Community Guidelines

Young Entrepreneur Policy

Vintage Garage Sale strives to support young and passionate entrepreneurs. In an effort to support all ages on the marketplace, we have the following policies:

• No exploiting children in an attempt for sales.
• An adult must be present with minors.

Drug & Alcohol Policy

No excessive drinking or recreational drug use of any kind. If a user is found to be belligerent or unable to speak, their stream will be ended without notice. The ability to sell live will be turned off until further evaluation.

In the event that any illegal substances are shown on camera, the stream will be ended without notice. The ability to sell live will be turned off until further evaluation.

District (and Vintage Garage Sale) Prohibited Items Include:

• Drugs, alcohol, medical products, and items making medical claims
• Illegal drugs and narcotics
• Prescription and over-the-counter drugs or medical devices
• Alcohol or items for the purpose of intoxication
• Tobacco including cigarettes and e-cigarettes
• Marijuana and other CBD products
• Products intended to be used for drugs
• Growing or cultivation ingredients, supplies, or equipment

District (and Vintage Garage Sale) reserves the right to remove a listing, cancel related transactions, and suspend or ban involved parties that are engaging in activity that is illegal, fraudulent, or harmful to the platform.

Jewelry

When selling jewelry on Vintage Garage Sale, you are expected to abide by all guidelines and the following best practices. On Vintage Garage Sale, we allow the sale of handmade, contemporary, vintage, and antique jewelry — in new and loved condition.

NOT Permitted:

• New, bulk, contemporary wholesale jewelry purchased from foreign and domestic sources such as Temu, Amazon, Ali-Express, Walmart, direct sources, etc.
• Multi-level-marketing jewelry in mass quantity — exceptions include vintage products, if the company is out of business, or the consultant is no longer active.
• Implying jewelry is solid sterling, gold, a designer piece, or made with precious stones without any substantial evidence in a sole attempt to boost the sale.
• Dupes or knockoffs intended to imitate solid sterling, gold, or a designer piece.
• Fake 925 stamped jewelry — even when advertised by the seller as plated.
• Ivory materials — as outlined by Stripe and District guidelines.

ACCURACY & TRANSPARENCY — Regardless of the listing format, jewelry sellers must disclose all known information about jewelry pieces either verbally or written in a listing — including age, material, and any defects or imperfections.

METAL DISCLOSURE — Sellers are responsible for testing their jewelry. If a seller is selling precious metals such as sterling or gold, it is the seller's responsibility to test and confirm the purity of the metal. If the piece is unmarked and/or untested, the seller must use the following verbiage — "costume", "gold tone", "silver tone", or "unmarked and untested" — when asked about the purity of the jewelry. The seller must not imply that unmarked pieces are genuine gold or silver without testing.

GEMSTONE DISCLOSURE — If a seller does not know the gemstones or material used, it is their responsibility to consult a certified gemologist. If they have not consulted a certified gemologist and do not know the gemstones or material, they must not assume the material. If tested on a presidium or testing device, it can be noted.

Cosmetics

To sell any cosmetics on Vintage Garage Sale, you must abide by the following best practices and guidelines. Cosmetics are defined as makeup and skincare products — lotion, moisturizer, sunscreen, primer, fragrances, nail polish, deodorant, and applicators.

NOT Permitted:

• Dupes or knockoffs of popular brands
• Multi-level marketing cosmetic sales in mass quantity
• Used cosmetics — including brushes or applicators
• Expired cosmetics — it is the seller's responsibility to ensure that products are not expired
• Cosmetics outside their original container — must be sold with seal intact

Requirements:

• Photo of ingredients in listing
• Photo of expiration or shelf life when applicable

Cosmetics for Display — If cosmetics are being sold as display, it must be specified in the listing FOR DISPLAY ONLY. If it is determined that cosmetics have no display value and FOR DISPLAY ONLY is being used to circumvent the guidelines, listings will be removed at our discretion. It is highly recommended that all expired cosmetics be emptied and the contents disposed of before selling them for display value.

Snacks

The category of snacks includes all food and drink products listed on Vintage Garage Sale. If you list under this category, you must abide by the following guidelines:

NOT Permitted:

• Expired food and drink products
• Homemade food products
• Any products marked "not for individual sale"

Requirements:

• Must be sealed and unopened
• Must be processed and sealed by the manufacturer
• Include a photo of ingredients, allergens, expiration, and nutrition information
• Must be shipped in new and clean packaging

TIP: Beware of shipping chocolate and gummies in hot weather — they may melt on their way to their destination.

