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Pending Legal Review

This document is a draft prepared for ZipThrifter under North Carolina general law. It has not yet been reviewed by an NC-licensed attorney and should not be relied on as a final binding agreement. Final terms will be posted following counsel review.

Store Acceptable Use Policy

Last updated: June 21, 2026

This Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) sets the rules for stores that list inventory on ZipThrifter. It exists to keep the marketplace safe, accurate, and trustworthy for shoppers. By creating or operating a Store account, you agree to follow this Policy.

1. Eligibility

To operate a Store on ZipThrifter you must:

  • be at least eighteen (18) years old;
  • operate a legitimate brick-and-mortar resale, thrift, vintage, consignment, antique, or pawn business (or a recurring pop-up sale; see Section 13);
  • be authorized to sell the items you list;
  • maintain any business license, sales-tax registration, or permit required by North Carolina law and your local jurisdiction;
  • provide accurate business contact information, including a real address where the Store conducts business.

We may at any time require you to provide documentation supporting your eligibility, including a copy of your business license, NC sales-tax registration number, or proof of address. Failure to provide reasonable documentation when requested may result in suspension of your Store account.

2. Prohibited Items

The following may NOT be listed for sale on ZipThrifter under any circumstance:

2.1 Illegal or Restricted Goods

  • Stolen property or property the Store does not have legal authority to sell.
  • Counterfeit, replica, or unauthorized reproduction items, including but not limited to fake luxury goods, fake brand-name apparel, and unlicensed sports memorabilia.
  • Goods subject to a recall by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or any other government agency.
  • Items that infringe a third party’s copyright, trademark, patent, or other intellectual-property right.
  • Goods that violate any export or sanctions law, including items subject to OFAC restrictions.

2.2 Weapons, Ammunition, and Related

  • Firearms of any kind, including antique firearms, regardless of NC dealer status.
  • Ammunition, gunpowder, primers, or reloading components.
  • Knives intended primarily as weapons (switchblades, ballistic knives, and similar restricted blades under NCGS § 14-269).
  • Brass knuckles, slungshots, or other prohibited weapons listed in NCGS § 14-269.
  • Tasers, stun guns, or weapons regulated as such under NC or federal law.
  • Explosives, fireworks (other than those NC permits for general retail sale), and pyrotechnics.

2.3 Controlled Substances and Related

  • Drugs (legal or illegal), including prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, and supplements regulated as drugs by the FDA.
  • Drug paraphernalia as defined under NCGS § 90-113.21.
  • Tobacco products and electronic nicotine delivery systems (vapes / e-cigarettes), including resale of partially used items.
  • Alcohol of any kind, including vintage or collectible bottles. Alcohol sales in NC are regulated by the ABC Commission; ZipThrifter does not facilitate alcohol transactions.
  • Hemp-derived consumable products, CBD, THC products, and items containing kratom, kava, or other regulated botanicals.

2.4 Hazardous and Regulated Materials

  • Hazardous chemicals, pesticides, asbestos-containing items, mercury thermometers.
  • Lead-painted children’s items, cribs not meeting current CPSC standards, child car seats more than ten (10) years old or that have been in a crash.
  • Used mattresses unless professionally sanitized and labeled per NC public-health requirements.
  • Items containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or other ozone-depleting substances.
  • Live animals, animal parts protected under the Endangered Species Act, ivory, certain hides and furs.
  • Human remains or body parts.

2.5 Sensitive or Offensive Content

  • Pornographic or sexually explicit material, including any item primarily designed for sexual use.
  • Items that promote violence, terrorism, hate, or discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
  • Nazi, KKK, or similar hate-organization memorabilia, except for clearly contextualized historical artifacts sold with appropriate educational framing.
  • Items that include personally identifiable information of any third party (such as found IDs, mail, or medical records).

2.6 Financial Instruments and Restricted Documents

  • Stocks, bonds, securities, lottery tickets, gift cards (unredeemed), and other monetary instruments.
  • Identification documents (passports, driver’s licenses, social security cards).
  • Government property or law-enforcement uniforms, badges, and credentials.

3. Listing Accuracy

Every Listing you post must accurately describe the item:

  • Photos must be of the actual item being sold. Stock photos, manufacturer photos, or photos of a similar but different item are not permitted.
  • Photos must be current. Photos taken before damage occurred do not represent the current condition.
  • Condition must be honestly described. Use the standard condition labels (New with Tags, Like New, Good, Fair, As-Is for Repair) and add any defects in the description.
  • Brand and material claims must be accurate. Do not label an item “leather” if it is faux leather, or “solid wood” if it is veneer.
  • Working-condition claims must be true. If you list electronics as “tested working,” you must have actually tested them.

