How Localsville works.
Localsville is an app for meeting the people and places in your own community, built and operated by Localsville LLC in the United States, starting on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. This is the plain-English manual: what it costs, what it does not do, and how every part of it works today.
Start here
What is Localsville?
Localsville is the trusted local network where real people and places nearby can find each other, buy, sell, book and get paid. It is a mobile app, free to download and free to join. A service fee applies only when a payment is processed through Localsville.
Is Localsville a marketplace?
Yes, in the way that matters: people nearby buy, sell, book and get paid here. Localsville is the trusted local network where real people and places nearby can find each other.
Where is Localsville available?
Localsville currently supports communities in the United States and is beginning its real-world launch in Kailua on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.
Why does Localsville use phone sign-in?
Because it keeps sign-in simple and tied to something harder to churn through than an email address. Verifying a number does not prove who someone is, and Localsville does not claim it does.
Is my phone number shown to other people?
No. Your phone number is how you sign in, not something on your profile. It is not shown on your public profile, not shown in Discover, and not given to other neighbors.
What does Localsville not do?
Localsville does not sell advertising, does not rate or rank people by popularity, and does not run background checks.
How much does Localsville charge People?
Being on Localsville is free. A service fee applies only when a payment is processed through Localsville. There is no charge to download the app, create an account, create your Person profile, add photos, list what you offer, or message your neighbors, and no subscription, listing fee or charge for visibility.
Is Localsville free?
Free to download, free to join, and free to take part, with one exception: a service fee on payments processed through Localsville.
Does Localsville take a commission?
Yes. A service fee applies to payments processed through Localsville. It is often called a commission; in the product it is a service fee.
Can I pay to rank higher on Localsville?
No. Localsville does not currently sell paid placement, profile boosts, or sponsored ranking. There is nothing to buy, and money does not move you up.
Does a Local Partner pay anything?
No. Local Partner enrollment is free during the current launch period, and there is no enrollment fee today. The server refuses to start any charge while the launch waiver is in place, so nobody can be billed for a membership.
What is a Person profile?
A Person profile is a neighbor's own page on Localsville: who they are, what they care about, and anything they can help with, make or offer.
What are Help, Things and Stories?
They are the three ways a Person can be found on Localsville. Help is for neighbors who can do something for someone: a skill, a hand, a service. Things is for people who make, grow or sell something. Stories is for neighbors who simply want to share who they are.
How do I create a Person profile?
From Me → Create profile, and the app walks you through it.
Do I have to sell something to be on Localsville?
You do not have to sell anything, but a published profile does need at least one offering listed. That is what the app asks for before it will let you submit.
Can I pay someone through Localsville?
Yes. When a provider sends you a quote and you accept it, you can pay inside Localsville. Your card is handled by Stripe, never by Localsville.
Who handles my card details?
Stripe does. Localsville stores no card data of any kind: there is no card number, brand, last four digits, expiry or security code anywhere in Localsville's database.
How do refunds work?
There are three situations, and only the entitlement is automatic, never the payment itself. Canceled before the work began: you are owed the full amount and nobody can decline it. Started but not finished, or already completed: a person reviews it.
Does Localsville deliver?
Localsville does not deliver anything itself and employs no drivers. When something needs to travel, it is carried by a Community Courier: a verified neighbor who takes the job.
What is a Community Courier?
A Community Courier is a neighbor who has signed up to carry deliveries in their own community. They are not a Localsville employee and not a contractor of a delivery company: they are someone local who takes a job when they want one.
What does delivery cost?
$8.99 plus $1.50 per mile, up to 50 miles. The buyer sees the fee before agreeing to it, and it is charged alongside the goods rather than added afterwards.
How much does a Community Courier earn?
The courier keeps 75% of the delivery fee, and Localsville keeps the rest. On a $8.99 minimum fee the courier earns $6.74; on a longer trip it scales with the mileage.
What is a pickup point, and is it public?
A pickup point is where a courier would collect from, and the point itself is never shown to anyone. The coordinates stay on Localsville's side; your own app only learns whether a pickup point exists, not where it is.
What does a courier see about me?
Before accepting: almost nothing. A courier sees what is being delivered, a rough pickup area, a rough drop-off area, the community, what they would earn, and when it was posted. No name, no phone number, no address.
What is a Local Partner?
A Local Partner is a neighbor who helps Localsville take root in their state by personally introducing the neighbors they know. It is a membership, not a job: there is no employment, no territory and no franchise.
How much does Local Partner membership cost?
Local Partner enrollment is free during the current launch period. There is no enrollment fee today.
Is Local Partner enrollment currently open?
Yes, enrollment is open, and it is free during the current launch period. Both are operator settings and both are currently set that way.
What is a CMN?
A CMN is a Local Partner's invite code: Community Member Number. It looks like LV-HI-K7P2QW: the state, then six characters.
