To Ensure Efficient Buying/Selling and Ethical Conduct
Privacy Interface Full Ethical Terms and Conditions
This practical advice is designed to help you sell ethically and efficiently and to avoid ethical rule violations. These conduct advice guidelines are based on assisting in the upholding of the Terms and Conditions. These rules also help buyers. Rules in this section are in line with the terms and conditions.
The following conduct guide includes practical ways to help ensure that you can meet the high conduct standards of the Privacy Market Interface.
All users must adequately understand the Terms and Conditions prior to listing items to sell on Privacy Interface.com. This guide covers some of the core aspects of the terms and conditions.
Section 1: Sellers must dispatch orders within 38 hours of the order being made
Section 2: Record or photograph an item when sealing (sending) or opening (receiving)
Section 3: Condition Definitions & Item Listing Condition Rules
Section 4: Sellers and the self-payment of Taxes and International Customs tax
Section 5: Upholding an ethical market free from market-psychology pricing techniques
Section 6: Transfering any user data (seller or buyer) to any external system will result in an account ban
Section 7: Preventing external links, privacy violating external link cookies
Section 8: Postage Provider standards Rules & Postage Cost Regulations
Section 9: Criteria of acceptable Boxes & internal packaging
Sellers must dispatch orders within 38 hours of the order being made. Sellers must be able to provide postal receipt or video recording proof of the dispatch.
Section 1
Orders must be dispatched within 38 hours of the order being made on PrivacyInterface.com. The following logic applies to weekends and national holidays:
When orders are made after 7am(seller timezone) on the calendar day before a day when postal services do not operate (e.g. Sunday) the order must be dispatched on the calendar day immediately afterward (e.g. Monday) and within postal collection time for that postal collection system. If an order is made on a Thursday or Friday, it is unacceptable for a seller to wait until a Monday. Use the shop vacation feature if you recieve an overwhelming number of orders within a short period of time. Vacation mode cannot be activated when there are pending orders. This feature can be used when a seller requires and hides a sellers’ shop page entirely.
List as many products as you have capacity to dispatch within 38 hours with photographic proof or video of a postal dispatch receipt. There are no exceptions: even large companies that fail to meet the 38 hour dispatch time will receive a strike on a per order basis. All orders must always be dispatched within 38 hours after payment confirmation by Privacy Interface.
One person can realistically manage approximately 50-100 active orders selling over a week as a second job whilst keeping within the 38hour dispatch window with basic organisation. Employ the temporary assistance of other people to package and post if many orders sell within a short period of time. 1 person could theoretically afford to have 1,000 orders active if they only sell 50-100 of them a week. Expect to sell 10-100 items a week if priced correctly. (see below for guidance)
It is the responsibility of the individual and corporate seller alike to be logistically prepared in terms of packaging and posting capacity during rushes of commercial activity. Avoid listing products too low to avoid mass buyouts by other sellers. If this happens you are not getting what you could be getting for your items.
Research and cross-reference the price of items before listing. Research viable item price online using shopping search results in various search engines (from behind the safety of Tor browser) to compare prices prior to listing them at a realistic and competitive, buyout-proof price. Potentially £1 or just 5% below the market average is buyout proof and results in sales. 10-20% below market average prices will result in significant sales and is still non-viable for buyouts. At or marginally above market average prices will not result in many sales: 10% above market averages starts to cause substantially less or no sales of an item.
It is recommended that you establish a ‘selling stockpile’ to help keep track of what you are selling. This is logical for most Privacy Interface sellers: small scale sellers without warehouses to store items to dispatch from. Items you have uploaded for sale should be kept in dry conditions. 1 person can safely manage around 50-100 items for sale in a week, even whilst working full time, dispatching each within 38 hours, assuming they do not all sell at the same time, if they do, enlist the help of family members or employ trusted neighbours to help package and post them.
Sellers can make order listings for out of stock items in preparation for selling those items and whilst filling out details on large numbers of items. Sellers are however not permitted to take orders for out of stock items however even if the option appears available in menu fields. Sellers must carefully manage stock levels at all times to ensure they have the items for sale physically in their dispatch line and available to send within 38 hours. Customers can activate the ‘in stock’ filter when searching the item database to avoid seeing out of stock items.
