Vendor Standards and Code of Conduct

As the owner and manager of e-Shop Cape Breton, we strive to ensure that the site is a safe and enjoyable online platform for both shoppers and vendors. We have imposed a number of standards in order to enhance the value of our vendors’ goods and to protect their brands and reputations.

By creating a vendor account on this site, you – the vendor – accept and agree to comply with ALL standards as outlined in this document.

While we will work to continually monitor the site to ensure our vendors are complying with our standards, ultimately the legality, safety, quality, performance, and worthiness of the goods on this site are the sole responsibility of the respective vendor. You agree to hold

Definitions

In this document:

  • The words “site”, “platform”, and “e-Shop Cape Breton” refer to the website https://capebreton.shop and the marketplace services provided on the site.
  • The words “we”, “us”, “our”, and synonymous pronouns refer to the site owner and manager: Scotia Logic IT & Development Inc.
  • The words “you”, “your”, synonymous pronouns refer to the vendor, their representatives, and their agents.
  • “Goods” refers to any items published by a vendor for sale on the site.

Standards

The goods sold on this site, and the online representation of those goods, must meet our minimum standards. We reserve the right – at our sole discretion – to disable products or vendors who do not comply with our standards.

Representation

  • Goods must be accurately represented on this site.
  • Product images must be of the exact goods being sold, or of goods identical to those being sold.
  • Images cannot be confusing or misleading.
  • Images must show only the minim quantity of goods which can be added to the cart. For example: if the product for sale is a single jar of honey, then the image cannot show a case or multi-pack of honey jars.
  • Images must be sharp, in-focus, well lit, and well composed.
  • Product descriptions must accurately describe the goods, including colour, condition, any defects, blemishes, or uniquely identifiable characteristics.
  • Where applicable, the weight and dimensions of the product must be provided.
  • The origin of the goods must be fully disclosed, including the country in which the goods are manufactured.
  • Goods must not make claims of performance related to personal health, happiness, monetary gains, etc.

Prices

  • All prices must be posted only in Canadian dollars.
  • Price per quantity must be clearly indicated.
  • Vendors are responsible to regularly monitor and update their prices and must honor all prices as posted.

Inventory

  • Products posted on the site must be in stock and available for immediate delivery.
  • Vendors must continually monitor inventory levels and immediately disable (pause) products that are sold out.
  • In the event that a sold-out product is purchased, the vendor must notify the buyer by email within 24-hours to present one of two options:
  1. If the product will be re-stocked, the vendor must provide the buyer with an accurate ETA and the option of a full refund.
  2. If the product will not be re-stocked, the vendor must provide a full refund.

Shipping and Delivery

  • Canada Post is the only acceptable delivery method for physical goods.
  • While we encourage the re-use of boxes and bubble-mailers, all shipping materials must be like-new; shipping materials cannot have any visible trace of having been previously shipped.
  • Goods must be shipped within 2 business days.
  • Goods must be properly packed with adequate shipping material to ensure the goods are received undamaged by the buyer.
  • If a buyer reports that goods were damaged in shipping, the vendor must offer either a full refund or free replacement.
  • Drop shipping is not permitted.

Quality

  • All goods must new.
  • Used goods may be permitted under special circumstances, such as antiques, art, collectables, and other rare items.

Safety

  • Goods must comply with national safety standards and the standards of all Canadian regulatory bodies.
  • Food, beverages, and related consumables are not permitted.
  • Medicine, drugs, supplements, and goods for medical use are not permitted.

Intellectual Property

  • e-Shop Cape Breton is not responsible for policing or enforcing vendors’ products in regards to usage of intellectual property from a non-e-Shop company, person, or organization.
  • When selling items that contain intellectual property that belongs to another company, person, or organization, the vendor is fully responsible for all financial and legal ramifications that may pertain to breaching those terms and conditions.
  • If you believe another e-Shop Cape Breton vendor is using your design or product, please contact us via the Support tab in the Vendor Dashboard.

Nondiscrimination Policies

  • e-Shop Cape Breton is committed to championing diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities for all. e-Shop Cape Breton does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.
  • Any products, comments, reviews, or descriptions that include offensive content (bigotry, sexism, racism, homophobia/anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments, inappropriate themes, harassment, etc.) will be subjected to immediate removal. This is a zero tolerance policy and will result in the removal of a shop’s products and/or its privilege to sell through e-Shop Cape Breton.
  • We encourage reporting of all perceived incidents of discrimination, harassment or retaliation, regardless of the offender’s identity or position. Individuals who believe that they have been the victim of such conduct should report it immediately through the Support tab in your Vendor Dashboard.

Vendor Best Practices

  • Provide accurate product data. When creating your product pages, be sure to have a SKU for each of your products and their variations. Make sure your product description is clear and helpful to buyers. It’s important that buyers get exactly the product described on your page.

  • Check for orders daily. To ship quickly you need to find out about orders promptly. If you have signed up for order notifications, we will e-mail you when you have a sale, but e-mails are unreliable and can be caught by spam filters. That is why we recommend checking for orders daily on the Vendor Dashboard. Under the Orders tab you can view a list of orders and set up automatic order reports.

  • Confirm when you ship. The site charges the buyer’s credit card only after shipment is confirmed. Once an order is placed, you are responsible for confirming shipment within the time that you specified in your shipping settings. (The default is two business days.)

  • Check your inventory regularly. Keep an eye on quantity of inventory you have in stock, especially if you sell in multiple locations. Customers who submit orders for products that turn out not to be in stock are likely to leave negative feedback. If you get into this situation, the best move is to quickly inform the buyer and, if possible, offer to compensate them for their trouble.

