Community Guidelines

Selling

List items honestly — real photos of the actual item, accurate condition, and mention any defects. Price in Rand. Mark items as Sold or Reserved promptly (this is generally done automatically, but please double check) so neighbours don't waste time on gone items. If you accept an offer, follow through or let the buyer know quickly.

Buying

Only make offers you intend to honour. Inspect items before paying cash, and pay promptly for card purchases you've committed to. If you change your mind, say so — silence leaves the seller's listing stuck in limbo.

Card purchases have a 7 day returns window if the item wasn't as described: walk it back to the seller and they refund the item price. The service fee doesn't come back, because it was spent on processing the card payment at the time and mostly went to the card processor, not to us. Cash and EFT sales are final between the two of you and carry no fee at all, so inspect properly before you hand money over.

Meeting up

Meet somewhere visible and public where possible, or on the doorstep rather than inside. Daylight hand-overs are simplest. For high-value items, bring someone along and count money or confirm payment before handing over the item. Trust your instincts.

You and the other person may not live in the same estate. If one of you needs to come through the other’s gate, sort that out before you set off: in most estates the person being visited generates an access code for their visitor, but every estate does it differently, so ask. Agreeing the meeting point and the access in the same message saves someone sitting at a boom gate.

What not to list

No illegal goods, weapons, medication or supplements, counterfeit or stolen goods, recalled products, or anything the rules of your estate or complex prohibit. No commercial reselling at scale — this is a second-hand marketplace for households, not a storefront.

Talking to each other

Be the neighbour you'd want to deal with: reply reasonably promptly, negotiate respectfully, and accept a "no thanks" gracefully. Harassment, insults, discrimination, or pressuring people after they've declined will get an account removed. Don't screenshot or share private conversations.

Ratings

Rate honestly after a completed transaction. Ratings are for the transaction experience — the item, the communication, whether it went as agreed — not for settling unrelated neighbourhood disputes, and not a place to bring up people who weren't part of the sale.

If someone reviews you, you get one public reply. Use it to give your side calmly; it sits underneath their review so anyone reading gets both. If a review is untrue rather than just unflattering, report it instead of arguing in the replies.

Reporting a problem

Every listing, profile and review has a Report button. Use it. Reports are private, and the person you report is never told who reported them. You can still email support@silverlakesmarketplace.co.za with a link if you'd rather.

If three different people report the same listing it is hidden automatically while someone looks at it. That's a pause, not a verdict — it exists because this is run by volunteers who aren't online at 11pm.

Please don't use reports to settle an argument or to knock out a listing you're competing with. It is a small enough community that it shows.

Serious matters (theft, fraud, threats) should also go to your estate security and the SAPS, not only to us.

Consequences

Depending on severity: a friendly warning, removal of the listing, or removal of the account. The Operator's call is final — the goal is keeping this a place neighbours actually want to use.