Ensure that your dispatch boxes in your adjacent to-be-re-used ‘box pile’ are also kept in dry, covered conditions. Individual small sellers should consider keeping your ‘selling box’ and ‘box pile’ underneath a dust sheet (spare bed sheet/shower curtain) or inside a cabinet to prevent dust, water vapour, bacteria or viruses landing on the items in the time between when you put the item in your selling pile and when it sells on privacy Interface and is subsequently dispatched. This also helps to ensure the condition of the item stays the same as when it was pictured and that its location is known to you as the seller who must dispatch it within 38 hours upon another person having legally bought it. This helps to eliminate the number one reason for slow dispatches.
Buyers, consider keeping boxes to use for selling your own items in: It is illogical to make packaging unusable by opening it in such a way as to destroy its reusability. Open boxes carefully so that they can potentially be used to return the item in or to send your sales in. This should be done to avoid having to supply your own box for returning the item. In the projected 99.99x% of cases (currently 100%) where the order is fine if you open the delivery box carefully along tape seals you could then re-use this box and its packaging in the future to sell your own items in. In effect gaining a free box with all orders through careful box opening etiquette.
Sellers who attempt to charge a postage cost higher than the national norm at a advertised speed for x weight, x width, x height, x length of item because they are trying to create a bigger profit margin for themselves will receive a strike on a per identified order basis after Privacy Interface receives reports from a buyer. Privacy Interface meticulously inspects all sale listings to ensure listed postage costs are the same as the national postage cost and apply strikes and bans as appropriate to those engaging in charging additional amounts in the postage price.
The table rate shipping on national postage services websites shows the real postage cost levels. This price will be used to determine if sellers are engaging in violations. If a seller is a registered business engaged in selling and has access to lower bulk postage costs: it must use those lower business postage rates.
Shipping costs cannot be accumulative but must be a single charge for the largest postage weight category the order fits into. Sellers must offer an average speed economy postage option as the default. If the weight of a multiple-item order exceeds the amount designated by the auto-calc system, as a result of a seller not accounting for % edge area box weight each item takes up or any other reason, such as a seller not having lightweight boxes for packaging, the seller must still dispatch the order and accept the minor postal cost from their profit margin from the item or multiple-item sale or face an account strike for cancelling an order.
It is recommended that sellers list low value items in bulk or multiple quantities such as in quantities of 2-10 per item and sell in semi-bulk to be economical with low value item postage (relative to the 25p fee additionally, paying just 1x25p charge instead of multiple 25ps) this should increase your profit margins and customer convenience in most instances. Use your judgment to identify applicable instances.
Note: Setup your Delivery methods in the Settings < Shipping tab on the dashboard menu. Delivery methods are automatically added to all of your past and present published and draft listings. Create products as drafts in your vendor dashboard prior to editing in weight and other detailed attributes. Do not sell pressurized containers, solvent containers with significant air in the containers or any items banned for air-freight. Please consult the list of banned items in the terms and conditions. Once an account owner has made 10 sales & listed over 50 items (and is thus familiar with the settings) the account gains the ability to publish products without review.
Ethical Justification: Pending review status helps new sellers to avoid errors and stops 99% of fraud, in conjunction with the ban on credit cards.
Use a camera device to record or photograph an item or package when sealing (to send) or opening (upon delivery).
Section 2
This is the ultimate form of proof in any return & refund actions. Recording the box as you open it ensures that you are protected if the contents were not as advertised or are damaged. Equally when selling record the act of sealing the box, with the product inside to gain protection from false damaged or missing item claims. The fact that a box could be shipped empty and leave all the same traces with postal tracking as a full box proves the necessity of recording opening and sending. Other market websites completely overlook this fact that tracked delivery provides no real protection other than from theft by the postal service. However having a simple camera setup for dispatch and opening protects you by giving you evidence of the item quality if you ever need to present such in a return & refund case. You can do this easily by setting up a camera in your dispatch area above where boxes are closed with the item in them, or if your a small scale seller, a simple wave of any modern video recording phone as you closed the box. This ensures you have evidence to protect yourself and your sales from any vexatious or fraudulent return requests. You must delete these records within 6 months, preferably on a 30 day rolling basis, include no customer details in the recordings/photos, just the box being sealed with the order items in it for privacy preservation. This also helps you hold yourself to the highest standards and serves as a second and final level of quality control.
