How LOCORA Works

Getting started

LOCORA is a Vancouver Island local marketplace. Every member gets a free shop profile and can list items for sale, message buyers and sellers, and participate in island discovery features.

Creating your account

1. Go to Register (or mobile register).
2. Enter your legal name, a unique email address (one account per email — if it is already registered, sign in instead), password, and choose a shop name (this is what buyers see — you can use your business name or personal name).
3. Select your community and enter your postal code. These help buyers find local sellers and determine search radius.
4. Read and accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
5. After registration you are signed in and can open your dashboard immediately.

Signing in

• Use Sign in with your email and password.
• After you submit the form, we email a 6-digit verification code. Enter it at Verify email before you can access the dashboard or other member areas.
• When signing in later, you will also receive a one-time code by email (/login-verify.php).
• Forgot your password? Use Forgot password → check email → set a new password at Reset password.

Terms updates

If we publish updated terms, you will be redirected to Accept terms before you can use the dashboard again. Review the changes and accept to continue.

What you get for free

The FREE plan includes a limited number of active listings (see Billing & Plans for current limits), a public shop page, messaging, and access to buyer features. Paid plans increase listing slots, photo limits, and listing duration.

Note: Jobs and Services listings are not included on the free plan — you need a paid LOCORA Listings plan to post in those categories.

Your dashboard

The member dashboard (Dashboard home) is your control centre. The left sidebar links to every seller tool.

Hidden pages (linked from listings or elsewhere)

• Edit listing — /dashboard/listing-edit.php?id=
• Renew listing — when a listing expires or goes inactive
• Mark as sold — record a sale and optionally enable reviews
• Leave a review — after a platform-tracked sale
• Feature listing — paid boost for category visibility
• Per-listing stats — drill-down from My Listings
• Report listing / shop — submit moderation reports
• Connections dashboard — /dashboard/connections.php
• Edit Connections profile — /connections/edit.php (photos at #photos)
• Search Connections — /connections/search.php
• Connections matches — /connections/matches.php
• Connections settings — /connections/settings.php
• Directory suggest / claim — add or claim Vancouver Island directory entries

Shop & profile

Your shop is your public identity on LOCORA. Manage it under Settings Shop.

Shop name & slug

Your shop name appears on listings, your shop page, and in search. The URL is /shop/your-slug. Choose a name buyers will recognize.

Avatar & banner

• Avatar — square profile image shown on your shop page and next to your name on listings.
• Banner — wide header image on your shop page. Recommended size: 1200×300 pixels (4:1 ratio).
• Upload both in Settings. You can remove and replace them at any time.

Bio, community & location

• Bio — short description of what you sell or your shop story (shown on your shop page).
• Community — your primary Vancouver Island community; shown on listings and shop.
• Postal code — used for local search radius (not shown publicly in full on all pages).
• Search radius — how far from your postal code your listings appear in local browse filters.

Mailing address

Required for paid plans and billing. Used for verification eligibility and tax/receipt purposes. Keep it current under Settings.

Verified local seller badge

Admins may grant a Verified local seller badge when you have a paid plan, a card on file, and a Vancouver Island mailing address. You cannot self-apply; focus on completing billing and address requirements. The badge appears on your shop, listings, and seller card.

Public shop page

Buyers visiting your shop URL (/shop/your-slug) see:

• Banner, avatar, shop name, rating, location, bio, listing count
• Category sidebar to filter items within your shop
• Shop search box
• Review breakdown and recent buyer reviews
• Message shop owner button (buyers must be signed in)
• Favourite shop button (heart)

Hide shop / profile

Under Settings → Privacy & account, you can Hide shop & listings without deleting your account:

• Your shop page returns “not available” to the public (you can still preview it when signed in).
• Active listings disappear from Browse, search, categories, and your public shop page.
• Listings remain in My Listings — edit, renew, or mark sold anytime.
• Choose Show shop & listings to become visible again instantly.
• Hiding your shop does not hide your Connections profile unless you use Hide account (below).