How do I know when someone joined through me?
You get one notification, and only once the profile they created has actually gone live. Entering your code on its own does not notify you and does not count.
When does a referral actually earn anything?
Nothing is earned when someone joins. A Partner is only credited when a profile they introduced completes real paid activity: a finished appointment or a completed exchange that settles.
What commission does a Local Partner earn?
1.00% of eligible activity from a profile you invited directly. Above that, City Partners can receive overrides of 0.30%, 0.20% and 0.10% at one, two and three levels up.
Do I own a territory as a Local Partner?
No. A Local Partner does not own or reserve anything. There is no exclusivity: any number of Partners can hold an active membership in the same state at the same time.
What is a City Partner?
City Partner is a status a Local Partner can reach: it is not something you can buy or sign up for. There is no City Partner enrollment, no price and no application anywhere in Localsville.
Does being a Local Partner make my profile more visible?
No. Partner status has no effect on Discover whatsoever: it is one of the inputs the ranking code explicitly refuses to consider.
Will I make money as a Local Partner?
Localsville does not promise you will earn anything, and cannot. Whether a Partner earns depends entirely on whether people they introduce go on to complete real paid activity, which is outside anyone's control.
How does Localsville decide what I see?
Nearest first if you have shared your location, then a simple score, then a daily shuffle. That is the whole ordering.
Can I pay to be seen more on Localsville?
No. Localsville does not currently sell paid placement, profile boosts, or sponsored ranking. There is nothing to buy.
Are there ratings or reviews on Localsville?
No. Localsville has no star ratings, no public reviews, no likes and no follower counts. None of it exists in the product.
How precise is the distance shown on a profile?
Deliberately rough. You see a phrase like "About 2 mi away", never an exact figure.
Is my address ever shown?
Never for a Person. A Person profile cannot hold a street address at all: the server refuses to store one.
Is Localsville people-first or listings-first?
You meet the person first, then what they offer. That is built into the ordering rather than only stated in copy: Discover shows two People for every one Place, and the ordering refuses every paid and popularity signal.
How do I contact a real person at Localsville?
Email support@localsville.com, or use Me → Get help inside the app. Support is handled by people, not bots.
Why is my profile in review?
Because a person reads every profile before it appears publicly. Nobody publishes themselves onto Localsville, and there is no automatic approval.
How long does review take?
Localsville does not publish a review time, because we are not yet in a position to promise one and would rather not invent it.
Why is my photo in review?
Because it is a new photo on a profile that is already public. A photo added to a live profile is checked before neighbors see it, and your current photos keep showing meanwhile.
What happens if my photo is rejected?
The photo is not published, and you are told why. You get a notification headed "A photo needs an update" carrying the reviewer's own words, and the same message is waiting for you where the photo is.
Where do I see the reason something was rejected?
Where the thing itself is: in your photo area for a photo, and with the edit or offering for those. You will see a notice reading "Please choose another photo." with the reviewer's message underneath, and the photo itself carries a "Needs a new photo" label.
Can I edit my profile once it is live?
Yes, at any time, and most changes take effect immediately.
Will every edit send me back into review?
No, only changes to the public words. Your name, tagline, story, neighborhood and a Place's kind are reviewed; an offering is only re-reviewed if its title or description changed.
What data does Localsville collect about me?
Your account itself is small: your phone number, when it was verified, how you signed in, your display name and your account status. An email address is optional.
How do I delete my Localsville account?
From inside the app, and it takes 30 days. The moment you ask, your profiles are hidden and your account is marked for closure with a date 30 days out.
Why does Localsville ask for my location?
To show you the people and places near you, and only while you are using the app. Localsville asks for "when in use" location and nothing more.
Does Localsville track me in the background?
No. Localsville never asks for background location and cannot use it. On iPhone the code that would even request it is removed from the shipped app; on Android the background-location permission is not declared at all.
What happens if I say no to location?
You pick your town by name instead, and Localsville works. The option to enter a town is always there, not a fallback you have to hunt for.
Does Localsville use AI, and does it read my profile?
Localsville uses AI in a few named places, and never to decide anything about you. Search may send the words you type to OpenAI when it needs help working out what you mean. Nothing about you or your account goes with them.
Why did I get a private preview from Localsville?
Someone at Localsville, an organization you belong to, or a member who knows your work thought you might want a profile, so we prepared a private draft for you to look at. It is not published, and nothing happens unless you claim it.
Who owns and operates Localsville?
Localsville is built and operated by Localsville LLC, a United States company. The app and this website are its products.
How does Localsville make money?
From a service fee on payments processed through Localsville. It is deducted from the provider's payout rather than added to the buyer's price: 12% of the first $500, 10% from $500 to $2,000, 8% above.
Does Localsville sell ads?
