Dispute & Returns Policy

1. When You Can Raise a Dispute

The platform supports two governed sale-dispute triggers:

• not_as_described — raised by the buyer after delivery, where the received item is not as described. Filing window: Condition_Dispute_Window from the Constants Registry.
• item_not_received — raised by the buyer after shipment, where delivery has not occurred. Filing windows: Non_Receipt_Min_Window and Non_Receipt_Max_Window from the Constants Registry.

No other dispute reasons are governed sale-dispute triggers. Disputes filed outside the above windows are not supported by this process.

2. How to Raise a Dispute

To raise a dispute, open the affected order from your account and start a dispute against it within the applicable filing window. You will be asked to provide evidence supporting your claim. Evidence may include:

• photos of the received card showing the condition issue;
• shipping evidence such as tracking data and delivery scans;
• messages exchanged with the other party about the order;
• condition notes explaining the specific issue.

Once submitted, an admin reviews the dispute against the governed dispute rules — including verifying the filing window, confirming evidence has been uploaded where required, and checking shipping-related facts where applicable. Submitted evidence is handled in accordance with the Privacy Policy.

3. What Happens During a Dispute

When an order enters dispute, the seller’s payout enters Held Payout — the seller’s funds are held by the platform pending the outcome of the dispute or any required return completion. Held Payout is not an escrow arrangement; the platform does not act as a licensed escrow agent.

If either party does not respond within the governed response window, a deterministic default outcome applies:

• If the buyer does not provide the required response or evidence within Dispute_Non_Response_Buyer from the Constants Registry, the dispute resolves in the seller’s favour automatically and the order moves to payout.
• If the seller does not provide the required response or evidence within Non_Response_Seller from the Constants Registry, the dispute resolves in the buyer’s favour automatically and the order moves to refund. Where return of the card is required by the ruling, refund execution is gated on the return delivery being confirmed.

These non-response outcomes are deterministic. Attempting to bypass the governed dispute or return rules forfeits dispute advantage on the affected order (Forfeit Presumption).

4. Resolution Outcomes

Resolved disputes terminate the order at one of two governed outcomes:

• Buyer fault — no refund. The linked order moves to payout. Any payout freeze on the order is removed where the ruling allows payout.
• Seller fault — refund. The linked order moves to refund. Where return of the card is required by the dispute branch, the refund is not executed until return delivery is confirmed.

The dispute itself is recorded with one of the locked dispute statuses: resolved_seller, resolved_buyer, or closed. No other dispute outcome statuses exist on the platform.

Where a ruling requires return, refund execution is blocked until return delivery confirmation is recorded. No dispute branch may bypass this requirement.

5. Returns

Returns apply where the dispute ruling requires return of the card. Specifically:

• Where seller fault applies in a sale dispute, the seller funds the return shipping.
• The refund is processed only after return delivery is confirmed. Refund cannot be issued in advance of the confirmed return.
• The platform issues return instructions within Return_Instructions_SLA from the Constants Registry. Return handling is manual until scale, but the return-before-refund requirement is never bypassed.

[TODO: Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 statutory return rights for sellers acting in trade — pending NZ legal review.]

6. What Is Not Covered

The governed dispute process does not cover:

• dispute reasons outside the two governed triggers (not_as_described and item_not_received);
• claims filed outside the locked filing windows in the Constants Registry;
• claims for which the required evidence has not been submitted within the governed response windows;
• actions that bypass the governed dispute or return rules; such actions forfeit dispute advantage on the affected order (Forfeit Presumption).

[TODO: Change of mind / buyer’s remorse exclusion and fraud-related exclusion wording — pending NZ legal review.]

7. Chargebacks

A chargeback or equivalent payment-reversal event is handled separately from the dispute process described above. When such an event occurs:

• the affected account is frozen pending resolution;
• the economic effect is recorded as a negative credit ledger entry;
• identity verification (KYC) is escalated where required;
• account access is restored only after the chargeback has been resolved.

An active chargeback is a governed account-lock trigger. Chargeback handling is independent of any dispute ruling on the same order.

[TODO: Specific account-suspension duration and the evidence required for restoration — pending operator policy and NZ legal review.]

8. External Dispute Resolution

[TODO: External dispute resolution avenues, including any reference to the New Zealand Disputes Tribunal and its jurisdictional cap — pending NZ legal review.]