Ouddict — Terms and Community Rules

Last updated: 1st June, 2026

Welcome to Ouddict. These Terms and Community Rules govern your use of the Ouddict forum and any associated services (the "Service"). They exist to keep Ouddict a knowledgeable, respectful and trustworthy community for everyone with an interest in agarwood, oud, natural perfumery and related crafts.

By registering for or using the Service, you accept these Terms in full, including the exclusions and limitations of liability set out below. If you do not agree with anything in this notice, you should not register for or use the Service. These Terms may be updated at any time; continued use after a change constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you wish to close your account, please contact us.

1. The Spirit of Ouddict

Ouddict is first and foremost a community of enthusiasts, makers and the genuinely curious. Most of what keeps the forum healthy is not written in any rule: share what you know, be generous with newcomers, give credit, disagree well, and assume good faith. The rules below exist to protect that culture and to set clear boundaries where they are needed. Where a situation is not explicitly covered, members are expected to act in the spirit of these principles.

2. Respectful Conduct

Ouddict expects members to be courteous and respectful of one another. To be clear:

• Personal attacks, aggressive messages, harassment, threats and passive-aggressive behaviour are unacceptable.
• Hate speech or discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or any similar characteristic will not be tolerated.
• Critical examination of ideas, products or viewpoints is welcome and is not, by itself, an attack. Criticise the argument, not the person.
• If you take particular issue with another member and cannot reply in a civil and constructive way, use the ignore function and step back from the thread.

If someone attacks you and you respond with an attack, you may be warned regardless of who started it. Report the behaviour rather than escalating it (see Section 13).

3. Posting Standards

• Posts should be constructive and on topic. Off-topic posts may be moved or deleted as required.
• For common questions, simply telling someone to "search" is not acceptable. If a topic has been covered before, point the member to the relevant thread.
• If you disagree with a post and feel the need to reply, explain why. Disagreement should add to the discussion, not shut it down.
• Use clear, descriptive thread titles, and search before opening a new thread on an established subject.
• Do not post spam, repetitive content, or low-effort posts created mainly to inflate post counts or visibility.
• AI-generated content: You are welcome to use tools to help you write, but content presented as personal experience, expert testing, sourcing documentation or product claims must be truthful. Do not pass off fabricated or unverified AI-generated information as first-hand fact.

4. Prohibited Content and Behaviour

You agree not to use the Service to submit, link to, or distribute any content which:

• is defamatory, abusive, hateful, threatening or harassing;
• is spam or spam-like, or is posted primarily for advertising or self-promotion;
• is sexually explicit, obscene, or otherwise objectionable;
• contains the personal information of others (see Section 8);
• infringes copyright, trademark or other intellectual property rights;
• contains or links to malware, phishing, fraudulent schemes, or content designed to misappropriate personal or financial data;
• promotes, facilitates or instructs in unlawful activity; or
• otherwise violates any applicable law.

Ouddict reserves the right to remove or modify any content, and to take action against any account, at its discretion and without explanation.

5. Commercial Activity, Trading and Vendors

Ouddict is a community first and a marketplace second. To protect members from low-quality, misrepresented or illegally traded goods, commercial activity is tightly controlled.

5.1 Who may engage in commercial activity

Commercial activity on the forum is limited to:

• Approved Resident Artisans operating within the terms of their vendor arrangement with Ouddict; and
• Private, occasional sales and exchanges between genuine members of items from their own personal collection.

All other commercial activity by any non-registered vendor or trader is strictly prohibited on every board, and such parties do not have access to the Conversation (private messaging) facility. If you are unsure whether something is permitted, contact a member of staff before posting. If in doubt, ask.

5.2 Prohibition of wholesalers, bulk suppliers and unknown traders

This is a firm rule and is enforced strictly. The following are prohibited on Ouddict, whether conducted openly on the boards or privately via Conversations:

• Trading in any capacity with, through, or on behalf of wholesalers, bulk suppliers, distributors, drop-shippers, or any commercial trader who is not an approved Resident Artisan.
• Promoting, advertising, endorsing, recommending, linking to, or otherwise directing members toward any wholesaler, bulk supplier, or unknown, unverified or unaccountable trader — including off-platform marketplaces, social-media sellers, messaging-app sellers and anonymous listings.
• Acting as a front, agent, reseller or intermediary for an undisclosed or unverified third party, including buying on behalf of, or facilitating sales for, such parties.
• Soliciting or coordinating group buys, bulk purchases or "wholesale" arrangements that route members to unverified sources.

"Unknown" or "unverified" means any seller whose identity, provenance and regulatory compliance cannot be established and stood behind. Resident Artisan status exists precisely so that members can buy with confidence; circumventing it is a serious breach. Any vendor or trader found in breach of this rule will receive a final warning or have their account suspended or removed, at the discretion of forum management.