Creating & managing listings

Add a new listing

1. Go to Add Listing.
2. Choose listing type: Offer (selling) or Wanted (looking to buy).
3. Select a category — fields may change by category (e.g. electronics attributes, property fields). Jobs and Services require a paid LOCORA Listings plan.
4. Enter title, description, condition, and price (or mark as free / contact for price).
5. Upload photos — limits depend on your plan (more on paid plans).
6. Set listing location (community) if different from your shop default.
7. Choose listing duration if your plan offers options.
8. Submit. Active listings appear in Browse and on your shop page immediately.

Plan limits

If you reach your plan’s listing limit, you cannot add new listings until you upgrade, delete an active listing, or mark one sold. Listings over limit after a downgrade may show as over plan limit until resolved.

Jobs & Services categories

Listings in the Jobs and Services departments require a paid LOCORA Listings plan. The free plan cannot be used to post job openings, hire ads, or service offerings — upgrade at Billing & Plans before adding or moving a listing into those categories.

My Listings page

At My Listings each row shows status (active, inactive, sold, etc.), views, inquiries, and actions:

• Edit — change title, photos, price, description, category
• Feature — purchase a featured boost (category priority placement)
• Mark sold — close the listing; choose an on-platform buyer to enable reviews
• Renew — reactivate expired listings (free short renew or paid longer period)
• Delete — permanently remove the listing
• View stats — per-listing traffic details
• View live — open the public listing page

Listing photos

• First photo is the primary image in search and cards.
• Use clear, well-lit photos of the actual item.
• Drag or reorder if the form supports multiple images.
• Do not use watermarked stock photos for items you do not own.

Pricing & badges

• Set a dollar amount, mark free, or use “contact for price” where available.
• Wanted listings display a wanted badge.
• Some categories support provincial registration numbers or special fields (vehicles, etc.).

When listings expire

Listings have a maximum active duration based on your plan. Before expiry you may receive reminders. After expiry, renew from My Listings to restore visibility.

Marking as sold

1. Open Mark sold from My Listings.
2. If the buyer messaged you on LOCORA, select them from the conversation list — this creates a sale record and prompts both parties to leave reviews.
3. If sold off-platform, choose off-platform sale — no review workflow.
4. The listing status changes to sold and is removed from active browse.

Featured listings

Pay to feature an active listing for extra visibility in its category. Purchase from My Listings, the feature page, or the Featured section on Billing. Featured listings show a sparkle badge until the feature period ends.

Plans & billing

Manage everything at Billing & Plans.

Free vs paid plans

• FREE — limited active listings and photos; good for casual sellers in most categories (buy/sell, property, vehicles, etc.).
• Jobs & Services — not available on the free plan; require a paid LOCORA Listings plan.
• Paid LOCORA Listings plans — more slots, more photos, longer durations, Jobs and Services access, and eligibility for verified seller status.

Compare plans on the billing page before upgrading.

Upgrading

1. Choose a paid plan and billing period.
2. Enter or confirm your mailing address.
3. Add a payment card (processed securely — charges appear from MATVIO billing).
4. Confirm purchase. Your new limits apply immediately.

Card on file & auto-renew

• Save your card for faster renewals and plan charges.
• Auto-renew keeps your paid plan active at period end.
• Schedule downgrade switches to a lower tier at the end of the current paid period without losing remaining time.

Account balance

If a charge fails or a credit applies, your dashboard shows an account balance. Pay any amount due from Billing before adding listings or renewing plans.

Payment history & saved cards

View your full payment history (listings plans, Connections, featured ads, and more) and manage cards on file at Payments & History. Plans and upgrades stay on Billing & Plans.

Featured listing ads

Separate from subscription plans — buy featured placement for individual listings. Pricing is shown on Billing and the feature listing flow.

LOCORA Connections plans

Connections billing is separate from marketplace listing plans. On Billing & Plans, scroll to the LOCORA Connections section:

• Free Connections — included when you create a profile; limited profile photos and messages per billing period. Profile view totals appear in Statistics, but not who viewed you.
• Paid Connections plans — more profile photos, higher message limits, and the last 50 profile viewers with visit dates (Profile views).
• Verified badge — optional one-time verification after our team reviews your identity and mailing address (shown on your profile when granted).

