Help and FAQ

No. Customers never pay Contract fees. Browsing, messaging and posting a request are free. Only sellers pay, to advertise.

We started in California. Sellers anywhere in the 50 states and DC can post; our city pages and local guides cover California for now.

• Accounts start with your email. Every account will be linked to a phone number once text codes are switched on. Then it's one account per phone number.
• To list anything over $100, you need a one-time ID check (like a driver's license). ID checks start soon. Until then, those listings are saved but not up. That includes a quote over $100 that a buyer accepts.
• For a parent-assisted account, it's the parent's ID that's checked.

No. Messages can't include phone numbers (even spelled out, like “four one five”), email addresses, social media handles, payment app usernames (like a Venmo or Cash App name) and links. We block these before they're sent. Keeping the chat in the app keeps you both safe and gives you a record.

Saying how you'll pay is fine, like “cash or Venmo is fine”.

Each time someone tries anyway:

• 1st time: a warning.
• 2nd: account paused for 2 weeks.
• 3rd: account paused for 2 months.
• 4th: account paused for 2 years.
• 5th: account closed for good.

While an account is paused, it can't send messages. On a parent-assisted account, strikes go to the parent, who runs the account.

Think we got it wrong? Email contractlists.com@gmail.com to appeal.

Is something on Contract Lists using your photo or work without permission? Tap Report on the listing or the seller's profile and choose “Copyright”.

For a formal copyright notice (under the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA), write to our copyright agent.

• Name and mailing address: coming soon. We're registering our agent with the U.S. Copyright Office. Until then, send notices by email.
• Email: contractlists.com@gmail.com

What to include in a notice

Need help with something, or looking for an item? Post a request for free and helpers nearby reply in Messages. See requests

Helpers need a Requests pass to reply: $5/week, renewing every week until they cancel with one tap on their Account page. After a week with no replies, the next week is $2 off ($3). The pass is for safety: scammers have to pay before they can reach anyone.

Requests are for adults. Posting a request is free: customers never pay Contract fees.

Yes. Anyone can browse and search everything as a guest.

To message sellers and save listings. It's free. One account lets you hire, buy and sell. You must be 18 or older to have an account.

Open a listing and tap Message, Book, Ask to buy or Request a quote. This starts a message to the seller.

Paying in the app is coming soon. For now, you and the seller agree how to pay. Customers never pay Contract fees.

Contract isn't part of that payment and doesn't hold the money, so we can't refund it.

In messages, saying how you'll pay is fine, like “cash or Venmo is fine”. Usernames and numbers aren't: share those when you meet.

Talk to the seller first. Something looks like a scam? Tap Report on the listing or in your messages.

We don't handle payments between buyers and sellers yet, so we can't refund them. Report scams and fraud. We look at what both sides send, and we can take listings down and close accounts.

Read the fraud rules

Sellers choose, on each listing, how it gets to the buyer: pickup (free), local delivery within 20 miles for a fee the seller sets (it can be free), and shipping.

Shipping is priced one of three ways: included in the price, one price anywhere, or by distance from the seller (up to 100 miles, up to 500 miles, or farther). Farther never costs less. The listing shows any delivery or shipping cost.

Big items aren't shipped. Vehicles are always picked up. Other big items can be delivered locally.

The listing says if the seller ships, and what it costs.

Shipping with tracking through the app is coming soon. For now, you and the seller agree how to pay and ship. Contract doesn't insure shipments.

Paying ahead for something you haven't seen is risky. Meet up when you can, and check it before you pay.

Big items aren't shipped. Vehicles are always picked up. Other big items can be delivered locally. See it in person first. For a vehicle, check the title and history before you pay. Pay safely, for example at a bank. Reserving with a deposit in the app is coming soon.

Sellers can show licenses, certificates and insurance, say whether they're licensed or insured, and explain their price. Licenses and certificates come from the seller.

In California, a job of $1,000 or more in total (labor and materials), or any job that needs a building permit, needs a licensed contractor.

Check a California contractor's license (Contractors State License Board website, opens in a new tab)

Reviews come with paying in the app. Then only buyers who paid that seller in the app can review, once per purchase. Reviews have stars and text. The seller can post one public reply.

The seller is giving their next few customers a lower price. The number shows how many are left.

When none are left, the price goes back to normal. Services can have discounts too.

The seller is under 18. A parent or guardian runs this account and can see every message.

• Only customers with their own account, 18 or older, can message a parent-assisted seller.
• Messages sent during quiet hours (9 pm to 7 am California time) arrive in the morning.
• “A parent will be there” on a listing means a parent or guardian comes to in-person services and meetups.

Message and book in the app, as with any seller.

Tap Report on the listing, the seller's profile or your message thread. Reports are private, and we review every one. An AI assistant may take the first look. A person reviews anything serious. Think a listing may be stolen? Tap Report on it and choose “May be stolen”.

Create an account (or log in), then tap Sell. A quick seller setup asks for the name on your listings and your OK to the seller rules and the Terms of Use. Then post a listing with photos, a price and details.

