Trust & Safety Policy

1. Purpose

This Trust & Safety Policy explains how MyGearMarket works to keep the platform safe, reliable and trustworthy.

It applies to all users, including buyers, sellers, verified sellers, verified dealers and visitors.

This policy applies in addition to the Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Secure Payment Policy and other platform rules.

2. Marketplace safety principles

MyGearMarket is an online marketplace for musical instruments, musical gear, accessories and related items.

The platform is built around the following principles:

• honest listings;
• respectful communication;
• lawful transactions;
• accurate product information;
• responsible selling;
• careful buying;
• protection against fraud and abuse;
• fair and proportionate moderation.

Users remain responsible for their own conduct, listings, transactions and communications.

3. MyGearMarket’s role

MyGearMarket provides the platform but is not a party to the sale agreement between buyers and sellers.

MyGearMarket does not inspect, verify, authenticate, appraise, test or guarantee listed items unless a specific service expressly says otherwise.

MyGearMarket may take action to protect the platform, users and third parties, but does not guarantee that all harmful, unlawful, misleading or abusive content will be detected or removed.

4. Prohibited items

Users may not list, offer, sell or attempt to sell:

• stolen goods;
• counterfeit items;
• replica items presented as genuine;
• items infringing intellectual property rights;
• items the seller does not own or is not authorised to sell;
• items with false provenance or misleading authenticity claims;
• unsafe or unlawful items;
• items unrelated to the purpose of MyGearMarket;
• items that violate applicable law or third-party rights.

MyGearMarket may remove or restrict listings where prohibited items are suspected.

5. Prohibited conduct

Users may not:

• commit fraud or attempt to scam other users;
• impersonate another person or business;
• misrepresent identity, location, account status or dealer status;
• misrepresent an item’s condition, authenticity, ownership or history;
• harass, threaten, abuse or intimidate other users;
• send spam or malicious links;
• manipulate listings, search results, reports, reviews, offers or prices;
• circumvent Secure Payment fees or platform limits;
• create duplicate accounts to avoid restrictions;
• re-register after permanent restriction;
• misuse URL import or CSV import tools;
• upload viruses, malware or harmful content;
• scrape, copy or misuse platform data;
• use the platform for unlawful purposes.

6. Listings and seller responsibilities

Sellers are responsible for ensuring that listings are accurate, complete and lawful.

Sellers must clearly describe the item being sold, condition, known defects, authenticity, included accessories, price, shipping options, pickup options where applicable and any relevant limitations.

Sellers should use accurate photos of the actual item where possible.

Sellers must not use misleading images, incorrect brand names, fake provenance, hidden defects or inaccurate descriptions.

7. Buyer responsibilities

Buyers are responsible for reviewing listings carefully before purchasing or making an offer.

Buyers should ask questions where information is unclear.

Buyers should be cautious with unusually low prices, requests to move communication off-platform, pressure to pay quickly, external payment links, sellers refusing reasonable questions and unclear shipping arrangements.

Buyers using Secure Payment must maintain a verified email address and verified mobile phone number.

Transactions outside Secure Payment take place at the buyer’s and seller’s own risk.

8. Verified Sellers

A Verified Seller status may indicate that the seller has completed certain Stripe Connect, payment-provider or platform requirements.

Verified Seller status does not mean that MyGearMarket guarantees the seller’s trustworthiness, the seller’s items, item authenticity, delivery, transaction outcome or dispute outcome.

Verification status may be suspended or revoked where necessary.

9. Verified Dealers

MyGearMarket may grant Verified Dealer or founding dealer status to selected accounts.

Verified Dealer status may provide additional platform features, such as badges, dealer website links, higher import limits or CSV import access.

Verified Dealer status does not mean that MyGearMarket guarantees the dealer’s inventory, item authenticity, item condition, legal compliance, delivery or transaction outcome.

MyGearMarket may revoke Verified Dealer status where appropriate.

10. Secure Payment safety

Secure Payment helps structure eligible transactions through the platform.

Secure Payment does not guarantee delivery, item quality, item authenticity, successful insurance claims, successful dispute resolution, refund after shipment, compensation or buyer protection in all cases.

Secure Payment is not an escrow service, trust account, insurance product or general buyer-protection programme.

Sellers using Secure Payment must use trackable shipping and must obtain shipping insurance covering the full Transaction Value.

Sellers must package and ship items in accordance with carrier and insurer requirements and must retain proof of shipment, tracking and insurance coverage.

Failure to meet these requirements may result in account restrictions, payout restrictions or other enforcement action, and losses caused by such failure remain the seller’s responsibility.

