Prohibited Items
Last updated: September 28, 2026
1. The rule
A store may list only what it can lawfully sell to a consumer in the province or territory it ships to. The items below may not be listed on FirstBy at all, whatever a store's licences. Every new product is screened against this list before it appears: some words stop a listing outright, and anything else that matches waits for our team to review it. Anyone can report a listing from its page.
2. Never allowed
- Firearms, ammunition, their parts and magazines, explosives, fireworks and prohibited weapons.
- Drugs and anything to make or take them; cannabis, tobacco and vaping products; prescription medicine; and alcohol.
- Counterfeit goods, replicas sold as the real brand, and anything that infringes someone's trademark or copyright.
- Stolen goods, and anything the seller does not have the right to sell.
- Products recalled by Health Canada or Transport Canada, and products banned in Canada, such as baby walkers.
- Hazardous materials that cannot travel by ordinary parcel post, such as flammable gases and corrosive chemicals.
- Live animals, and human remains or body parts.
- Adult sexual content, and anything that promotes hatred or violence against a group.
- Government documents and identity papers, counterfeit money, personal data about other people, and accounts for online services.
- Services, digital downloads and gift cards, which FirstBy does not sell.
3. Allowed only with conditions
- Knives and bladed tools that are lawful to own in Canada may be listed. Switchblades and knives disguised as other objects may not, and no knife may be sold to a minor.
- Cosmetics, supplements and natural health products: labelled as Health Canada requires, including in French, with no medical claims the product is not licensed to make.
- Lithium batteries: packed and labelled to the carrier's rules for dangerous goods.
- Used children's car seats, cribs and helmets: not allowed; new ones must meet Canadian safety standards.
4. What happens if a listing breaks the rules
We take the listing off sale, tell the store why, and keep a record. Repeated or serious breaches, or selling counterfeits after a complaint, lead to the store's selling being suspended. Orders already placed are still refunded or delivered as the case needs. To report a listing, use the report link on its page; to complain about a copy of your brand or work, use the rights complaint form.