BCRL readers have spoken! Many of you wrote to say that a buy/trade post sounded like a fun idea, so I’m launching this as a pilot program of sorts for a possible regular monthly feature. If there is enough interest (and positive feedback), I would be happy to host one going forward. So please don’t be shy – I want to hear from you, love it or hate it.

A couple of disclaimers and ground rules.

One, while I believe in the BCRL community, I do not know each of you personally, so I cannot vouch for any person or item. Please use your best discretion, both when buying and trading. While I think this idea has great potential, its success is premised on trust and the honour system – please be fair and respectful of others. If anyone becomes aware of concerns over another poster/reader’s actions, please let me know. I do not have time to police people, but I also don’t want anyone to be using my site to rip others off, so should something of that nature happen, I will shut down these posts immediately.

Also, if anyone has ideas about ways to make this a safer environment, please leave a comment.

Two, I would ask that people at least consider international shipping, provided the other party is willing to assume the costs. I say this as a Canadian who often feels shut out of trading sites where the members are predominantly from the US. Of course, I can’t and wouldn’t force anyone to do something they feel comfortable with, but I know there are BCRL readers all over North America (and the world), and I think it would be nice if everyone had the option to participate.

Three, please feel free to include links to specific items you are selling/seeking as long as they are not affiliate ones.

Four, please be clear about the specifics of what you are looking for and/or are offering, including payment, shipping, etc. Alternately, you can include an email address for inquiries, but please note that this would be visible to the public/anyone visiting the blog.

Ok, with all that out of the way, how about I get things started?

I have been looking for this Vanessa Virginia “Prateria” blouse for what feels like eons, with little success. It rarely pops up on eBay, and always for $$$. If anyone has it and is willing to part with it (to a Canadian), please leave a comment. I would be up for a trade or sale, depending on the asking price.

See you in the comments!

Edited to add: if you are interested in an item but don’t wish to leave your email address public (and the seller has not posted theirs), just comment “Interested” in response to the relevant post/comment and I will connect you with the seller via email privately. If there are multiple interested buyers, I will provide the list of email addresses to the buyer on a cchoronological (first come first served) basis.