Pinside.com - Seller Policy

Pinside's market area contains a section called Pinside Shops where you can sell your pinball related products directly to buyers around the world. We want to make sure that you and your buyers have a positive experience on Pinside. Please read on to find out more about your rights, as well as what is expected of you, as a seller.

This policy is a part of our Terms of Use. By opening an Pinside shop, you’re agreeing to this policy and our Terms of Use.

What Can be Sold on Pinside

Pinside Shops is a unique marketplace. Buyers come to Pinside to purchase items that they might not find anywhere else. Everything listed for sale on Pinside must have some kind of relation with pinball or the pinball community.

Here are a few policies to keep in mind:

• All listings on Pinside Shops must be available for purchase. Just like any other item, a custom order listing has to be made available for purchase with a set price. 

• To avoid our platform being used merely as a free advertising venue you agree to not engage in any fee avoidance as outlined in Pinside's Fees & Payments Policy. This also means that you make sure that prices you set for products in your shop are not higher anywhere else on the web including on your own website and that you do not charge excessive shipping fees.

• When using photographs of items with options for customization (like color choices) included in the listing, make sure it’s clear in your description that the photos shown are just examples.

• Items that are made with the help of an outside manufacturer should comply with our ethical manufacturing expectations set below.

• When linking items to one or multiple pinball machines, make sure that items are only linked to machines they are associated with.

ETHICAL EXPECTATIONS: What We Expect From Sellers Who Partner With Manufacturers

Trust is the foundation of Pinside's marketplace and community. If you partner with a manufacturer, we trust you will make wise and informed choices. That means knowing that the businesses you collaborate with comply with all applicable laws, including safety, labor, and employment laws.

That said Pinside cannot guarantee the conditions under which products listed for sale on Pinside were made. Pinside does not currently audit third-party manufacturers based on labor or other standards, and we do not require sellers to demonstrate that the materials incorporated into their products comply with the laws in the country or countries in which such suppliers do business. Pinside is not responsible for any manufacturers chosen by sellers. This applies to all third party manufacturers, including those in the Pinside Manufacturing marketplace.

What Can't be Sold on Pinside

Even if they otherwise meet our criteria, items that violate our intellectual property policies are not allowed to be sold on Pinside.

Pinside Shops are meant to be used to sell new, stock items. Used items may not be sold in a Pinside Shop. These items may only be placed on Pinside's classified ads market.

Keep in mind that members may flag listings that appear to violate our policies for Pinside's review.

Pinside may remove any listings that violate our policies. Note that any promotional listing fees are non-refundable. Pinside may also suspend or terminate your account for any violations. You’ll still be on the hook to pay any outstanding fees. You can find more information in our fees & payments Policy.

Representing Yourself, Your Shop, and Your Listings Honestly

One of Pinside’s core values is transparency. Transparency means that you honestly and accurately represent yourself, your items, and your business.

By selling on Pinside, you agree that you will:

1. Provide honest, accurate information in your Shop summary, should you choose to complete it.

2. Make an effort to arrange your Shop Policies and honor them.

3. Accurately represent your items in listings and listing photos.

4. Respect the intellectual property of others. If you feel someone has violated your intellectual property rights, you can report it to Pinside.

5. Not engage in fee avoidance as outlined in Pinside's fees & payments Policy.

6. Make sure that all items you link to one or multiple pinball machines are associated with those machines.

Communicating with Other Pinside Members

Customer Communication

You can use Pinside Customer Communication in the order overview to communicate directly with your buyers or other Pinside members. Customer Communication is a great way for buyers to ask you questions about an item or an order.

Customer Communication may not be used for the following activities:

1. Sending unsolicited advertising or promotions, requests for donations, or spam;

2. Harassing or abusing another member;

3. Contacting someone after they have explicitly asked you not to; or

4. Interfering with a transaction or the business of another member.

Interference

Interference occurs when a member intentionally interferes with another member’s shop in order to drive away their business. Interference is strictly prohibited on Pinside. Examples of interference include:

1. Contacting another member via Pinside PM or Customer Communication to warn them away from a particular member, shop, or item;

2. Posting in public areas like the forums to demonstrate or discuss a dispute with another member;

3. Purchasing from a seller for the sole purpose of leaving a negative review;

4. Maliciously clicking on a competitor's Promoted Listings ads in order to drain that member's advertising budget, also known as "click fraud."

Harassment

Any use of Pinside Customer Communication to harass other members is strictly prohibited. Similarly, Customer Communication may not be used to support or glorify hatred toward, or otherwise demean people based upon: race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation. If you receive a message that violates this policy, please let us know right away.

Emails

You may receive a buyer’s email address or other information as a result of entering into a transaction with that buyer. This information may only be used for Pinside-related communications or for Pinside-facilitated transactions. You may not use this information for unsolicited commercial messages or unauthorized transactions. Without the buyer’s explicit consent, you may not add any Pinside member to your email or physical mailing list or store or misuse any payment information. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.

