Now bans for price manipulation have always intrigued me on this site, and recently even more so. This is chiefly because I am not sure what the requirements are for them or why certain ban lengths are what they are.
As an example (I have been told to stress as powerfully as I can that these are simply examples and not meant to be a witch hunt of any kind), we have two alternate accounts banned for manipulation attempts of two separate users. Extensive proof is laid out for everyone to see in both cases. The main accounts of each user are unbanned as of this post. The main accounts also happen to be somewhat prolific main site suggesters.
https://backpack.tf/u/76561198279553594
http://backpack.tf/u/76561198206128580
And as it happens we have a separate user who has been permanently banned for manipulation. Proof is provided in the form of one cropped screenshot with one side of the conversation entirely censored.
http://backpack.tf/u/76561197976440654
Now this begs the question: What is the requirement for a manipulation ban to be what it is? There doesn't seem to be any sort of clarification for it or details in the rules, so perhaps a strong suggestion for the site would be to clarify or make consistent manipulation bans. As it stands it almost seems as if one can be exempt from a manipulation ban if they are a solid contributor to the site. It also seems as if there is no formal process for deciding how a manipulation ban should be handled. A compartmentalized system would most likely be more efficient.
What do you guys think about this?
Most gratefully and sincerely,
-HarryG