Policies and trust.

The reference layer: the numbers and rules the other three guides point at. Where a number says current schedule, it means exactly that: current, and changeable with notice. Nothing here is an identity promise.

Fees (current schedule)

One charge, one number. Processing is priced in, never surcharged.

Protection windows

Your payment is held in escrow by binovy for the full window. Escrow releases to the seller only after the window passes with no open case.

Reporting a problem. File from your purchase tracking page, within the window. The listing pauses and escrow stays held while the case is open. Evidence is text and photos, and it is transparent: the other party and binovy see everything you submit. A human decides every case, with a five-business-day target.

Outcomes. Full release to the seller, a full refund, or a partial refund (a negotiated amount up to the hammer price). A case ruled for the buyer counts against the seller's standing. A bank chargeback is handled as a case the bank already decided.

Refunds and return shipping. A refund includes what you paid for outbound shipping. Who pays return shipping is decided case by case as part of the ruling; when the ruling favors the buyer, the default is that the seller bears it.

Grading and tolerances

Functional grade is one of four recorded values: working, partially working, not working, or untested · no functional claim. Untested is a disclosure, not a data gap: it means the lot was assessed and specific claims were withheld on purpose, with the reason recorded and the shorter protection window above attached. A lot from before functional grading existed, and was never assessed at all, reads not graded (no functional claim recorded) instead, a true data gap, and keeps the longer, buyer-favoring window rather than the untested lot's shortened one.

A grade above untested is a claim, and every measurable claim carries a published tolerance: a reading inside the band still matches the report. A reading outside the band is a defect and belongs in the listing's condition note, not a tolerance. Bands are category-generic, published here by measurable claim:

The flaw-disclosure rule

If a seller supplies a service log or bench report with a piece, binovy is obligated to publish the defects identified in it. A supplied record is a disclosure instrument, not a marketing surface: before any lot carrying supplied reports goes live, the curator confirms the flaws they identify are reflected in the listing, and that confirmation is recorded on the review.

Auction rules (summary)

Bid increments of $10, $25, $50, and $250 by price band. Optional private proxy bidding. Bids in the final 2 minutes extend the clock by 2 minutes. Hidden reserves with a public met or not met state. A card on file plus an authorization hold are required to bid. The complete, binding versions of these rules live in the terms of service.

Privacy: what's public and what isn't

binovy is a public-record platform. Public, permanently, once a lot sells: the listing, auction results, and the piece record (including service history). Your sale history and your purchase history carry your handle under the record identity setting, separate from your profile's visibility. Recorded costs stay with the record and pass to the piece's next owner; they are never shown publicly. Private: default-private catalog pieces, private collections and profiles, addresses, payment details, and your proxy maximums.

No third-party trackers, ever. Analytics are first-party and self-hosted; nothing about your visit leaves binovy's infrastructure. This is a standing commitment, not a current setting.

Shipping and packing

Fragile, heavy electronics have a published packing standard (double-boxing, board support, tube and CRT handling) with a pre-clearance checklist at listing time. Completing it is what protects a seller in a damage claim; skipping it is what voids one. Dimensional weight is surfaced at listing so nobody is surprised by a freight-class rate.

Scope and conduct

US-only during the alpha and launch period. Electronics only; that boundary is deliberate. Community rules: your photos, of your things; no shill bidding (enforced by ban); the report control on every listing goes to human moderation. The full version lives in the community guidelines.

Sales tax and seller reporting

While every transaction is simulated, no sales tax is collected and no seller tax forms are issued: no money moves, so there is nothing to collect or report. The terms state the posture in advance. When real transactions are enabled, binovy collects and remits sales tax where law requires it, acting as a marketplace facilitator, and issues information returns such as the 1099-K where reporting thresholds are met. That switch is governed by a written trigger whose first step is professional tax counsel.

The auction in the terms

The terms of service document the auction as contract language: a bid is a binding offer, proxy bidding up to your maximum, hidden reserves with a 48-hour seller acceptance window, payment-method holds at bid, the obligation to pay on winning, and the consequences of not paying. The mechanics on this page and the buying guide are incorporated into the terms by reference.