Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using NeighborWire ("the Platform"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use our platform.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age to use NeighborWire. By using the platform, you represent and warrant that you meet this age requirement. Certain features — including selling marketplace items, receiving payments, connecting a Stripe seller account, purchasing paid listing upgrades, creating or purchasing advertising, and claiming or managing a business — are reserved for users who are at least 18 years of age. Before using these features, you will be asked to confirm that you are 18 or older. This is a self-attestation, not identity verification; NeighborWire does not collect your date of birth or government identification.

3. User Accounts

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account. Creating an account does not create an unconditional or permanent right to use NeighborWire — your access is subject to these Terms, the Community Guidelines, and the account provisions below.

Account Access, Suspension, and Termination

Membership is subject to NeighborWire's Terms and rules, and continued access is not guaranteed. To the extent permitted by applicable law, NeighborWire and GuestWire Technologies LLC may restrict, suspend, or terminate an account or access to the platform, with or without prior notice, for reasons including: violations of these Terms or the Community Guidelines; safety or security concerns; suspected fraud or abuse; conduct detrimental to the community or platform; legal or regulatory requirements; or other legitimate business, operational, safety, or legal reasons.

We may moderate, restrict, remove from public view, or otherwise act on content according to our policies, including the content-preservation practices described in these Terms and the Privacy Policy. Enforcement may include warnings, content removal, feature limits, a temporary hold while we review a signup, verification, or account for suspected abuse, suspension, or permanent termination.

Attempting to evade a suspension, ban, moderation action, verification requirement, or the business self-promotion limit — including through duplicate or replacement accounts, altered duplicate content, or repeated deletion and reposting — may result in additional enforcement.

We may take immediate action when reasonably necessary for safety, fraud prevention, legal compliance, security, or protection of the community or platform. NeighborWire does not restrict or terminate access on the basis of characteristics protected by applicable law, and nothing in these Terms authorizes NeighborWire or GuestWire Technologies LLC to disregard applicable law.

Service Availability, Changes, and Discontinuation

NeighborWire is an evolving service. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, GuestWire Technologies LLC may modify NeighborWire; add or remove features; change or restrict functionality; change geographic availability; suspend services; discontinue individual features; discontinue portions of the platform; or discontinue NeighborWire entirely and permanently shut down the service.

Creating an account, business listing, post, My Corner page, Marketplace listing, advertisement, community submission, or other content does not create a contractual expectation that NeighborWire, or any particular feature, will exist indefinitely.

Where reasonably practicable, we may provide advance notice of a material or permanent shutdown. Circumstances may require immediate suspension or discontinuation, and we do not promise that advance notice will always be possible.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, GuestWire Technologies LLC and NeighborWire are not liable merely because the company lawfully modifies, suspends, replaces, or discontinues the platform or a feature. This is subject to rights and obligations that legally cannot be waived.

4. Community Standards

When using NeighborWire, you agree NOT to:

• Post content that is harassing, threatening, or hateful
• Share false, misleading, or fraudulent information
• Violate others' privacy or share personal information without consent
• Engage in spam, or in commercial solicitation outside the rules in the Business Participation and Self-Promotion section below
• Post illegal content or promote illegal activities
• Impersonate any person or entity
• Attempt to access other users' accounts or private data

Business Participation and Self-Promotion

NeighborWire is community-first. Businesses are welcome and encouraged to participate, but the community Feed must not become dominated by repetitive advertising or promotional posts. This section applies to business owners, employees, and anyone posting on behalf of a business.

Free self-promotion limit. A business account may make one free self-promotional Feed post per rolling 7-day period. This applies to promotional content such as advertising a business, product, or service; sales, discounts, coupons, or special offers; "call us for" and similar solicitation posts; repeated promotion of services; and promotional business announcements primarily intended to generate customers or leads. When the limit has been reached, the platform tells you when you are next eligible to make a free promotional post.

Community participation is not limited. The free-promotion limit does not stop a business owner or representative from participating normally in the community. The following are not automatically treated as the weekly promotional post: answering a neighbor's question; responding to a recommendation request; participating in a community discussion; providing genuinely helpful information without solicitation; replying to comments about the business; and posting necessary service or safety information when appropriate. Businesses are not charged for ordinary community participation.

How content is classified. NeighborWire may classify content as promotional based on its purpose and context, rather than on isolated words, and may reclassify content on review. If you believe a post was classified incorrectly, contact us.

Evasion is prohibited. Attempting to exceed the free-promotion limit through duplicate accounts, slightly altered duplicate posts, repeated deletion and reposting, or similar methods is prohibited and may result in the content being removed or the account being restricted.

