PSA: Type Race threads are NOT for trading.

Due to the unusually high number of reports we're getting about players trading with each other in their Type Race threads, this is a quick reminder to everyone that Type Race threads are not for trading. Please take your trades to the correct forum, Trades or even Trade Shops. Within Type Race threads, players may loan each other breeding pairs or Shelter passes as part of supporting their teammates during the Type Race. Players may offer (once) to give away Pokémon they hatch during the Type Race (to be responded to via PM, not by posting in the Type Race thread). Any other type of trading is not allowed in Type Race threads at this time, whether it be trading Lucky Eggs, Shiny Charms, gems, RTE Pokémon, or anything else you can think of to trade. Moderators will shortly begin deleting any offending trading posts made prior to this PSA.

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Update: We will be reading through your posts and discussing how Type Races might be best managed in the future, but I do want to explain/provide information regarding PFQ's existing rules. Begging. Begging, as defined by Site Rule 5A (site-level meaning it applies to the site as a whole, not just the forums), is named "No Begging". It defines begging as approaching other players for the purpose of asking for free things, "free" meaning nothing is offered in exchange. "Approaching" refers to creating a forum thread/forum post or sending a PM, for the purpose of making the ask. If you offer something in return, it becomes trading rather than begging. The same rule also states that "passive" asks are not considered to be begging. This is when you ask for a gift in your forum signature, your Trainer Card, or your About Me. So, you can put an ask for anything in your forum signature right now, post in a Type Race thread about something else (TR-related), and teammates can see your ask. Basically, we don't want players in the mindset of posting in the forums for the purpose of asking for free things. TR threads are some of the most popular forum threads on the site. If there's a lot of asking for free stuff in a TR thread and it seems "normal", unless they have actually read the rules or previously been corrected, players tend to generalize that as it being okay to ask for free stuff in other places as well. Likewise, staff's mindset regarding trading is "trading belongs in the Trades forum, where the trading rules are posted." Similarly to the above, players who are new or who do not generally trade in the forums may not realize there are rules regarding trading. Also similarly to the site Discord chat, there is a dedicated #trading channel, and players are expected to use it rather than posting their LFs in #official-chat .

Just to confirm, loaning supplier passes is not allowed in TR threads? Only shelter passes can be loaned in TR threads? Asking because I'm confused, it's not a "trade" per se, in that the item can be returned to the original owner in its exact same condition (unlike gems, rte, lucky eggs, etc), but it is still accomplished via the "trade/gift" mechanic on the site.

Currently only breeding pairs and Shelter Passes are listed as exceptions in the Type Race rules. If you believe that Supplier Passes should be added as a third exception, please create a Suggestion thread with your reasoning.

Wait I thought that non-loan pair making help was allowed to some extent, as long as any details beyond the request/response are handled via PM, and it's not being used for profit? Ex: P1: "I'd like to hatch some Charmander, but I don't have a female, does anyone have any (spares/to swap)?" P2: "Sure! (You can have this one/can I have your Cyndaquil in return)" P1: *has multiple Cyndaquil, PMs P2 to clarify which one* So like, they're not selling pairs, and not like advertising a free field service, just helping each other equally, specifically for the race, but it's not exactly a loan

Okay! Here it is. I appreciate any and all feedback <3

That's a bit of a catch-22. If a player is asking for spares without offering payment, this would actually fall under begging. And if they're offering payment, then it becomes setting up a profitable trade in the wrong forum.

edit: i've made a suggestion regarding this. just gonna throw my two cents into the ring here as a host - i think the trade rule needs to be reworded, even if you just remove the word "unrelated" from the title or add some extra clarification. there are a lot of arguments to be made for what should and shouldn't be allowed as a "related" trade. for example, why is asking to buy type-matching summon items one time considered unrelated, even if people have to pm to take that offer up? not selling them to other players? i made this mistake due to thinking that summons wouldn't count as an unrelated trade. obviously things like gems, rte mons, shiny charms etc do not benefit the team as a whole - only one person - so i see why they're disallowed. but summons help the team as a whole get more points. as skiddo said, things like egg supplier passes, and other things like the red gigaremo, help the team as a whole get more points. i'm also the type of person that needs everything spelled out exactly for me or i will make mistakes like this and i'm sure i'm not the only one. even if these things are not planned on being allowed, making a definitive list of what is and isn't allowed in a hidebox in the main type race rules thread might be a good idea.

I kind of understand where you're coming from, but it kind of feels against the spirit and the culture of this site and the type race to restrict that kind of trade. Helping your team members with pairs is not fully altruistic in the context of the type race: a person with a good pair for a Pokemon they really want to hunt is more likely to earn more points, and thus contribute more to the team goal. The trade forum is massively inefficient in comparison. I like helping my team members build pairs, again because it's nice and it's easy and because it also benefits me, but I'm really not willing to scroll pages and pages in the trade forum looking for my teammates who are trying to get pairs ahead of the race. I think the shiny giveaways and special hatching announcements are way more spammy and less helpful than this kind of trading. My point here isn't that those should be banned, it's just that different people have different goals and opinions on the type race thread, and what's spam to one is cool or helpful to another. Trying to restrict it so strictly just feels kind of disheartening, I'm too worried about what's "allowed" vs having fun in a team activity.

If such things will no longer be allowed in the Type Race thread, I propose that to counteract how unhappy this is going to make everyone, make a new type of category thread, Type Race Trading, so that people offering items and Pokemon only to their team don't have to make their team scroll through the slog fest that is the trading forums. Or allow us to at least link to a trade forum in the Type Race thread as long as we only post it to the thread once. With the exclusion of being able to search the trade threads, you need to give us some leeway to make it easier for our teammates find these trades. Edit: I'm not trying to sound resentful, just trying to make a hopefully helpful suggestion.

I do agree that either rewritting the trade rules or adding a new trade thread would be helpful. However in the mod teams defense, the TR trade rules have always been like this. This is not a new thing at all