We are continually making small changes to the OzBargain rules & guidelines and also adding new site features or making changes, many come due to requests in the comments / feedback / suggestions thread or via other threads within site discussion or TWAM.
Whilst we often return to the original discussion/request to update once it's implemented, often the requests are made in private (TWAM) or come internally after moderator discussions and users aren't always aware of site or guideline changes (unless it is something major and an individual forum post is made).
We thought it'd be a good idea to keep this thread running as a central place to announce all site and guideline updates/changes. Note that whilst we welcome questions/comments about any of the announcements, should you have a new request then please use the existing comments / feedback / suggestions thread or make a new forum post within site discussion (if one doesn't already exist).
We'll make a new top level comment below for any new announcements, feel free to reply to the comment directly for any comments/questions etc.
I've included a few important updates from the past month to get things going and also will add a new announcement today as a comment below (which will be the method moving forward).
27 January 2017 [Guideline Update] - Refund policies: Added new guideline for Refund policies
9 February 2017 [New Feature] - Upcoming Deals in store page: Added "Upcoming Deals" to the store page (Store pages now have Long Running Deals / Active Deals / Upcoming Deals / Expired Deals in that order). Example here - Nando's
3 March 2017 [Guideline Update] - Referrals: Referral guidelines updated for "Deals where the referral system is the offer". Comment/details
14 March 2017 [New Feature] - Subscribe to users: Added the ability to subscribe to users. Details here
14 March 2017 [New Feature] - Expiry date on classifieds: There is now an optional expiry date field within classified postings, if you are selling concert tickets for example for an event in 2 days, you can set the expiry date for 2 days so if your listing isn't sold it will automatically expire when the event is over.
27 March 2017 [New Feature] - Competition Requirements Updated: The competition requirement checkbox for 'Like/Follow/Share' has been updated to 'Like/Follow/Comment/Share'.
28 March 2017 [New Feature] - Expired Deals on Category Pages: For users who have the 'Do not show expired deals' option turned on in settings > edit > deals. This previously only applied to the front page, it now will hide expired deals from the category pages. Details here
10 May 2017 [Guideline Update] - Negative votes The number of negative comment votes required to revoke a negative vote by the community has increased slightly (to keep in line with growing member numbers). Details here
16 May 2017 [Site Update] - Competition front page criteria: The competition front page used to include competitions with more than 5 votes, but will now be based on comps with more than 15 entries to be a better reflection on the interest level in the individual competitions. Comps that are gaining entries fast may appear on the front page before 15 entries are added.
24 May 2017 [New Feature] - Exclude International Competitions: We have added the ability to exclude international competitions via the filter on the Not Entered section. It's also available under my account > settings > competitions (these settings will be the default filter options on your Not Entered competitions page).
2 June 2017 [New Feature] - Related Deals Tab: Coupon deals that have multiple deals posted for them will now show a 'related' tab at the top of the deal which easily shows all deal posts with that particular coupon. Details here
14 June 2017 [Guideline Update]: Referrals codes/links are no longer allowed at the end of deal descriptions. Details here
18 July 2017 [New Feature]: Ctrl + Enter to submit/post your comment. Opt in feature, found in settings. Details here
18 July 2017 [New Feature]: Bookmark option added to comments. Each comment will have a bookmark option below it. Details here
21 July 2017 [New Feature]: Third Party Tags. Users linking to a third party website in the deal description will have a dedicated tag for 'Third Party', instead of previously using the ambiguous 'Referrer' tag. Details here
2nd November 2017 [New Feature]: Web Notifications Users now have the option to receive subscription notifications by web instead of just email (threads, users and stores). Details here
19 January 2018 [Guideline Update] eBay Guidelines eBay deals that require the use of a discount coupon code which is not yet active can only be posted on the day that coupon becomes active. Details here
15 February 2018 [New Feature]: Insufficient quantity deals will now be merged to dedicated forum threads where (instead of being unpublished completely). Details here
14 March 2018 [Guideline Update]: Amazon Australia deals for third party sellers must have a minimum of 90% feedback based on at least 10 in feedback. Details here
11 April 2018 [New Feature]: External links open in new window - Now covers external links in description/comment section.
The 'External Links Open in New Window' setting previously only opened the main deal link in a new window, it will now also open external links in a new window that are in the description field and comment section. Details here
30 April 2018 [New Feature]: Changes to New Comment/New Reply Notifications and Default Delivery Method for Subscriptions
23 May 2018 [Guideline Update]: Banned Items Following discussion here, Guns & Ammunition have been added to our banned items list.