Paid advertising is separate. Paid NeighborWire advertising is available separately and is always clearly identified as advertising. Purchasing advertising does not increase the number of free self-promotional Feed posts available to a business; paid advertising and organic business posting are separate systems. NeighborWire keeps paid in-feed advertising restrained so it does not overwhelm community content — approximately one small, clearly identified advertisement after roughly every 5 to 6 organic posts by default, at a frequency administrators may adjust globally.

Moderation. NeighborWire may remove, limit, reclassify, or moderate excessive, repetitive, or misleading promotional content.

What "verified" means. Business verification on NeighborWire confirms a listing's contact details and, where the ownership claim process was completed, its business ownership. It is not an endorsement, and it is not a guarantee, certification, or independent verification of quality, licensing, insurance, background, trustworthiness, or legitimacy, unless NeighborWire states that a specific credential was verified. Verification statuses are distinct: confirming ownership or contact details is not the same as reviewing a professional license, insurance coverage, or any other credential, and NeighborWire describes any credential it has actually reviewed as such.

Evaluating businesses is your responsibility. Members remain responsible for evaluating businesses and service providers — including their qualifications, licensing, insurance, pricing, and suitability — before entering into any transaction or engagement. NeighborWire is a community platform and is not a party to transactions between members and businesses.

5. User Content

You retain ownership of all content you submit to NeighborWire, including all intellectual property rights. Posting content does not transfer your ownership to NeighborWire or GuestWire Technologies LLC.

By submitting content to NeighborWire, you grant GuestWire Technologies LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license, to the extent permitted by applicable law, to host, store, reproduce, display, distribute, adapt, promote, and otherwise use your user-submitted content as reasonably necessary to operate, provide, improve, secure, research, and market NeighborWire and its services.

This license applies to ordinary community and public user-generated content such as feed posts, comments, marketplace listings, event listings, and similar content you choose to share through the platform's community surfaces. Ordinary community content may therefore be displayed on NeighborWire's promotional and guest-facing surfaces, such as a limited preview of community activity for prospective members, without requiring a separate permission toggle on each post.

This license does not make private content public. It does not apply to:

• Direct and private messages, which are visible only to their participants;
• Address verification submissions and precise residential or address data;
• Nonpublic account information, including authentication credentials, passwords, and security information;
• Content explicitly designated as private by the product or by applicable law;
• Any other information whose use or disclosure is restricted by the Privacy Policy or applicable law.

You are solely responsible for the content you submit and any consequences of sharing it. You represent that you have the rights necessary to submit the content and that the content does not violate these Terms or the rights of any third party.

NeighborWire is not a storage, archival, or backup service. Do not treat it as one. You are responsible for keeping your own copies of any photos, videos, posts, documents, messages, listings, My Corner content, or other information you wish to preserve.

We do not guarantee permanent availability, preservation, retention, recovery, or accessibility of user-generated content. Content may become unavailable because of your own actions, moderation, account termination, platform or feature changes, technical failures, security incidents, legal requirements, our retention practices, or discontinuation of NeighborWire. Where preservation is required by law or is reasonably necessary for safety, moderation, or evidence purposes, records are retained as described in these Terms and the Privacy Policy — that retention does not make NeighborWire a backup service.

Content Removal and Preservation

Deleting content from NeighborWire ordinarily means removing it from public or member-facing display; it does not guarantee immediate or complete destruction of the underlying record. GuestWire Technologies LLC may retain user-generated content and associated metadata when reasonably necessary for safety, fraud and abuse prevention, moderation, dispute resolution, enforcement of these Terms, protection of users, legal compliance, or response to lawful legal process.

We may preserve content and related records under a legal or evidence hold when they may be relevant to a complaint, safety incident, investigation, preservation request, subpoena, court order, anticipated or pending litigation, or other legal obligation. Users may not use deletion features to defeat a legal hold, investigation, platform safety process, or applicable preservation requirement.

Illegal or prohibited material may be removed immediately from user-facing surfaces while a restricted copy and associated records are preserved or reported when required or permitted by applicable law. Preservation does not mean the material remains publicly accessible.

6. Marketplace

NeighborWire provides a platform for neighbors to list and discover items. Creating a listing is free. All transactions are conducted at the users' own risk. We make no representations about the quality, safety, or legality of listed items. NeighborWire facilitates the connection between buyers and sellers but is not a party to individual transactions between users, except as the platform facilitating Stripe Connect payment processing.

