iPad Contest Extended - Make Ten Connections Before December 31

The response to our iPad contest has been extraordinary, so we've extended the deadline until December 31. Just make ten approved Connections before then and you're automatically entered into our drawing for a free iPad.

Many Tradeloop members are building their own private networks and there are a lot of open Connections requests. We want to enter every Tradeloop user into the drawing, so check your Connections page and respond to your invitations. Make at least ten Connections and you could be the winner on December 31.

It's easy to create your own dealer network:

1. At the Dealer Directory, search for individuals you want to add to your Trusted Network.
   
2. Go to the person's profile page and click on the "Add name to your Network" link.
3. Type a short personal invitation at the "Request Connection" page.
4. The Manage Connections link on your Tradeloop Account Home page displays the status of your network. It tells you who's Connected, who's invited you to join their networks, and lists the invitations you've sent.

This is your last chance! Send out your own Connections invitations and respond to the ones you receive. You could be the lucky Tradeloop member who celebrates the new year with a new iPad.

Learn more about the drawing at our official iPad Contest page.

A Big Tradeloop "Thank You" To Our Members

This week, we're taking time to thank the many Tradeloop members who have contributed to the trading community in important ways. They've helped protect the community from fraud, encouraged new members to join, offered their suggestions to help us upgrade Tradeloop features, and more. For example:

• Volunteer Ethics Committee members donate their time to investigate Ethics complaints and work with the parties involved to try and resolve the cases amicably. When that's not possible, they make the tough decisions to warn or even ban companies from Tradeloop.
• Fast Track Fraud Alerts: Thanks to the Tradeloop members who suspected fraud and quickly brought it to our attention. Because of their diligence, we were able to warn the Tradeloop community about identity theft, fake companies, and other shady activities.
• Refer a Friend members: They recommended Tradeloop to other wholesalers and helped grow the community, giving all members more trading options.

However, the biggest "thank you" of all goes to every Tradeloop member and registered user who took advantage of the new features we rolled out this year. Your comments and suggestions helped us add new services and upgrade existing ones. They range from new privacy options to social networking tools to the launch of the mobile version of the Tradeloop site.

But you deserve more than a simple thank you. We want to enter you into our November 30 drawing for a free iPad. Any Tradeloop user who makes 10 approved Connections before the deadline is automatically entered to win.

Learn more at our official iPad Contest page or go directly to the Dealer Directory and start making Connections.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

iWant To Win An iPad - Don't You?

Time is running out to win a free iPad from Tradeloop. Any Tradeloop member or registered user who makes at least 10 approved Connections is automatically entered in the drawing. One lucky person will get an early present from Tradeloop.

Just entering the contest makes you a winner. You'll have a circle of trusted partners and your own private trading network. Tradeloop's Connections system allows you to:

• Buy & sell with just your trusted network
• Set your own privacy settings for your network
• View Broadcasts from just your trusted network

There are no forms to fill out, no purchase necessary, and nothing to mail. Anyone with ten approved Connections is automatically entered in the drawing. Learn more at our official iPad Contest page or go directly to the Dealer Directory and start making Connections.

Do it today: there's not much time left!

Welcome Tradeloop's New Ethics Committee Members

Tradeloop's all-volunteer Ethics Committee has two new members: Marcia Young from Parallel Technology and Marc Drews from World Data Products, Inc. Many thanks to these members for their willingness to serve the trading community. The Ethics Committee is a group of industry stalwarts who volunteer their time and work with Tradeloop staff to help resolve a wide variety of business disputes. Committee members are busy, but never bored: in just the past year, they've reviewed cases involving identity theft, fraud, counterfeiting, payment disputes, damaged shipments, and more. Tradeloop's Ethics Committee is an indispensable part of our Ethics process. In every case, the Committee tries to guide all parties towards an amicable resolution and works to keep the process fair and transparent. See for yourself! Tradeloop members can review the details of posted cases at our Ethics blog. We encourage every Tradeloop member to consider volunteering their time with the Committee. The membership requirements are straightforward. A prospective member must:

• Be a Tradeloop member for at least a year.
• Be in good standing with Tradeloop (e.g. active and paying members only).
• Have no ethics complaints against them.
• Pass a review by the current Ethics Committee.

We try to fill vacancies quickly because a full Committee can spread the work around more efficiently. To streamline the process, we maintain a waiting list of Tradeloop members who are willing to volunteer. Would you like to serve on the Ethics Committee? There's no drawn-out application process - just contact Customer Service and ask to be added to the Ethics Committee waiting list.

