We have a zero tolerance policy for prohibited items, particularly those that promote, support or glorify hatred, those that promote, support or glorify violence, or are unlawful. Sellers deemed to violate this policy can be subject to immediate account suspension or termination, in accordance with our Terms of Use.

This policy is a part of our Terms of Use. By opening an Chapechape shop, you’re agreeing to this policy and our Terms of Use. If Chapechape has reason to believe you, Your Content, or your use of the Services violate our Terms, we may deactivate your content to some or all buyers or suspend or terminate your account (and any account Chapechape determines is related to your account) and your access to the Services. Generally, Chapechape will notify you that your content or account has been suspended or terminated, unless you’ve repeatedly violated our Terms or we have legal or regulatory reasons preventing us from notifying you.

The following types of items are prohibited or restricted on Chapechape:

1. Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs, Drug Paraphernalia, and Medical Drugs
2. Animal Products and Human Remains
3. Dangerous Items: Hazardous Materials, Recalled Items, and Weapons
4. Hate Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Hatred
5. Illegal Items, Items Promoting Illegal Activity, and Highly Regulated Items
6. Internationally Regulated Items
7. Nudity and Mature Content
8. Violent Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Violence

Policy decisions are complex. We consider many different and often divergent factors before coming to a decision about what is best for our community. Because we are a creative community, we err on the side of freedom of expression. We also tend to allow items that have educational, historical or artistic value, but we know that even those items are subject to a variety of valid and sometimes conflicting interpretations and emotional responses.

Art and history can be provocative, emotional and divisive. There are some topics on which we may never reach a consensus as a community, and that is okay. In the words of Joyce Carol Oates, ‘art should not be comforting; for comfort, we have mass entertainment and one another. Art should provoke, disturb, arouse our emotions, expand our sympathies in directions we may not anticipate and may not even wish.’

In order to help provide clarity and insight into our policy making process, we have included the rationale behind our decisions and details about how they will be enforced, including some representative examples below of what is allowed on Chapechape. We reserve the right to remove listings that we determine are not within the spirit of Chapechape. Violating this policy may result in the member’s selling privileges being suspended and/or terminated.

Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs, Drug Paraphernalia, and Medical Drugs

Alcohol and drugs are prohibited on Chapechape. These substances face serious legal restrictions and in many cases are considered controlled substances under applicable law. Our policy also applies to other substances that have or are claimed to have an intoxicating or healing effect. Possible legal restrictions aside, these substances are not in the spirit of Chapechape.

The following are examples of items that may not be sold on Chapechape:

1. Alcohol.
2. Tobacco products, smokeable products, e-cigarettes and e-liquid.
3. Drugs and certain herbal substances, including substances used for recreational and medicinal purposes, regardless of their legality.
4. Drug paraphernalia, including, for example: items with a carburetor; slides and/or items with a slide; bongs and bubblers; vaporisers and their components.
5. Medical drugs, regulated medical devices, and pharmaceuticals.

Restrictions on descriptions of purported health benefits:

A medical drug claim is a statement or suggestion that an item prevents, heals or treats a medical condition or disease. Medical drug claims are subject to varying degrees of regulation. If you make claims about the purported health benefits of an item for sale on Chapechape, we urge you to speak with a qualified expert about which regulations apply to you. It is your responsibility to know and comply with all laws and regulations that apply to the items you sell. Chapechape prohibits certain medical drug claims based on our values, such as claims likely to deceive or pose an unreasonable risk to our community. Chapechape may remove claims that we deem to be inappropriate, excessive, or otherwise unsuitable for our marketplace. We also remove content that promotes prohibited medical claims, such as anti-vaccine items. If Chapechape receives proper notice from a legal authority, we may remove an item.

Animal Products and Human Remains

Certain animal products are highly regulated and prohibited on Chapechape due to the risk of harm to live, companion, or endangered animals.

The following are examples of animal products that may not be sold on Chapechape:

1. Live animals.
2. Items created using any endangered or threatened animal species. We define these as animal species designated as threatened or endangered by the US Endangered Species Act or listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Click here for more details about which animals we prohibit.
3. Items made from cat and dog parts or pelts as defined by US Federal Law.
4. Ivory or bones from ivory-producing animals, including tusks, elk ivory, fossilised ivory and woolly mammoth ivory.
5. Items made from human remains or products from the human body, except for teeth, fingernails, and hair.

