If you want to use semantics, the pricelist feature of backpack.tf is the primary one and the classifieds are a secondary thing, which allows those links to not be so problematic.

The bot and auction features of other sites are indeed trading features that compete with Outpost, and are not allowed.

Simple as that, primary vs. secondary functions of the various sites.

What you need to do is take this report to the scam report section of the forums:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/groups/tf2outpost/discussions/3/

Format your post as the instructions page asks and provide all proof that you have, including screenshots of the trade/chat.

For the future, refrain from trading people claiming to have money, but own no games on steam and are only level one.

I won't pretend to know the justification behind what the mods do and how they react to different situations. I do know that you want to make an appeal for someone that isn't you, who insulted someone else then got banned for it. The screenshot is enough proof of that.

We can sit here and talk about ethics and trading site philosophy for hours, but at the end of the day, Your friend with the characters as letters name thing insulted someone else, and got banned.

I will agree with you though that all people should be the same and if you insulted someone, that you too should have got a ban.

That explains a few things. Firstly, the week long ban is because he's been banned before, and this is not just some first time thing. He should consider it a final warning.

Showing other people who have not been banned for doing things is not pointing out double standards, it's pointing out people lucky enough to not be caught yet. The mod staff is not omnipresent and you cannot expect them to be.

Your screenshot shows him insulting someone by telling them to learn to read and go back to kindergarten. He then got banned for insulting someone. your opinion of what is a viable insult or not doesn't go into the equation here. He insulted someone and got banned for it.

He should take this warning and use it to change his behavior and not insult people anymore, seeing as it's his last chance.

If he's only banned for a week and will be gone the entire summer, then what point is there to make an appeal? He should be the one to make it as well, not a friend.

If he broke the rules, then he deserves to get banned. Shifting blame to other user does not make what he did any less wrong and they too should receive a ban if they deserve one, such as some random person with an "idiot list".

You yourself said he posted a "go back to kindergarten" insult, which got him a ban, and probably won't get overturned. That screenshot also doesn't help his case, he should have hid the post instead of insulting someone else, and should not threaten to use the report system for something so minor.

I think you're making a larger deal of this than it needs to be. It is up to the discretion of Sneeza and the staff to decide what other sites you can or can not link to or how they want their site to operate.Outpost is a trading site on the internet, federal law does not apply here.

I also don't believe that Sneeza would want users to go to rival sites, even if many traders use multiple sites. Coming from a simple competitive standpoint, that makes sense to me and I don't hold anything against them for closing trades with links. If you dislike the way the site is ran, I would believe it would be best to then move your trading solely to Bazaar.

True, but if one idiot scammer doesn't realize that, then the site just gets a little better.

Again, there is a reason that he was marked, it didn't just come from out of nowhere. He can and should appeal and if he is as clean as he says, it will be lifted.

By allowing that, you'd allow actual scammers to freely use the site and find targets.

If you're marked, I'd suggest taking that up with steamrep.

Then report them? What is the point of making a topic like this?

I don't know how it typically goes and can't make any promises, but I do know Valve will restore stolen items from time to time, this is how many items that are duplicated enter the market and is the main cause behind seeing "origin: steam support" when looking up some item histories.