The video sent during return & refund disputes is never shown to any parties beyond privacy Interface ethical oversight staff. Be aware that some cameras can connect to wifi. Turn off wireless systems when making or handling this package closing/opening recording as labels contain personal address data.
Condition Definitions & Listing Condition Rules
Section 3
Items must always have the condition of an item on the 1st or 2nd text line in the description and as an item ‘tag’ attribute. Customers should be able to distinguish between whether an item is new, of perfect condition or not in accordance with the Condition ranking system. Sellers can additionally specifiy further markers of unused or utilized condition in item descriptions according to other markers such as factory seals or vacuum packaging. Sellers must ensure that Market customers can distinguish the detailed condition of an item themselves from the formal Condition 1-5 system tag in addition to determining aesthetic surface condition from pictures. This must be done in accordance with the binding guideline criteria of what defines the Condition ratings of items listed for sale:
Note: Raw materials and non manufactured items are Condition 1 if they are pure, clean, unspoiled.
Note: Condition 2 is the common category for many mass produced items. Despite being new, items with inherent flaws in design or manufacturing quality cannot be listed as Condition 1.
Condition 1
Items of extremely high quality, perfection, this can include refurbished to extreme quality (except with mechanical wear, where parts must all be in condition 1, new, with no wear or miles) or freshly manufactured (new) and of a high or non-flawed quality. Condition 1 items are characterised by being in high condition, sometimes in retail packaging or equivalent and with no distinction between them and a freshly manufactured item. New items with low design quality cannot be Condition 1.
Only the highest quality handmade items with absolutely no design errors can reach condition 1.
Condition 2
Of high quality, near perfection, this can include refurbished to high quality (including with mechanical wear however all internal parts are of condition 2 or above) or manufactured recently (new) but of a non high quality inherent in the manufacture. Most functioning and well kept items will fall into this category. Condition 2 items are high quality with only tiny surface scratches or edge wear that does not impede functions, ergonomics or aesthetics. Condition 2 includes most ‘new’ items with design inefficiencies or weaknesses.
Condition 2 items include most handmade items in new condition, including ‘rustik’ or intentionally ‘scratched’ fashion designs. Condition 2 includes many very well kept pre-owned clothes and items.
Condition 3
Of medium quality, some damage (utilized), this can include refurbished to medium quality (including with mechanical wear however all internal parts must be of condition 3 or above). Condition 3 Items are typically slightly damaged items, having been scratched, chipped or tarnished in a noticeable manner above that of normal surface scratches or wear.
Condition 3 items includes most pre-owned clothing and items in above working condition. Most items that have been well used will be Condition 3.
Condition 4
Of low quality, lots of damage, incorrectly used or damaged items, this can include old items sold with no refurbishment. Condition 4 mechanical items are of low quality with damage and are functioning but are damaged. Condition 4 items must have internal mechanical functioning at Condition 3 or above so as to ensure they are not close to breaking (otherwise they are Condition 5).
Condition 4 items includes most damaged pre-owned clothes and substantially scratched items, heavily chipped, stained, worn or tarnished items. Condition 4 items must be still well within working and useable condition.
Condition 5
Of near broken or broken quality, this can include nearly broken or broken (but safe to transport/handle) electronics, mechanical equipment, tools, etc, at very low prices. Condition 5 items are typically broken or partially broken items that do not operate or are aesthetically ruined or would require substantial hours of effort to recondition.
Condition 5 includes destroyed pre-owned clothes worthy for use solely as material to make other items from or where entire areas need to be replaced. Condition 5 includes all broken and partially broken items and ruined building materials not viable for commercial construction or home renovation but viable for non-aesthetic outdoor projects.