7 July 2018 [Guideline Update]: Solicitation of Votes Do not ask users to vote on a deal or comment, or attempt to solicit votes by any means. Details here
18 July 2018 [New Feature]: Show most voted comments Users can now show the top 8 most voted comments using the 3 stroke menu in the bottom left hand corner. This is an old feature (previously known as 'top comments') which has returned, under a new (more accurate) name, in a new position and slightly different functionality.
24 July 2018 [Guideline Update]: Third-party posting limits are now imposed per site as well as per user.
9 August 2018 [Guideline Update]: Solicitation of subscriptions Asking users to subscribe to, or linking to your user profile or to the related store of a deal is no longer allowed. More details.
23 August 2018 [Guideline Update]: Items fulfilled by Amazon will be exempt from the Amazon Australia minimum feedback requirements (90%/10 feedback). See full guidelines here. More details.
7 September 2018 [New Feature]: Show Online Status Users now have the option to hide their online status in their settings page. More details here.
8 February 2019 [Guideline Update]: Classifieds Requirement Members less than a year old who have posted at least one deal are no longer allowed to post in the classifieds area. More details here.
27 February 2019 [New Feature]: Exclude targeted deals from Newsletter Users can now exclude seeing targeted deals in their newsletter. More details here.
1 March 2019 [New Feature]: Blocked users/stores now applies to Forum Posts Blocking users or stores now applies to the forum section (when applicable). See here for more details.
10 April 2019 [New Feature]: New Front Page In addition to the existing 'Grid' and 'List' front page options, users now have a 'New' option which is your personal customised front page. See here for more details.
5 June 2019 [Guideline Update]: Classifieds - What can Be Posted? Please see the Classified Guidelines which includes updates/clarification under the 'What can be posted?' section. Our classifieds is for personal use, to sell unwanted items. These updates specify that in clearer and greater detail.
12 June 2019 [Update] Changes to front page and popular badges criteria. Front page requires 30 votes. Popular deal badge requires 150 votes. Popular comp badge requires 150 votes + entries.
7 Nov 2019 [Guideline Update]: Duplicates Exceptions - Excessive Votes & Items Not in Title Guidelines updated: The duplicate gains an excessive amount of positive votes (100+) and the original deal was posted and had become active more than 24 hours ago. The item is not in the title of the original deal and the duplicate deal is active or will be active on the day it is posted. Moderator discretion can apply. Link to Guidelines. More details.
17 Dec 2019 [New Feature]: Event subscriptions by web. Event subscriptions can now be received by site (web) notification, instead of/as well as by email. More details.
3 Mar 2020 [New Feature]: Alcohol category has been added to the site. Previously, all Alcohol related deals were considered "Food & Grocery".
4 Apr 2020 [Guideline Update]: Deals Involving Opening Gambling Accounts. Deals that require the opening or use of a gambling/betting account, to obtain something, are prohibited as per the above ruling. Under the unpublish reason 'Gambling Sites Are Not Permitted. More details
14 Apr 2020 [Guideline Update] Hand Sanitiser Posts Cannot Make Unsupported Therapeutic Claims. More details
29 April 2020 [New Feature]: Official OzBargain Android App Is Available on Google Play Store
Download Here. OzBargain notification support was added in the most recent update (29/4). More Discussion/Give Feedback Here. iOS version is coming soon.
4 June 2020 [Guideline Update]: Upcoming deals can only be posted at most 90 days into the future.
See updated guidelines for upcoming deals. The deal submission form will also prohibit entry of starting dates more than 90 days away.
4 June 2020 [Guideline Update]: Duplicates Exceptions - Items Not in Title
The 7 Nov 2019 update has been partially scraped. New Guidelines:
- The item is not in the title of the original deal. Moderator discretion can apply if the post is seen as excessive.
19 June 2020 [New Feature]: New dynamic page for Free Games.
Deals in Gaming category marked as Freebie can be found on the new page.
1 Sep 2020 [New Feature]: Hide deals from the New Deals page by tag.
Users now have the ability to hide deals with particular tags from showing on the new deals page.. Click on any tag below a deal post, click on the Tag Menu Icon (Ellipsis/ 3 Dots), click 'Hide on New Deals page'.
