Seller Policy

1. Listing Accuracy

Sellers are responsible for accurately describing the cards they list. Specifically:

• Card condition must be graded using one of the four governed condition values: NM (Near Mint), LP (Lightly Played), MP (Moderately Played), or HP (Heavily Played). DMG (Damaged) is not a permitted condition value on this platform.
• The Scryfall-derived reference image shown on each listing depicts the printing in general. It is not a photo of the seller’s specific card and is not evidence of the listed card’s condition. The reference image is not a substitute for seller-uploaded photo evidence.
• Misrepresenting card condition, set, printing, or foil status is prohibited. Misdescription creates Fair Trading exposure for sellers acting in trade.

[TODO: Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 “acting in trade” characterisation — which sellers on this platform count as traders for CGA purposes — pending NZ legal review.]

2. Photo Evidence Requirements

Every published listing must include at least the minimum number of seller-uploaded photos governed by Listing_Min_Photo_Count from the Constants Registry. This is the only hard publish gate for photo evidence.

Higher-value listings require additional photo coverage:

• Above Photo_Tier_1_Threshold: front, back, and timestamp photos are required.
• Above Photo_Tier_2_Threshold: edges, corners, and timestamp photos are also required.

The platform displays a Condition Trust Tier on each listing — Basic, Evidenced, or Detailed — derived from the count of seller-uploaded photos relative to the listing’s price band. The tier reflects the quantity of photographic evidence on the listing only. It is not a platform review, inspection, or authentication of the card’s condition.

3. Fees and Payouts

Platform fees, Buyer Protection fees, subscription pricing, single-credit pricing, trade-access credit costs, and the free-shipping incentive threshold are set out on the Fee Schedule. Buyer Protection fees are listed inclusive of New Zealand Goods and Services Tax (GST). GST treatment for other line items is pending confirmation of GST registration with the platform’s accountant.

Seller payouts are subject to a Held Payout: the seller’s funds are held by the platform until the buyer confirms receipt, the buyer’s action window closes, or any active dispute on the order is resolved. Held Payout is not an escrow arrangement; the platform does not act as a licensed escrow agent.

Where the buyer takes no Step 1 action within Auto_Payout_No_Action_After from the Constants Registry of the delivery scan, the order moves automatically to auto_payout and the seller’s Held Payout is released.

Where an active dispute exists on the order, the seller’s payout remains in Held Payout until the dispute resolves to payout or refund under the governed dispute outcomes. See the Dispute & Returns Policy for the full dispute lifecycle and return-before-refund handling.

4. Postage and Tracking

Sellers are responsible for shipping the card to the buyer after the order reaches the paid state, in line with the governed Order lifecycle (paid → shipped → delivered).

The platform requires the following postage tiers based on item price:

• Above Tracking_Threshold from the Constants Registry: tracked shipping is required.
• Above Signature_Threshold from the Constants Registry: signature-required shipping is also required.

A non-tracked shipment above the tracking threshold, or a non-signature shipment above the signature threshold, may weaken the seller’s position in any subsequent item_not_received dispute. The platform does not impose a fixed ship-by-time deadline for sale orders; the practical window is governed by the buyer’s ability to file an item_not_received dispute under the Constants Registry filing windows.

5. Consumer Guarantees Act Obligations

[TODO: Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 statutory obligations for sellers acting in trade. Sellers acting in trade cannot contract out of the statutory guarantees for consumer transactions. Drafting and the operative wording of this section is pending NZ legal review.]

6. Prohibited Conduct

The following practices are prohibited on the platform:

• storing raw KYC identity document data as governed platform data;
• using vague or undefined enforcement language where explicit governed outcomes already exist;
• presenting Goods and Services Tax (GST) treatment inconsistently with the maintained Fee Schedule;
• silently retaining abandoned inventory import payloads beyond the governed window;
• silently applying unresolved or ambiguous inventory import rows;
• describing governed protections or dispute outcomes in a way that materially overstates real platform behaviour;
• displaying a reference image without a visible label identifying it as a reference image;
• using the words “verified”, “certified”, or “authenticated” in any trust-related label in a way that implies platform inspection of card condition or seller behaviour;
• removing a Transaction Rating solely on the basis of a subject request, without a finding of inaccuracy, bad faith, or content policy violation.

7. Account Suspension and Enforcement

The platform may lock or restrict a seller account when any of the following governed conditions arises:

• a negative credit balance on the account;
• an active chargeback or equivalent unresolved payment-reversal state;
• required identity verification (KYC) has not been completed;
• a pattern of repeated unresolved disputes where dispute-history review indicates restriction is required.

Chargebacks: when a chargeback or equivalent payment-reversal event occurs, the affected account is frozen pending resolution, the economic effect is recorded as a negative credit ledger entry, identity verification is escalated where required, and account access is restored only after the chargeback has been resolved. Chargeback handling is independent of any dispute ruling on the same order.

Seller Condition Credibility: when a dispute with reason not_as_described resolves with a seller-fault ruling, the seller’s Seller Condition Credibility transitions from Gold to Silver under the governed credibility-loss procedure. Disputes with reason item_not_received do not affect Seller Condition Credibility. After Gold loss, re-earning Gold requires the governed number of new verified condition-match confirmations.

All lock, unlock, chargeback, and credibility-state actions are recorded in the platform audit log.

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

8. Changes to This Policy

[TODO: Notice period for policy changes, the mechanism by which sellers will be notified, and the framing of continued use as acceptance of updated terms — pending NZ legal review and product decision.]