Sellers who violate ethical standards by explicitly and obviously falsely describing an item as 1 Condition grade higher than it is, or ‘accidental’ description inaccuracy by 1 Condition grade higher over 10 or more items (in listing form) in a clear misleading history of condition misadvertising receives a strike on their account regardless of sale status (listed or sold) on a per instance basis. Sellers are encouraged to learn and internalize the definitions in the Condition ranking system by routinely reading the above to develop a firm practical understanding of each rank in relation to items they list. The above definitions are absolute and are determined by Privacy Interface. Condition 1 & 2 are for new items or items reconditioned to new equivalence. Items at Condition 3 & below are almost always used/damaged. An item is new (Conditions 1 or 2) if its operational and aesthetic condition is Conditions 1 or 2 (new) regardless of time since manufacturing or the number of times its ownership has been transferred since production.
Before listing your 1st product ensure that you understand and abide by the Product advertising/listing name rules as detailed in Section 47 and 48 of the Terms and Conditions: Misleading terminology will result in account strikes and potentially instant account closure.
Note: As a seller, causing return & refund orders will cost you commission and other fees in addition to account strikes. Privacy Interface does not tolerate misleading advertising.
Note: Sellers must apply the Condition of the item as the sole product tag in each listing, sellers must only use 1 condition tag per item. Sellers can put Condition variations in the short description such as (Condition 2.5), if an item listing is Condition 3. There is no rounding in the tag, sellers must put 3.0 even if an item is 2.4 or 2.1, if an item does not meet the definition of a condition level it must be placed in the condition level below. Falsely advertising an item as a condition above can cause an item return and account strike. It is better to stay safe in a lower condition rank and let the pictures demonstrate the condition quality if an item is 1.5,2.5, 3.5, 4.5.
Note: Any significant item flaws not clear in the picture must be described in text, flaws shown clearly in pictures do not have to be described in the short description or full description text if they are obvious and clear. Save typing effort by taking photographs that show item flaws clearly along with the main 2 -4 directional photographs. Avoid excessive photograph numbers. Listings with more than 10 pictures may be removed.
Note: 3 minor strikes, of any kind and a user is banned in order to maintain the highest service standards. Sellers do not recieve full payment of their last orders if they are banned as a result of a product sale related ethical violation.
Sellers are responsible for paying International Customs tax
Section 4
If a seller does not anticipate and pay for customs tax ahead of schedule they must pay for all customs taxes incurred when/if an order results in a customer having to pay customs tax after a customer proves to Privacy Interface that they have receipts of customs order payments for the specific item sent by a specific seller. Buyers who make false claims about such will be banned. Sellers are responsible for paying international customers tax either ahead of an order or afterwards when contacted by Privacy Interface after a customer contacts Privacy Interface. This is regardless of any laws or trade conventions.
Privacy Interface has higher standards than almost all trade platforms on the important issue of UK customs taxes which are meant to be pre-paid by law abiding foreign sellers and not afterwards by the UK customer.
Sellers are responsible for declaring their income to relevant government taxation systems and tax status to international border authorities. Sellers are not permitted to put additional tax prices onto products even if the ability arises. Sellers should account for any potential taxes in their base item cost. Sellers should know if they have to pay taxes or not within their respective legal and tax jurisdictions. All large mainland China sellers must show tax information after 30 days of selling on Privacy Interface to prevent illegal, untaxed importing into Western markets.
Engaging in unethical, market psychology pricing techniques is banned on ethical grounds.
Section 5
You cannot edit an order to display .99p / .50p or any other post decimal adjustment in pricing in GBP. By default the system does not allow you to list items with post decimal .0 or .00 adjustments. If you navigate around this input field rule you will receive an account strike if active orders are seen displaying decimal adjustment. Customers are instructed to report listings they see with decimal pricing manipulations.
Ethical Justification: the widely accepted .99p market psychology technique used to manipulate customers into thinking they are paying less than they are is banned as it is unethical. Because this practice is widespread amongst sellers and seller culture does not make it acceptable nor ethical. This practice and any decimal adjustment is banned on Privacy Interface to ensure an ethical environment and one where products and sellers are forced to compete on the basis of item quality not by .01 price differences for irrelevant savings.
Transfering any user data (seller or buyer) to any external system* will result in an account ban.
Section 6
The address of a buyer can only be used to facilitate the delivery of their item and must then be destroyed. Retaining customer data on any external electronic or paper list will result in a selling account closure. Employees of companies using Privacy Interface are encouraged to report violations. Violating the privacy of any user will result in an account ban. Privacy Interface alone retains long term (within legal limits) records of transactions to prevent fraud. No seller nor buyer is permitted to retain user data on any system or method outside of Privacy Interface. Users are not allowed to make any data based analysis of other users.