These aren't allowed on Contract Lists:

• Stolen goods
• Guns, ammunition and gun parts (in California, private gun sales must go through a licensed dealer)
• Other weapons
• Alcohol
• Tobacco and vapes
• Drugs, cannabis and prescription medicines
• Recalled products
• Counterfeit goods

If you list any of these, the listing comes down, and your account is paused or closed. Anything else illegal isn't allowed either.

Read the full rules

$5 per listing. Every listing stays up 30 days. Renew once for free for 30 more days. After that, relist for $5.

The small listing fee is for safety. It helps keep scammers off Contract Lists.

Monthly plans, Featured and “Have AI help me” are coming soon. Customers never pay Contract fees.

Coming soon: monthly plans with no per-listing fees. We'll show the prices before they start.

Every account can have up to 30 listings up at once, on any plan. This helps stop spam.

Coming soon: a Featured tag, near the top of search and on Home. We'll show the price before it starts.

Coming soon. Snap a photo and AI writes your listing: title, description and details. Includes 1 day of Featured, on any plan. You check and edit everything before you post.

Tap Help me sell on any listing for ways to sell faster.

• Price ideas: at renewal time (after 30 days), we suggest a price about 10% lower, or near similar listings. You decide.
• Discount for your next customers: give your next 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 customers 5% to 50% off. Works for services too. Buyers see the lower price and how many are left, like “3 left”. When none are left, the price goes back to normal.

Featured and the monthly plans are coming soon.

Pay as you go: Every listing stays up 30 days. Renew once for free for 30 more days. After that, relist for $5.

Renewing is one tap by you, never automatic. Listings nobody looks after come down on their own.

Email reminders are coming soon. Check Your listings to see when each one ends.

Ended listings stay in your history for 6 months, to renew or relist.

You must be 18 or older to have an account. A parent or legal guardian may run a parent-assisted account so a child aged 13 to 17 can sell goods or services, like dog walking, tutoring or art. Children under 13 can't sell on Contract Lists, even with a parent.

The parent or guardian is the account holder and is responsible for its listings, messages and payments. Customers see a “Parent-assisted” label, so they know the seller is under 18.

To keep young sellers safe, we show only a first name or business name. No photos of the child, and no exact location.

Parent-assisted sellers can list only in these categories. Services: Classes and lessons, Beauty and personal care, Art and custom work, Everything else, Professional services, Yard and landscaping. Products: Handmade goods, Art and decor, Electronics, Furniture, Garden and outdoor, Everything else.

To keep the child safe:

• The parent signs in and runs the account: they manage messages and payments, and see every message.
• Quiet hours, 9 pm to 7 am California time: messages sent to the account then arrive when quiet hours end.
• The child's listings say “A parent will be there” for in-person services and meetups. It's on from the start; email us to turn it off.
• Only customers with their own account, 18 or older, can message a parent-assisted seller.
• Strikes for sharing contact details go to the parent, who runs the account.

Coming later: the child's own chats, where the parent sees every message and can OK each one before it's sent, and the child's reports going to the parent first.

Preview family messages

Paying in the app is coming soon. For now, you and the buyer agree how to pay.

In messages, saying how you'll pay is fine, like “cash or Venmo is fine”. Usernames and numbers aren't: share those when you meet.

Talk it through with the buyer first. Be honest about what you sold.

Report scams and fraud. We look at what both sides send, and we can take listings down and close accounts. A seller clearly at fault (not as described, a knock-off, or a rigged deal) loses the listing. To list it again, they pay the listing fee.

Either side can appeal our decision once, within 3 days. Our second look is final. Repeated fraud closes the account.

Read the fraud rules

Sellers choose, on each listing, how it gets to the buyer: pickup (free), local delivery within 20 miles for a fee the seller sets (it can be free), and shipping.

Shipping is priced one of three ways: included in the price, one price anywhere, or by distance from the seller (up to 100 miles, up to 500 miles, or farther). Farther never costs less. The listing shows any delivery or shipping cost.

Big items aren't shipped. Vehicles are always picked up. Other big items can be delivered locally.

The listing says if the seller ships, and what it costs.

Shipping with tracking through the app is coming soon. For now, you and the buyer agree how to pay and ship. Contract doesn't insure shipments.

Record a short packing video showing the item working and any serial numbers. It protects you if there's a problem.

Big items aren't shipped. Vehicles are always picked up. Other big items can be delivered locally. See it in person first. For a vehicle, check the title and history before you pay. Pay safely, for example at a bank. Reserving with a deposit in the app is coming soon.

To list anything over $100, you need a one-time ID check (like a driver's license). ID checks start soon. Until then, those listings are saved but not up. That includes a quote over $100 that a buyer accepts. For a parent-assisted account, it's the parent's ID that's checked.

When you post, you can add licenses, certificates or insurance, say whether you're licensed or insured, and explain your price (for example, why licensed work costs more). Only add what's true and current.

Construction work in California: a job of $1,000 or more in total, or any job that needs a building permit, needs a contractor's license. Licensed? Show your CSLB license number. Not licensed? Your listings say “Not a licensed contractor”: take only jobs under $1,000 that need no permit, and don't hire help. Other states have their own rules.