AI-assisted listing tools provided by ZipThrifter (photo-based title and description generation) are tools, not guarantees. You remain responsible for reviewing every AI-suggested field and correcting any inaccuracy before publishing.

4. Pricing Honesty

  • No bait-and-switch. You may not list an item at one price and refuse to honor it at pickup.
  • No artificial “compare-at” (strikethrough) prices that overstate the original price. The “Mark As Sale Item” tool stores the original price as the compare-at and the discounted price as the actual price; do not manually inflate the compare-at to manufacture the appearance of a deeper discount.
  • Sales tax disclosure: ZipThrifter or you (depending on the jurisdiction and applicable marketplace facilitator rules) will collect the appropriate sales tax. Do not represent that no sales tax applies if it does.

5. Pickup Obligations

  • You must honor every confirmed Reservation. Hold the reserved item out of in-person inventory and out of any other sales channel for the duration of the pickup window.
  • You must be open at the hours posted on your Store profile, or update your hours if they change.
  • Hand the item over to any person presenting a valid pickup credential (QR or numeric code) within the pickup window. You are not required to verify the holder’s identity beyond the credential, but you may refuse handoff if there is a reasonable safety concern (intoxication, threats, etc.).
  • If an item is damaged or unavailable, cancel the Reservation promptly through the Store dashboard so the shopper’s authorization is released. Do not let a Reservation expire silently because an item went missing on your shelf.

6. Communication Standards

Messages between Stores and Shoppers go through the ZipThrifter messaging system. You may not:

  • direct shoppers to off-platform payment (Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, cash for a held item, etc.) to evade marketplace fees or sales tax;
  • harass, threaten, or use abusive language toward a shopper or another Store;
  • solicit personal information beyond what is needed to complete the pickup;
  • send unsolicited marketing messages to shoppers (the messaging system is for order-related conversation; promotional content belongs on your Store profile and Hype Rack posts).

7. Reviews and Reputation

  • You may not solicit fake reviews, trade reviews with other stores, or pay shoppers to leave positive reviews.
  • You may not threaten shoppers in response to a negative review or attempt to coerce its removal.
  • You may respond to reviews professionally through the Store dashboard. Personal attacks or doxxing of a reviewer will result in suspension.

8. Hype Rack and Creator Content

Videos and photos you post to the Hype Rack and creator content uploaded by tagged influencers are subject to this Policy plus the Terms of Service. You are responsible for clearing the rights to any music, footage, or imagery in content you upload.

9. Payouts and Taxes

Stripe issues payouts directly to the bank account you provided at Stripe Connect onboarding. You are responsible for reporting your sales as income on your federal and North Carolina state tax filings.

For US-based stores with sales above the federal reporting threshold, Stripe will issue Form 1099-K. ZipThrifter does not issue separate tax forms.

If your business is subject to NC sales-tax registration, you remain responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax that ZipThrifter does not collect on your behalf as a marketplace facilitator.

10. Account Security

  • You may not share your Store account login with anyone outside your business. If multiple staff members need access, contact help@zipthrifter.com about multi-user setup.
  • You are responsible for any activity under your Store account.
  • Use a strong, unique password and enable two-factor authentication when it becomes available.
  • Report any suspected unauthorized access to help@zipthrifter.com immediately.

11. Enforcement

If we believe you have violated this Policy, we may, at our sole discretion and without prior notice:

  • remove a specific Listing;
  • place a hold on payouts pending investigation;
  • suspend your Store account temporarily;
  • terminate your Store account permanently;
  • report you to law enforcement or regulators where required by law.

We will, where reasonable and consistent with safety, contact you with the reason for an enforcement action and an opportunity to respond. Repeated or egregious violations (selling stolen goods, listing prohibited items, soliciting off-platform payment, threatening shoppers) typically result in immediate, permanent termination.

12. Reporting Violations

Shoppers and other Stores who see content that violates this Policy can report it to help@zipthrifter.com with a link to the Listing or Store and a brief description of the issue.

13. Pop-Up Stores (Future Feature)

ZipThrifter may, in the future, offer a “pop-up” surface for time-limited events (estate sales, weekend yard sales, church flea markets). Pop-up accounts will be subject to a separate, lighter set of obligations reflecting the temporary nature of the event but are still subject to this Policy’s prohibited-items list and listing-accuracy rules.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to Store account holders by email and in-dashboard notice. Continued use of your Store account after the effective date of an updated Policy constitutes acceptance.

15. Contact

Questions about this Policy? Contact help@zipthrifter.com.