Counterfeiting Allegations: One Reason We Banned a Tradeloop Member

Tradeloop's all-volunteer Ethics Committee closed Ethics Complaint #5089 last month and banned the defendant company - Sunrich Innovation, Ltd. The initial allegation was serious and deserved immediate attention: the complainant alleged that Sunrich was selling counterfeit HP equipment.

Surprisingly, that wasn't why the Ethics Committee voted to ban the company. Here's what happened.

1. In August 2010, Tradeloop received reliable information that Sunrich Innovation Ltd. was selling counterfeit equipment and contacted the company about the Ethics complaint.
2. Sunrich responded and denied the allegation.
3. During its investigation, the Ethics Committee discussed the difficulty of proving allegations of counterfeiting and the best way to handle the issue in a way that's fair to everyone involved.
4. Tradeloop contacted Sunrich and requested two business references within either the US or UK. Since the company had been trading with Tradeloop members, we asked Sunrich to make sure that the two customer references were also Tradeloop member companies.
5. After a delay, Sunrich provided two references, but only one was a Tradeloop member and didn't respond to our request for the additional reference.
6. The Ethics Committee voted to ban Sunrich from Tradeloop until they provide acceptable business references.

That's a long description of a simple process. We asked them for references. They didn't respond until their membership status was in jeopardy. They didn't respond completely. The Ethics Committee voted to ban them until they do.

Remember that the Ethics process is required for Tradeloop members. It's a condition of membership and we work to make the process as fair and transparent as possible. Members can view Ethics Committee questions and member responses for posted cases at the Tradeloop ethics blog.

Counterfeiting is taken seriously at Tradeloop. The Ethics Committee is discussing how to address allegations in a way that protects the rights of all parties involved. They welcome your comments and suggestions too! Please share your opinions here at the Tradeloop blog.

Please Congratulate These Longstanding Tradeloop Members

Please join us as as we congratulate these Tradeloop members who have been part of the trading community for 5 years or longer. Many have donated time to our all-volunteer Ethics Committee or provided other services to the community. All are valued members and we thank them for their commitment to Tradeloop.

November 1999

• Texas Discount Computers
  

November 2000

• Belmont Trading Company
• Sillworks
  

November 2001

• Sea View Technologies
• Tech for Less LLC
  

November 2002

• Norris Systems
• RW Data
• United Systems Tech
  

November 2003

• TechRegen
• Acclinet
• CCNY
  

November 2004

• NTS Computers BV
  

November 2005

• Round 2 Technologies
• RL Networks
• EJ Tech Solutions
  

Do you have colleagues who haven't joined Tradeloop yet? Invite them to try out a 90-day membership through our "Refer a Friend" program. We'll give you a free month at Tradeloop for each person you refer who registers for a trial membership. Get started here.

Are You In the Drawing For A Free iPad?

There's still time to qualify to win a free iPad from Tradeloop. Just make ten approved Connections and you're automatically entered into the drawing. Our new Connections system lets you set up your own trusted network of dealers inside Tradeloop. Some features of the system include:

• Privacy options: You decide how much information to share about your network.
• Private Broadcasts: Send Broadasts just to your network or individual members inside your network.
• Inventory search: Search the inventory of individual dealers in your Network.

Making Connections is easy:

1. From the Dealer Directory, search for individuals you want to add to your Trusted Network.
   
2. Go to the person's profile page and click on the "Add name to your Network" link.
3. Type a short personal invitation at the "Request Connection" page.
4. The Manage Connections link on your Tradeloop Account Home page displays the status of your network: who's Connected, who's invited you to join their networks, and invitations you've sent.

Learn more at our official iPad Contest page or go directly to the Dealer Directory and start making Connections.

Always Improving Security At Tradeloop

In addition to our rigorous membership verification procedures for new Tradeloop wholesale members, we've added an additional security step at the sub-account level. Members can create as many sub-accounts as they need, but each sub-account will have to be reviewed/approved by Tradeloop before that user can send Broadcasts.

Some Tradeloop members have contacted us recently because they were concerned about unapproved members sending out Broadcasts. They'd receive a Broadcast, click on the sender's profile, and see a warning that the user had not been approved.

Now, new sub-account users will receive a message telling them that their sub-account is awaiting approval. They'll be able to send Broadcasts as soon as that process is complete. This is part of our commitment to protect the integrity of member accounts. We also require that a company name change or user name changes be reviewed by Tradeloop staff before they're approved - even if it's just to correct a spelling error.

Fraud and identity theft are no laughing matter. They ruin reputations and destroy trust between dealers. At Tradeloop, we'll continue to maintain strict standards that protect individual accounts and the entire trading community.