30 Sep 2020 [New Feature]: Show Unread Notifications Only.
Users now have the ability to only see unread notifications, in the notification bell menu. In my account > settings > click 'Show unread notifications only', under the OzBargain Settings subheading.
9 Oct 2020 [New Feature]: Newsletter Customisation Options.
Users can now exclude highlighted deals, competitions and/or forum topics from their newsletter. See more here.
10 Feb 2021 [New Feature]: Referral Randomiser Now Random Only.
The referral randomiser will no longer show the OP's referral code/link as a dedicated option, next to the random option, if the deal hits the front page. The referral randomiser will now show the random option only, however the OP's code/link will have a higher chance of being selected, if the deal hits the front page. See Help Wiki for more information.
15 Mar 2021 [New Feature]: Tagging Users.
You can now tag a user in a comment (beta only, for now). Type @, then begin to type their name, click the username from the drop down box. You will then see the option to notify then under the comment box which you can uncheck if you change your mind. All users will receive the notifications, even if they aren't in beta, unless they have turned it off in their settings (see below).
You can opt out of receiving notifications when users tag you, by going into settings > subscriptions > events > misc. notifications > "Notify me when: Another user tagged this account with @XXXXXX in comments"
16 Mar 2021 [New Feature]: Brand Reps.
New 'Brand rep' tag - Brand reps are reps that don't work for the store but for the brand of the product. This replaces the 'Product Rep' tag.
More information
23 Mar 2021 [Guideline Update]: Store Posting Limits are now Combined with Third-Party Posting Limits
Posting limits are now combined for a store's directly associated posts as well as third-party posts.
More information
5 April 2021 [New Feature]: Weekly Random Discussion Changes
The weekly random discussion post has been rather underutilised in the past. We picked 3 random questions from a pool, and every now and then we get some random answers. Meanwhile the original purpose for the weekly random discussion post was being a catch all thread for trivial / not-bargain-related posts, similar to many daily/weekly random discussion threads on Reddit. So moving forward,
- We will continue to create weekly random discussion thread, and close old ones after 2 weeks.
- Moderators will merge new forum posts that deem trivial opinions in natural, with that week's random discussion thread.
30 April 2021 [New Feature]: Classifieds section now hides expired/closed listings by default
The classifieds section now hides expired/closed listings by default. To view all listings including expired/closed, check the 'Show expired and inactive listings' checkbox before the first listing.
4 June 2021 [Guideline Update]: Referral links no longer permitted in competition posts.
Referrals can be added in comments only. See more here.
7 June 2021: Reminders set on Daily Entry Comps will Remind User Daily from Requested Reminder Date
Reminders set on daily-entry competitions (those with 'Once Per Day' entry limit) will now remind users daily from the reminder date until closing date of the competition instead of just once on the reminder date. See more here.
15 July 2021 [Update]: Change to Contributor and Store Fan badges criteria.
The Contributor and Store Fan badges now require +20 votes on each of the deals, instead of +5 votes. More details
20 July 2021 [New Feature]: Subscribe to new posts from particular forum categories.
You can now subscribe to new posts in particular forum categories. You will find a 'Subscribe' button in each of the forum categories, or you can subscribe/manage it from 'My Account' > 'Settings' > 'Subscriptions' > 'Categories' . More details.
10 Aug 2021 [Update]: Associated users can no longer + vote comments (within posts associated to their store)
6 Oct 2021 [New Feature]: Subscribe to Products (Beta).
When clicking on a Product tag, users will be able to subscribe to the products to receive a notification when future deals are posted. These subscriptions can be managed in my account > settings > subscriptions > categories.
How to enable beta and more details here.
6 Oct 2021 [New Feature]: Block Stores/Users/Tags directly from Settings.
You can now block stores, users, tags etc. directly from your settings page, rather than having to find a post or comment from that store/user to hide/block it/them. In my account > settings > edit > blocked you will find all existing blocked users or stores, and now the ability to add new ones at the bottom of the page. Picture/more details.
20 Oct 2021 [New Feature]: New event notification for a deal reaching +100 Votes.
Previously users could receive an event notification if a deal hit the front page (+30 votes). We now have an additional option to receive a notification when a deal reaches +100 votes. Users may find that receiving a front page notification is too frequent and this will allow you to only receive notifications for the most popular deals. As always you can choose between web notification, email notification or both. If you select the web notification you'll get a push notification from the OzBargain App.