Upgrade from Billing & Plans or follow the upgrade link on the photo upload section when you reach your plan limit.

Messages & support

Messaging buyers & sellers

• From a listing: click Message Seller (must be signed in).
• From a shop page: click Message shop owner.
• All conversations appear in Messages.
• Replies are threaded per conversation. Keep deals and meet-up details here for your own records.

LOCORA Support

On desktop Messages, open the LOCORA Support thread (or use ?support=1) for help with:

• Account access, billing disputes, plan questions
• Listing issues, reporting problems, general site help

Support is staffed by admins — allow time for a response. Unread support replies appear on your dashboard.

Mobile messaging

On mobile, member-to-member messages are at Messages. For support with billing or account issues, use desktop Messages or email locoracanada@gmail.com.

Payment disclaimer

LOCORA does not process payments between buyers and sellers. Arrange cash, e-transfer, or other payment directly at pickup. Never send money for shipping to unknown buyers claiming to overpay.

Reviews & reputation

How reviews work

When a seller marks a listing sold to an on-platform buyer, both parties can leave a review within the review window. Reviews cover:

• Payment experience
• Promptness
• Item accuracy
• Friendliness
• Value
• Optional written comment

Leaving a review

1. Check your dashboard for Reviews pending alerts.
2. Or open /dashboard/review.php?sale_id= from the link provided.
3. Rate each criterion and submit. Reviews are tied to the transaction, not editable later by members.

Your shop rating

Aggregate ratings appear on your dashboard, shop page, and listing seller cards. More completed on-platform sales with positive reviews build trust with buyers.

Favourites

• On any shop page, click Favourite shop (heart).
• On any listing, click Favourite item or Favourite shop.
• Guests are prompted to sign in first.
• Manage saved items at Favourites — active shops and live listings only.
• Click the heart again to remove a favourite.

LOCORA Connections

Connections is a social feature for meeting people on Vancouver Island — separate from marketplace buying and selling. It uses its own profiles, photos, search, likes, friend requests, and a friends list. Marketplace messaging and Connections messaging are different flows.

Getting started

1. Sign in and open Connections (desktop header or mobile bottom nav).
2. If you don't have a profile yet, you'll be guided to create one.
3. Enter a unique Connections display name (separate from your marketplace shop name, and not already used by another member), your community, and date of birth (18+ required). Your age is shown publicly; your birthdate stays private.
4. Accept the Connections safety notice. You need an active profile before you can browse other members.
5. After creating your profile, you'll land on Edit profile to add photos and optional details.

Dashboard hub

Open Dashboard → Connections (mobile: Connections) for your control centre:

• Profile summary — display name, headline, photo count, and current plan.
• Edit profile & photos — opens the full edit form and photo manager.
• View profile — your public Connections page as others see it.
• Search, Matches, Discover, Settings — quick links to the main Connections tools.
• Profile views — paid plan members see the last 50 members who viewed their profile, with dates (Profile views). Free members see counts in Statistics only.
• Friend requests — accept or decline incoming requests, cancel sent requests, and manage your friends list below the hub.

The dashboard sidebar shows Connections with a green checkmark when your profile is active, and a badge count for pending incoming friend requests.

Profile fields

Edit everything at Edit profile. Available fields include:

• Display name and community — required basics shown on your profile and in search. Use a unique name for privacy; each name can only be used once, and your shop/listings profile name is not used here.
• Headline — a short one-line intro.
• About me — longer description of who you are.
• Gender, pronouns, sexual orientation, relationship status — optional identity fields.
• Interested in meeting — who you'd like to connect with (separate from sexual orientation).
• Looking for — checkboxes (friendship, dating, activity partners, etc.) plus optional detail text.
• Interests & hobbies, favourite local activities, and lifestyle fields where available.

Save changes from the edit form. Some extended fields appear after the site database upgrade is applied — if a section is missing, run /upgrade.php as an admin or contact support.

