Safe trading rules

Safe trading rules

Version 1.1. Top Change is not a party to transactions and does not process payments. Payment and shipping take place directly between buyer and seller, so it pays to follow the rules below. These are recommendations, not part of the Terms.

Before you buy or bid

• Check the seller's profile: verification badge, ratings and replies to them, account creation date.
• Ask questions through messages on the site so the conversation is recorded and can support a report.
• Agree the price, shipping cost, payment method and timing before you click "Buy" or bid – both declarations are binding, and failing to honour them ends with a strike.
• When buying from outside the European Union, check possible customs duty, VAT and import restrictions ("Customs and shipping" page). Customs charges are usually borne by the buyer.

Payment

• Choose methods with buyer protection (e.g. PayPal "Goods and Services"). Avoid transfers marked "friends and family", gift cards, cryptocurrencies and cash sent by post.
• Never give payment-card or sign-in details in messages. Report a message asking for card details or linking to an unknown payment page with the "Report" button – the site never takes payments and never sends payment links.
• Keep proof of payment and the address the item was sent to.

Shipping and receipt

• Sellers: ship with a tracking number to the address given in messages, photograph the item and the parcel before posting, and mark the transaction "Shipped".
• Buyers: check the contents on receipt, confirm the "Received" status and leave a rating within 30 days.
• For valuable items consider insuring the parcel or collecting in person in a safe place.

When something goes wrong

• Write to the other party through the site first; most problems are delays and misunderstandings.
• If the other party does not reply within 48 hours, use the button in the transaction – the matter comes to us and we may issue a strike.
• Report fraud with the "Report" button (reason: fraud) – such reports have priority – and to the police in your country. Reporting to us does not replace reporting to law enforcement or a complaint with your payment provider.
• Disputes about the quality of an item or its conformity with the description are resolved between you; sales between private individuals are governed by general sales law, not consumer law.