The rules of the bazaar.
Eight principles every member follows. Sentinel enforces them; the community flags what we miss.
- 1
Be a real person.
Use your real name and a recognizable photo on your profile. We require Google sign-in, with optional LinkedIn verification. No anonymous accounts.
- 2
Be accurate.
Photos must show what is actually being offered. Describe condition, location, and price honestly. If a listing changes (sold, withdrawn, edited), update it within 24 hours.
- 3
Keep money on-platform when possible.
Off-platform payments remove our ability to mediate disputes. If a seller insists on bank transfer, gift cards, or crypto with no prior relationship, that is a red flag. Report it.
- 4
Meet in public.
For high-value handoffs, use a Suggested Safety Point. Bring a friend if it feels right. Tell someone where you are going. We don't monitor those locations. Public visibility is the protection.
- 5
No discrimination.
Listings or messages that exclude people based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, or disability (or other protected classes under applicable law) are removed. You may describe your own household and lifestyle (e.g. "we keep a vegetarian kitchen" or "we mostly speak Telugu at home"), but you may not require, prefer, or exclude applicants on the basis of a protected class.
- 6
No off-topic listings.
ChaiandCity is for the diaspora marketplace. Pyramid schemes, MLMs, generic spam, and unrelated services are removed. Sentinel pattern-matching catches most of these before publishing.
- 7
Respect reviews.
You cannot delete a review. You can flag a review for moderation if it violates these guidelines. Retaliatory reviews against people who left honest feedback are removed.
- 8
Report anything that feels off.
Use the Report button on any listing or message. Sentinel reviews every report within 24 hours. False reports designed to suppress competition are themselves a violation.
Housing listings
Violations are reviewed by humans, not by AI alone. Read the Security FAQ for what data we use during review.