SELLERS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
01. What are the fees for selling in the TorontoBarks.com Bark Boutique?
TorontoBarks.com charges fees for sellers to list and sell items in the marketplace. All fees are in Canadian dollars.
When you list an item (product or service), there is a $0.25 listing fee per quantity. This covers an item listing period for up to four months (listings will expire after 4 months). Example: If a blue dog collar is listed and there is only 1 in stock then the listing fee is $0.25 cents total. If the quantity, in stock, is 3 then the listing fee is $0.75 cents total.
Products: When a product sells, there is a 3.5% transaction fee on the final sale price (not including shipping).
Services: When a service is booked/reserved, there is a 5% transaction fee on the final sale price (not including shipping).
All fees are applied to your TorontoBarks.com bill, which is issued each month. You will only be billed for what you list and what you sell. There is no sign up fee and no monthly fees.
Failure to pay your TorontoBarks.com bill on time can result in overdue status and suspension of account privileges and/or termination. Suspended and/or terminated members remain obligated to pay TorontoBarks.com for all unpaid fees per our Terms of Use.
If you have any other questions regarding your TorontoBarks.com bill please contact us
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02. Is there a fee to get started (open a shop)?
Registering for your shop is free. There is no set up fee and no monthly fee to run your shop. You are billed only for the services you use.
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03. What can I sell? Products, services or both?
YES! You can list products, services or both in the Bark Boutique! Products can include items such as accessories, clothes, toys, treats, kennels, beds, training aids, grooming supplies, memorial products, dog related gifts and much more. Dog services can include dog walking services, training classes, pet first aid classes, dog sitting, pet photography sessions/packages, pet grooming services and lots more. As long as it is dog related, you can list it!
Don't see a category where your product or service will fit in? We will create one for you - simple as that!
If you have any questions about what to list or if you want to inquire about becoming a seller please contact us.
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04. My logo, banner and/or product image looks blurry once I upload it. How do I fix it?
You have probably uploaded an image that is too small, and therefore is being stretched to fit. We recommend that your logo is square and 150x150px. Your banner should be 675x100px (horizontal). You can submit up to 5 product images for each listing. Product images should be a minimum of 500px wide, and ideally images should be no larger than 1000px square.
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05. The thumbnail of my product image is being cropped off. How do I fix this?
Our thumbnails are square, so if you upload/provide an image that is rectangle the images will have to be cropped. The images have been center cropped so that they are not skewed and squished to fit into the square. There is not really a way around this unless you provide us images that are square. Note: The full size (non-cropped) photo will appear in the main product view. Only thumbnail versions of the image appear cropped.
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06. My computer and artistic & technical skills as slim to none! How can I get a professional looking banner for my shop?
If you are interested in a custom banner you can contact us at TorontoBarks.com to discuss cost and design so we can create one for you.
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07. Can I edit my listing once it is live on the site?
Yes. Simply send us an email outlining any adjustments necessary. Your listing expiry date will stay the same. For our beta period you will have to contact us directly to make adjustments to your account and/or listings.
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08. What is renewing an item? How much does it cost?
If your item has not sold after four months, the listing expires. Renewing a listing costs $0.25 (per item, per quantity) and will reactivate your listing for four months from the renewal date.
You may also renew an item before it expires. This will allow your item to re-appear in “Recently Listed Items”. It will also give new expiration dates. The new expiration date will be four months from the renewal date.
For our beta period you will have to contact us directly to make adjustments to your account and/or listings.
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09. What is relisting an item?
If your item sold and you have more of the same thing that you want to sell, you can relist. Relisting costs $0.25 (per listing, per quantity) and essentially creates a new listing identical to your sold item, so you don't have to retype your description or upload your photos again.
For our beta period you will have to contact us directly to make adjustments to your account and/or listings.
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10. Is there a fee for editing an item listing?
There is no fee to edit an item listing. You may edit an item listing (for example: revise the price, description, add/change photos, add tags) as many times as you would like for free. However, if you increase the quantity of stock in a listing, then you will be charged a listing fee accordingly ($0.25 per quantity in stock)
For our beta period you will have to contact us directly to make adjustments to your account and/or listings.
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11. If I unlist an item or reduce its stock quantity after it has been listed is the listing fee refunded?
No, it’s not.
For our beta period you will have to contact us directly to unlist or reduce the stock of an item that you have already listed.
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12. Can I list an item even though it does not fit into any of the categories I see?
Yes! As long as it is a dog related product or service we will list it. Simply contact us, provide us with your product/service information and (upon approval) we will find/create a category for your product or service.
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12. What does “Quantity” mean when listing an item?
