FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

GATO is a dedicated marketplace app for outdoor people & products. Trading outdoor gear (fishing/hunting/camping) on the secondary market should be fun & easy – yet searching across generalist sites is time consuming and fails to provide either side trust or confidence in who/what they are dealing with. Built exclusively to meet the needs of the outdoor community, GATO elevates the online experience for BOTH Buyers & Sellers, allowing them to transact with each other in a more trustworthy & effective way.

GATO is a “TECCC” company built around the following values:

1. Trust – Improving user confidence in C2C transactions
2. Environmentalism – Extending product life cycles while reducing landfill
3. Connectivity – Matching like-minded outdoor people for social e-commerce
4. Community – Enabling outdoor enthusiasts to support local people/businesses
5. Convenience – Making it fun & easy to trade outdoor products on a smartphone

A lot of thought went into naming our company, and no, we have nothing to do with cats.

As we were thinking of acronyms that would best align with what we are all about, GATO worked perfectly because it can stand for “Get All Things Outdoor” (literal description of our marketplace), or “Greater Access To Outdoors” – which reflects our mission of making outdoor recreation more affordable, accessible, and sustainable for all.

Of course, there are plenty of general-purpose marketplaces out there. But wouldn’t it be AMAZING if there was a one-stop-shop that is the go-to for everyone buying and selling outdoor products?

What if there was a platform that catered to outdoor people & products, rather than catering to everybody/thing on the planet? On GATO, you won’t find a person selling Tupperware next to a person selling baby strollers next to a person selling fishing rods.

GATO is built by outdoor people for outdoor people, and we are obsessed with creating a great online shopping experience for “our community” – those of us with an outdoor habit. We actively market products on GATO to Buyers, and vice versa.

Setting up a GATO profile allows you to transact more easily and efficiently. Anyone can browse GATO as a guest user, but a profile is required to buy or sell. Please note that if you sell on GATO, your profile name and picture will be displayed to the public on your item detail page. Accordingly, if you wish to remain anonymous to the public, please do not include your proper name or social media handle in your profile name.

GATO takes the privacy of our users very seriously.

We never share your personal data with other users, except for disclosing/exchanging necessary contact or shipping details AFTER the Buyer has made the purchase.

In the case of “big-ticket” items (kayaks, boats, canoes, paddleboards, ATVs), the contact information of potential buyers will be shared with sellers immediately after the buyer indicates interest in the product.

GATO does not collect or store any of your financial data. All financial data is collected and processed independently by Stripe, the world’s largest and most reputable online payments processor. Stripe meets/exceeds all standards & regulations on financial data privacy and security.

Stripe is universally recognized as among the most secure and advanced payment processors in the world. Additionally, Stripe has the infrastructure to enable GATO to hold funds in escrow to ensure both sides of a transaction are protected, and all obligations are met before a payout occurs.

PayPal does not allow GATO to hold funds in escrow, stripping away a key element of what makes GATO a safer platform for Buyers and Sellers.

GATO users can be confident in Stripe’s exceptional track record of securely processing payments.

Note that a Stripe account is required for all sellers as this is the only way GATO can pay out.

For Sellers: It is free to post any regular outdoor item for sale on our platform, and GATO only earns fees after an item sells.

For Sellers of big-ticket items (kayaks, boats, canoes, paddleboards, ATVs): Because these sales are often complex and may require the Buyer and Seller to transact off platform, we charge Sellers a one-time, upfront classified fee to post big-ticket items on GATO.

For Buyers: You will not be charged any fees when you buy items on GATO. You will only be charged the price of the item, shipping costs, and sales tax (when applicable).

GATO Transaction Fees

For all sales processed though the GATO platform, GATO collects 6.9% of the sale plus an admin fee of $2 per transaction:

• If sale price (+ custom shipping if applicable) is under $25 – admin fee waived
• If sale price (+ custom shipping if applicable) is $25 to $50 – admin fee discounted to $1

Stripe Payment Processing Fee

Stripe collects 3.15% + $0.59 payment processing fee on each transaction (GATO collects and remits to Stripe on behalf of the Seller).

Big-Ticket Classifieds

For posting of big-ticket items (kayaks, boats, canoes, paddleboards, ATVs), GATO collects a one-time, upfront classified fee¹:

• For big-ticket items priced $5,000 or less – the classified fee is $30
• For big-ticket items priced above $5,000 – the classified fee is $75

¹There is no monthly renewal charge and your posting stays on the platform until it sells.