5.3 Private member sales

Genuine members may, from time to time, sell or exchange items from their own collections, where this is permitted by the forum. Such sales must be personal and non-commercial in nature. They must not be a disguise for vendor activity, wholesaling, or sales on behalf of a third party.

5.4 No unsolicited selling

Vendors and members may not solicit sales via Conversations or any private channel unless direct communication has been explicitly invited by the other party. Do not use member contact details to push goods or services.

5.5 Honesty and accurate representation

Any product discussed in a commercial context, or offered for sale or exchange, must be described truthfully and accurately. This includes claims as to species, country and region of origin, age, wild versus cultivated/plantation source, distillation method, purity, and whether a material is natural, nature-identical or synthetic. Misrepresenting goods — including passing off adulterated, "cut", reconstituted or synthetic material as something it is not — is prohibited and may result in removal from the Service.

6. Legality and Regulatory Compliance of Materials

Agarwood and many natural perfumery materials are subject to international and national law. Ouddict requires that all materials offered, sold, exchanged, sampled, reviewed for sale, or promoted on the Service comply fully with all applicable laws and regulations — both in the jurisdiction in which the vendor or member resides and operates, and in any jurisdiction to or from which goods are moved.

Compliance is the sole responsibility of the vendor or member. Ouddict does not verify, warrant or accept liability for the legality, provenance or compliance of any material offered by any party. By trading or promoting any material on the Service, you represent that you hold all necessary permits, certificates and authorisations and that the material has been sourced and is being traded lawfully.

6.1 CITES

Agarwood-producing taxa — all species of Aquilaria and Gyrinops — are listed on Appendix II of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). International trade in agarwood and its derivatives, including chips, powder, oil and finished products, is regulated accordingly. Members and vendors must:

• hold and be able to evidence the appropriate CITES export, re-export and (where required) import permits or certificates for any international movement of regulated material;
• observe CITES provisions on artificially propagated and plantation-grown material, and on personal and household effects (under which limited quantities — broadly up to 1 kg of woodchips, 24 ml of oil, and two sets of beads/bracelets/necklaces per person — may move without permits, subject to change and to national rules);
• never trade wild-harvested protected material without the documentation required to do so lawfully.

6.2 Animal-derived materials

Animal-derived materials carry particular legal and ethical sensitivity. All musk deer species are listed under CITES (Appendix I or II), and international trade in Appendix I specimens is prohibited; civet and ambergris-bearing species are likewise subject to CITES and other controls. The wider fragrance industry, through IFRA, has called for the cessation of natural deer musk since 2000. Accordingly:

• any animal-derived material (e.g. deer musk, civet, ambergris) traded or promoted on the Service must be demonstrably legal and, where applicable, CITES-certified, with documentation available on request;
• "vintage", "antique" or otherwise undocumented animal materials may not be offered for sale where their legality and provenance cannot be evidenced.

6.3 Other applicable frameworks

Depending on the product and market, vendors must also comply with frameworks including but not limited to:

• IFRA Standards on the safe use and concentration of fragrance ingredients;
• chemical regulations such as REACH and CLP (UK and EU) and equivalent national chemical-safety and labelling laws;
• cosmetics regulations governing finished fragrance products (e.g. the UK Cosmetics Regulation, EU Cosmetics Regulation, US MoCRA), including allergen labelling and safety assessment requirements;
• all national customs, import/export, consumer-protection and biodiversity laws applicable to the materials and the territories concerned.

Ouddict may remove any listing, post or account where there is reasonable doubt as to the legality or compliance of the materials involved, and may require evidence of compliance before reinstating it.

7. Privacy and Member Data

• Do not compile, store or use other members' personal information — including names, addresses, telephone or fax numbers, email addresses or other contact details appearing on the forum — for the purpose of creating marketing or mailing lists, or for sending unsolicited material by any means.
• Do not publish or share another person's private or identifying information ("doxxing") without their clear consent.
• Do not submit any content you consider private or confidential, as content may be reviewed by staff and may be sent to third-party verification services (for example, spam-prevention services).
• By registering, you give implied permission for the forum and/or associated third parties to use your registered email for non-commercial and commercial communications. You may opt out at registration or when you receive such communications.

8. Account Integrity

• Each member may have only one account. Duplicate accounts may be banned.
• Do not impersonate another person, member, vendor or member of staff.
• You must provide true, accurate, current and complete information when registering, and keep it up to date. If information is found to be fraudulent, untrue, inaccurate or incomplete — or there are reasonable grounds to suspect so — we may suspend or terminate the account without notice and refuse any current or future use of the forum.
• You are responsible for keeping your account credentials secure. Do not share your password.

