Terms of Service

1. What Uni Marketplace is

Uni Marketplace is an online platform where verified University of Reading students can list second-hand items and arrange to buy them from each other. We provide the website, card payment processing (through Stripe), messaging and a dispute-review service. We are not the seller. Every sale is a contract between the buyer and the seller, who are both private individuals.

2. Who can use it

You must sign in with a current University of Reading account (@student.reading.ac.uk or @reading.ac.uk). Signing in shows that you have access to a University of Reading email address; it is not a guarantee of anyone's identity or trustworthiness. To sell, you must be 18 or over and complete Stripe's payout set-up.

3. Private sales

Sellers are private individuals, not businesses. Items must be accurately described, including any faults. Private sellers are not required to accept change-of-mind returns. Buyers should inspect and, where possible, test items at the handover before confirming.

4. Payments and held payment

Buyers pay by card on the site; the price shown includes our service fee. The payment is held in the seller's Stripe account and is not paid out to the seller until the buyer's protection window (currently 48 hours after handover confirmation) has passed without a dispute, or until a dispute is resolved. This is a payout delay operated through Stripe; it is not an escrow service and we do not guarantee any item.

5. Offers

Offers are binding. If a seller accepts an offer within its validity period, the buyer's saved card is charged automatically and the item is reserved. A buyer may withdraw an offer at any time before it is accepted.

6. Cancellation

Either party may cancel an order before the handover. The buyer receives a full refund. Repeated cancellations may lead to account restrictions.

7. Handover and the protection window

At the handover the seller enters the buyer's one-time code and both parties record a photo and confirm. The buyer then has 48 hours to report a problem. If no problem is reported, the order completes and the seller is paid. After that point we cannot reverse the payment.

8. Disputes

If a buyer reports a problem within the window, the payout is paused and both parties may submit evidence. An administrator reviews the evidence and decides; no refund is automatic. Where a refund is approved, the buyer must return the item to the seller before the refund is processed unless we decide otherwise. Card processing fees are not refundable. Our decision is final as between Uni Marketplace and the parties, but it does not affect any legal rights the buyer and seller have against each other.

9. Fees

Current fees are published on our Fees page and shown before you pay or publish. We may change fees with notice; changes do not affect orders already placed.

10. Rules of use

• Only list items you own and may legally sell. See Prohibited items.
• Keep communication and payment on the platform; do not share contact details or ask for off-site payment.
• No harassment, discrimination, fraud or false reports.

We may remove listings, restrict or suspend accounts, and retain records where these rules are broken.

11. Liability

We provide the platform with reasonable care and skill. We are not responsible for the condition of items, for the conduct of users, or for loss arising from a sale between users, except where the law does not allow us to exclude it. Nothing in these terms limits liability for death, personal injury or fraud.

12. Your data

See our Privacy Policy.

13. Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales.