COMMUNITY – ‘Buy and Sell Exchange zones’ established at two detachments
(Image: RCMP)
Using online buy and sell sites is about to get safer in Kamloops, thanks to the introduction of two RCMP exchange zones.
Starting April 7, 2023 Kamloops residents will be encouraged to attend one of two ‘Buy and Sell Exchange Zones’ for their online purchase pickups and payments. The stations are located inside the RCMP detachments at 560 Battle St. and 915 7th St. and are open during business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday.
The goal of this new project is to provide locations where people can choose to complete their online transactions in a safer and monitored environment, in an effort to help reduce theft, robbery, and fraud, said Cat. Justice Lesuk, the officer responsible for implementing the zones locally.
He proposed bringing the initiative to Kamloops in recognition of some of the safety concerns online buy-and-sell consumers can sometimes have.
“It’s a simple and straight-forward solution that will hopefully provide buy-and-sell shoppers with more comfort when they get to the actual physical exchange of cash and product,” said Lesuk.
The ‘Buy and Sell Exchange Zone’ locations will be clearly marked in the detachment office lobbies, which are covered by 24/7 surveillance, and hopefully offer some piece of mind in knowing that if something goes wrong, police are nearby.
Although the site offers a safer place to exchange goods, it should be noted that the Kamloops RCMP Detachment will not be assisting or mediating exchanges and that the surveillance won’t be actively monitored. Nor does the Kamloops RCMP take any financial responsibility for trades completed or provide any assurance in the validity of items purchased.
If online buy-and-sell consumers are unable to utilize the space provided, the Kamloops RCMP has the following tips for conducting transactions:
Conduct the exchange during the day time
Don’t go alone, bring a friend or family member to come with you
Go to a public place that has lots of foot traffic
Limit the personal information you give out as much as possible
On either side of the exchange, inspect the items as well as the money to ensure they’re not fraudulent
Utilize the public website at: https://www.cpic-cipc.ca/index-eng.htm to ensure the items being traded are not stolen
ArmchairMayor.ca 
I always knew that using these exact spots were ‘available’ for anyone to use for this reason, used it once a few years ago … I guess they just wanted to formalize it into a program. Good idea.