A short video helps buyers trust what they see. It's suggested for items over $100 and optional for anything. Listings with a video show a Video tag.

• Sellers handle their own taxes.
• One-off sales of your own used things usually don't need a seller's permit. If you sell goods regularly (more than two sales in 12 months, or as a business), California generally requires a seller's permit and sales tax. Check with CDTFA or a tax professional.
• In California, cars, boats and planes are taxed when the buyer registers them (for example, at the DMV).
• Outside California, check your own state's rules.
• We may add automatic sales tax later.
• Once paying in the app starts, our payment provider will send a yearly tax form (1099-K) to sellers who qualify.
• We can't give tax advice.

Reviews come with paying in the app. Then only buyers who paid that seller in the app can review, once per purchase. You can post one public reply to each.

You pay in the app and we hold the money until you've met, checked it and accepted it.

1. Pay in the app. We hold the money.
2. Meet within 7 days. If you don't, you get your money back.
3. Check the item or the work.
4. Tap “I'll take it” (or “Job done”), make a lower offer, or tap “Not for me” for a full refund.

Tapping “I'll take it” or “Job done” means you checked it and accept its condition. You then have 1 day to raise a problem. After that, the money goes to the seller.

Not quite as described? Make a lower offer. The seller can accept, decline or counter. When you agree, the seller gets the agreed price and the difference goes back to the buyer.

If the buyer does nothing, the money goes to the seller after 3 days for items or 7 days for services. After the money goes to the seller, only fraud (like a knock-off or a false description) can be reported, for 30 days.

• Buyers pay in the app and we hold the money. You get it 1 day after the buyer accepts, unless they report a problem.
• Meet within 7 days of paying, or the buyer gets the money back (unless you both agree to more time).
• At the meetup, the buyer may make a lower offer. You can accept, decline or counter. When you agree, you get the agreed price and the difference goes back to the buyer.
• “Not for me” at the meetup means a full refund. It costs nobody anything.
• When the buyer taps “I'll take it” or “Job done”, they confirm they checked it and accept its condition. They have 1 day to raise a problem. Then the money goes to you.
• If the buyer does nothing, the money goes to the seller after 3 days for items or 7 days for services.
• If a buyer reports a problem (with photos or a video), you have 48 hours to refund, part-refund or explain. If you can't agree, our team decides.
• After the money goes to the seller, only fraud (like a knock-off or a false description) can be reported, for 30 days.

Something wrong? Report it with photos or a video. The seller has 48 hours to refund, part-refund or explain. If you can't agree, our team decides. After the money goes to the seller, only fraud (like a knock-off or a false description) can be reported, for 30 days.

Seller clearly at fault (not as described, a knock-off, or a rigged deal)? The buyer gets all their money back. If the money already went to the seller, we take it back from their next payouts. The seller's listing comes down. To list it again, they pay the listing fee on any plan, Unlimited too.

Either side can appeal our decision once, within 3 days. The money waits until it's settled. Our second look is final.

Card charges on refunds:

• When the seller is at fault, they pay the card company's charge on the refund.
• If the seller never adds tracking, they pay the card company's charge on the refund.
• When nobody's at fault, the card company's charge on the refund is split 50/50.
• “Not for me” at a meetup costs nothing: the card was only held.

1. The buyer asks to buy. The seller accepts.
2. The buyer pays in the app. We take the money and hold it.
3. The seller ships within 3 days and adds the tracking number. The buyer sees it.
4. When tracking shows it's delivered, the buyer has 3 days to check it. If they report a problem, we hold the money until it's settled.

The seller sets the shipping price on the listing. The buyer pays it with the item, in the app.

After the buyer pays, the app sends their delivery address to the seller. Never type an address in chat.

No tracking within 3 days? The buyer can cancel for a full refund. After 7 days with no tracking, it's refunded automatically. The seller pays the card company's charge on that refund.

Record a short packing video showing the item working and any serial numbers. It protects you if there's a problem.

Shipping insurance is up to the buyer and seller. With insurance, the shipping company covers damage. Contract doesn't insure shipments.

Return shipping: the seller pays if the item isn't as described. The buyer pays if they changed their mind (only when the seller allows returns).

Damaged in shipping, no insurance, and nobody's fault? The buyer and seller split the loss 50/50. The card company's charge on the refund is split the same way.

Vehicles and items over $2,500 are reserved with a $250 deposit in the app. The rest is paid as the buyer and seller agree. Big items aren't shipped. Vehicles are always picked up. Other big items can be delivered locally. Only the deposit is covered by Pay safely. If the seller is at fault, the buyer gets the deposit back. The rest was paid outside the app, so it isn't covered. Before paying the rest, check the title and history. Pay the rest safely, for example at a bank. When the buyer pays the rest another way, they tick to confirm it isn't covered. Then they have 1 day to raise a problem with the deposit. If the buyer does nothing after the meetup, the deposit goes to the seller after 3 days.

When something sells in the app, card processing (about 2.9% + 30¢) comes out of your payout. It's what our payment provider charges to handle the card.

Customers never pay Contract fees. In a no-fault refund, the card company's charge is split. If a sale is refunded, the listing fee isn't. The listing still ran.