Your neighbors want to support local businesses. Let 'em see yours.

Terms of Service

Effective date: October 7, 2026 · Last updated: October 7, 2026

These terms describe the website and advertising services offered by Opes Sapientiae, LLC, doing business as Neighborhood.biz and The Shirlington Local (“Publisher,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). Our customer-service contact is michael@neighborhood.biz or (703) 261-4699.

1. Services and advertising orders

We offer local advertising placement, ad design, printing coordination, and mailing services. The Shirlington Local is a two-sided, glossy, 14-point cardstock mailer, 9 × 12 inches per side, targeting approximately 10,000 households in and around Shirlington. Exact routes, minimum mailing quantity, edition dates, ad dimensions, placement, included design work, and any additional fees are confirmed in your signed advertiser agreement and insertion order.

Submitting an inquiry form does not reserve a category, create a purchase obligation, or authorize a payment. An advertising commitment becomes binding when both parties sign the advertiser agreement. These website terms do not replace that agreement. Your signed order, special terms, and advertiser agreement control advertising purchases if they differ from information on this website. Website policy updates do not retroactively change a signed agreement.

2. Prices and initial commitment

All website prices are in U.S. dollars (USD) per monthly edition. Current Shirlington prices are:

Each ad has a minimum commitment of three consecutive monthly editions. Professional ad design and QR campaign support are included as described in your order. Any applicable taxes or additional charges must be disclosed before you agree. Exact premium dimensions and equal-area formats are confirmed in the order; the website preview illustrates the intended layout rather than final production measurements. Preview businesses, offers, price badges, and “SOLD” markings do not independently establish actual availability or a business’s endorsement of our services. We confirm availability individually.

3. Payment and recurring charges

Payment is due after your written approval of the final artwork and by the agreed deadline before printing. After we confirm category and placement availability, you may voluntarily pay the first monthly edition early, including before final artwork approval. Early payment is optional, does not authorize printing without your approval, and does not by itself reserve a category or replace the signed advertiser agreement. If you pay before signing, the payment is an advance toward a proposed order; if we cannot accept that order or provide the requested placement, we will refund the unused advance within 15 business days. Any different payment arrangements under an existing signed agreement require written agreement. All current ad formats, including Sponsor, have a three-month commitment and are billed one monthly edition at a time. Payment of the full three-month commitment in advance is not required. Each monthly edition is payable by its agreed deadline before printing. Existing signed agreements keep their terms unless amended in writing.

Payments may be processed through Stripe. Enter card details only through the secure payment interface, not the inquiry form, email, text, or agreement document. A recurring card charge requires your separate authorization stating the amount, frequency, and billing date. Merely submitting an inquiry or viewing these terms does not authorize a charge. Monthly billing does not remove the three-month minimum commitment. No price increase or additional fee applies to an existing agreement without your written agreement.

4. Monthly renewal and cancellation

After the initial three editions, advertising automatically renews for successive one-month terms at the agreed monthly price until canceled. Give cancellation notice at least 30 calendar days before the applicable monthly term ends. You may give notice during the initial term, but cancellation cannot take effect before that term is complete.

To cancel, email michael@neighborhood.biz or text (703) 261-4699, stating your business name and the publication to cancel. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the initial three-month term or a later monthly term, on the first such term-end at least 30 calendar days after we receive notice. Our acknowledgment is not required for a valid notice; we will confirm the effective date in writing. We will provide additional cancellation methods required by applicable law.

You remain responsible for the initial commitment and editions through the effective cancellation date. We do not charge for editions after that date and refund prepayments for those later editions within 15 business days. Revoking a recurring-payment authorization does not by itself cancel the advertising agreement; valid outstanding amounts may be payable through another method.

5. Category availability and protection

Category protection applies only to the precisely defined category and publication stated in the signed order, subject to its conditions and timely payment. It does not exclude incidental offerings by other businesses, editorial mentions, or advertising outside that publication.

