The Exchange — Prohibited Items

What you may not post

The Exchange is for legal, honest buying, selling, and trading between Marines. The items and postings below are not allowed. Posting them may get your listing removed and your account suspended. This list is not exhaustive — when in doubt, leave it out, and report anything that looks wrong.

Illegal & harmful

Prostitution, commercial sex, or anything that offers, solicits, or facilitates sex trafficking.
Any exploitation or endangerment of minors, including child sexual abuse material. Zero tolerance, and reported to authorities.
Stolen property, or items with the serial number removed or altered; burglary or theft tools.
Any good, service, or content that breaks the law or violates the legal rights of others.

Regulated & restricted goods

Recalled products, or items under a current safety recall (check recalls.gov).
Hazardous materials; human body parts or fluids; used or unsanitized bedding or clothing.
Prescription drugs, medical devices, controlled substances, or related paraphernalia.
Alcohol, tobacco, or vaping products.
Loose, unpackaged, adulterated, or expired food or cosmetics.
Endangered or protected species, or any parts thereof (for example, ivory).
Other regulated items may only be posted if the sale fully complies with all applicable laws. (Firearms and ammunition are allowed but have their own rules — see below.)

Firearms & Ammunition — Allowed, With Strict Rules

Firearms and ammunition are allowed on The Exchange, but they are the most heavily regulated category here. You are fully responsible for the legality of your sale. By posting a firearm or ammunition, you agree to all of the following:

Comply with all federal, state, and local laws governing the sale, transfer, and possession of firearms and ammunition. No exceptions.
Any transfer that crosses state lines must go through a licensed firearms dealer (FFL), as federal law requires. Do not ship or hand a firearm directly to a buyer in another state.
Do not sell or transfer to anyone who is, or who you have reason to believe is, prohibited by law from possessing a firearm, and do not sell to anyone under the legal age. Confirm the buyer is legally eligible.
Follow every background-check requirement that applies to your sale and your location.
No machine guns, unregistered NFA items, destructive devices, or any weapon otherwise banned by law. NFA-regulated items may only be listed if fully registered and transferred lawfully.
No stolen firearms, and none with an altered or removed serial number.
The Exchange is a listing board only. We do not broker, ship, facilitate, or take part in any transfer, and we are not a party to the sale. The legal responsibility is entirely yours.

If you are not certain a sale is legal, do not post it. When in doubt, route the transfer through a licensed dealer.

Government & identity items

Government assistance benefits — food stamps, SNAP or WIC vouchers or goods, or other public-assistance benefits.
ID cards, driver's licenses, passports, birth certificates, other government documents, or police and official insignia.
US military items that have not been demilitarized in accordance with US Department of Defense policy.
Counterfeit, replica, or pirated goods; tickets or gift cards whose terms restrict transfer.

Gambling & schemes

Lottery or raffle tickets, sweepstakes entries, slot machines, or other gambling items.
MLM, network marketing, pyramid schemes, or affiliate-marketing recruitment (see our MLM Policy).

Spam, fraud & misuse

False, misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent content; bait-and-switch; keyword spam.
Offensive, obscene, defamatory, threatening, or malicious postings or messages.
Anyone's personal, identifying, confidential, or proprietary information.
Spam, or duplicate, cross-posted, or miscategorized listings.
Postings whose main purpose is to drive traffic to another website, or to promote or link to unsolicited products or services.
Services, jobs, gigs, and business opportunities — those belong on the MarinesConnect Opportunities board, not The Exchange.

See something that breaks these rules? Use the Report button on any listing.