Code of Conduct

RULES & GUIDELINES
This is a group for residents of the Cowichan Valley area to buy and sell new and used items. We welcome members from all areas, however items that are posted MUST be made available for pickup in Duncan, Shawnigan Lake, Cobble Hill, Mill Bay, Cowichan Station, Maple Bay, Glenorna, Crofton, Lake Cowichan and Chemainus. Items posted for pick up outside of these areas will be removed without notice unless that member has agreed to our travel terms. If you live out of the Cowichan Valley you MUST agree to meet and do transactions in the Cowichan Valley unless you are the other person agree to terms outside of this.

1. GROUP CONTENT:
2. This is a swap and shop, and content should be regarding the purchase and sale of goods. The following is a list of posts / items that are not allowed in the group.

THESE POSTS WILL BE REMOVED WITHOUT WARNING:
• No requests for free items (either by post or solicitation via PM).
• No webpages / links specifically created to request monetary donations (i.e., GoFundMe, YouCaring, Indiegogo, FundAnything, GiveForward, Rally.org, Kickstarter, Pledgie, Fundly).
• No ads to sell, adopt, give away, breed or search for pets.
• No sale of merchandise return / refund cards. The sale of gift cards is allowed. All gift cards must have a photo of the ACTUAL gift card, no stock images allowed.
• No ads for raffle / event tickets (i.e. Capital games), coupon books, cookies, chocolates etc. Fundraisers (such bottle drives or one time events) are permitted in the Events & Community > Local Events > Fundraisers category. We ask that each event be posted only once, by one representative member, in order for all benefits and fundraisers to have the same amount of exposure.
• No requests for votes in contests or promotions.
• No kick-back referral links or codes (i.e., Carrot App, Like My Name, Spud.ca, Tangerine, Zulily, AirBNB).
• Items prohibited for sale by VarageSale’s Terms of Use: More Info Here: http://bit.ly/3HoRDKt
• No sale of prescription medication. Any OTC medication, vitamins or supplements must be UNUSED and in sealed packaging (any vitamins / supplements posted prior to May 25th are exempt from this rule).
• No sales of coupons or samples, including formula sample cans, Similac cheques, perfume or makeup samples, or other items that were given to you for free. These items may be given away for free or traded FOR LIKE ITEMS only (coupons for coupons, formula for formula, etc.).
• No auction-style or "Best Offer Only" listings are permitted. Incentive buying, taunting and bidding through means such as offering more than asking to skip the line will not be tolerated. All items listed MUST have a price. http://bit.ly/3ZRm3vQ
PLEASE NOTE: We welcome small businesses and hobbyists to advertise and sell their wares, however we do have specific guidelines regarding the sale of items that are manufactured / created / refurbished / refinished for profit. The guidelines can be found here:

Small Business Directory guidelines:
http://bit.ly/3XuCPPO
Handmade/Refurbished Items Guidelines:
http://bit.ly/3J06dJw

2A. ETIQUETTE:
The administrative team reserves the right to suspend or revoke membership at any time, for reasons including (but not limited to):
• Racism or bigotry.
• Foul language.
• Inciting, provoking, or perpetuating drama.
• Using the discussion forum to vent or complain about other members or the administration team.
• Leaving negative “praise” for another group member.
• Sale of illegal, pirated or stolen goods (if you believe that an item listed is stolen, you may ask the buyer for the serial number [if applicable], and search it through the Canadian Police Information Centre: http://bit.ly/NFSLf8. Cell phone IMEIs can be queried through http://bit.ly/1fgNgNl. Please contact admin if you suspect someone is selling stolen items, keep all conversations you had with that person and contact the RCMP to open a file.

2B. OPINIONS REGARDING PRICE & USAGE OF ITEMS:

It is not the admins' nor members' responsibility to point out personal opinions on the listed price or usage of individual items being sold. It is up to buyers to research the items they wish to purchase (an item ultimately is worth what a buyer is willing to pay). Comments regarding price, usage, condition, etc. will be removed without warning.

2C. OWNERSHIP OF GOODS SOLD:

By listing an item in this group, the seller represents and warrants that they are the sole owner of said item. Members listing on behalf of other individuals is prohibited, as per Varagesale Terms of Service. Items posted that do not belong to the seller will be removed without notice. In addition, sellers posting items for members who have been suspended or revoked will result in suspension or removal from the Cowichan Valley Varagesale group.

1. SWAP & SHOP ETHICS:

• Do not use another person's post to sell your own items (i.e.” I have this for sale too”).
• Tagging members in an item you think they would like does not give them first dibs nor are you putting them in line. Each member can only state their own interest on an item and the time stamp on that interested comment will determine where they are in line.
• If something is cross posted (ie also posted on a FB BST site, CL, UV etc) PLEASE STATE SO when posting.
• Private messages do NOT count toward order of interest on an item. Only comments made on the item itself count toward the order of INTEREST.
• Once you have committed to sell an item to another member (you have made arrangements for a sale) it is expected that you follow through with this arrangement. If someone else offers to come sooner, or pay more, you are still expected to honor your original arrangement. FCFS (First Come, First Served) sales are not allowed in this community except on FREE items only.
• Do not sell items that you have received on VarageSale for free.
• Sellers are expected to allow a buyer a reasonable amount of time to arrange pick-up, however they are not required to hold an item for an extended period of time. If you are indicating interest on an item, make sure you are available to pick up as expediently as possible.
• Who's First in line? http://bit.ly/3DHXINS
• • No FCFS http://bit.ly/3GXy1eW
• The 12 hour Rule http://bit.ly/3Fzhtrm
• • No Show Policy http://bit.ly/3Hyn2Ip
• What is the discussion forum for? http://bit.ly/3CH7Oxa

1. ILLEGAL/PROHIBITED ITEMS: • As per the VarageSale Terms of Service: http://bit.ly/1K8Vv0F • Prohibited items will be removed without warning. More Info Here: http://bit.ly/3HoRDKt • Used Car Seat Safety Guidelines http://bit.ly/3wns2v8
2. . PERSONAL SAFETY:
3. Please read: http://bit.ly/3nBsAdg
4. All transactions are done at your OWN RISK. We do not hold any liability for the actions of anyone or anything that may occur from the use of this group.
5. BUYER BEWARE:
6. All sales are AS/IS. It is YOUR responsibility to check over each item you purchase BEFORE making the transaction. DO NOT hand someone money until you are completely sure you are satisfied with the item. Once money has exchanged hands, the deal is final. Please take this into account before PM'ing an admin. Admins CANNOT get your money back for you! PLEASE NOTE: Rules, guidelines and conditions are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the administration team of the Swap & Shop. Failure to comply with the rules can result in a member being removed or banned.

Thank you.