Wholesale

Anything purchased via wholesale and sold on Vintage Garage Sale is closely monitored. Any seller who sells items purchased via wholesale must acquire written approval from community@niknax.net for each of the item types being sold. Ex. If approved for small figurines, you may not start selling purses without acquiring prior approval.

The seller must disclose where the items originate from throughout their stream.

We DO NOT allow for contemporary, wholesale jewelry from foreign or domestic sources unless special permissions are granted. (Please reference Jewelry Guidelines.)

If items being sold via wholesale are deemed inferior at any time, permission to sell wholesale may be revoked. Ex. Inferior items include — but are not limited to — those purchased from Temu, Ali-Express, Shein, and other sources known for producing poor quality merchandise.

At any point in time, Vintage Garage Sale may request original receipts for the merchandise being sold.

When permission has been granted, a seller must add the following verbiage to their host notes AND individual listings with the date of their written approval via email. *If the seller is not a live seller, adding the following verbiage to just the listing is acceptable:

"I AM AN APPROVED VINTAGE GARAGE SALE WHOLESALE SELLER. (MM/DD/YY) I AM APPROVED TO SELL __________ from ________"

Gems, Minerals, Rocks & Fossils

The sale of gems, minerals, rocks, and fossils are permitted on Vintage Garage Sale. It is an expectation that sellers in this category are familiar with the materials they are selling and represent them accurately. Because this is a new category, we will update guidelines as the category grows.

Charity

In order to conduct any charity fundraising, members must contact community@vintagegaragesale.com to provide information and ask for approval. Proof of donation must be submitted at the conclusion of the fundraiser.

Suspicious Bidding

In order to maintain the trust of our members, we do not tolerate suspicious bidding in the form of shill or troll bidding. Shill bidding is defined as using related accounts to boost the price of an auction with no intention of buying the item. Troll bidding is defined as running up the bid to interfere with the auction of another seller with no intention of paying. In both cases, the winner has no intention of completing the transaction after winning. As outlined in buyer policy, multiple cancellations or failed payments will result in a ban from Vintage Garage Sale.

Federal, State, and Local Laws

Users are responsible for complying with all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations, both in their and their buyers' jurisdictions — this includes tax, consumer protection, data privacy, and intellectual property laws. Neither District nor Vintage Garage Sale is able to provide sellers with legal advice. Sellers are encouraged to seek their own legal advisor(s) if they have questions about how laws and regulations may apply to their business.

Username and Profile Content

When creating a username and profile, you must abide by the marketplace guidelines and policies. We will ban members with usernames or profile content containing content that is explicit, harassing, violent, hateful, impersonating, or that otherwise promotes illegal activity or violates our policies.

Off-Platform Conduct

If Vintage Garage Sale is provided with verifiable proof that an individual or individuals have attempted to negatively impact or interfere with the marketplace, specific users, or sales on the marketplace, we may take action.

In addition to acts that have occurred in relation to Vintage Garage Sale, we may also take into account when an individual makes poor decisions on other venues — including but not limited to — social media, selling platforms, other marketplaces, or in public correspondence that may impact or threaten the image or health of the community. When evaluating these cases, we consider the severity and timeframe of the behavior, and the likelihood of that behavior occurring on the marketplace.

Disregard for the guidelines will result in a written warning via direct message, removal of listings without notice, suspension of marketplace live permissions, a ban from monthly Vintage Garage Sale sponsored trains, or a total ban from the Vintage Garage Sale marketplace. If any of these guidelines are violated in the presence of a moderator or admin during a live sale, they will terminate the sale without warning to the seller.

Cancellations

A BID IS A CONTRACT between buyer and seller. It is an expectation that buyers bid responsibly and keep the phone away from children and pets. If a bid is made by mistake, issuing a cancellation or refund is left to the discretion of the seller but NOT A REQUIREMENT. In the case of live shop with me or thrift with me sales, all sales are final. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ask all appropriate questions before bidding. An excessive number of cancellations or refund requests initiated by a buyer will result in a member's suspension from Vintage Garage Sale.

Returns & Refunds

As long as the item is delivered as described — whether described during a live sale or in an item description — the seller is under no obligation to accept a return. Buyer's dissatisfaction and buyer's remorse are not acceptable conditions for a return. *In accordance with District guidelines, a buyer must report any issues with the product within 48 HOURS of delivery or 10 DAYS after purchase via support@district.net.