Photos & banner

• Upload profile photos at Edit profile → Photos or from the dashboard hub.
• Your first photo becomes your profile avatar everywhere Connections shows you.
• You can also upload an optional banner image for the top of your profile page.
• Photo limits depend on your Connections plan — Free includes a small number; paid plans allow more. See Billing & Plans → LOCORA Connections.
• No photo yet? Your profile shows the same compass icon placeholder used on marketplace listings — a light primary-coloured circle with the LOCORA compass. Add a photo anytime to replace it.
• Remove individual gallery photos from the edit page. Deleting your account removes all Connections photos you uploaded.

Discover, search & matches

• Discover — on Connections home, browse active members you haven't connected with yet.
• Search — at Search, filter by community, age, gender, sexual orientation, interested in meeting, keywords, verified members, profiles with photos, and recently active members.
• Matches — at Matches, see members where you both liked each other.
• Each card shows the member's avatar (or compass placeholder), name, community, age, and headline. Click through to their full profile.

Likes, friends & messaging

• On another member's profile, use Like or Pass. Mutual likes appear under Matches.
• Add friend sends a friend request (or accepts if they already sent you one).
• Manage requests at Dashboard → Connections: accept/decline incoming, cancel sent, or remove friends.
• When you're friends, use Message on their profile to start a Connections conversation (subject to your plan's message limits).

Settings & visibility

At Connections settings you can:

• Set profile status to Active (visible), Paused (hidden until you reactivate), or Hidden (only you can view).
• Toggle whether your profile appears in search and discover.
• View verification status and safety links.

Account-level privacy still applies: Hide shop does not hide Connections, but Hide account hides your Connections profile too (see Privacy section).

Safety, block & report

• Read Community conduct and Stay safe on Connections before meeting anyone in person.
• Block a member from their profile to stop them contacting you.
• Report member on any profile for harassment, inappropriate content, fake profiles, or other concerns. You need your own active profile to report.
• Reports go to administrators; you'll receive confirmation via Admin Notices / Support messages.

Viewing profiles

• Public profile URL: /connections/profile.php?user= (your user ID).
• Profiles show banner, avatar (or compass placeholder), gallery, tags, about me, looking-for details, and friends (where visible).
• Only members with their own active Connections profile can view other profiles.
• A Verified badge means our team confirmed identity and mailing address — not a background check.

Privacy, hide & delete account

All privacy controls live under Settings → Privacy & account (mobile: Profile/Shop Settings).

Hide shop & listings (temporary)

Use this when you want a break from selling but plan to return:

• Hides your public shop page and all active listings from Browse, search, and categories.
• You stay signed in. Listings remain in My Listings for editing.
• Click Show shop & listings to go public again.
• Does not hide your Connections profile.

Hide account (restore later)

Use this for a longer break without losing your data:

• Hides shop, listings, and your Connections profile.
• Your account, messages, billing history, saved cards, and listing data stay on file.
• Sign in anytime and choose Restore account to become visible again.

Delete Connections profile only

If you want to leave Connections but keep selling on LOCORA, delete only your Connections profile at Connections settings (mobile: Connections settings). This removes your profile, photos, friends, likes, and Connections messages. Your member account, shop, listings, and marketplace messages stay active.

Delete account permanently

Permanent deletion removes your entire member account and cannot be undone. Before deleting, consider Hide account if you might return.

What gets deleted

• Your member account (email, password, shop profile)
• All your listings and listing photos you uploaded
• Shop avatar and banner images
• Connections profile, profile photos, friend links, likes, and pending requests
• Saved payment cards on file (auto-renew is turned off first)
• Directory submissions tied to your account
• Import upload files in your import folder

Deletion steps

1. Resolve any outstanding account balance at Billing & Plans — you cannot delete with a balance due.
2. Open Settings → Privacy & account → Request deletion code.
3. Enter your current password. We email a 6-digit confirmation code (valid 30 minutes).
4. Enter the code and confirm. You are signed out and the account is permanently removed.

What may be retained

• Messages and reviews involving other members may be kept in anonymized form for platform integrity.
• Billing records required for accounting may be retained per legal and tax requirements even after card data is removed.
• System-synced listings (MLS/Aura or event sync) managed by admins are not member-owned and are not deleted with your account.

