Buying on Liberta Local is as simple as on any website — but here you’re directly supporting people in your community. This guide shows you everything, step by step.
🙋 Not comfortable with the internet? Follow the steps one by one, in order. And if something gets stuck, contact us: we’ll help, no judgement.
Contents
- Exploring the map (without even signing up)
- Creating your account in 30 seconds
- Finding a producer, product, or event
- Placing an order
- Paying your way
- Picking up or receiving your order
- Booking an event and using your ticket
- Chatting with the seller
- Going further: subscriptions, group buys, backing a producer
- Leaving a review
- Your privacy
- Local mutual aid between collectives
- Need help?
1. Exploring the map
You can browse the map freely, with no account.
- Open the Map page.
- You’ll see pins: these are the producers, artisans, places and events around you.
- Use the category filters to only show what interests you (food, crafts, events…).
- Click a pin to see who they are, what they offer, and get to their shop.
💡 The map automatically centres on your area. You can also move around and zoom just like on any map (with your fingers on a phone, with your mouse on a computer).
2. Creating your account
To order, track your purchases, and chat with sellers, create a Member account (free, 30 seconds):
- Go to Register.
- Choose “Member”.
- Choose a display name (the only name shown publicly), your email, and a password.
- Confirm the small anti-bot check and click Create my account.
- Open your inbox and click the confirmation link.
⚠️ Didn’t get an email? Check your spam/junk folder. Otherwise, contact us.
3. Finding what you’re looking for
Three ways to find things:
- Via the map — look for what’s near you (see part 1).
- Via the shops — the shops page lists actors with filters and proximity.
- Via events — the events page shows what’s coming up near you.
Every actor has a profile (who they are, what they do, their location) and a shop (their products).
4. Placing an order
- On an actor’s shop, choose a product.
- If the product has a pay-what-you-want price, you decide yourself how much you want to pay (a suggested amount guides you).
- Click “Add to cart”.
- Keep shopping or click the cart (generally visible on screen at all times).
- Check your cart, then click “Order”.
- Indicate where you’d like to pick up or be delivered to, choose your payment method, and confirm.
💡 You can order as a guest (without creating an account) for a first purchase, and create your account along the way if you’d like.
5. Paying your way
This is one of the great freedoms of Liberta Local: you don’t need a credit card. Depending on what the seller accepts, you can pay with:
| Method | Who it’s for / when |
|---|---|
| Credit card | The fastest online, secure payment. |
| Bank transfer | You transfer the amount from your bank. |
| Cash on pickup | You pay in cash when you collect your order. No online account needed. |
| Payment without a bank account | Crypto, Ğ1 — no bank intermediary. |
| Ğ1 / June (free currency) | If you use the citizen-run free currency. You pay directly from your Ğecko (mobile) or Cesium (web) wallet. No contribution. New to it? → monnaie-libre.fr |
💡 No credit card? Choose “cash on pickup”: you book online, and pay in person when you come to collect your order.
Buying from an individual (classified listings)
Some listings are posted by Individual Local Actors — residents who sell occasionally, without a shop. A few differences to know:
- A Ğ1 trust badge may appear on the listing, showing the seller’s certification level in the trust network. Below a certain threshold, Ğ1 payment can’t be made online in advance: it happens in person, at the meetup.
- The exact meetup address is never given to you privately by the seller: Liberta Local sends it to you automatically, by email and on your order page, once it’s confirmed. Never ask for it any other way — this also guarantees a record in case something goes wrong at the meetup.
- If you pay by card, payment to the seller is held for a few days after delivery, pending your confirmation of receipt (or a short period with no dispute) — a protection against sellers who go dark.
6. Picking up or receiving
When ordering, you choose how you get your purchases:
- Pickup from the producer — you go collect it.
- Group pickup point — several producers drop off at the same spot, you collect everything at once.
- Home delivery — when the seller offers it.
You’re kept informed at every step (order received, being prepared, ready, picked up/delivered), by notification and email.
7. Booking an event
- On an event page (market, workshop, shared meal…), click to book your spot.
- If the event is paid, choose your ticket type and pay (with the method of your choice).
- You receive your ticket by email, with a QR code.
On the day, show the QR code (on your phone or printed) at the door: it gets scanned, and you’re in. No connection needed on your end.
💡 Find all your tickets in your personal space, under “My tickets”.
8. Chatting with the seller
A question about a product? A pickup time to sort out? Every order has a chat: you write directly to the seller, without exchanging phone numbers or personal emails. Simple and private.
9. Going further
Do you like a producer? You can build a more lasting connection:
- Subscribe to a basket — receive a basket regularly (e.g. every week), without having to reorder each time.
- Group buy — join an order that triggers once enough people have joined (often for better quantities/prices).
- Back a producer — pre-fund their season (back a beehive, rows of vegetables, a tree…) and receive the produce afterwards. It’s agriculture and craft supported by the people who benefit from it.
10. Leaving a review
After a purchase, you can leave a review. Your reviews matter: they help other residents choose, and encourage good producers.
⚠️ Only genuine buyers can leave a review, and reviews are moderated: no fake comments here, unlike on the big platforms.
11. Your privacy
- Publicly, your real name is never shown: only your display name.
- Liberta Local doesn’t resell your data and doesn’t track you with ads.
- You can even pay without a bank account (crypto, Ğ1) or in cash if you’d like.
It’s the exact opposite of the web giants: here, you’re not the product.
12. Local mutual aid between collectives
Beyond buying, a new project is taking shape: how can local collectives — a group of residents, an association, a community of producers and customers who know each other — support one another, in free currency (Ğ1), at whatever scale they choose?
This is a project in its listening phase. If a collective you’re part of is motivated to be a pilot for an experiment, find all the details on the Local mutual aid page.
13. Need help?
Stuck on a step? A word you don’t understand? Never hesitate to ask. Contact us: we’ll answer you like we would a neighbour.
🙋 See also the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.
Thank you for supporting your community. Every purchase counts.
