Terms of Service and Legal Disclosures

Age Requirement. You must be at least 18 years of age to register an account or use the platform in any capacity. By creating an account you represent and warrant that you are 18 or older. If The TCGuild determines or reasonably suspects that an account holder is under 18, the account will be suspended or terminated immediately.

Account Accuracy. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information at registration and to keep your account information updated. You may not impersonate any person or entity, use a false name or email address, or create an account on behalf of someone else without authorization.

One Account Per Person. You may maintain only one active seller account. Operating multiple accounts to circumvent suspensions, exploit promotions, or manipulate feedback systems is prohibited and may result in permanent termination of all associated accounts.

Account Security. You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You agree to notify The TCGuild immediately of any unauthorized use. The TCGuild is not liable for any loss resulting from unauthorized account access caused by your failure to safeguard your credentials.

Compliance with Law. You represent and warrant that your use of the platform will comply with all applicable local, state, federal, and international laws and regulations, including but not limited to laws governing the sale of goods, consumer protection, and anti-money laundering.

By listing an item on The TCGuild, each seller represents, warrants, and agrees to the following:

• •You are the lawful owner of the item listed, or you are expressly authorized to sell it on behalf of the owner.
• •All information in your listing, including condition, edition, set, language, foiling status, and photographs, is accurate, complete, and not materially misleading.
• •You will ship every sold item within the stated handling time using a trackable shipping method, properly packaged to prevent damage in transit.
• •You cover all shipping costs. Sellers may not charge buyers separately for shipping. All shipping expenses must be factored into the listing price.
• •You will provide the buyer with a valid tracking number within 24 hours of shipment.
• •You are solely responsible for selecting a shipping carrier and packaging method. The TCGuild is not liable for carrier delays, damage, or loss.
• •You will respond to buyer messages within 48 hours.
• •You will honor all accepted offers and completed auction bids. Cancellation of a confirmed sale without mutual buyer consent will result in negative seller standing.
• •You will not direct buyers to complete transactions outside of the platform to avoid fees. Such conduct constitutes a material breach of these terms.
• •You acknowledge that The TCGuild may place temporary holds on payouts for new accounts or accounts flagged for elevated dispute rates until transactions are confirmed delivered and accepted.

By completing a purchase or placing a bid on The TCGuild, each buyer represents, warrants, and agrees to the following:

• •You have a valid, verified payment method on file before placing any bid, making any offer, or completing any purchase. Purchases without a valid payment method on file are not permitted.
• •You authorize The TCGuild to charge your stored payment method immediately upon completion of a transaction, without requiring additional confirmation.
• •Winning a bid is a binding purchase commitment. Failure to complete payment on a won auction constitutes a breach of these terms and may result in account suspension.
• •You will inspect items promptly upon receipt. All item condition disputes must be reported within 3 calendar days of confirmed delivery as shown by carrier tracking.
• •You will communicate respectfully with sellers. Abusive messages, false dispute filings, or chargeback abuse constitute grounds for account termination.
• •You acknowledge that The TCGuild does not independently verify the authenticity or condition of any listed item and that you are purchasing based on seller-provided information.
• •You will not initiate credit card chargebacks or payment disputes before exhausting The TCGuild's internal dispute resolution process described in Section 14. Initiating a chargeback without first completing the internal process constitutes a breach of these terms and may result in account termination.

Sellers Cover Shipping. On The TCGuild, sellers are responsible for all shipping costs. Shipping expenses must be incorporated into the listing price. Buyers are not charged separate shipping fees at checkout. This policy exists to ensure transparent pricing and protect buyers from inflated combined shipping costs.

Platform Not a Shipping Party. The TCGuild is not a party to any shipping transaction between buyer and seller. The TCGuild does not handle, inspect, or take possession of any physical item at any point. The TCGuild is not a common carrier, freight broker, or logistics provider, and assumes no liability for the physical transport of items.

Seller Shipping Liability. The seller is solely responsible for: (a) selecting a carrier and service level; (b) purchasing adequate packaging materials; (c) properly protecting the item against damage in transit; (d) obtaining and providing tracking information; and (e) purchasing carrier insurance for items where the seller desires additional protection. In the event of loss, damage, or delay by the carrier, the seller's remedy is against the carrier, not against The TCGuild.