No, due to complex regulatory and liability factors, users are expressly prohibited from posting guns, gun parts, or live ammunition for sale on GATO. Any violations of this policy will not be tolerated, and violators will be subject to immediate and permanent removal from the platform.

If you require more information about an item, you can use GATO’s “Ask the Seller” feature – click the “i” (information) button on the product image to submit your question and we will work with the Seller to get you the information you need. Please allow up to 48 hours to receive a response.

Yes, on some items.

Sellers can set a fixed price for an item, in which case there is no ability for a Buyer to make an offer (they can either buy it at the set price or not).

Sellers can choose to set an asking price and be willing to receive offers that fall within the range they designate. If an item shows as “Open to Offer,” the Buyer has two options:

• Select “Buy Now” to purchase it immediately at the asking price, or
• Select “Make Offer” to submit an offer for less than the asking price. This offer will be submitted to the Seller for a decision; the Seller can either Accept (which completes the transaction), Reject, or Counter (which allows the Seller to present a counter to the Buyer’s offer). Once a negotiation moves to the counter-offer stage, both parties may submit counteroffers back and forth until one party either Accepts or Rejects the most recent counter-offer.

In accordance with state laws, GATO collects sales tax from the Buyer based on the Buyer’s state of residence, and GATO will remit to the appropriate state tax authority on behalf of the Seller. Sellers do not need to take any action related to sales tax.

In line with our mission to democratize buying and selling while ensuring safety/security for both sides, GATO will remain involved throughout the process to facilitate the transaction from start to finish (with the possible exception of big-ticket items, if the Buyer and Seller choose to conduct their financial transaction off-platform – more on this below).

GATO provides Sellers the choice of offering items to be shipped (nationwide) to Buyers or picked up (locally).

Shipping

Sellers that ship can select one of two shipping options:

• EasyPost Shipping
  GATO has partnered with EasyPost to offer shipping convenience and insurance to Sellers. EasyPost also searches for and offers the best rates from among the 60+ carriers they work with (including USPS, FedEx, DHL, and UPS). Sellers can simply choose the EasyPost option and enter the approximate dimensions/weight of their shipment (including box or packaging). When a Buyer purchases the item, EasyPost will calculate the shipping charge based on the entered dimensions/weight, ship-from address, and ship-to address. This shipping charge will be added to the Buyer’s subtotal at checkout. The Seller will be notified and sent a shipping label & instructions at the time the purchase is made.Note that the shipping amount charged by EasyPost to the Buyer will be based on the accuracy of the Seller’s entry of package dimensions/weight. Actual shipping charges may vary based on discrepancies between entered and actual dimensions/weight as calculated by the shipping provider. In such cases, any shipping-related upcharge will be the responsibility of the Seller (because they provided inaccurate information) and will either be deducted from the Seller settlement amount or charged back to the Seller. No need to worry – as long as your measurements are not way off base, any such discrepancies would result in a nominal upcharge, if any.
• Custom Shipping
  If a Seller wishes to arrange their own shipping logistics without the aid of EasyPost, simply select the custom shipping option, and determine what amount to charge the Buyer for shipping. Whatever amount you enter is what GATO will display in the shipping line to the Buyer. If you enter $0 (because you prefer to bake the shipping cost into the list price of the item), your item will be displayed to Buyers as “free shipping.” Note that for any custom shipping, all actual shipping charges and logistics will be assumed by, and the sole responsibility of, the Seller.

Pick-Up Only

For pick-up-only transactions, at the time of purchase, GATO will provide the Seller with the Buyer’s contact information, and the Buyer with the Seller’s contact information so both parties can coordinate pick-up date, time & location. GATO will hold funds in escrow until we confirm from both Buyer & Seller that the exchange was completed, at which time GATO will initiate payment to the Seller.

At the time of pick-up, we strongly encourage the Seller to open the GATO app and confirm the exchange (which will immediately prompt Buyer to confirm) and ask the Buyer to open the app and confirm the exchange as well. This will help the Seller get paid as quickly as possible.

If the buyer does not make the in-app confirmation at the time of exchange, GATO will have to confirm manually with the buyer, which could result in delays for the Seller to get paid.

Full payment will be collected from the Buyer at the time of purchase, and GATO will hold the payment in escrow pending confirmation of successful receipt of the item by the Buyer. We recommend Sellers use EasyPost to ship, as the item will automatically be insured (for the full selling price) against loss or damage in transit, protecting both Buyer and Seller. If the Seller uses EasyPost, the tracking information will be automatically tracked in the GATO platform. EasyPost will also provide a scannable/printable shipping label directly to the Seller (via app and email) at the time of Buyer purchase.