Admin deactivation vs member hide

If an admin deactivates your account for policy reasons, you cannot sign in until reactivated. Member-initiated hide/delete is separate and controlled by you in Settings.

Statistics & traffic

Statistics shows how buyers find your shop and how members interact with your Connections profile:

• Shop and listing views, unique visitors, and buyer inquiries
• Charts of traffic trends and per-listing breakdown
• Connections — profile views, search/discover impressions, likes received, messages, friend requests, and new conversations
• Paid Connections plans unlock Profile views — who viewed you and when (last 50 members)

Use stats to see which listings perform best and adjust titles, photos, or pricing.

Etsy / eBay import

Bulk import at Etsy / eBay Import.

1. Export a listings CSV from Etsy or eBay (see on-page import instructions for export steps).
2. Upload the CSV — the system previews new, updated, and unchanged rows.
3. Confirm import. New rows create listings; matching external IDs update existing imported listings.
4. Re-upload whenever you refresh your shop export to sync price and quantity changes.

Imports count against your plan listing limit. Skipped rows may exceed limits or fail validation — review the import summary.

Community events

Post local events at Add Event:

• Title, description, start/end date and time
• Community location
• Free admission / all-day flags where applicable

Approved events appear on Explore alongside places and island content. Some events may also sync from external feeds — those link to the organizer’s site.

Directory submissions

The Vancouver Island Directory indexes local business websites separately from marketplace listings. Read Listings vs Directory for the difference.

Suggest a website

1. Go to Suggest a website.
2. Enter the URL, business name, category, and community.
3. Admins review and crawl the site before it goes live in the directory.

Claim a directory entry

1. Find your business in Directory browse.
2. Use Claim entry to verify ownership.
3. Admins verify claims before you can manage the listing.

Licensed business placeholders

If your business appears from a license registry, use Business claim to connect your member account.

Buying on the marketplace

Finding items

• Browse — search, filters, categories, community, price
• Categories — browse by category tree
• Communities — listings by Vancouver Island community
• Shop pages — browse a single seller’s inventory with shop search and category sidebar

Listing detail page

Each listing shows photos, price, condition, category, description, map location, seller card (shop name, avatar, rating, verified badge), message button, favourite buttons, and report widget.

Special listing types

• MLS / Aura sync listings — real estate from synced feeds; contact agent via dedicated form, not member messaging.
• Synced community events — may link to external ticket pages.

Reporting listings & shops

Use the Report widget (bottom-left on shop and listing pages):

1. Click Report to expand options.
2. Choose Report this listing or Report this shop.
3. Sign in if prompted.
4. Select a reason and provide details.
5. Submit — admins review reports and may suspend listings or shops.

You can also open report forms directly from dashboard links when shared. Duplicate reports for the same item may be disabled after submission.

Explore, communities & island content

Explore

Explore maps places, events, and categories across Vancouver Island. Filter by type, check in at places, earn badges, and favourite locations.

Place pages

Each place at /place.php?slug= may include photos, reviews, check-in button (once per day), and favourite place toggle.

Other discover pages

• Vancouver Island overview
• BC Parks (Curated)
• Island news
• Website directory

Games

The Games hub includes casual games such as Island Match 3 with leaderboard scores. Sign in to save scores. Mobile: Games.

Safety tips

Read the full Safety tips page. Key points:

• Meet in public, well-lit places; bring a friend when possible.
• Inspect items before paying; beware overpayment and shipping scams.
• Keep communication on LOCORA until you trust the other party.
• LOCORA never holds buyer payments — anyone claiming otherwise is scamming.
• Report suspicious listings via the report widget or contact locoracanada@gmail.com.

Mobile site & app

The mobile site (/mobile/) includes browse, shop pages, listing detail, messaging, account menu, and a subset of dashboard tools:

• Dashboard home, listings, add/edit listing, renew, mark sold, review, favourites, Connections hub, profile settings
• Connections: create/edit profile, photos, search, matches, discover, settings, and friend management
• Hide shop, hide account, and delete account in Profile/Shop Settings → Privacy & account
• Billing, statistics, import, and some directory tools link to desktop URLs

Install as an app from Install app (PWA) for a home-screen shortcut.

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