Buyer Recourse for Damaged or Undelivered Items. If an item arrives damaged or is not delivered, the buyer must report the issue within 3 calendar days of the confirmed delivery scan, or within 14 calendar days of the expected delivery date if no delivery scan has occurred. The TCGuild may, at its sole discretion, facilitate a resolution between buyer and seller, but does not guarantee any specific outcome and is not financially liable for carrier failures.

International Shipping. Sellers who offer international shipping are solely responsible for compliance with export and import laws, customs requirements, duties, and taxes of both the origin and destination country. The TCGuild makes no representation regarding the legality of shipping any item to or from any particular jurisdiction.

Packing Standards. Sellers are expected to follow the shipping standards described in The TCGuild Seller How-To guide. Failure to meet minimum packing standards is a material breach of seller responsibilities and may result in dispute findings adverse to the seller.

Platform IP. The TCGuild name, logo, trade dress, interface design, written content, software, and all other original works comprising the platform are owned by or licensed to The Trading Card Guild and are protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and trade secret laws. Nothing in these terms grants you any license to use platform IP outside of ordinary use of the platform.

Third-Party Trademarks. Trading card game names, set names, card images, and related imagery are trademarks or copyrights of their respective owners (including but not limited to Nintendo, The Pokemon Company, Wizards of the Coast, Konami, and Bandai Namco). The TCGuild claims no ownership of third-party IP. Use of such IP in listings is intended solely to describe the item being sold.

DMCA Policy. The TCGuild respects intellectual property rights and responds to properly submitted notices of alleged copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). To submit a takedown notice, send a written notice containing all elements required by 17 U.S.C. Section 512(c)(3) to: legal@thetcguild.com. Accounts that are the subject of multiple valid DMCA notices are subject to termination under The TCGuild's repeat infringer policy.

Internal Process Required First. Before pursuing any external remedy, including arbitration, small claims court, or payment processor chargebacks, users must complete The TCGuild's internal dispute resolution process. Bypassing the internal process constitutes a breach of these terms.

Filing a Dispute. A buyer must file a dispute within 3 calendar days of confirmed delivery, or within 14 calendar days of the expected delivery date if the item has not arrived. Disputes filed outside these windows will not be reviewed except at The TCGuild's sole discretion in cases involving documented extenuating circumstances.

Evidence Requirements. The party filing the dispute must provide: (a) clear photographic or video evidence of the item as received; (b) the original listing URL or screenshots; (c) a written description of the specific discrepancy between the listing and the item received. Disputes without supporting evidence may be closed without action.

Response Window. The responding party (seller for item-not-as-described claims, buyer for non-payment claims) has 48 hours to respond from the time of notification. Failure to respond within 48 hours may result in a default finding against the non-responding party.

Resolution Timeline. The TCGuild will issue an initial determination within 7 business days of receiving complete evidence from both parties. Either party may request one reconsideration within 5 business days of the determination by submitting new evidence not previously available. The reconsideration decision is final.

Platform Role. The TCGuild acts as a neutral facilitator in disputes and does not guarantee any specific outcome. The TCGuild's determination is based solely on the evidence submitted and the platform's published policies. The TCGuild's determination is not a legal judgment and does not constitute legal advice to either party.

Remedies. Available remedies under the internal process include: full refund to buyer with return of item to seller; partial refund reflecting the condition discrepancy; seller account warning, demotion, or suspension; and buyer account warning or suspension. The TCGuild may, in its discretion, fund partial goodwill credits from platform reserves in cases of seller non-cooperation, but is not obligated to do so.

Agreement to Arbitrate. Except as provided below, you and The TCGuild agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these terms, the platform, any transaction conducted through the platform, or your relationship with The TCGuild will be resolved exclusively by binding individual arbitration administered by JAMS under its Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures, rather than in court. This agreement to arbitrate is intended to be broadly interpreted.

Waiver of Jury Trial. YOU AND THE TCGUILD EACH WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL IN CONNECTION WITH ANY DISPUTE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE PLATFORM.

Class Action Waiver. YOU AND THE TCGUILD AGREE THAT EACH MAY ONLY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, COLLECTIVE, REPRESENTATIVE, OR PRIVATE ATTORNEY GENERAL ACTION OR PROCEEDING. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims and may not preside over any form of representative or class proceeding.

Small Claims Exception. Either party may bring an individual action in small claims court for disputes that qualify, so long as the action remains in small claims court and does not seek relief on a class or representative basis.

Injunctive Relief Exception. Notwithstanding the agreement to arbitrate, either party may seek emergency injunctive or equitable relief from a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent irreparable harm pending the outcome of arbitration.

