Terms of Use & Safety

These terms apply to Hand-Me-Down Market at handmedownmarket.ca (“Hand-Me-Down Market”, “we”, “us”). By creating an account, listing an item or buying an item on Hand-Me-Down Market, you agree to these terms.

1. We are a venue, not a seller

Hand-Me-Down Market is an online platform that lets parents list items and connect with each other. We do not own, inspect, store, ship, deliver or hand over any item. Every sale is a contract directly between the buyer and the seller. Hand-Me-Down Market is not a party to that contract and is not the agent of either person.

2. Items are sold as-is

All items are sold “as-is” and “with all faults”. Hand-Me-Down Market makes no promise or warranty of any kind, express or implied, about any item, including its condition, quality, safety, size, authenticity, cleanliness, completeness, fitness for a particular purpose, or whether it matches the listing. Descriptions and photos are written by sellers and are not checked by us.

3. Seller responsibilities

• Describe each item honestly and accurately, including wear, stains, damage and missing parts.
• Only list items you own and have the right to sell.
• Do not list items that have been recalled, banned or do not meet current safety rules. Check your government's consumer product recall database (in Canada: recalls-rappels.canada.ca) before listing children's products, especially cribs, car seats, strollers, high chairs and toys with small parts.
• Do not list used car seats unless you know their full history and they are within their expiry date, or any item prohibited by law.

4. Buyer responsibilities

• Read the listing carefully and ask the seller questions before you buy.
• Inspect the item at handoff. Check it is safe and suitable for your child before use.
• Any problem with an item, including requests for refunds, is a matter between you and the seller.

5. Pickup, drop-off and meetups

Buyers and sellers arrange the handoff themselves using the order page. Hand-Me-Down Market does not take part in, supervise or guarantee any pickup, drop-off or meetup. You meet or visit other users entirely at your own risk.

6. Payments, held funds and fees

Payments are processed by a third-party payment provider (Stripe). The seller sets the price. When a buyer pays, the payment is held by the payment provider and is not paid to the seller until one of the following happens:

• the buyer confirms on Hand-Me-Down Market that they received the item; or
• 3 days pass after the seller marks the item as handed over, without the buyer confirming or reporting a problem, in which case the payment is released automatically.

Before a handoff is agreed, the buyer may cancel for a full refund. After a handoff is agreed, the buyer may ask to cancel; if the seller does not respond within 3 days, the buyer is refunded. The seller may refund the buyer at any time before the payment is released. Once released, a payment cannot be reversed through Hand-Me-Down Market.

If the buyer reports a problem, the payment stays on hold while the buyer and seller try to resolve it. If they cannot, Hand-Me-Down Market may, at its sole discretion and based only on the messages and information on the site, either refund the buyer or release the payment to the seller. That decision is final as far as Hand-Me-Down Market is concerned. It is an administrative decision about the held payment only; it is not a finding about the item, and Hand-Me-Down Market does not inspect items, take part in handoffs or guarantee any outcome. Holding funds does not make Hand-Me-Down Market a party to the sale.

Hand-Me-Down Market keeps a service fee of 10% of the item price from each completed sale; the rest is paid to the seller. No fee is kept on refunded sales. We are not responsible for card chargebacks or disputes raised with a card issuer, but we may cooperate with the payment provider when required.

7. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Hand-Me-Down Market and its owners will not be liable for any loss, injury, illness, damage, cost or claim of any kind arising from any item, listing, sale, handoff, meetup, or the conduct of any user, whether online or offline. If we are found liable for anything despite this, our total liability is limited to the service fee we received on the sale in question.

8. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Hand-Me-Down Market and its owners from any claim, loss or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your listings, your purchases, your handoffs, or your breach of these terms.

9. Disputes between users

If you have a dispute with another user, you agree to resolve it directly with them. You release Hand-Me-Down Market and its owners from any claims arising from such disputes.

10. Removing content and accounts

We may remove any listing or suspend any account at our discretion, for example if an item appears unsafe or prohibited, but we have no obligation to review listings.

Safety tips for handoffs

• Meet in a busy public place during daylight. Many police stations have marked “safe exchange” zones.
• Bring a friend or tell someone where you are going.
• For pickups at someone's home, consider meeting at the door or driveway rather than going inside.
• Keep all communication on Hand-Me-Down Market. Never share passwords, bank details or ID.
• Payment happens on the website before the handoff, so never hand over extra cash or accept payment requests outside the site.
• If something feels wrong, leave.