Pre-shipment cancellation and refund options may be available only in limited circumstances, as described in the Secure Payment Policy.

To protect users, payment providers and the platform, MyGearMarket may apply automated transaction safety controls, transaction limits, transaction frequency limits, transaction value limits, cooldown periods, account verification requirements and other fraud-prevention measures.

These controls may be applied automatically and may result in transactions being blocked, restricted, delayed, cancelled or referred for manual review where applicable platform rules, transaction limits or risk controls are triggered.

11. Reporting issues

Users may report suspected violations through the platform.

Reports may relate to users, listings, orders, reviews, suspected fraud, counterfeit items, prohibited items, harassment, misleading information, refund abuse, shipping abuse or other policy violations.

Reports should be accurate, complete and submitted in good faith.

Users should not misuse reporting tools to harass users, suppress competition or retaliate against other users.

12. What happens after a report

Reports are reviewed for platform safety and policy enforcement purposes.

MyGearMarket may review the report, related listing, user account, order, messages, reviews, payment information, prior reports, public profile information and other relevant platform information.

A report does not guarantee that MyGearMarket will investigate fully, take action, mediate a dispute, provide compensation, reverse a payment, remove content, provide individual updates or reach a particular outcome.

13. Moderation actions

MyGearMarket may take action where it considers this necessary to protect users, the platform or third parties.

Actions may include:

• no action;
• warning a user;
• requesting more information;
• limiting account features;
• removing or hiding content;
• suspending a listing;
• restoring a listing;
• deleting or archiving a listing;
• hiding or deleting a review;
• suspending an account;
• permanently restricting an account;
• blocking re-registration;
• cancelling eligible transactions;
• delaying or restricting payouts where permitted;
• placing administrative payout holds;
• cooperating with payment providers;
• reporting suspected unlawful conduct to authorities.

14. Account suspension

MyGearMarket may suspend an account where there is suspected fraud, abuse, unlawful conduct, payment risk, repeated violations, serious policy breaches or other platform safety concerns.

Suspension may restrict buying, selling, messaging, listing publication, Secure Payment, offers, reviews, imports and other platform features.

Where an account is suspended, associated listings may also be suspended or restricted.

Where appropriate, suspension may also affect transaction eligibility, payout eligibility, payout release and other transaction-related functionality pending review.

15. Permanent restriction

MyGearMarket may permanently restrict accounts in serious cases, including fraud, repeated abuse, unlawful conduct, payment risk, attempts to circumvent restrictions or serious threats to platform safety.

Permanent restriction may prevent further use of the platform and may prevent re-registration using the same email address, verified phone number or other related account information.

16. Appeals

Suspended users may be able to submit an appeal through the support or appeal functionality available on the platform.

An appeal should explain why the user believes the moderation action should be reversed or changed and should include relevant supporting information.

MyGearMarket may review appeals at its discretion and may uphold the decision, request more information, restore access, partially restore access, issue a warning, permanently restrict the account or take another appropriate action.

MyGearMarket is not required to disclose detailed fraud, risk, security or compliance reasoning where doing so could compromise platform safety, fraud prevention, legal compliance or the rights of others.

17. Reviews

Reviews must be honest, relevant and based on a genuine transaction experience.

Users may not submit fake reviews, manipulated reviews, abusive reviews, defamatory reviews, reviews containing unnecessary personal data or reviews used for threats, extortion or retaliation.

MyGearMarket may hide, restore or delete reviews that violate platform rules.

18. Messages

Users must communicate respectfully and lawfully.

Users may not use messages to harass or threaten others, commit fraud, send spam, share malicious links, mislead buyers or sellers, circumvent platform rules or abuse Secure Payment or reporting systems.

MyGearMarket may review or restrict messages where necessary for fraud prevention, security, moderation, legal compliance or platform integrity.

19. Law enforcement and payment-provider cooperation

MyGearMarket may cooperate with payment providers, fraud-prevention providers, regulators, courts, law enforcement authorities or other competent authorities where required or appropriate.

This may include sharing relevant information where legally permitted or required.

20. No general monitoring obligation

MyGearMarket may use a combination of user reports, automated signals, transaction safety controls, fraud-prevention systems, payment-risk monitoring, chargeback monitoring, manual review and admin tools to protect the platform.

Such systems may identify activity that requires review, verification, restriction, suspension, cancellation, payout holds or other platform-safety measures.

MyGearMarket does not guarantee that all unlawful, misleading, harmful or abusive content will be detected or removed.

Users remain responsible for their own conduct and content.

21. Changes to this policy

MyGearMarket may update this Trust & Safety Policy from time to time.

The latest version will always be available on the website.