Creating and Uploading Content

As a member of Pinside, you have the opportunity to create and upload a variety of content, like usernames, listings, messages, text, photos, and videos. In order to keep our community safe and respectful, you agree that you will not upload content that is:

1. Abusive, threatening, defamatory, or harassing;

2. Obscene or vulgar;

3. In violation of someone else’s privacy or intellectual property rights; or

4. False, deceptive, or misleading.

Providing Great Customer Service

We expect our sellers to provide a high level of customer service. By selling on Pinside, you agree to:

1. Honor your shipping and processing times. Sellers are obligated to ship an item or otherwise complete a transaction with a buyer in a prompt manner, unless there is an exceptional circumstance. Please be aware that legal requirements for shipping times vary by country. These requirements are detailed in our Shipping Policy.

2. Respond to messages in the Customer Communication channels in a timely manner.

3. Honor the commitments you make in your shop policies.

4. Resolve disagreements or disputes directly with the buyer. In the unlikely event that you can’t reach a resolution, you can use the assistance of the dispute management and refund tools available on your linked Stripe account. Read about your rights and responsibilities in our Checkout Policy.

5. If you are unable to complete an order, you must notify the buyer and cancel the order in your order overview. Note that you’re also responsible for refunding the order!

Pinside will help you provide great customer service and maintain trust with your buyers through our Seller Service Level Standards (“SLS.”)

Seller Service Level Standards

To keep our platform safe and trusted, we monitor orders that don’t go as smoothly as planned. This may include but is not limited to:

• Non-delivery cases

• Not as described cases

• Non-delivery chargebacks

• Not-as-described chargebacks

• Low reviews (1 or 2 stars)

• Canceled orders

If a shop with a good track record suddenly experiences these types of customer service issues, we’ll reach out with recommendations to help get the shop back on track. If a shop is unable to maintain an acceptable level of service, they may no longer be eligible for Pinside’s Shops platform.

Responding to Requests for Cancellations, Returns, and Exchanges

Please be aware that in addition to this policy, each country has its own laws surrounding shipping, cancellations, returns, and exchanges. Please familiarize yourself with the laws of your own country and those of your buyers’ countries.

European Union Right of Withdrawal

Buyers in the European Union (EU) may be entitled to a 14-day “right of withdrawal” after receiving an item, during which they may return an item for any reason. The details of this right vary by EU member state. The right of withdrawal does not apply to custom items or certain perishable goods, unless otherwise specified by the seller. Digital content, including artwork and patterns, may not be eligible for return. Rules governing digital content vary by EU member country.

If a buyer exercises their right to return an item, a seller must reimburse all payments, including the original shipping charges, received from the buyer. If a seller has not received returned goods from a buyer, the seller may withhold such reimbursement provided that reimbursement occurs within 14 days of receipt of the returned goods. The buyer is responsible for paying return shipping costs unless the seller has agreed to bear those costs. If a seller has not agreed to bear return costs and the item cannot, due to its nature, be returned by post, an estimate of the return costs should be included in the information provided to the buyer relating to cancellation and return.

Sellers must also provide buyers with a model withdrawal form (in other words, a cancellation form) that they can - but are not obliged to - use if they wish to return a product.

Cancellations

If you are unable to complete a transaction, you must notify the buyer via the Pinside Customer Communication system and cancel the transaction. If the buyer already submitted payment, you must issue a full refund. You are encouraged to keep proof of any refunds in the event a dispute arises.

You may cancel a transaction under the following circumstances:

1. The buyer did not pay. (The seller may flag a buyer for a payment not received, chargeback, or canceled payment).

2. Both you and the buyer agree to cancel the transaction prior to shipment, and you have issued the buyer a full refund.

3. You have decided to refuse service to the buyer, and if the buyer has already paid, you have issued a full refund, including shipping.

4. The buyer did not receive the item(s) ordered, even though you provided proof of shipping, and you have issued a refund for the item (Refunding shipping is optional).

5. Both you and the buyer agreed that the buyer could return the item for a refund, you have received the returned item and issued a refund to the buyer for the item (Refunding shipping is optional).

Pinside’s Dispute Resolution

We ask buyers to contact a seller directly and attempt to resolve any outstanding issues before opening a case on Pinside. For this reason, it is important that you fill out your shop policies and regularly respond to messages from your buyers.

Buyers may file a case for a non-delivery or a not-as-described item using our contact form. If we receive such a case we'll reach out to you and expect you to respond to the case within seven days. In any such cases Pinside's agents will mediate to see if an agreement can be reached and if any disciplinary action is warranted against either the buyer or the seller.

A Non-Delivery occurs when a buyer places an order and submits payment, but does not receive the item. The following are examples of Non-Delivery cases:

1. An item was never sent.

2. An item was sent to an address that is not on the Pinside receipt.

3. There is no proof that the item was shipped to the buyer’s address.

An item is Not as Described if it is materially different from the your listing description or your photos. The following are examples of Not as Described cases:

1. The item received is a different color, model, version, or size than is shown in the photo or described in the listing.

2. The item has a different design or material.

3. The item was advertised as authentic but is not authentic.

4. You failed to disclose the fact that an item is damaged or is missing parts.

5. A buyer purchased three items but only received two.

6. The condition of the item is misrepresented. For example, the description at the time of purchase said the item was “new” and the item is used.

Not as Described cases can also be filed for late delivery. In order to qualify as late delivery, the buyer must provide proof that all of these conditions have been met:

1. The item(s) were ordered for a specific date or event.

2. A deadline was agreed upon by the buyer and seller.

3. The item(s) are rendered useless after that date.