Clear rules. A welcoming surf community.
Community & marketplace terms × Version 2026-11-05-community-v3 · Updated 5 November 2026 · Draft terms These terms cover posts, surf reports, comments, reactions, messages, profiles and listings. Paid checkout and buyer protection remain proposals; no money is collected. Operator contact, a dedicated complaints/appeal route and the full privacy notice still need completing. This draft does not establish legal compliance.
ShakaSwap does not currently process payments or book shipping. Buyers and sellers agree collection or delivery arrangements directly.
1. About ShakaSwap and the current service ShakaSwap is a surf community and second-hand marketplace for surfboards, bodyboards, wetsuits, fins, leashes and accessories. These terms apply to public posts and photos, surf reports, wanted requests, comments, likes, agreements, profiles, private messages and listings. Public pages and gear listings can be browsed without an account. Reading surf reports and buying or selling require a verified, active account. Creating or saving a member profile, publishing and messaging require explicit agreement to the current terms. The agreement checkbox is not preselected; its version, document fingerprint and acceptance time are recorded against the signed-in account. Existing members are asked to agree when a new version is required. New session posts and listings normally publish immediately, while new profile photos await owner approval.
The current service does not process payments, hold customer funds, book shipping or provide paid buyer protection. Member-confirmed sales and feedback do not verify payment. Sections describing future fees and refunds are proposals, not protection available today.
2. Accounts, visibility and personal information Provide accurate account information, use a display name that follows the conduct rules, and protect your sign-in. Do not impersonate another person, create accounts to evade restrictions, or claim that a photo or email proves a member’s identity. Accounts use email sign-in, and email verification is required before member access.
Public profiles, approved profile photos, listings, wanted requests, photo-only community posts and their public comments can be read by visitors and shared outside the website. Surf reports, their photos and comments, and report averages are restricted to signed-in members. Members may still copy or share information they can view. Do not publish home addresses, contact details, vehicle registrations or other people’s private information. Take care with photos that identify people, children or precise locations; obtain the permissions needed to share them.
Private messages are stored separately from public posts. Public visitors and unrelated members cannot access a conversation through the messaging interface. Service operation and reported-message moderation still require processing stored messages; see the private-messaging section. Place searches may send the query to external location providers, and opening external links is subject to those services’ own policies.
Some saved preferences and legacy demonstration records remain browser-local and may disappear if browser data is cleared. A complete privacy notice covering lawful processing, retention, providers and rights requests is still being prepared; this section is not a substitute for it.
3. Listings and honest damage disclosure Only offer gear you own or are authorised to sell. Describe the actual model, dimensions, size, included parts and condition. Use photos of the actual equipment and provide all required views: for example, each side and fittings of a fin set, or a wetsuit’s front, back, seams and zip. Do not use a catalogue image to conceal the item’s condition.
Explicitly declare known damage, wear and repairs. If present, provide close-up photographs and notes showing all affected areas, including dents, cracks, water ingress, delamination, damaged fin boxes, worn leashes or wetsuit seam damage. A “no known damage” declaration is the seller’s statement, not an inspection or certification by ShakaSwap.
Do not list stolen, counterfeit, recalled, illegal or unsafe-to-supply goods. Search suggestions do not establish authenticity or suitability. Traders must identify themselves as businesses and provide the information and rights required for their sales.
4. Proposed buyer fee and total price — not active For the pricing preview, an eligible shipped order has a ShakaSwap buyer fee of 5% of the item price plus £0.70, rounded to the nearest penny. This is an example launch price, not Vinted’s tariff, and is not being charged. It would be ShakaSwap’s gross platform revenue; payment processing, support, refunds and applicable taxes would need to be covered from it. The seller receives the agreed item price before any separately disclosed arrangements. Listings show the seller’s item price and whether shipping is available. No shipping price is entered in a listing. The order preview can show a proposed fee and subtotal excluding shipping, but a future checkout must obtain a shipping quote and show the complete total before an order is confirmed. Shipping is not presented as ShakaSwap commission. No fee is deducted from a demo payment because no payment occurs. Final pricing and any applicable tax treatment must be confirmed before paid orders open.
5. Collection and shipping Sellers choose collection only, shipping only, or both, with shipping paid by the buyer and quoted at checkout before a buyer confirms an order. Collection is arranged with the seller. Inspect the item and agree any concerns before accepting it. In the proposed model, collection and off-platform payments do not attract the shipped-order fee and are outside the proposed shipped-order protection. This does not remove legal rights. For shipping, use packaging suitable for the equipment, keep packing photographs and obtain tracking and proof of dispatch. Large surfboards may require a specialist carrier; a carrier’s liability and exclusions must be checked rather than assuming every board is covered. No carrier booking is currently provided.
6. Proposed shipped-order protection — not active The planned service would apply only to eligible shipped orders paid through a future ShakaSwap checkout. Intended claim categories are non-delivery, transit damage and a significant mismatch between the received item and its listing, including undisclosed material damage. Disclosed wear, buyer-caused damage and a change of mind about a correctly described private-sale item would not by themselves qualify. This proposed service is not insurance and would supplement, not replace, legal rights. Payment handling, payout timing, eligibility, a support channel and an operational claims process must be implemented before any protection fee is collected or protected-purchase badge is used.