Failed Payments

In the event of multiple failed payments without resolution, a buyer will either be banned without warning or receive a message requesting they square up with affected sellers. If the buyer receives a message and does not respond with a reasonable explanation or square up with sellers within 24 hours, they will be banned from Vintage Garage Sale. We DO NOT OFFER LAYAWAY. Sellers are not required or expected to hold items until a buyer is able to pay. Simply — if you do not have the money, do not bid.

Unclaimed Packages & Return to Sender

An excessive number of unclaimed packages or return to sender packages will result in a member's suspension from Vintage Garage Sale. If a member purposefully returns a package to the sender because of buyer remorse, the member may be suspended or banned.

Item Not as Described

It is expected that sellers include a condition report and thorough photos on all buy it now and multi-day auction listings. If a buyer feels they have received an item that is not as described, please reach out to the seller privately to resolve the issue. If the issue cannot be resolved amicably, contact community@vintagegaragesale.com with details. In the case of live sales, it is expected that sellers show and detail all damage verbally while selling an item. In most cases, items are sold AS SHOWN. The video and chat records will be pulled for review and a decision will be made.

Damaged Delivery

If an item arrives damaged, please photograph the exterior of the box, the interior of the box, and the packaging. This helps to later submit an insurance claim if insurance was purchased by the seller. If the item was sent priority, insurance is often included. It is important that you do not dispose of the box or packing materials. Instead, keep the box until a solution is reached. On rare occasions, an insurance claim will require inspection of the box and contents by the USPS. Please try to resolve the issue with the seller directly via direct message. If the damage was caused by insufficient packing or if the issue cannot be resolved amicably, please contact support@district.net.

Application Process

The application review process may take weeks or months, depending on the information provided. Those who provide direct links to other selling platforms such as eBay, Whatnot, Etsy, Mercari, Poshmark, etc. are quicker to be approved or denied. Even if you do not have a presence on another selling platform, you will still have an opportunity to sell — however, it will take longer to process your application. Sometimes photos of inventory will be requested for approval.

The approval email will come from District. Occasionally, this email will be lost in a junk or spam inbox. If you did not receive an email but you can see the Seller Chat channel, you have been approved as a seller. If you have not received a response in multiple months, please check your junk and spam inbox.

Once approved, you will be required to enter payout information through Stripe. Stripe is how you will receive payment once you sell an item. If you've completed your payout information, you can start listing buy it now and multi-day auction listings.

How are items listed? Sellers can list their items in a variety of formats, including buy it now, multi-day auction, and live sales. The most popular and trending way to sell is through live sales. Once a seller is approved, they must complete a marketplace onboarding session with District to acquire access to live selling permissions. The onboarding session is a walk-through of the features and functionality and also covers marketplace guidelines. These sessions are limited, so please be patient with the process.

Restricted & Prohibited Goods

• Drugs, alcohol, and medical products
• Products that infringe on intellectual property rights
• Illegal goods and services
• Weapons, firearms, ammunition, explosives, and other dangerous materials
• Items that could pose a safety risk — expired or recalled products, used cosmetics
• Financial products
• Gambling
• Animal and human products
• Explicit goods and services
• New, mass produced, low quality items in bulk from domestic or foreign sources including — but not limited to — Temu, Amazon, Ali-Express, and Shein
• Offensive or polarizing items that express sexual content, hatred, or racism

In addition to Vintage Garage Sale guidelines, sellers are also subject to Stripe and District policies and guidelines on restricted and prohibited goods.

Listing Requirements & Suggestions

Listing suggestions — failure to abide by these suggestions may result in poor sales:

• Condition Report: The description of an item should include any chips, cracks, strange smells, or imperfections.
• Measurements: The description should include measurements of the item.
• No Distractions: Photograph items without distractions — clutter in the background, rulers in the main photo, a screenshot image. A seller will receive a warning about these listings or they will be removed without notice.
• No Stock Images: Sellers are expected to photograph their items and not use stock photos. Listings with stock photos will be removed. Sellers must own the rights to their images.
• Multiple Photos: Remember to include photos of every side, including the bottom.
• *Family Friendly: This is a family friendly marketplace. We do not permit listings that promote sex, violence, or racism.
• *Accurate Representation: Represent items as accurately as possible in title, photos, and description. DO NOT engage in keyword spamming, category spamming, or embellishing items. If advised by the moderator/admin team to update the listing, update within 24 hours.