Dangerous Items: Hazardous Materials, Recalled Items and Weapons

For safety and legal reasons, we prohibit certain dangerous items from our marketplace.

Hazardous Materials

Due to the potential harm caused by hazardous materials, as well as complex legal and delivery regulations surrounding such materials, hazardous materials are prohibited on Chapechape.

While not exhaustive, the following materials are examples of prohibited hazardous materials:

1. Explosives (fireworks or sparklers)
2. Explosive precursors
3. Flammable items
4. Gases
5. Radioactive material
6. Toxic substances (such as poisons)
7. Individual or loose lithium ion batteries

Some ingredients are considered hazardous when found in certain contexts. For more information, please see our Seller Handbook articles about cleaning supplies and cosmetics products. We’ve also put together a list of ingredients that cannot be used in cosmetic items on Chapechape, here.

Recalled Items or Items that May Pose a Health or Safety Hazard

Items that have been recalled by governments or manufacturers are prohibited from being sold on Chapechape. A few examples of items that have been recalled are certain vintage Corning Ware percolators, lawn darts and drop side cribs.

Items that may pose a health or safety hazard are prohibited, even if they have not been the subject of a recall. This would include, for example, items that present a choking, electrocution, or strangulation hazard. We generally rely on information from various government agencies to identify these items.

Weapons

Context matters when it comes to defining what is or is not a weapon. When in doubt, it’s safe to assume that we won’t allow any item intended to be used as a weapon to inflict harm. The following items are generally not allowed on Chapechape:

1. Guns, knives, or other blatant weapons, even if they are vintage. See here for more information.
2. Imitation firearms and weapons that look real or are prohibited by US law

Hate Items: Items that Promote, Support or Glorify Hatred

We want Chapechape to be a community where people of all backgrounds, nationalities, religions, political affiliations and even different types of artistic taste and humour feel welcome. Art is incredibly subjective, and what is offensive to one is not necessarily offensive to others.

Chapechape does not allow items or listings that promote, support or glorify hatred towards people or otherwise demean people based upon: race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation (collectively, “protected groups”). We also prohibit items or content that promote organisations or people with such views.

The following items are not allowed on Chapechape:

1. Items that support or commemorate current or historical hate groups, including propaganda or collectibles. Examples of hate groups include Nazi or Neo-Nazi groups, Ku Klux Klan (KKK) groups, white supremacist groups, misogynist groups, or groups that advocate anti-gay, anti-immigrant, or Holocaust denial agendas.
2. Items that contain racial slurs or derogatory terms in reference to protected groups.

Illegal Items, Items Promoting Illegal Activity and Highly Regulated Items

We respect the law and expect Chapechape sellers to respect the law as well.

Illegal items, items that promote illegal activity, and stolen items are not allowed on Chapechape. Neither are certain items that are subject to complex legal regulations or registration systems. We require sellers to follow all applicable laws for the items they list. Listings may be unavailable for users in regions where the item is restricted to purchase or sell.

While not exhaustive, examples of items which may be subject to regulation include:

1. Native American crafts
2. Plants and seeds
3. Children’s products
4. Food products
5. India Restrictions

See the linked pages for more information on requirements and specific items Chapechape prohibits in these categories.

Because Chapechape is a global company, it’s important to abide by the laws of the markets in which you are selling. What is legal in one country may be illegal in another. All forms of illegal activity are strictly prohibited, and listings may not facilitate or promote illegal acts. Examples of listings facilitating illegal acts include lock-picking or locksmithing devices, TV decoders, items designed to covertly capture private data, and similar.

Unauthorised replicas or copies of items are prohibited on Chapechape. We consider counterfeit or unauthorised goods to be items that imitate an authentic good, particularly by using a brand’s name, logo, or protected design without the brand owner’s consent. Additionally, we may consider up-cycled or re-purposed items, even if using authentic materials, to be counterfeit if they are making use of a brand’s name, logo, or protected design without their permission. Examples of prohibited counterfeit or unauthorised goods include replica luxury and non-luxury items like bags and branded apparel.