If choosing custom shipping, the Seller must enter tracking information manually as soon as the item has been shipped; this will help the Seller get paid in a timely manner. If GATO does not have a viable method of tracking the shipment, we will be required to manually confirm receipt by the Buyer, which could cause significant delays in payment to the Seller.

Once a shipment has been confirmed delivered, GATO will confirm with the Buyer that shipment was received, and goods were as represented. The Buyer has a 48-hour window from the confirmed delivery time to respond to GATO. GATO will pay out to the Seller immediately as soon as the Buyer provides confirmation of successful receipt, or at the conclusion of the 48-hour window, whichever is sooner. At this point, the sale will be considered final.

GATO understands some outdoor equipment is not practical to ship, or that some Sellers prefer the convenience of having a Buyer pick up items locally. Sellers have the option to list items as pick-up only. For such items, pick-up only” will be clearly displayed on the listing, along with the general vicinity of the seller’s pick-up location (we will never share the seller’s address). Once a Buyer makes the purchase, GATO will share each party’s contact information with the other party so the pick-up can be mutually arranged.

When the Buyer and the Seller meet to exchange the items, they should go into the app to confirm the transfer was successful. The Seller is prompted first to confirm, and once Seller confirmation is received, the Buyer will immediately be prompted to confirm. Once we receive dual confirmation that the item has successfully changed hands from Seller to Buyer, the Seller will get paid. If GATO does not receive confirmation of the pick-up in a reasonably timely manner, we will follow up with both parties to remind them the exchange is still pending. If either the Buyer or Seller is unable to contact/hear from the other party in a reasonable amount of time, please go to the “Orders” tab to report the issue, or email us: [email protected].

Our process is designed to protect the interests of both Buyers and Sellers, as GATO remains in the middle to ensure both Buyer and Seller execute their respective responsibilities and obligations before payment is made to the seller.

GATO does not assume any liability or responsibility for pick-up only transactions. All meeting logistics and safety concerns related to the exchange of items are the responsibility of the transacting parties.

For big-ticket items (kayaks, boats, canoes, paddleboards, ATVs) only, the actual exchange of money for the big-ticket classified item may happen off-platform (directly between Buyer and Seller), in which case GATO is not involved, or it can be processed through our platform, in which case the transaction would be subject to our standard fees (6.9%, etc.). The decision of whether the financial transaction between Buyer and Seller will be processed through the GATO platform is solely at the Seller’s discretion. GATO will not be responsible/liable for any financial transactions that occur off-platform between Buyer and Seller.

Big-Ticket Holds

For big-ticket items only, Sellers may offer Buyers the chance to purchase a non-refundable 3-day, 6-day, or 9-day hold on a big-ticket item, giving the Buyer an exclusive window to view the item and close the deal. In such scenarios, the Seller agrees to temporarily enter into “Sale Pending” status for the duration of the hold (non-refundable except in the case of Seller misrepresentation or policy violation²):

• For a 3-day hold – Buyer pays $100 hold fee
• For a 6-day hold – Buyer pays $175 hold fee
• For a 9-day hold – Buyer pays $250 hold fee

75% of the hold fee goes to the Seller; 25% of the hold fee goes to GATO.

²If the Seller does not hold item for the Buyer during the Buyer’s designated hold period (e.g., Seller decides not to sell it, or sells it off platform to someone else), then the entire hold fee will be refunded to the Buyer, and GATO will collect 25% of the hold fee from the Seller.

In cases where the Buyer claims an item was either not received or was not as represented by the Seller, GATO will open a dispute investigation, working with both Buyer and Seller to understand and resolve the situation in a fair and transparent manner.

If it is determined that a Seller violated GATO policy, GATO reserves the right to pursue fair and appropriate remedies, up to and including processing a return of the item to the Seller at the Seller’s expense, and a full refund to the Buyer. GATO also reserves the right to terminate from the platform users that violate policy.

GATO will always do its best to remain neutral, fair, and objective. Our dispute determinations shall be considered final.

While we have many safeguards in place and do our very best to monitor the platform to guard against misuse, we act strictly as a “facilitator” of transactions between GATO users, and thus we cannot guarantee every user will adhere to our policies. However, when we identify misuse, we will take swift and appropriate action to address it. We reserve the right to, at our sole discretion, revoke access to people that misuse our platform.

Here is our pledge to you: If something goes wrong, please contact us at [email protected] and we will do everything in our power to help you resolve the situation as quickly as possible.