Terms and conditions

Effective July 7, 2026 · Updated July 17, 2026

These are the rules for using The Plain Exchange, the classified ads service for Ohio's Plain communities that runs by text message and on this website. By subscribing, posting an ad, or using the website, you agree to them. They are written to be read — if anything is unclear, ask us before you rely on it.

The service

The Plain Exchange gathers classified ads from local sellers and texts each one out as it is approved, and collects them into email editions for those who prefer it. Approved ads are also listed on this website, typically for 30 days. Subscribing and browsing are free; posting ads costs money. How it all works, step by step, is on the how it works page.

The text message program

• You join by texting SUBSCRIBE (or START) to (330) 960-7170, and you can leave any time by replying STOP. Reply HELP for help.
• Message frequency varies: ads are texted in batches through the day, between 7am and 6pm Monday through Saturday — a batch is one text plus one picture message for each ad in it that has a picture — along with replies to the commands you send.
• Message and data rates may apply, charged by your phone company.
• Phone carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. Delivery depends on your carrier and coverage.
• Consent to receive the ads is not a condition of buying anything.

Your account

An account is created for your phone number the first time you use the service. On the website you sign in with your number, a texted code, and a password. Keep your password to yourself — what happens under your account is your responsibility. One person, one account. You must be at least 18 to post ads or pay for anything here.

Posting ads

Every ad is read by a person before it runs. We may lightly edit ad text for clarity or length without changing its meaning. We may decline any ad. If we decline an ad for an ordinary reason — too long, unclear, not a good fit — your money is returned in full. If an ad breaks the rules below, the charge is kept and the ad counts as a strike; three strikes and you can no longer post, though you can still browse and subscribe. Sold something? Say so — SOLD plus your ad number keeps the listings honest.

What you may not post

• Firearms are not allowed. No guns, ammunition, or other weapons.
• Anything illegal to sell or advertise, or anything you don’t own or have the right to sell.
• Dishonest, misleading, or deliberately incomplete ads.
• Offensive or hateful content.
• Ads for someone else’s business posted as if it were a private sale.
• Anything that risks the safety or trust of the people reading the ads.

Some categories may be flagged for extra review or declined outright at our judgment. Our judgment on what runs is final.

Ad credit and payments

Posting an ad comes off your prepaid ad-credit balance (a picture ad costs more than a plain one — current prices are shown when you post and by texting BAL). Every new member’s first post comes with a welcome credit. You add money on this website; with a saved card, your balance can also top up automatically when an ad costs more than what’s on the account — the confirmation text always states the charge, and you can turn automatic top-up off under your account. Payments are processed by Stripe.

An ad is charged when it runs, not when you post it.Posting quotes you a price and sets that much of your balance aside for the ad; the money is taken — from your balance, and from your saved card for anything it doesn’t cover — at the moment the ad goes out to subscribers. An ad that never runs is never charged.

Ad credit doesn’t expire and can’t be transferred to anyone else. Charges for declined-for-ordinary-reasons ads are returned as described above, and money you have added and not yet spent comes back whenever you ask for it, to the card you paid with, minus the card processing fee (about 5%) — which our card processor keeps whether or not a payment is refunded, and which we never charge when the fault is ours. Free credit we gave you — welcome credit, invitation credit, or credit added to make something right — is not money and is never refundable; posting an ad spends that free credit before it spends anything you paid. Full detail on the refund policy page.

Buying and selling

The Plain Exchange is the bulletin board, not a party to any sale. Sellers and buyers deal with each other directly and are responsible for the item, the price, the payment, and the meeting. We don’t inspect items, guarantee their condition, or handle the money between buyer and seller. Use ordinary care and good sense, as you would with any classified ad.

Your ads, our service

Your ads stay yours. By submitting an ad you give us permission to run it — in by text, in the email edition, and on this website — and to keep the record of it. We may remove any ad or listing at any time. The service’s own text, design, and name belong to us.

Ending accounts

You can stop using the service any time — reply STOP to stop the texts, or ask us to close your account. We may suspend or close accounts that break these terms, abuse the service, or put other members at risk — immediately and without notice when we judge that necessary to protect the service or its members. When an account ends, its right to use the service ends with it.

Disclaimers

The service is provided as-is. We work to keep it running and honest, but we don’t promise it will be uninterrupted or error-free, and we make no warranties about items advertised — those are the seller’s statements, not ours.

Limits on liability

To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential damages, or for disputes between buyers and sellers. For anything else, our total liability is limited to what you paid us in the twelve months before the claim. Nothing here limits liability that the law does not allow to be limited.

Disagreements

If you have a problem with the service, tell us first — call or text (330) 275-1603 — and we will try to sort it out plainly and quickly before anything formal.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Ohio. Disputes will be handled in the courts of Holmes County, Ohio, unless the law requires otherwise.

Odds and ends

If part of these terms turns out to be unenforceable, the rest still stands, and the unenforceable part is read as close to its intent as the law allows. If we don’t enforce a rule right away, we haven’t given it up. You may use the service only where and as the law allows. These terms, with the privacy policy and the refund policy, are the whole agreement between you and The Plain Exchange about the service.

Changes to these terms

If we change these terms, we will post the new version here with a new effective date. A meaningful change will be announced by text or by email — where practical, before it takes effect. Using the service after a change means you accept it.

Contact

Call or text (330) 275-1603, or write to us through the website. See also the privacy policy.