I wanted to make a thread where I traded stuff from people from throughout the world such as money (small amounts), or shotglasses, or some other low value thing. Obviously we wouldn’t be posting our addresses on the forum. It would all be via PM or email. Is this type of a topic allowed?
Until an administrator comes along with the final word, let me enlighten you with my understanding (as a poster, not as a moderator of this board):
While we’ve allowed “Secret Santa” and the like in the past, we would prefer that your trading threads be done on boards set up specifically for that purpose. It is really not within the purview of this board to become a trading site. So the answer would be no.
But let me say thank you very much for asking! We all appreciate it.
We’ve approved exchanges of specific items for the same type of item, such as shotglasses, candy from different counties, and the like. We’ve also approved dissimilar exhanges such as Secret Santa, holiday cards, and the like.
But - we are not a barter site, nor are we a veiled ebay.
If you have an idea for an exchange, please get approval before you post, from the moderators of MPSIMS, where these threads are most appropriate, or from an admin.
As we said in the Rules (which you may read in entirety by clicking on the “Rules” hyperlink at the top of the page):
So on the face of it you should be okay. We do step in if it gets excessive or if people are using the SDMB to flog their ebay sales or private businesses, but you’re not going there so it shouldn’t be a problem.
Thanks for the information guys! Yeah, the rules are where I should have checked first, but I didn’t think to. I will next time to see if it’s specifically covered.
The specific topic I had in mind was to see if we had enough international people willing/wanting to participate in trading currency. For instance, I might want to trade a U.S penny, nickel, dime, quarter, one dollar bill, five dollar bill for an equivalent amount of foreign currency. Once someone agrees we an exchange information via email/PM to complete the deal. I thought it would be neat to make some kind of picture with a bunch of foreign currency on it to put on my wall.
I definitely didn’t have linking to my ebay or anything else in mind.
Who says an admin is never there when you need one? 
Usually what happens in these exchanges is that one person agrees to organize it, everyone who wants to participate sends his or her username plus real name and address to that person, and the organizer then distributes the information, either as lists (such as for Valentines, where everyone sends and gets 15 or 20) or as individual entries (such as for Secret Santa or the T-shirt exchange).
For what you’re talking about, however, it sounds like each person would be exchanging with you, so … never mind.