Opt-Out Right. You may opt out of this arbitration agreement within 30 days of first accepting these terms by sending written notice to legal@thetcguild.com with the subject line "Arbitration Opt-Out" and your full name and account email address. Opting out does not affect any other provision of these terms. If you opt out, disputes will be resolved in the courts described in Section 20.

Costs. Arbitration fees and costs will be allocated in accordance with the applicable JAMS rules. The TCGuild will pay the filing fee for any claim of $10,000 or less.

Platform Rights. The TCGuild reserves the right to suspend or permanently terminate any account, at any time, with or without notice, for any reason or no reason, including but not limited to: violation of any provision of these terms; fraudulent activity; abusive conduct toward other users or platform staff; repeated dispute losses; chargeback abuse; inactivity; or any conduct The TCGuild determines to be harmful to the platform or its community.

Effect of Termination. Upon termination: all active listings will be removed; any pending transactions will be handled as follows: (a) sales already shipped will be completed and payout released after buyer confirmation of delivery, less any outstanding disputes; (b) sales not yet shipped will be canceled and buyers refunded; (c) unsettled disputes will be resolved at The TCGuild's discretion. Vault Points and Guild Rank status are forfeited upon termination for cause and have no cash value.

User-Initiated Closure. You may close your account at any time by contacting support@thetcguild.com. You remain responsible for all obligations arising from transactions conducted prior to account closure, including shipping items already sold and completing any pending dispute processes.

No Obligation to Maintain. The TCGuild is under no obligation to maintain your account data, listings, or transaction history after account closure or termination. Data may be deleted in accordance with The TCGuild's data retention policy.

Survival. Sections 3, 12, 13, 15, 16, 20, and 21 survive the termination of your account.

The Cards for Kids initiative directs 10% of all platform fees collected by The TCGuild to charitable organizations benefiting children. As a result, approximately 0.2% of every transaction's subtotal value is directed toward the initiative.

Not Tax Deductible for Users. Charitable contributions under the Cards for Kids initiative are made by The TCGuild from its own platform fee revenue. These contributions are not made on behalf of buyers or sellers. Users do not receive a charitable deduction or tax benefit as a result of transactions completed on the platform. If you require a charitable deduction, please consider making a direct donation to your preferred qualifying organization.

No Specific Allocation Guarantee. The TCGuild selects charity partners at its sole discretion and may change partner organizations at any time. The TCGuild does not guarantee that funds will be directed to any specific organization. The allocation of funds among partner organizations may vary from quarter to quarter. The TCGuild will publish quarterly transparency reports summarizing total donations and recipient organizations.

Not a Separate Legal Entity. Cards for Kids is a charitable giving program operated by The Trading Card Guild. It is not a separate nonprofit corporation, foundation, or legal entity. Representations made about the program describe The TCGuild's internal giving policy, not the activities of a separately incorporated nonprofit.

Modification of the Program. The TCGuild may modify the contribution percentage, partner organizations, or other terms of the Cards for Kids initiative at any time with 30 days prior written notice to registered users. The TCGuild may discontinue the program in its entirety with 60 days prior written notice.

Entire Agreement. These terms, together with any additional policies incorporated by reference (including The TCGuild's Privacy Policy and any applicable program-specific terms), constitute the entire agreement between you and The TCGuild with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior or contemporaneous communications, representations, or agreements, whether oral or written.

Severability. If any provision of these terms is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or arbitrator to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, such provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, or if it cannot be modified, severed from these terms. The remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

No Waiver. The TCGuild's failure to enforce any right or provision of these terms will not constitute a waiver of that right or provision. A waiver of any term will not be deemed a waiver of any other term or a continuing waiver of the same term.

Assignment. You may not assign or transfer any rights or obligations under these terms without The TCGuild's prior written consent. The TCGuild may freely assign these terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of all or substantially all of its assets.

Force Majeure. The TCGuild will not be liable for any delay or failure to perform resulting from causes beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, government action, labor disputes, or infrastructure failures.

Electronic Communications. By using the platform, you consent to receive communications from The TCGuild electronically, including via email and platform notifications. You agree that all agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications provided electronically satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing.

Headings. Section headings are for convenience only and have no legal effect on the interpretation of these terms.

Contact. For legal inquiries, send written notice to: legal@thetcguild.com. Notices sent to this address become effective upon confirmed receipt.