9. Intellectual Property — Copyrights and Trademarks

All content and images used on this site are owned or licensed by Ouddict or its affiliates for use on this site only. Unauthorised use is prohibited. This includes, without limitation, all forum posts, Blog entries, OudWiki, Fragrant Map and Resident Vendor content.

"Ouddict" and any associated services are trademarks of Ouddict. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as conferring any licence or right under any Ouddict patent, copyright or trademark.

Do not post content that infringes the intellectual property of others, and do not plagiarise the work, words or images of other members or third parties. Attribute sources where appropriate.

10. Content Licence and Moderation Rights

• Ouddict is not responsible for any user-generated content and accounts ("Content"). Content expresses the views of its author only.
• All Content you submit or upload may be reviewed by staff and may be sent to third-party verification services.
• We reserve the right to remove or modify any Content for any reason without explanation, and to take action against any account at any time. Requests for Content to be removed or modified will be undertaken at our discretion.
• By submitting Content, you grant Ouddict a non-exclusive, permanent, irrevocable, unlimited licence to use, publish or re-publish that Content in connection with the Service.

11. Moderation, Warnings, Suspensions and Bans

Ouddict aims to enforce these rules proportionately and consistently. Enforcement typically follows an escalating path — informal guidance, formal warning, temporary suspension, and, in the most serious cases, a permanent ban — though staff may move directly to a stronger measure where the breach is severe.

• If a moderator or staff member takes an action or posts a directive (for example, to stop with a particular topic), you must comply. If you discover a directive only after posting something that contravenes it, delete your post, or it will be treated as ignoring moderators.
• Permanent bans are rarely issued, and only in severe cases where a member has grossly violated the rules or has a proven record of disruptive and abusive behaviour following repeated warnings and temporary suspensions. Bringing forum members into disrepute may also result in a ban.
• As with warnings and temporary suspensions, permanent bans are issued on a per-person basis.
• Decisions regarding permanent bans lie solely with the Ouddict Admin team and are final.

12. Reporting and Appeals

• If you feel another member is attacking or being aggressive toward you, report the message to staff. Do not respond publicly — public back-and-forth derails topics and makes them uncomfortable for others.
• To report rule-breaking, suspected illegal trading, or a non-compliant vendor, use the report function or the contact system.
• If you have a problem with, or a question about, a moderator's decision, contact the moderator privately or submit a message through the contact system. Posts or topics discussing moderator actions will be removed.
• Permanent bans are not eligible for general appeal after a given length of time. However, those who have been permanently banned may appeal if they believe they have been banned unfairly or in error.

13. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

While reasonable efforts are made to ensure the contents of this site are accurate, this site and its contents are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without warranties of any kind, including any warranty that the site will be kept up to date, be true and not misleading, or that it will always (or ever) be available. Ouddict and its affiliates disclaim all warranties, express or implied, with respect to the site and its contents, including, without limitation, warranties of accuracy, completeness, timeliness, non-infringement, title, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Because some jurisdictions do not permit the exclusion of certain warranties, these exclusions may not apply to you.

Ouddict does not warrant that the servers making this site available will be free of errors, viruses, worms or bugs, and you accept that it is your responsibility to make adequate provision for protection against such threats.

In no event will Ouddict or its affiliates be liable for any incidental, indirect, consequential or special damages of any kind, or any damages whatsoever — including, without limitation, those resulting from loss of profits, contracts, goodwill, data, information, income, anticipated savings or business relationships — whether or not Ouddict or its affiliates have been advised of the possibility of such damage, arising out of or in connection with the use of this site, its contents, or any other sites linked to it.

Ouddict is not a party to, and accepts no responsibility or liability for, any transaction, sale, exchange or dealing between members or between members and vendors, including the legality, quality, safety, provenance or regulatory compliance of any material or product.

14. Applicable Laws

Ouddict's websites contain information about products that may or may not be available in any particular country and, where applicable, may have received approval or market clearance from a governmental regulatory body for different indications and restrictions in different countries. Each country has specific laws, regulations and practices governing the trade of agarwood and its derivative products, and the trade in other natural and animal-derived materials. Nothing herein should be construed as a solicitation or promotion for any product, or for an indication for any product, that is not authorised by the laws and regulations of the country where the reader resides.

15. Health Information

This site may contain information on medical and health-related topics. This information is not a substitute for advice from your own physician or other medical professional. You should not use it to diagnose a health problem or disease, and should always consult your own physician.

16. Changes to These Terms

These Terms may be changed at any time without notice. Where practical, material changes will be noted on the forum. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

If you do not agree with these Terms, please do not register or use this Service.