  • Keep pricing accurate at all times. Shoppers are always looking for the best deals and making sure your products’ prices and offered discounts are accurate at the time of purchase is paramount to keeping your customers’ trust.

  • Be sure to align your shipping and fulfillment policies. The best way to avoid disappointing buyers is to set expectations and then meet them. When creating your shipping policy clearly let customers know how often orders are processed, how frequently you ship, the carriers you use, and how to contact you with shipping related questions. Buyers will be disappointed if their order arrives late or if an item is damaged; this can lead to negative feedback and refunds, all of which may have negative consequences for your account.

  • Be accessible to customers. Nothing is more frustrating to a buyer than not knowing the status of their order or not getting an answer about a particular product. Respond as quickly as possible to your customer’s messages. If an order’s shipment has delayed, let them know. Make it easy for customers to know how to reach you – this reinforces your business’ professionalism and trustworthiness.

  • Build a good feedback rating. Customers pay close attention to feedback, and so do we as we monitor your performance. We’ve found that the keys to good feedback are accurately describing your items, getting items to buyers quickly, and being prompt in responding to buyer questions.

  • Handle returns, reviews, and refunds gracefully. No one looks forward to taking returns and making refunds, but it is part of selling and a requirement of a product-focused business. Taking returns gracefully can lead to better feedback about your customer service and garner respect and trust from your buyers. You are required to take returns of most items up to 30 days after delivery and our policies are to be followed. We also require our vendors to keep a positive approach to receiving feedback – for example, if a customer doesn’t like your product, returns it, and gives a justified review, we expect our vendors to be gracious and respectful.

  • Know where to look for answers. Take time to examine all the tools on your Vendor Dashboard as well as your legal agreement and our other policies. If you have questions, a good place to begin is the Support tab on the Vendor Dashboard.

Do’s & Don’ts

Do’s
  • Optimize your product titles and descriptions.
    You need to understand how a buyer searches and use words accordingly. For example, ‘Nike brown shoes for men’. This is how someone would go for a particular search. Make sure your title includes brand, product type, model number, size, color, etc. to provide buyers exactly what they need. Another way of getting your product known is detailed product description. Provide as much relevant product information as possible to potential buyers to draw them in.

    Examples of good titles:

    – Men’s K-Swiss Athletic StreetSmart Shoes – Navy (Size 11)
    – “Soaring Eagle & Running Fox” – Digital photo print (40×22.5 inches)

  • Put effort into your product photography.
    When shopping online, customers don’t have the benefit of being able to see the product in front of them – but photos are the perfect solution to this! And as the saying goes, “A picture’s worth a thousand words” and you can say a lot about your products with a well-composed photo. Here are some things to try:
  • Make sure your lens is clean, especially on your phone.
  • Have a variety of photos for each product – take both vertical and horizontal shots.
  • Consider the best lighting options for the photo.
  • Take some time to edit your photos.
  • Check out other’s product photos for ideas.
  • Use a white/light-coloured background, possibly considering buying a sweep – an acrylic or thick paper sheet to use as a backdrop.
Don’ts
  • Giving too much or too little information.
    There’s a fine line to walk when creating your product title and description. Too little information makes your product seem illegitimate or unfinished, while too much can confuse the customer, resulting in a potential loss of a sale. Avoid slang or jargon that might be unfamiliar to the average person as it might make searching for and understanding your product difficult. Accessibility to the general public should be a major focus of your titles and descriptions.

    Examples of bad titles:

    – men’s shoes 11s
    – 16:9 / 3840×2160 (4K UHD) / 40×22.5 inches / “Soaring Eagle & Running Fox” – Digital photo print by John MacNeil

  • Underestimate the importance of product photos.
    The power of an image is undeniable and if you’re not including great product photography images in your shop, then you could be losing out on a large quantity of sales. Simply taking a photo with your smartphone is not good enough in the hyper-competitive field of internet-based selling. Here’s what you should avoid:
  • Don’t be afraid of using your smart phone.
  • Don’t use blurry or poorly focused photos.
  • Don’t use filters or intrusive graphics/watermarks.
  • Don’t have too many distractions in the photo – ex. a cluttered background, non-related props, patterned materials.
  • Don’t use just one angle for your photos. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
  • Don’t shoot in an area that’s too dark or too bright.

Good Product Photos

Bad Product Photos

  • Label is easy to read.
  • Background is one solid colour and ties into the product’s packaging.
  • Shadows are sharp and don’t detract from the product.
  • Props add dimension and texture to the photo without being too distracting.
  • Soft reflections.
  • Poorly cropped and crooked.
  • Low photo resolution and pixelated.
  • Harsh, direct lighting that casts a large shadow that detracts from the overall image.
  • Background is poorly lit and almost an off-grey colour.
  • Product’s label is askew and folded.
  • Good contrast between the colours of the product and the background – the gold really pops against the blue.
  • Clear, crisp image.
  • Bottom surface has a textured reflection to bring some visual variety to the photo.
  • Background is incredibly problematic – between the distracting elements like the TVs, lumber, and boxes of apples, it is very difficult to focus on the dress.
  • Multiple sources of light in the photo makes for an unbalanced scene. There’s natural light illuminating the front of the dress, but there’s also overhead lighting that gives the background a yellow tint.
  • Although e-Shop Cape Breton doesn’t allow for the sale of food or consumables, this photo shows off an interesting angle for the product. Get creative with the angles and don’t be afraid to show off the interior of your product, if applicable.
  • Despite the excellent composition and good colour contrast, the background prop of the stylish leather shoe has nothing to do with hair repair shampoo.