To turn this on: My Account > Settings > Subscriptions > Events > Notify me when: A deal reaches +100 votes. Picture/more details.
02 Dec 2021 - No early posts for Epic Game Stores 21 Days of Free Games (Repeat of 2020 Ruling)
We won't be allowing any posts for the upcoming Epic Game Store 21 days of freebies, until the day they have started. See here.
25 Jan 2022 [Guideline Update]: Classifieds - Banned Items
Therapeutic goods (Such as paracetamol, rapid antigen tests, masks or hand sanitiser) are also no longer allowed. See guidelines.
25 Mar 2022 [New Feature]: Hide tags from Front Page.
Users could previously hide deals on the new deal page by tag, however this feature did not extend to the front page. Users now have the option to hide it from the front page additionally. To hide a specific tag from the front page and/or new deals page:
- Click on the tag, eg video card.
- Click the 3 dots menu in the top right corner.
- Click the checkboxes for hide on Front page and/or hide on New deals page.
15 June 2022 [Guideline Update]: Classifieds - What can Be Posted?
We have made a major update to our Classified Guidelines to list what can and cannot be posted, in more specific detail. This follows our prior update on 5 June 2019. More details.
21 June 2022 [New Feature]: New Event Notification - A deal reaches +30 votes in 30 minutes.
We have now added a third option to capture 'hot' deals that are have reached a large number of votes in a short amount of time, to give the users the ability to know about them sooner, rather than waiting until they hit 100 votes (which could be too late).
To turn this on: My Account > Settings > Subscriptions > Events > Notify me when: A deal reaches +30 votes in 30 minutes. More details.
12 Sep 22 [Guideline Update]: Deals from Amazon third party/marketplace sellers will no longer be allowed from associated users. Details
16 Sep 22 [New Feature]: New node subscription option Details
5 Oct 22 [New Guideline]: New guideline covering the advertisement of therapeutic goods.
12 Oct 22 [Enhancement]: Node subscription option change Details
13 Dec 22 [New Guideline] No early separate posts for Epic Game Stores 15 Days of Free Games (Modification of 2020/2021 Ruling) Details
We won't be allowing any separate posts for the upcoming Epic Game Store 21 days of freebies, until the previous day's free game has begun (excluding Day 1).
See here for details.
9 Feb 2023 [Enhancement]: New Store Options for Users to Mark Association Details.
17 Feb 2023 [New Feature]: Self Removal of comments now has no limit. Details.
17 Feb 2023 [New Feature]: 'Disableduser' is now 'Deactivated', reactivation process is now streamlined. Details.
5 May 2023 [New Feature]: Notification Grouping. Details
9 Aug 2023 [New Feature]: Subscribe to Brands & Product Categories Details
24 Aug 2023 [New Feature]: Telegram Channel & Notifications Details
9 Jan 2024 [New Feature]: Negative Comment Voting Increased Details
9 Jan 2024 [Guideline Update]: Long Running Deal Reposts & 6 Month Duplicate Exception Update Details
15 Feb 2024 [New Feature] - /lastcomment Added Details
4 Apr 2024 [Enhancement] - New competition residency eligibility of 'Australia & New Zealand', and filter option for 'New Zealand' Details
4 Apr 2024 [New Feature] - 'Go to Last Top-Level Comment' Option
The comment menu now has an option to 'Go to Last Top-Level Comment'. Details
Related threads:
- Site Issue Announcements - Downtime etc. announcements
- Comments / Feedback / Suggestions Thread 2020 - Make requests/give feedback here.
- Merchant Takedown Requests - For deals we have removed and why.
- User-Submitted Referral Code Updates - For referral system requests/discussion
- Site Discussion Forum - For all site discussion posts
- Talk with a Moderator (TWAM) - To talk (privately) with a moderator
20 Oct 2021 [New Feature]: New event notification for a deal reaching +100 Votes.
Previously users could receive an event notification if a deal hit the front page (+30 votes). We now have an additional option to receive a notification when a deal reaches +100 votes. Users may find that receiving a front page notification is too frequent and this will allow you to only receive notifications for the most popular deals. As always you can choose between web notification, email notification or both. If you select the web notification you'll get a push notification from the OzBargain App.
To turn this on: My Account > Settings > Subscriptions > Events > Notify me when: A deal reaches +100 votes.
For those that receive email notifications for +30 vote deals, you may have noticed a wording change to the email subject this week.