7. Marketplace Payments and Stripe Connect

Sellers may optionally accept online card payments by connecting a Stripe account through Stripe Connect. The following terms apply to online payments:

• Listing is Free: There is no charge to create or list an item. Cash, local pickup, free-item transfers, and seller-arranged payments are always free.
• Payment Processing: Online payments are processed by Stripe, a third-party payment processor. NeighborWire does not store, transmit, or access card or bank account information.
• Settlement Merchant: For online purchases, the seller's connected Stripe account is the merchant of record. The charge is created on the seller's connected account (via Stripe's on_behalf_of mechanism). The seller's business name appears on the buyer's card statement.
• Stripe Processing Fees: Stripe processing fees are paid by the seller's connected Stripe account, as the charge is settled on the connected account.
• Refunds, Disputes, and Chargebacks: The seller's connected Stripe account is responsible for refunds, negative balances, disputes, and chargebacks. Refunds and disputes may reverse funds previously transferred to the seller.
• NeighborWire Marketplace Fee: For completed online sales, NeighborWire retains a marketplace fee of 5% of the item price plus $0.30. This fee is deducted from the seller's proceeds via Stripe's application_fee_amount — the buyer pays the listed price, and the seller receives the item price minus the marketplace fee.
• Payout Timing: Payout timing and availability are controlled by Stripe, not NeighborWire. Payout schedules depend on the seller's Stripe account status, bank, and Stripe's payout settings.
• Minimum Price: The minimum item price for online card payments is $1.00.
• Account Requirements: NeighborWire may restrict online payments when a seller's Stripe account has incomplete requirements, lacks required capabilities, or has elevated risk.
• Test Mode: The platform may operate in Stripe test mode, in which case no real charges are processed and no real funds are transferred.

8. Seller Responsibilities

As a seller on the NeighborWire marketplace, you are responsible for:

• Providing accurate descriptions and photos of listed items
• Disclosing any defects, damage, or known issues with items
• Ensuring you have the legal right to sell the items you list
• Completing transactions in a timely manner after payment is received
• Maintaining a valid and active Stripe Connect account if accepting online payments
• Responding to buyer inquiries and resolving disputes directly
• Paying any applicable taxes on your sales, including income tax and sales tax
• Understanding that refunds and disputes may reverse funds previously transferred to you
• Complying with all applicable local, state, and federal laws regarding the sale of goods
• Not listing prohibited items (see the "Prohibited Items" section)

9. Buyer Responsibilities

As a buyer on the NeighborWire marketplace, you are responsible for:

• Reviewing item descriptions and photos before purchasing
• Asking the seller questions if any details are unclear
• Completing payment through the platform's approved payment methods
• Arranging pickup or delivery with the seller for local transactions
• Inspecting items at the time of pickup or delivery
• Understanding that online payment availability does not guarantee an item's quality, safety, delivery, or condition
• Not purchasing items you are legally prohibited from acquiring

10. Fees

The following fees may apply to marketplace transactions:

• Listing Fee: $0. Creating a listing is free.
• NeighborWire Marketplace Fee: For completed online sales, 5% of the item price plus $0.30. This fee is deducted from the seller's proceeds — the buyer pays the listed price. Cash, local pickup, free-item transfers, and seller-arranged payments incur no marketplace fee.
• Stripe Processing Fees: Charged by Stripe to the seller's connected account per Stripe's current pricing. See stripe.com/pricing for current rates.
• Pro Listing Upgrade: A one-time fee of $0.99 per listing unlocks 8 photos, a 7-day boost, and a featured badge. This fee is non-refundable once activated.

Fee structures may change with prior notice.

11. Refunds and Disputes

For online payments processed through Stripe:

• Refunds: Sellers may issue full or partial refunds through the NeighborWire platform or their Stripe Dashboard. When a refund is issued, the seller's transfer is reversed and the NeighborWire marketplace fee is refunded proportionally. Refund processing time is determined by the buyer's bank.
• Chargebacks: Buyers may file a chargeback directly with their card issuer. Stripe will notify both parties. NeighborWire does not determine chargeback outcomes.
• Dispute Fund Recovery: When a dispute opens, NeighborWire reverses the seller's transfer to recover the disputed amount. If the dispute is won, the funds are restored to the seller. If lost, the recovery is final.
• Dispute Resolution: Buyers and sellers are encouraged to resolve disputes directly. If a dispute cannot be resolved, the buyer's card issuer will determine the outcome through the chargeback process.
• NeighborWire's Role: NeighborWire facilitates the marketplace but does not mediate individual transaction disputes. We may, at our discretion, suspend or terminate accounts involved in fraudulent or abusive behavior.
• Refunded Items: Refunded or disputed items are not automatically relisted. The seller must manually relist if they want to resell.

