Frequently asked questions

UpChansa is a free, bilingual Canadian platform to sell at a fixed price, auction, exchange or give away items between individuals.

UpChansa connects buyers and sellers in Quebec and across Canada. You can post a fixed-price listing or run an online auction — for free. Payment and the handover of the item happen directly between you — off-platform (cash, e-transfer, in person). UpChansa is never a party to the transaction itself.

No. Anyone can browse listings and auctions without an account. You need to register (free) to post a listing, place a bid, make an offer, or send a message.

Yes. UpChansa is fully bilingual. You can switch between English and French using the language selector in the navigation bar at any time.

Everywhere in Canada. You can post and buy in any city.

Nothing. Posting listings and running auctions is currently free — no listing fees and no sales commission, so you keep 100% of what you sell for. The only paid features are optional promotional tools (like Featured and Bump to top) that give a listing extra visibility; they're never required to sell. Payment for the item itself is arranged directly between buyer and seller, off-platform.

Yes. Right now there are no listing fees and no commission — you can post and sell without paying UpChansa anything. The only paid features are optional promotional tools (Featured, Bump to top), and using them is entirely up to you. As the marketplace grows we may introduce modest fees for future listings; if we ever do, the price will always be shown before you publish and will only apply to new publications — never retroactively.

No. UpChansa does not currently take any commission on your sales — you keep the full sale price. Because payment happens directly between buyer and seller off-platform, what you agree on is entirely between you. (If a commission is ever introduced in the future, it would be shown up front and apply only to sales made under the new terms.)

Sign in, click "Sell" or "New listing" in the navigation, fill in the title, description, price, category, condition, and photos, then click Publish. Your listing goes live immediately — posting is free.

Go to your dashboard, find the listing, and click "Mark as sold." Select the buyer (anyone who messaged about that listing, or "someone not on UpChansa") and confirm the sale price. The item is marked sold right away. Arrange payment and handover directly with your buyer.

When you place a bid, the amount you enter becomes the new current price and you take the lead right away — there's no hidden maximum, and UpChansa never bids for you. Enter an amount at least one increment above the current price (bids are in whole dollars). If someone outbids you, just place a new, higher bid. A last-second bid extends the clock a little (anti-snipe), so you always get a fair chance to respond.

A reserve price is a hidden minimum price set by the seller. If bidding does not reach the reserve by the end of the auction, the item does not sell and no transaction takes place. You can see during bidding whether the reserve has been met.

"Sniping" is placing a bid in the final seconds to prevent others from responding. UpChansa automatically extends the auction closing time when a bid is placed in the last few minutes, giving all bidders a fair chance to respond. The extension repeats as long as bids keep coming in.

Some sellers set a buy-now price — a fixed amount that any bidder can accept to end the auction immediately and win the item at that price, without waiting for the auction to close.

As a buyer, you can submit an offer below the asking price. The seller can accept, decline, or counter with a different price. The negotiation alternates between buyer and seller. When the seller accepts, the sale is recorded right away and you arrange the exchange directly with each other. If it falls through, either of you can cancel the sale and the item goes back online.

Sellers can tick "Open to exchange" on a listing and say what they're looking for. A member can then propose one of their own UpChansa listings in exchange, with an optional cash difference either way. The seller can accept, counter the cash difference, or decline. When accepted, both items are marked as exchanged. UpChansa is free — there is no fee on exchanges. Meet in a public place, inspect both items, and never ship first.

Set the price to $0 when creating the listing; it shows as "Free". Cash offers are turned off on a free listing, but exchange proposals still work if you enable them.

On any free item, tap "I want it" to join a fair queue. The giver chooses the rule: "First come" (the first person in the queue gets it right away) or "Let it simmer 24 h" (after 24 hours the giver picks someone or draws at random, and the draw is recorded). The chosen person and the giver are put in touch in a conversation. Being chosen is not a contract: either side can step back, and the giver can pick someone else if the pickup doesn't happen.

A group is a space where a real community — a school, a club, a daycare, a residence, a neighbourhood, an organization or a family — buys, sells, exchanges and gives items among its members. Group admins accept members and moderate what is posted. Groups are free, and money never passes through UpChansa: buyers pay the seller directly.

Only the group's members. A private group's items are hidden from everyone else and from search engines — but not from the members: every member can see them and could pass them on, so post only what you're comfortable showing the whole group. Unless its admins choose "Hidden", a private group can still be found: visitors see its name, type, city, description, photo and number of members (never its items, members or admins) and can ask to join — an admin accepts or declines each request. A "Hidden" group is found only through its invitation link, its QR code or an invitation by @username. A group can also choose "Members first" (members see new items for a few days, then everyone does) or "Public". UpChansa can still review any group's content for safety.

Find the group in the groups directory, or open its invitation link or QR code, then tap "Join the group" or "Ask to join". Depending on the group, you join right away or your request waits for an admin's approval — some groups ask up to three short questions first. A visible group whose items are for members only always asks for approval. A "Hidden" group never appears in the directory: you need its invitation link, its QR code or an invitation. Only the group's admins (and UpChansa staff when needed) see your answers, and they are deleted once your request is decided. A group admin can also invite you by your @username: you join only if you accept.

Yes. A group admin can post an item on behalf of the group — it then shows "Sold by" with the group's name — and an auction posted that way can carry a "Fundraiser" label. The buyer pays the group directly; UpChansa never handles the money. The group is responsible for the sale, for the funds it receives and for any legal obligations of its fundraiser.

No. Creating a group, joining one and posting in it are free. UpChansa takes no commission on sales, exchanges or donations in a group.

No. Groups are for adults, including school and daycare groups. Don't post a child's name, photo or other personal information — not in an item, the group's description, or answers to join questions. If you see such content, report it and we'll remove it.

A group admin opens Manage group, then the Sale day tab, and enters the date — the time, place, address, how to pay and where to drop off donations are optional. The card appears at the top of the group, on the invite page and on the printable poster, with an "Add to my calendar" button. It counts down by itself, shows "Sale over" for 24 hours after the end, then disappears; the items stay. Anyone who can see the group page — or who has the invite link or the poster — sees the sale, address included.

Yes. Choose "Post several items" on the group page (or on the new listing page): pick the photos first — one photo per item — set the category, condition, city and group once, then give each item a title and a one-tap price ($0.25, $0.50, $1, $2 or Free). The description is written for you. Everything is published at once, and if one item still misses a title or a price, nothing is published until it's fixed.

Always meet in a busy public place (coffee shop, shopping centre, or a police station's safe exchange zone). Bring a friend if possible. Inspect the item before paying. Never send money in advance or share banking details through messages. Trust your instincts — if something feels wrong, walk away.

Every listing and user profile has a "Report" button. Tap it, choose the reason (scam, prohibited item, harassment, etc.), and submit. Our moderation team reviews reports and will take action — which may include removing the listing or suspending the account.

Go to your account settings and scroll to the "Danger zone" section. Click "Delete account," confirm your password, and your deletion will be scheduled. You have a 30-day grace period during which you can cancel. After 30 days, your personal information is permanently anonymized and your listings are removed. Financial records are retained as required by law.

No. UpChansa never sells, rents, or trades your personal information to third parties. We share data only with the service providers who help us operate the platform (Stripe for payments, Cloudflare for images, etc.), and only to the extent necessary. See our Privacy Policy for full details.