*The sole exception is the input of just the delivery address on a reputable (direct, not 3rd party) national postage service label purchasing site secure form if and only if the address is required in order to purchase and print a label. Customers should report a seller for privacy violation for any label that has been printed by a 3rd party label printing service as these allegedly sell all input data.
Users are not allowed to include any external links nor embed any external content into picture files, item descriptions nor profile information fields, including social media or website links.
Section 7
Users that link to external sites or content will receive an account strike on a per instance basis or may be instantly banned. The sole content that users are permitted to upload to the Market Interface are photographs of a physical item they are listing for sale. Ideally in webp format. Use a free image editor such as Gimp to turn jpg or png images into Webp images for free. Any advertising done in the backgrounds of images will result in a strike.
Note: .Webp images results in your product information pages opening and loading the pictures much faster.
Users should make sure to remove all additional file data from picture uploads to prevent accidental link insertion or compromising your own privacy through the accidental inclusion of GPS, Exif or other data in uploaded images. Use a free image editor such as Gimp to remove these, you can also screen-clip/screenshot and replicate an image to remove any phone or camera data traces prior to upload.
Sellers (and all users) are not permitted to place URL links in hyperlinked or text form. Users are also not permitted to undermine the marketplace by suggesting users search for a non privacyInterface.com based item, shop, social media page, website or an item elsewhere in an item description, title or seller shop profile page. Users undermining the marketplace will be subject to account strikes or instant account closure without notice at the sole discretion of Privacy Interface. No URLs linking to any external source should ever be used in an item description.
Note: If an item requires bulk descriptive information, seek to convey more information in your pictures, if absolutely necessary you should copy and re-write information about an item in your own words in the full item description and only when useful and not manipulative to prospective buyers.
Privacy Interface does not allow unethical sellers, robots or advertisers to engage in parasitic advertising or self-referencing in any form.
Postage Provider standards Rules & Postage Cost Regulations.
Section 8
Sellers should always use publically accountable national or national contract possessing postage providers at the prices listed on the national postage service provider website relative to each weight category. The use of most private couriers is banned due to their alleged low standards and stonewalling against lost item insurance claims. Using certain private couriers will result in account strikes on a per order basis. Buyers are mandated to report any packages that arrive with labels used by any of the following courier companies: DPD, DHL, MyHermes, UPS, TNT, GLS. -These aforementioned companies are banned from use by sellers or buyers under all circumstances.
The sender whose package was pictured being sent with or recieved with a label or any form of trace from one of these couriers will recieve an account strike if they have used one of the above courier companies or any courier company when a national service contract provider or national postal service was available.
Sellers should always use publically accountable national or national contract possessing postage providers at the prices listed on the national postage service provider website where available in their nation for both national and international postal delivery:
- United Kingdom: Royal Mail, Royal Mail International services
- Australia: Aus Post.
- New Zealand: New Zealand Post.
- United States: United States Postal Service.
- Canada: Canada post.
- South Africa: South Africa Post Office.
- Russia: Russian Post.
- Japan: Japan Post Co.
- Hong Kong: HongKong Post.
- Taiwan (The Republic of China): Chunghwa Post.
- China (PRC): China Post.
These sellers are accountable through government investigations and oversight unlike almost all private (or non government-contract awarded) profit-based courier companies that allegedly stonewall against lost item insurance cases.
Note: Private couriers who wish to be allowed to be used on Privacy Interface should contact Privacy Interface and be prepared to sign basic service and ethical standards contract pledges ensuring that they do not stonewall when confronted with missing item insurance claims and to not engage in unethical practices or display general incompetence or privacy violating routine practices.
Criteria of acceptable Boxes & internal packaging.
Section 9
Packaging must always have the structural integrity to withstand being placed under 2+ Kgs of other packages (spread over the surface area) in addition to internal packaging being able to absorb vibration and minor impacts where needed depending on the item being sent. Packaging must be clean and must not have been in contact with biological materials or high moisture prior to dispatch.
