Community Guidelines

DropYard is your neighbourhood yard sale, online. It runs the same way a Saturday-morning garage sale does — neighbours putting things they no longer need out for other neighbours to pick up, with a friendly chat and a quick handoff at the door. We've just made it easier to find each other, agree on a price, and pick a time that works.

DropYard is not a shipping marketplace, a courier-fulfilled platform, or an anonymous classifieds board. Every transaction ends with two real neighbours, in the same community, meeting briefly to pass an item from one home to another. Money changes hands directly between buyer and seller, in person.

When you sign up, you're promising your neighbours that you'll:

Most issues we see come down to one of these four. If you keep them in mind, you'll rarely have a problem.

DropYard is built for the everyday objects that pile up in a Canadian home: furniture, kitchenware, kids' gear and toys, tools, electronics that still work, books, sports equipment, clothing in good condition, holiday decor, garden tools, small appliances, hobby supplies, and so on.

Listings must be:

• Owned by you and yours to sell
• Accurately described — title, condition, dimensions, and any flaws
• Photographed honestly — real photos of the actual item, taken by you, showing its current state (no stock images, no manufacturer photos, no images borrowed from another listing)
• Priced clearly — one price, with the payment methods you accept
• Located in Barrhaven for pickup

Some items are unsafe, illegal to resell in Ontario, or simply out of scope for a neighbour-to-neighbour pickup community. The following are not allowed on DropYard:

Good listings are the foundation of a good DropYard. A few small habits make a big difference:

Update or remove sold items so neighbours aren't messaging you about something that's already gone.

The pickup is where DropYard either feels great or doesn't. Most of these are common courtesy:

• Confirm before you come — a quick 'I'm 10 minutes away' message saves everyone awkwardness
• Show up on time — if you're late or can't make it, tell the other person as early as you can
• Daytime pickups are encouraged — safer and easier for everyone
• Default is porch or driveway pickup — no one is obligated to invite anyone inside their home, and no one should ask. If the item needs help carrying out, agree on that in advance.
• Bring a friend if you'd like — especially for larger items, or if you simply prefer the company
• Have payment ready — cash counted out, e-Transfer pre-loaded, or whatever method you agreed on
• Inspect before you pay — look the item over while the seller is right there. It's much harder to resolve issues after you've left.

Keep it human:

• Be polite, even when negotiating or saying no
• Don't spam, harass, or pressure the other person
• No discrimination — race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, or anything else. Don't refuse to deal with someone based on who they are.
• Don't move communication off-platform for reasons that aren't about coordinating the pickup. The opt-in WhatsApp channel is for confirming pickup details, not for asking personal questions or pushing other services.
• Don't share contact info beyond what's needed — no phone numbers in listings, no social media handles, no asking for someone's full address until pickup is confirmed
• Don't try to buy or sell off-platform to avoid these Guidelines. If a deal happens because of a DropYard listing, the listing is subject to these Guidelines.

This part matters because it's different from larger marketplaces.

That means:

• DropYard never holds your money, so we can't issue refunds. If there's a problem with the item or the transaction, you and your neighbour resolve it directly — and DropYard can help mediate (see 'When things go wrong' below).
• Inspect before you pay. Once you've handed over cash or sent an e-Transfer, that money is gone unless your neighbour chooses to send it back.
• Be careful with e-Transfer — confirm the recipient's email or phone number before sending. Use a security question only the two of you would know.

Most problems are honest miscommunications. Try this order:

1. 1

   Talk to your neighbour first

   A message asking what happened often resolves things in one round.
2. 2

   Report it to DropYard

   If direct resolution doesn't work. Use the in-app Report button on the listing or message, or email info@dropyard.app with as much detail as you can.
3. 3

   We'll review

   The listing, the conversation, and both accounts. If we ask you for more information, we'll do it through DropYard so there's a record.
4. 4

   We can take action on the account

   Warnings, suspension, or a permanent ban. We cannot issue refunds or compel payment, because we don't hold the money.
5. 5

   For criminal matters

   Theft, fraud, threats, assault — contact the Ottawa Police Service (or 9-1-1 if it's urgent), and let us know so we can support any investigation.

Things we'll always take seriously

• The item turned out to be substantially different from what was described
• The buyer or seller didn't show up and stopped responding
• A claimed payment was never sent (or a sent payment was never acknowledged)
• Harassment, threats, or any behaviour that made you feel unsafe
• Anything involving an item from the 'What you can't list' section

If you see something that breaks these Guidelines — a prohibited listing, a misleading description, a user behaving badly, or anything else that feels off — please tell us:

We try to handle issues in proportion to what happened. In general:

Permanent ban includes:

• Listing anything from the 'What you can't list' section, especially illegal or unsafe items
• Fraud — claiming items you didn't deliver, or paying with fake currency or reversed e-Transfers
• Harassment, threats, or discriminatory behaviour
• Impersonating another user, DropYard staff, or a business
• Creating a new account to evade a previous suspension or ban
• Anything that puts another community member at risk

• You must be 18 or older to use DropYard
• One account per person. Households can share an account, but don't create multiple accounts to circumvent any rule or limit.
• Keep your account information accurate — update your contact info if it changes, and don't list under a name that isn't yours
• We may suspend accounts that go unused for an extended period (you'll be notified first)

We'll update these Guidelines as the community grows. For meaningful changes, we'll give you notice (by email or in-app) at least 30 days before they take effect. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page will always tell you when the latest version went live.

Questions about these Guidelines? Email info@dropyard.app. These Guidelines work alongside our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.