No. There is no advertising on Localsville and no advertising product to buy. Localsville does not currently sell paid placement, profile boosts, or sponsored ranking.
Does Localsville offer cashback or rewards?
No. Localsville has no cashback, rewards, points, credits or loyalty program of any kind. None of it exists in the product, including in how payments are settled.
My sign-in code is not arriving. What do I do?
Check the number, wait a moment, then try again.
Browse every topic
Getting started
What Localsville is, who it is for, where it works, and how to join.
- What is Localsville?
- Is Localsville a marketplace?
- Who is Localsville for?
- Where is Localsville available?
- Is Localsville only for Hawaiʻi?
- What is a community on Localsville?
- How do I choose or change my community?
- How do I join Localsville?
- Do I need an account to use Localsville?
- Can I sign up for Localsville on the website?
- What can I see without signing in?
- Why does Localsville use phone sign-in?
- Is my phone number shown to other people?
- Which phones does Localsville work on?
- I run a small business. What does Localsville cost me?
- How is Localsville different from other local apps?
- What does Localsville not do?
- What is the difference between a Person and a Place?
- Do I have to create a profile?
Pricing, fees and commissions
What Localsville charges today, and what it does not charge for.
- How much does Localsville charge People?
- How much does Localsville charge Places?
- Is Localsville free?
- Does Localsville take a commission?
- What would I receive from a $100 sale?
- Are payments available on Localsville right now?
- Does Localsville charge listing fees?
- Can I pay to rank higher on Localsville?
- Are there payment processing fees?
- Who pays Localsville's fees: the buyer or the provider?
- Does a Local Partner pay anything?
- Is there a fee to receive my money?
- Does Localsville handle sales tax?
People profiles
Creating and running a Person profile: help, things, stories, photos and offerings.
- What is a Person profile?
- What are Help, Things and Stories?
- How do I create a Person profile?
- Does it cost money to create a Person profile?
- What do I have to fill in before my profile can go live?
- What are the connection options on a profile?
- Do I have to sell something to be on Localsville?
- Can I offer something casually, without running a business?
- Do I need a business license to offer something?
- Can I offer professional services?
- How many photos can I add to my profile?
- What photo formats and sizes does Localsville accept?
- How do I change my main photo?
- Can I change my display name?
- What do my neighbors actually see on my profile?
- Can I share a link to my profile?
- What is the difference between deactivating and removing a profile?
- How many profiles can one account have?
- Can my main photo and cover photo be the same image?
- What happens if I delete a photo?
- Do I need a photo on my profile?
Offerings
The things and services a Person or Place can offer, and how each kind behaves.
- What is an offering?
- What kinds of offerings are there?
- How can I price an offering?
- How many offerings can I have?
- How do I change an offering?
- If I add a new offering to a live profile, does it appear straight away?
- Can an offering have its own photos?
- How does availability work?
- Can I pause an offering without deleting it?
- Why was my offering rejected?
- Does Localsville set my prices?
Payments, refunds and payouts
Quotes, payments, refunds, cancellations and how payouts work.
- Can I pay someone through Localsville?
- Are payments available in Localsville?
- How do quotes work?
- When is my card charged?
- Who handles my card details?
- How do appointments work?
- What happens if I cancel?
- How do refunds work?
- I paid for an appointment but no time was ever agreed. What now?
- How long do I have to report a problem?
- How do I get paid for what I offer?
- When do providers get paid?
- What happens if a refund is approved after I have already been paid?
- Can I tip someone through Localsville?
- How long does a quote last?
- Can a provider take back a quote?
- I paid but nothing seems to have happened. What now?
- What happens if someone does not turn up?
- What happens if I dispute a charge with my bank?
Pickup, delivery and couriers
How something gets from one neighbor to another, and what a Community Courier is.
- Does Localsville deliver?
- What is a Community Courier?
- How do I become a Community Courier?
- What vehicles can a courier use?
- Does Localsville check couriers?
- What does delivery cost?
- How much does a Community Courier earn?
- When do couriers get paid?
- How far can a delivery go?
- Is delivery available everywhere?
- Who decides whether delivery is offered?
- Can I pick something up myself?
- What is a pickup point, and is it public?
- What does a courier see about me?
- What happens if no courier accepts my delivery?
- Can I just arrange a handoff with the other person directly?
- Can a provider deliver their own item?
- What if a courier changes their mind?
- How many deliveries can a courier hold at once?
- Are couriers rated or scored?
- Can Localsville stop deliveries in an emergency?
- Does Localsville insure a delivery?
Local Partners
The Local Partner program, invite codes, commissions and City Partner.
- What is a Local Partner?
- What does LP mean?
- How much does Local Partner membership cost?
- Is Local Partner enrollment currently open?
- How do I become a Local Partner?
- What is a CMN?
- How does someone join using my code?
- Can a profile change who invited it?
