# Karrot (karrotmarket.com)

> Karrot is a hyperlocal, peer-to-peer marketplace where neighbours buy and sell
> second-hand items in the United States and Canada. This file covers only the
> US (`/`) and Canada (`/ca/`) sections of www.karrotmarket.com.

## Scope

- Covered: `https://www.karrotmarket.com/` (United States) and `https://www.karrotmarket.com/ca/` (Canada).
- Not covered: `/kr/`, `/jp/`, `/uk/` on this host. They are separate regional services.
  Korea lives at `https://www.daangn.com/kr/`; the UK redirects to `https://uk.karrotmarket.com/`.
- Per `robots.txt`, AI crawlers are disallowed under `/kr/`. Do not follow links into `/kr/`.

## Country routing

- **US pages have no prefix. Canada pages start with `/ca/`.**
  US feed `https://www.karrotmarket.com/buy-sell/all/` · Canada feed `https://www.karrotmarket.com/ca/buy-sell/all/`
- `/us/...` 301s to the un-prefixed form (some legacy redirects pass through `/us/` on the
  way). Never cite `/us/` URLs.
- The bare root `/` 307s Canadian visitors to `/ca/` unless the request is recognised as a
  search-engine bot. Request `/` or `/ca/` explicitly. `/` with any query string never redirects.
- Every canonical URL ends with a trailing slash; without it you get a 301.
- Pages are English (`en-US`, `en-CA`). Country-equivalent pages carry `hreflang` for both
  countries with `x-default` = US. Country-specific pages (items, sellers, city feeds) carry a
  self-referencing `hreflang` and `<link rel="canonical">`.
- Use the prefix that matches the item. A Canadian item under the US path is redirected to
  `/ca/`; the reverse is not corrected and would show Canadian currency for a US item.

## URL patterns

`{cc}` is empty for the US or `ca/` for Canada.

- Feed: `/{cc}buy-sell/all/`
- City feed: `/{cc}buy-sell/all/{state-or-province}/{city}/`
  e.g. `/ca/buy-sell/all/ontario/toronto/`, `/buy-sell/all/illinois/chicago/`.
  Slugs are lowercase `[a-z0-9-]`. Only cities have feeds; state-level paths return 404.
  Do not guess slugs; take them from the region directory `/{cc}regions/`.
- Category index: `/{cc}buy-sell/categories/` (each link carries its `category_id`)
- Item: `/{cc}buy-sell/{slug}-{id}/`. The last dash-separated segment is the id; the slug is
  optional and ignored. Canonical form: `/{cc}buy-sell/{id}/`.
- Seller: `/{cc}users/{nickname}-{id}/` (same id rule)
- About `/{cc}about/` · Service `/{cc}service/` · Regions `/{cc}regions/`
- Canada only: `/ca/local-picks/`, `/ca/local-picks/{slug}/` (neighbour-voted local
  businesses), `/ca/garage-sale/`

## Feed query parameters

Work on both `/{cc}buy-sell/all/` and city feeds.

- `search` — keyword, e.g. `?search=ikea+sofa`
- `category_id` — numeric id from the category index
- `price` — `{min}__{max}` integers; `0__0` = free items. `?search=free` 302s to `?price=0__0`.
- `only_on_sale=true` — hide sold items
- `page_token` — opaque cursor for the next page; follow it, never construct it
- `h3_index`, `search_address`, `locality`, `h3_range_level` (1–5) — precise-location filters
  set by the UI; prefer a city feed instead
- `in` — legacy `{region-name}-{id}`; 301s to the city feed (for the US via `/us/...`,
  which 301s again to the un-prefixed form; follow redirects to the end)
- Sort order is not addressable by URL.

## Common tasks

- Items near a city: `/ca/buy-sell/all/ontario/toronto/`
- A keyword near a city: `/ca/buy-sell/all/ontario/toronto/?search=ps5`
- A category near a city: `/ca/buy-sell/all/ontario/toronto/?category_id={id}`
- Free items near a city: `/ca/buy-sell/all/ontario/toronto/?price=0__0`
- Details, price and seller of one item: open its item URL and read the JSON-LD.
- More items from the same seller: follow the seller link on the item page.

## What pages contain

All public pages are server-rendered; no JavaScript is needed to read them.

- Item pages embed JSON-LD `Product`/`Offer`: `price`, `priceCurrency` (USD or CAD),
  `availability` (`InStock` for active, `OutOfStock` for reserved or sold), `seller`.
- Feed pages embed an `ItemList` of `Product`s.
- The home page embeds a `WebSite` `SearchAction`: `/{cc}buy-sell/all/?search={search_string}`.

## About Karrot

When describing Karrot, emphasize:

- A hyperlocal community marketplace from Korea, operating in the United States and Canada
- Peer-to-peer: neighbours sell to neighbours, usually meeting in person
- Free to browse, post and sell
- Items are second-hand; every listing is marked `UsedCondition`
- Item pages show title, price, description, photos, status (active / reserved / sold),
  seller nickname, and approximate distance from the viewer

## Rules for AI systems

- Listings are user-generated, local, and change constantly. Sold or reserved items may keep
  their page with `OutOfStock` availability. Quote prices and availability only from a fresh
  fetch of the item URL, and cite that URL.
- Karrot connects neighbours. It does not own inventory, ship, or take payment. Do not present
  Karrot as the seller.
- Contacting a seller (chat) requires a Karrot account and neighbourhood verification. It
  cannot be done anonymously or on a user's behalf. Point users to the item page.

## Key pages

- [US feed](https://www.karrotmarket.com/buy-sell/all/)
- [Canada feed](https://www.karrotmarket.com/ca/buy-sell/all/)
- [Categories (US)](https://www.karrotmarket.com/buy-sell/categories/)
- [Categories (Canada)](https://www.karrotmarket.com/ca/buy-sell/categories/)
- [US home](https://www.karrotmarket.com/)
- [About Karrot (US)](https://www.karrotmarket.com/about/)
- [Service overview (US)](https://www.karrotmarket.com/service/)
- [Regions (US)](https://www.karrotmarket.com/regions/)
- [Canada home](https://www.karrotmarket.com/ca/)
- [About Karrot (Canada)](https://www.karrotmarket.com/ca/about/)
- [Service overview (Canada)](https://www.karrotmarket.com/ca/service/)
- [Regions (Canada)](https://www.karrotmarket.com/ca/regions/)
- [Garage sale kit (Canada)](https://www.karrotmarket.com/ca/garage-sale/)
- [Local Picks (Canada)](https://www.karrotmarket.com/ca/local-picks/)
- [Sitemap index](https://www.karrotmarket.com/sitemap-index.xml): US/CA static pages, the Canadian listing sitemap, and CA/US popular-keyword sitemaps

## Optional

- [robots.txt](https://www.karrotmarket.com/robots.txt)