A placement expressly designated Premium retains its agreed category exclusivity during the active agreement and renewals while payments remain current. We do not displace that advertiser solely because a competitor offers to purchase a larger or more expensive ad.

Standard and small (non-premium) placements are protected throughout the initial three-month term. After that term, a bona fide competitor request for a larger placement may trigger the priority upgrade process in your agreement. We must first offer the larger placement to you in writing on the same material terms and give you 10 business days to accept. Declining an upgrade is not a breach and does not authorize an upgrade charge. Any resulting termination requires separate written notice, completion of the minimum term, and at least 30 calendar days’ notice ending at a monthly term-end. Your placement and category protection continue until the effective termination date, and prepayments for later editions are refunded within 15 business days. A larger ad does not automatically become Premium or create a new minimum term unless expressly agreed. Your signed agreement contains the full process.

6. Artwork, approvals, and permitted content

Provide accurate business information, artwork, offers, and required materials by the agreed deadlines. You must affirmatively approve the final proof in writing, including by email or text; silence is not approval. Check spelling, prices, dates, contact information, URLs, QR destinations, and offer restrictions. Material changes to an approved proof require further approval. Normal differences between screen and printed colors can occur.

You must have rights to the names, logos, photographs, and copy you supply, and your advertising claims and offers must comply with applicable law. We may decline unlawful, misleading, infringing, or unsuitable content and, when practicable, allow correction. You authorize reproduction needed to design, print, and distribute your purchased ad; use of your ad in our website, portfolio, or promotions requires separate written consent. Late materials or approval do not automatically cancel the minimum commitment; revised edition dates require written agreement.

7. Fulfillment and delivery

We arrange printing and submission to USPS for the agreed routes and minimum quantity. Postal acceptance documentation is available on request. Our mailing obligation is submission to USPS, not proof that every recipient receives, reads, or responds to an ad. Target dates are estimates; the latest submission date and any guaranteed quantities are stated in your order. USPS controls subsequent delivery timing. We will notify you of a submission delay.

8. Refunds, adjustments, and disputes

Advertising is a service, so a physical-goods return process does not apply. Cancellation does not automatically entitle you to a refund for completed editions or release the initial minimum commitment. However, this does not limit the following contractual remedies or rights required by law:

To request a refund or report a billing or service issue, contact michael@neighborhood.biz or (703) 261-4699 with your business name, affected edition, invoice or payment reference, and a description of the issue. We will review the relevant agreement, proof, and mailing records and communicate the outcome. Approved payment refunds are normally returned through the original payment method where supported; bank and processor posting times vary. Nothing in these terms removes mandatory rights or your payment provider’s dispute procedures.

9. Results and responsibility

We make no representations, warranties, promises, or guarantees about sales, revenue, profit, traffic, calls, leads, conversions, response rates, or return on investment. Payment is for the agreed placement and mailing services and is not contingent on commercial results. You are responsible for approved-proof errors and fulfilling your advertised offers. Responsibility, liability limits, and exceptions for advertising purchases are set out in the signed agreement and remain subject to applicable law.

10. Website use, privacy, and changes

Do not use the website to submit fraudulent inquiries, interfere with services, access information without authorization, or infringe others’ rights. Website materials are protected by applicable intellectual-property law; viewing them does not grant a right to reproduce them for unrelated commercial use. External websites and payment services operate under their own terms. Automated or AI-assisted communications and document drafts do not reserve inventory or substitute for the signed agreement.

Our Privacy Policy explains our handling of personal information. We may update these website terms by posting a revised version and date. Existing signed purchases continue under their agreed terms unless both parties approve an amendment. Virginia law governs to the extent applicable; advertising disputes follow the governing-law and venue provisions in your agreement. Mandatory legal protections remain unaffected.

11. Contact

Opes Sapientiae, LLC
Doing business as Neighborhood.biz and The Shirlington Local
Email: michael@neighborhood.biz
Phone: (703) 261-4699
Service area: Arlington, Virginia