife acts of 1976 & 2000, non-native species may be subject to certification from the National Parks& Wildlife service & Department of Agriculture & food, purchasers & advertises must be satisfied that the sale is legal under the Wildlife Acts of 1976 & 2000.
Buy & Sell support CITES - The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Any non-native species must be confirmed as being captive bred before being placed in the paper.
Puppies & Kittens
Should not be separated from their mothers until they are at least 8 weeks old. When placing an ad for a puppy or kitten under this age, you must include the wording “ready to go in...” and the relevant number of weeks.
Fighting Dogs & Dangerous Dogs
Buy & Sell will not advertise Pit-Bull dogs or any term referring to a dog bred for fighting. Any cross breeds of dogs where the parent animals are both on the Proven Agressors list will not be advertised. Similarly cross breeds or hybrids of Wolfs will not be advertised.
The Proven Agressors List: Bulldog, German Shepherd/Alsatian, Bull Mastiff, Dobermann Pinscher, Japanese Akita, Rodesian Ridgeback, English Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Rottweiler.
Working/Hunting Dogs
In adverts for dogs, the term ‘hunting’ is not acceptable and the term ‘working’ will only be allowed in adverts for sheep & cattle dogs or gun dogs.
We base our animal policies on information given to us by the DSPCA, the IKC and various breeders.
We recommend that any puppy or kitten advertised as registered should be confirmed at the appropriate register www.ikc.ie or www.gccfi.com
Christmas Pets
Phrases such as 'ideal Christmas gift' particularly but also 'will hold till Xmas' or 'ready for Xmas' etc will not be allowed - as pets are for life and not just for Christmas.
Horse Passports
These are specific to the animal cited & cannot be sold without the animal to which they refer.
Traps
Any equipment used for hunting will not be advertised in the paper (other than ‘pony traps’ which refer to carts used for transportation).
Animals for Stud
These are considered to be Trade ads, therefore they cannot appear as free ads & you must pay the relevant Trade rates.
Multi Media/Entertainment
Bootleg recordings are illegal and will not be accepted by Buy & Sell. All feature films and videos sold in Buy & Sell must be approved by the board of censors. However, it is not the responsibility of Buy & Sell to whom the advertiser sells the video. All videos must be originals, copies will not be allowed. All adult videos must carry the 18 logo. Adult videos cannot be described as home-made or amateur.
Event Tickets
Must be confirmed at the Land Line phone number before being publishing. Tickets will be accepted as free ads once the price is up to double face value, any tickets sold over double the face value will not be accepted as a free ad but can be placed as a Trade ad by paying the relevant trade rates. Ticket ads must have a price attached i.e. they cannot say "best offers" and so must state the face value of the ticket and then follow with an asking price. e.g: U2 Tickets (3).€40 each, selling for €75 each.
Airline Tickets & Golf Club Memberships
These may or may not be transferable, if non transferable they cannot be sold & we cannot place ads for then - either offered or wanted.
Fire Arms
Ads for firearms & offensive weapons i.e. guns, pellet guns, air riffles, crossbows etc, must be accompanied by a copy of the advertisers firearms certificate. The only exception to this rule are antique guns which do not need a licence.
People under 16 yrs of age cannot buy guns or crossbows. Also as every firearm that a person owns needs a separate licence, a previous licence is not acceptable.
We do not accept wanted ads for firearms as we were informed by Garda Headquarters that if someone wants to purchase a firearm they have to do the following: the customer would choose a gun at the shop, then go to their local Garda station and get the necessary documentation filled out with the serial number etc and stamped (to get their licence) and then go back to the stop with this documentation in order to purchase/collect their gun. As this wouldn't be possible when buying guns privately (through our paper or otherwise) we were advised not to advertise them anymore.
Stun guns are illegal to own, sell & use therefore we cannot place ads for these.
Spear guns and harpoons are illegal in Ireland and therefore cannot be advertised in the paper.
Trades Services
People offering a service such as builder/painter etc avail for work do not qualify for a free ad & would have to take pay trade rates.
SAE Ads
However, they are allowed as Trade ads once they supply us with the following: We need to see what this person plans to send out to people to ensure that there are not hidden costs or indecent documents etc. Also ideally it should contain some information about what is required of them e.g. ‘MONEY MONEY MONEY send SAE’ doesn’t give us much information. We need to know what is required and preferably this should also be mentioned in the ad.
Cheap Insurance
We will not accept the term ‘Cheap Insurance’ in ads, as rates of insurance depend mainly on the individual requiring the insurance and not the car. We will however accept the term “Classic Car insurance” as the premiums for these vehicles are assessed differently. In motorbike ads we will accept “Group 2 Insurance’ etc, as these groups are used to determine the insurance premium paid.
Tax Books for any vehicle either for sale or wanted are not allowed in the paper.
Radar Detectors
Radar detectors are illegal to use & cannot be advertised in the paper.
Stolen
We cannot use the word ‘stolen’ in the text of an advert, instead we must say “taken without permission”.
Rewards
If you wish to offer a reward, we must have this confirmed in writing. A signed letter should be either faxed, posted in or handed in to reception. The amount of the reward offered must also be stated in the ad.
Massage Ads
Buy & Sell does not accept ads for massage. This is due to numerous complaints received in the past (where customers have been offered adult services etc.) and because of the difficulty in ensuring that massage ads are 100% genuine. This also covers Holistic Therapy and Aromatherapy or any therapy provided by touch.
Job Ads
When advertisements are placed offering a job vacancy, they should never indicate a preference for the sex, race or nationality of the applicant. The only exceptions to this rule are advertisements where a persons gender is a genuine occupational qualification for the job. Examples of this are performance or entertainment work or where the job needs to be held by a man/woman to preserve decency or privacy, e.g. women’s changing attendant.
All advertisers offering au pair or childminding jobs should state “references required”.
Religion
Advertisements will not be accepted from ANY religion advertising services, prayer meetings or any events which may be used to encourage new members.