* Star indicates required guidelines. Any listings that violate the listing requirements are subject to removal without notice. Sellers are responsible for being aware of marketplace guidelines, which are included on every seller approval email.

Tips for Success

• Schedule your live sale a few days in advance to get noticed.
• Use a thumbnail and title that represents what you are selling.
• It helps to schedule recurring live sales on a weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly basis. If a buyer enjoys your show, they will look forward to the next one.
• Once your live sale is scheduled, refrain from canceling or rescheduling unless absolutely necessary.
• The sooner you fill your catalog with available items, the more likely you are to get pre-bids and interest.
• We encourage sellers to start items at the least amount they would be happy with. Don't start your items at a dollar unless you're happy selling them for a dollar.
• Don't be discouraged if you don't make a sale. Thank your buyers for looking and move on to the next item.
• Avoid any unnecessary interruptions during your sale — including children and pets.
• Before starting, take your surroundings into consideration. Present your items on a solid background or against a visually appealing backdrop.
• Use your host notes to include your policies, seller code, and promote upcoming shows.

Train Participant Guidelines & Best Practices

• Before signing up, consider whether you are committed to the timeslot, the theme, and able to fulfill the obligation. Do you have items for the train and/or will you be able to source them in time for the deadline?
• Repeated cancellation of train commitments will result in suspension or permanent ban from train participation.
• Stick to the theme. Varying from the theme could cause the train to derail or lose momentum and will result in suspension or permanent ban from train participation.
• You must schedule immediately after signing up. Failure to schedule your show in a timely manner will result in removal from the train.
• Make sure your train is pre-loaded with the appropriate number of items within a few days of the sale. (A thirty minute sale usually accommodates 15-20 items; an hour-long sale 30-40, based on thirty-second starts.)
• Remember to introduce yourself, the theme of the train, and ask viewers to follow you. It is common courtesy to thank the "conductor" and encourage viewers to follow them as well.
• Do NOT promote having another sale during the course of the train. This is bad etiquette and not fair to other participants.
• Invite Facebook viewers to join Vintage Garage Sale. You may say, "Remember to hop on over to VintageGarageSale.com to participate in the sales."
• Under NO circumstance should you purposely end your sale early. This will derail the train and affect the remaining sellers, and will result in suspension or permanent ban from train participation.
• New viewers are constantly popping in and out. An item that didn't sell earlier could be cycled back later. Know how to re-run items that previously ended without selling.
• When your allotted time has run its course, make sure the next seller is live before you start to wrap up your sale.
• Start to wrap up at the two minute mark — this gives you time to introduce the next seller and remind everyone to stay on the train.
• If you are waiting for a raid from the previous seller, do not go live too early. Plan to go live a minute or two before the previous seller ends their timeslot.
• If the previous participant is struggling or has run out of items, it is acceptable to ask if they need you to go on early — if you are prepared to do so.

Tips for Prolonging Your Sale

• Bring your Buy It Now items to stage and talk about them.
• Show items that have already been run and haven't sold — new people are constantly popping in.
• You can always add items on the fly and start them at the least amount you are willing to accept.
• If you have run through all themed items, the worst case is that you deviate from the train and run different items — but this is still better than ending your sale early.

Train Conductor Guidelines

• Email Info@vintagegaragesale.com your train name, description, date, name of conductor(s), and graphic.
• Not every train idea is a good one. Consider: Do you already sell a lot of the themed items? Is the theme too narrow to attract an audience?
• Create a graphic for the sellers involved and one to post on social media. (Canva is a great tool for creating graphics.)
• Make sure all participants know who is involved and who they are raiding into.
• Promote your train on social media and in the chat channels. On Instagram and Facebook, tag #vintagegaragesale #vintagegaragesaleseller #districtdotnet.
• Fill the train — either by posting a schedule publicly or reaching out to sellers privately. It's helpful to have back-up participants in case someone drops out.
• Make sure everyone has their sales scheduled and items pre-loaded prior to the start. Follow up with sellers to confirm they are ready.
• Be prepared to monitor the train through its duration and assist participants. If you can't monitor it, consider a shorter train or a co-conductor.
• Post in the chat during your participant's sales to remind viewers to follow them and check their BIN.
• Report any issues to Vintage Garage Sale moderators or admins via email or chat: community@vintagegaragesale.com.