All packages that are not specific postal packages or strong surfaced storage boxes must be wrapped in water resistant packaging paper. This applies to all hand-made reinforced boxes. Such as armoured cereal boxes.
Packages must be able to withstand light rain levels of water or moisture in delivery. Use tape on corners and joins to ensure the key structural vertices of the box are protected from potential moisture coupled with abrasion and/or pressure during transit.
List of acceptable forms of packaging:
- Specific purpose built postal packages and boxes
- Recycled, Re-used or Re-purposed boxes capable of enduring postal conditions.
- Reinforced home-made boxes made from other boxes capable of enduring postal conditions.
- The only food boxes such as delivery or retail packaging boxes permitted are those that were not directly in contact with biological material due to a plastic or other insert. Such as delivery boxes used in shops for multiple items or edge and broadside reinforced cereal boxes, retail boxes, etc. If food or domestic use boxes are used they must be clean and must be wrapped in packaging paper for the delivery.
You should always remove prior, non-applicable identifiers from re-used boxes including old address labels and bar codes. This is important to avoid postal machine confusion and preserve the privacy of yourself or prior recipients of a delivery box.
Note: when making packaging by hand you must test to ensure that it can be placed under a 2 Kg (2 kilogram) box on its weakest side without collapsing. Thin edged boxes such as Cereal boxes can only be used as a structural template.
Hand-made Box advice example: How to make an ‘Armoured Cereal Box’ (logic applies to all hand-made boxes): Attach sections of cardboard to the corners and across the sides on the inside in a manner whereby external pressure reinforces the 2 or 3 inserted cardboard strips (uses less material, sourced from a box that is too large or damaged to be used itself or a non-box source of cardboard, such as with some retail packaging) into a pressured, complete rectangle, roll-cage type structural reinforcement that goes around the inside of the box and tightly back to itself, forming a ‘roll cage’ of cardboard within the box, providing actual structural integrity against crushing forces along all of the sides it touches. This is especially important in relation to the sides with the largest surface areas which will likely be upwards or downwards facing underneath other packages inside of a delivery vehicle. Apply tape to the corners, top and bottom seals for anti-moisture integrity.
Note: It does not cost anything to add the term fragile to a package exterior in most postal systems, this may or may not result in better treatment of the package by postal service employees.
The list of acceptable forms of package internal padding:
- Lightweight expanded polystyrene materials
- Clean (no biological contaminants) Shredded paper from your home, such as shredded retail spam letters, failed printer paper, shredding is necessary to sufficient levels to remove any URLs or advertisement text. Printed Names/address label areas should be cut and binned separately to prevent reconstruction.
- Finely shredded or torn cardboard from your home
- Internal sub-packages (handmade or otherwise) or support structures made from cardboard that clamp the item in place within a box
- Recycled Packaging paper
- Non-biological contacted kitchen/absorbative paper
- Bubble wrap (from recycled sources where available)
- Various recycled or re-purposed cellophane or plastic-based sheeting materials.
Note: Re-using plastics, paper and boxes is the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly form of recycling. Avoiding buying packaging materials entirely is beneficial for the environment and your wallet. Ask your local shops for their packaging.
Biological health advice: Keep acquired boxes or packaging (from other deliveries or scavenging) in a storage room or corner for 21 days before touching or using, on a rolling basis to avoid sending out contaminants. Wash your hands after opening or handling packaging. Ideally open or handle packaging outside with the box/packaging kept downwind of you in an environ where the wind does not circle due to buildings. Wear a mask and glasses when opening boxes in inside environs with any air currents. Wash your face afterwards. Store boxes and packaging in piles for re-use.
Note: Tissue boxes, tissues, Toilet rolls, toilet paper or any other human biological contact designed material is disallowed from use as packaging or insulation material for potential biological health reasons even when clean.
Advice: It is best to combine 2 or more forms of internal packaging material for increased shock absorption and piercing-impact prevention properties. Ensure all packaging is as light as possible so as to not go over into a higher postage weight category.
Remember: Recording the placing of the object in the package and final sealing of the package is the highest form of protection in any theoretical return & refund cases. Similarly recording the opening of a package is the highest form of protection for buyers who may need to make return & refund cases.