When listing an item Quantity is not necessarily a stock count of what you actually have in your physical store, it is a count for how many you wish to sell at any given time in The Bark Boutique. It is important to keep in mind that each item will cost $0.25 to list (so for example to list a quantity of 5 it will cost $1.25). We suggest listing a realistic amount (depending on the product and how fast you expect it to sell) because the listings will expire after 4 months, but you want to keep it high enough so you don't run out (when a listing runs out it will become disabled).
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14. Can I list an item that has different size or colour options?
Yes! As long as the size, colour etc options do not effect the price of the product, it can be listed as 1 single product. We recommend making a note within the listing that the item “comes in your choice of blue, red, green, pink and black” and “sizes SM, M, L, XL” along with a note which reads “Please specify your colour and size selection in the "Message to seller" section of Step 4 of checkout"
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15. What if an item that has different prices for different size or colour options?
You can certainly list items that have different prices for each size, however, they need to be listed separately. Each listing can only have 1 price per item. Any options that do not affect the price can simply be noted within the listing.
For example: To list a dog t-shirt that is $15 for size small, $20 for size medium, $25 for Large you will need 3 separate listings (1 for each size/price).
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16. Can I sell custom made items or made to order items?
YES! You can sell custom items as long as you can list them for a single price (not a price range). You cannot list an item that is (for example) Custom Dog T-shirts from $20-40. The system can only accommodate a single price value for each listing. We recommend selling the custom item in multiple listings (1 listing per price).
For example: You would need 2 listings to list
1) Standard Custom Dog T-shirt $20, can include embroidered dog name and choice of fabric
2) Premium Custom Dog T-shirt $30, can include embroidered dog name, rhinestones, beading and choice of fabric.
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17. What should I do about estimating shipping costs?
Our system is set up to only allow a single price (not a price range) for shipping. We suggest that you bring your items to the post office (or shipping company that you wish to use) and ask them to provide you with cost estimates to ship to Ontario, eastern Canada, western Canada, United States etc. This will give you an idea of what it will cost to ship your item to a variety of locations. It is up to you to decide what you want/need to charge for shipping however we expect it to be fair and realistic.
We also recommend that you make a note in each product listing something like “Shipping charges are estimated, but may vary depending on the weight and dimensions of your complete order. We will confirm the exact cost with you before the order is processed and notify you of any changes”
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18. What if I want to offer combined shipping rates or free shipping?
You can certainly offer combined shipping rates or free shipping if you would like. Our system is only set up to allow a single price (not a price range) for shipping. Because our system does not actually process payment (you are responsible for collecting and processing all payments) you can simply add a note within your product listings. The note should be within each product listing (for example)“We offer combined shipping. Shipping charges are estimated, but may vary depending on the weight and dimensions of your complete order. We will confirm the exact cost with you before the order is processed and notify you of any changes” or “We offer FREE SHIPPING* on orders over $50 in Canada, orders over $75 in United States and orders over $100 everywhere else. If you qualify for free shipping we will adjust the order total at time of payment.”
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19. Do I need to live in Toronto to sell in the TorontoBarks.com Bark Boutique?
NO. You can become a seller in The Bark Boutique as long as you are located within Canada (all funds are in Canadian dollars). As long as you are able to ship to Toronto then you can sell in The Bark Boutique.
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20. How do I issue a refund or an exchange?
It is up to the seller to determine whether or not they will issue a refund or exchange, it has nothing to do with The Bark Boutiques shopping system. If a seller has a return policy we recommend making note of it within their “Company Description”.
If a customer wishes to exchange an item or get a refund they will need to contact the seller directly. ToronotBarks.com does not process any payments through our site (it is the sellers responsibility to confirm and process any payment) therefore it is also the sellers responsibility to issue refunds or exchanges if needed.
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21. Is there a minimum or maximum amount of products or services I can list in the Bark Boutique?
No. There are no minimums and no limits to how many products you can list in our marketplace. It costs $0.25 per listing per quantity.
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22. How do I get my items in the “Featured Products” section?
The featured products are a random selection that changes each time the page refreshes. During our Beta phase we are featuring all products. After the Beta phase we will offer these spots for a premium price.
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23. How do I get my company in the “Featured Sellers” section?
The featured sellers are a random selection that changes each time the page refreshes. During our Beta phase we are featuring all sellers. The seller featured changes each time the page refreshes. After the Beta phase we will offer these spots for a premium price.
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24. How does a customer purchase a product or service? What is the checkout process?
When a customer wishes to purchase an item in the Bark Boutique the process is simple:
1) Add the item to their "shopping cart"
2) Begin checkout process by entering their shipping address
3) Select the payment method they wish to use (Only the payment options that are offered by you will be displayed)
4) Review their order details and Confirm
5) Once a customer has confirmed an order all of the transaction details will be emailed to both you and the customer.
6) You collect payment directly from the customer
7) Ship the item
It's as simple as that!
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