Spam in the trade channel

Good morning, Sarinna!

This particular question has been posed several times before; and, if you'll permit me, I'd like to reiterate my responses herein, as I feel the information provided to be apt and on point with your specific query.

To quote:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=2040597095&sid=1#3

Q u o t e:
[quote]So my question: does reporting these guys do anything?

You are welcome to report any behavior--be it physical or verbal--which you feel to be questionable or counterintuitive to our policies, Kachra. This includes, as well, actions or gestures which may not be explicitly listed within our rule sets, though bear semblance to those which are so clearly defined. We will be happy to review any situation wherein harassment may be in effect and determine whether or not action or intervention be necessary.

"[D]oes reporting these guys do anything?"

Yes.

In the strictest sense, it allows our representatives the opportunity to throughly investigate the matter at hand; however, such an investigation will not guarantee any form of penalty, as each of these instances of possible harassment are addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Q u o t e:
I use the report spam feature on pretty much everyone that does it, but I see the same people doing it over and over.

Participating in a form of general discussion in an otherwise-allocated channel (Trade, for example)--albeit distracting and, at times, unfavorable--is not a violation, in and of itself. While we do encourage players to remain on-topic, it is by no means forbidden to engage in tangential conversations, even if such conversations may, in fact, digress from the channel's "intended" progression.

We consider "spam" to be that of repetition, my friend--consistent repetition--wherein one provides the same statement or emote multiple times within a very small window. This said, it is quite possible that the players you've reported have not yet crossed the appropriate threshold, succeeding in annoying the general populace, though failing to sufficiently spam a channel. Unfortunately, simply being a jerk--as stated many times before--is not grounds for action.

Q u o t e:
Should I be using the manual report?

In situations where the behavior-in-question is not clearly repetitive, it is best to use the in-game petitioning system. This will permit further, more in-depth review, as well as allow you to provide more context or explanation (if believed necessary or beneficial). :)

To speak more directly on the matter: The "Report Spam" feature was primarily designed to address the presence of in-game advertising and straightforward examples of spam; it is not a catch-all for all occurrences of harassment violations. This said, it would be best to report these cases separately, via petition or email, unless otherwise specified.

Q u o t e:
Isn't the policy a bit different if it had been on an RP realm?

Correct; all public channels are subject to scrutiny on an Role-Play realm. The realm in question, however, is categorized as naught but PvE, allowing for a more lenient regard of those conversations held in General, Trade, and Say.

Q u o t e:
If someone is spamming (filling the screen with the same text), via trade, say, emote, whatever...Should I not use the right click feature? Is that ONLY to be used with gold sellers?

The "Report Spam" feature is intended to be used for any excessively repetitive messages that could be considered "spam" as per our policies; thus, while unsolicited advertising may be the most prominent example of such behaviour, you're welcome to report players via right-click if you feel that their conduct falls within the boundaries of our policy against spam. I hope that is of some clarification as to our stance on the matter. :)