12. Prohibited Items

The following items are prohibited from being listed on the NeighborWire marketplace:

• Illegal drugs, controlled substances, and drug paraphernalia
• Firearms, ammunition, and explosives (unless legally permitted and properly disclosed)
• Stolen goods or items with serial numbers removed
• Counterfeit or pirated goods, including unauthorized replicas
• Adult content and services
• Hazardous materials, chemicals, or toxic substances
• Prescription medications or medical devices
• Live animals or endangered species products
• Items that violate intellectual property rights
• Any item whose sale is prohibited by applicable local, state, or federal law

NeighborWire reserves the right to remove any listing that violates these prohibitions and to suspend accounts of repeat violators.

13. Taxes

Sellers are solely responsible for determining and paying any applicable taxes on their sales, including income tax, sales tax, and use tax. NeighborWire does not collect, remit, or calculate taxes on behalf of sellers. Sellers should consult a tax professional for guidance on their tax obligations. For online payments, Stripe may generate tax forms (e.g., 1099-K) as required by law.

14. Pickup and Delivery Risks

For cash and local-pickup transactions, buyers and sellers arrange pickup and delivery directly. NeighborWire is not responsible for any loss, damage, theft, or injury that occurs during pickup, delivery, or exchange of items. Both parties should exercise caution when meeting in person, including meeting in public places during daylight hours and bringing a companion when appropriate. For online payments, the risk of loss transfers to the buyer upon successful pickup or delivery.

15. Platform Limitations

NeighborWire provides a marketplace platform with the following limitations:

• We do not guarantee that any listing will result in a sale.
• We do not verify the identity, background, or trustworthiness of users.
• We do not inspect or verify the condition, quality, or legality of listed items.
• We do not guarantee the availability or uptime of the platform.
• We may modify, suspend, or discontinue marketplace features at any time.
• Online payment functionality depends on Stripe's services and may be unavailable due to Stripe outages, account restrictions, or incomplete seller setup.
• Online payment availability does not guarantee an item's quality, safety, delivery, or condition.

16. Account Restrictions and Fraud Prevention

NeighborWire reserves the right to suspend, restrict, or terminate accounts that engage in fraudulent, abusive, or deceptive behavior, including but not limited to: listing prohibited items, attempting to bypass payment fees, creating fake listings, engaging in sham transactions, manipulating reviews or ratings, or violating Stripe's terms of service. We may also restrict accounts that receive excessive chargebacks or disputes or have incomplete Stripe Connect requirements. Suspended accounts may not create new listings, accept payments, or access marketplace features.

17. Group Chats

Group chats are private and invite-only. Group creators are responsible for the conduct of their groups. Groups automatically expire based on the duration set at creation. Expiration removes a group from ordinary active use, but substantive user-generated content and associated records may be retained in accordance with our Privacy Policy, safety practices, legal obligations, and evidence-preservation requirements.

18. Disclaimers and No Guarantees

NeighborWire is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, to the fullest extent permitted by law. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content on the platform, and we are not liable for disputes arising between users or for issues related to Stripe payment processing.

Without limiting the above, NeighborWire does not guarantee:

• the accuracy of user-generated information;
• the quality, safety, licensing, insurance, or suitability of any business or service provider;
• the safety or success of any transaction, meeting, or exchange;
• the accuracy of third-party information, including mapped or imported data;
• availability of the service, continuous uptime, or permanent storage of content;
• the behavior of another member; or
• the safety of visiting a location, business, event, or display listed by another member.

You remain responsible for exercising reasonable judgment when interacting with other users, businesses, locations, Marketplace sellers and buyers, events, seasonal display locations, and other community-submitted information — including verifying details before you visit, hire, purchase, or enter into any transaction.

19. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, NeighborWire and GuestWire Technologies LLC shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, data, or goodwill, arising out of or related to your use of the platform — including losses from marketplace transactions, payment processing failures, disputes with other users, reliance on user-generated or third-party content, moderation or enforcement decisions, unavailable or discontinued features, or the permanent shutdown of the service.

To the same extent, NeighborWire and GuestWire Technologies LLC are not liable merely because the company lawfully modifies, restricts, suspends, replaces, or discontinues the platform or a feature.

Nothing in these Terms waives or limits any right, warranty, or responsibility that cannot lawfully be waived or limited, and nothing here is intended to exclude liability where exclusion is prohibited by applicable law.

20. Modifications

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Changes will be effective upon posting. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms.

21. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with applicable laws, without regard to conflict of law principles.

22. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at legal@neighborwire.com.