Personal information may not be sold, for instance as part of a data bank or mailing list. The sale of personal or government documents, such as credit cards, identification cards, and licences is also prohibited.
Given associated regulations, lottery tickets, cryptocurrency mining rigs, and current, exchangeable currency and postage may not be sold on Chapechape. We also prohibit the sale of financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, and other securities. Handmade items containing any of these items in a usable condition are also not allowed. Collectible postage or currency that priced at less than $ 1,000 CAD are allowed unless subject to legal or other restrictions. Collectible currency may not be offered as ‘unsearched’ or as a mixed lot of unknown contents.

Additionally, due to complex legal restrictions that vary by location, Chapechape does not permit the sale of real estate, housing, or motor vehicles (for example: automobiles, motorcycles, boats, travel trailers, etc.).

Internationally Regulated Items

Chapechape provides a direct connection between buyers and sellers around the world. If you buy or sell an item from another country, or if you enter into a transaction with someone across international borders, you are responsible for complying with laws and regulations of the country of destination as well as your local laws.

When buying and selling internationally, you should comply with your local laws and be aware that other countries may have their own restrictions. You might be prohibited from exporting or importing certain items under international laws and regulations. Some transactions may require licences, permits, or other documentation. If you have questions about how to comply with the law, we recommend that you speak to a qualified professional.

When you use Chapechape’s services, you are also responsible for complying with economic sanctions and trade restrictions, including those implemented by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) of the US Department of the Treasury. All Chapechape members must comply with our Sanctions Policy, regardless of their location.

Chapechape reserves the right to request that sellers provide additional information, disclose an item’s country of origin in a listing, or take other steps to meet compliance obligations.

You should be aware that third-party payment processors, such as PayPal, may independently monitor transactions for sanctions compliance and may block some transactions as part of their own compliance programmes. Chapechape has no authority or control over the independent decision-making of these providers.

Nudity and Mature Content

As a creative community, we tend to be fairly liberal about what we allow on Chapechape. That said, we prohibit pornography, illegal or exploitative items, and used intimate items. Beyond that, we allow but place restrictions on mature content so that people who are offended by this kind of material don’t have to see it. If you are selling mature content, we ask that you be respectful of differing sensibilities by listing and tagging your items properly.

We prohibit items which are not aligned with Chapechape’s brand and values, or which carry legal or other restrictions. Depictions of the sexualization of minors are prohibited. We also prohibit depictions of bestiality, incest, and non-consensual sex.

Pornography of any sort is prohibited on Chapechape, whereas mature content is restricted. Although pornography can be difficult to define, an item generally qualifies as pornography when it contains printed or visual material that explicitly describes or displays sex acts, sex organs, or other erotic behaviour for the sole purpose of sexual arousal or stimulation.

We define mature content as printed or visual depictions of human genitalia, sexual activity or content, profane language, sexual wellness items, violent images (within reason; see also Violent Items), and explicit types or representations of taxidermy. Click here to read more about how to properly list and tag mature content. Not all nudity is considered mature, and examples are listed below. If you find yourself questioning whether your item is mature, then it is likely a good idea to assume that it is mature content, and you should label it as such.

When deciding whether mature content crosses over the threshold into pornography, we take into consideration the explicitness of depictions of sexual activity or content.

Violent Items: Items that Promote, Support or Glorify Violence

We want Chapechape to be a safe place for everyone. While violent content can be a legitimate part of historical, educational or artistic expression, it should never be used to promote or glorify violent acts against others.

We do not allow items or listings that promote, support or glorify acts of violence or harm towards self or others, including credible threats of harm.

The following items are not allowed on Chapechape:

1. Items that glorify human suffering or tragedies, including items that commemorate or honour serial killers
2. Items that attempt to exploit natural disasters or human tragedies
3. Items that encourage, glorify, or celebrate acts of violence against individuals or groups
4. Items that encourage self-mutilation, starvation or other self-harm
5. Items that promote or endorse harmful misinformation