- How do I know when someone joined through me?
- When does a referral actually earn anything?
- What commission does a Local Partner earn?
- What happens if someone enters my code but never activates a profile?
- Do I own a territory as a Local Partner?
- Can there be more than one Local Partner in the same place?
- Which states can I register for?
- Can I be a Partner in more than one state?
- Does Local Partner membership renew automatically?
- Who can use my invite code?
- What is a City Partner?
- When are Local Partners paid?
- Does being a Local Partner make my profile more visible?
- Can I change my invite code?
- Will I make money as a Local Partner?
- How is my upline decided?
- Can I see the Partners below me?
- What happens when my membership expires?
- Is Local Partner membership refundable?
- What happens to my commission if a job is refunded?
- Whose money does a Partner commission come out of?
Discovery and visibility
How Localsville decides what you see, and why visibility cannot be bought.
- How does Localsville decide what I see?
- Can I pay to be seen more on Localsville?
- Are there sponsored or promoted profiles?
- Does adding more offerings make me rank higher?
- Are there ratings or reviews on Localsville?
- Do new profiles get any help being found?
- How does search work in the app?
- How precise is the distance shown on a profile?
- Is my address ever shown?
- Why is my Discover feed empty?
- What is Explore?
- Is Localsville people-first or listings-first?
- What are all the lenses on Localsville?
- Someone told me they are on Localsville: why can I not find them?
- Can I search without an account?
- Why is my town missing from the community list?
Messages and notifications
Contacting a neighbor, what Localsville notifies you about, blocking and reporting.
Profile and content review
Why things are reviewed before they go public, and what happens after a decision.
- Why is my profile in review?
- How long does review take?
- Why is my photo in review?
- What happens if my photo is rejected?
- Where do I see the reason something was rejected?
- Can I upload another photo after one is rejected?
- What happens if my profile is rejected?
- Can I edit my profile once it is live?
- Will every edit send me back into review?
- My profile was approved but I cannot find it. Why?
- Who reviews profiles and photos?
- Why does Localsville review content at all?
- What states can a profile be in?
- What does it mean if my profile or offering is restricted?
- Why am I being asked to accept the Terms again?
- Why did Localsville remind me about an unfinished profile?
- Does everyone go through review every time?
Account, privacy and location
Phone sign-in, what data Localsville holds, location permission and deleting your account.
- What data does Localsville collect about me?
- How do I delete my Localsville account?
- What actually happens when my account is deleted?
- Can I cancel a deletion request?
- Why is my deletion taking longer than 30 days?
- Why does Localsville ask for my location?
- Does Localsville track me in the background?
- What happens if I say no to location?
- How do I change my location permission later?
- What does Localsville send notifications about?
- Can I turn notifications off?
- Does Localsville use AI, and does it read my profile?
- Why did I get a private preview from Localsville?
- How long does Localsville keep my data?
- Does the Localsville website use cookies or trackers?
- Can I have more than one account?
- How do I report someone or something?
- Can I block someone?
- What does my account page show about me?
- Can I stop notifications at night?
- What does a Localsville notification actually contain?
Places
What a Place is on Localsville: a real local spot such as a shop, a studio or a community space, and how it connects to the people around it.
- What is a Place on Localsville?
- What are Businesses, Community Spaces and Community Life?
- What kinds of Places are there?
- Who can create a Place profile?
- Does it cost money to create a Place profile?
- Who owns a Place profile?
- Does a Place have to publish its address?
- What happens if I change my Place's address?
- What can a Place offer?
- Can a Place show its opening information?
- Can neighbors message a Place?
- Can a Person be shown as being at a Place?
- Does Localsville verify that a Place is genuine?
About the company
Who operates Localsville, where it is based, and how it intends to make money.
- Who owns and operates Localsville?
- Is Localsville a U.S. company?
- Where is Localsville based?
- How does Localsville make money?
- Does Localsville sell ads?
- Does Localsville offer cashback or rewards?
- Is Localsville an investment or an income opportunity?
- What is Oahuville, and how does it relate to Localsville?
- How do I reach Localsville about press or a partnership?
- Where are Localsville's terms and policies?
- How do I report a copyright problem?
- Is Localsville for children?
- How many people are on Localsville?
Troubleshooting
Sign-in codes, notifications, photos, permissions and getting hold of a person.
- My sign-in code is not arriving. What do I do?
- I am not getting notifications. Why?
- My photo will not upload. What is wrong?
- A profile I opened says it is unavailable. Why?
- How do I update the Localsville app?
- Why does a Localsville link open my browser instead of the app?
- The app will not let me submit my profile. What is missing?
- Why can I not deactivate my profile?
- My profile is in the wrong community. How do I fix it?
- My town is not in the list. Can I still use Localsville?
231 answers across 14 topics. Something missing or wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.