7. Proposed issues, evidence and refunds — not active The proposed operational target is to ask buyers to report an issue within 72 hours of confirmed delivery, with listing screenshots, item and packaging photographs and tracking details. This proposed service window must not be treated as a limit on statutory rights. Both parties should have a fair opportunity to respond. A future payment provider would need to support pausing payout during a dispute; ShakaSwap does not currently hold money. For an accepted non-delivery, transit-damage or significant-misdescription claim, the proposed full refund includes the relevant item price, buyer fee and original shipping. Return instructions and responsibility for return postage must be provided before a return is requested; the proposed approach is for a seller at fault to cover reasonable return postage, subject to applicable rights and the facts. Do not ship a return without agreed instructions. No live claims or refund service exists yet.
8. Private sellers, traders and your rights A purchase from a private individual and a purchase from a business have different protections. Traders must not describe themselves as private sellers. Applicable cancellation and faulty-goods rights for trader sales continue to apply even to second-hand items and cannot be removed by a short platform claim window or a “no returns” label. Private sellers must have the right to sell and describe their goods accurately; there is generally no automatic change-of-mind return for a correctly described private sale. Nothing in these draft terms excludes rights or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.
9. Seller feedback and genuine interactions A seller selects the buyer for a board sale, and that buyer must confirm buying and receiving it before leaving one 1–5 star review. Profile ratings show the average to one decimal place. These are member-confirmed handovers, not verified checkout payments. Fictional examples are owner-only tests, not real offers or genuine sales history.
Reviews must reflect an actual eligible experience. Do not buy or exchange reviews, manipulate counts through extra accounts, threaten a member over feedback or publish private details in a review. Likes and agreements on community posts are separate from seller ratings; they do not verify a seller, report, payment or item’s safety.
10. Before paid trading launches The operating legal entity, business address, contact and complaints channels, age and market eligibility, privacy notice, moderation process, payment provider, payout rules, carrier arrangements and final protection/refund policy must be confirmed and published. Unresolved questions must not be hidden behind a protection label. Changes to a paid-order policy should be versioned and the version accepted for an order retained. These are development-stage draft terms for review, not launch-ready legal advice.
11. Posts, photos, comments and acceptable conduct Keep posts and conversations relevant, honest and respectful. Share your own experiences and clearly distinguish opinion, estimates, humour and factual claims. Do not publish illegal content, hate or discriminatory abuse, threats, targeted harassment, bullying, sexual exploitation, non-consensual intimate content, graphic abuse, encouragement of self-harm or violence, scams or content that exposes someone’s private information. These rules apply equally to profiles, photos, public comments, reviews and private messages.
Do not spam threads, repeatedly contact someone who has asked you to stop, evade moderation, advertise unrelated services without permission, or use bots or multiple accounts to manipulate engagement. Respect local residents, beach access restrictions and lawful parking. Do not encourage trespass, dangerous challenges or illegal parking. Disagree with an idea without attacking the person.
12. Your content and permission to operate the service You retain ownership of content you create. Upload only material you own or are entitled to use, with the necessary permissions from other rights holders and identifiable people. Posting grants ShakaSwap a non-exclusive permission to store, resize, transmit, display and moderate that content as needed to operate the feature and make it available to its intended audience. Private messages are delivered to conversation participants, not licensed for public display by this clause. This permission does not transfer ownership or authorise unrelated advertising use.
Do not copy or republish someone else’s photos, reports or messages without an appropriate permission or legal basis. A public post can be copied by others; removing it from ShakaSwap cannot retrieve screenshots, recipient copies or external search caches.
13. Private messaging and notifications Members may start a direct conversation from another member’s public profile or enquire about a listing or wanted request. Each conversation is available through the site to its participating accounts. There is no promise of end-to-end encryption. Recipients can retain or share what they receive, so avoid sending passwords, verification codes, payment-card details, identity documents or other sensitive information.
Use messages for genuine community conversations or enquiries. Do not send threats, unwanted sexual content, fraudulent payment links, impersonation attempts, unsolicited bulk advertising or repeated unwanted contact. Starting a chat does not create an order or activate payment protection. Decide carefully what contact and collection information to exchange.
Members can report an individual message. That specific message becomes available to the owner for investigation; reporting does not give the owner a general inbox-viewing feature. Authorised service operations may process stored data to run and secure the service. In-site notifications show messages and likes and support read status. They are not guaranteed instant delivery, phone push alerts, an emergency channel or permission for marketing emails.
14. Surf reports, location information and parking Reports describe a member’s observations at a break on a stated date. Use the correct location and UK date, answer only what you observed, and use extra details for context such as tidal stage, parking duration, access or muddy ground. Do not invent conditions, identify a sensitive location you are not entitled to share, or present historical observations as live information.
Daily summaries combine available member reports, using one report per member in an average and showing contribution counts. Wave height, quality, paddle difficulty and crowds are subjective estimates. Missing answers are not measured zeroes. Parking costs describe what people say they paid for their visit; visits can have different durations, so an average is not a price quote. Reported free parking or available spaces may no longer exist and does not override signs, charges, permits or restrictions.
Posts, agreements, maps, daylight information and tide links do not establish that a beach is safe, accessible or suitable for you. Check current local conditions and official information and make your own assessment of ability, equipment and conditions. Google Maps and other external links are independent services, not proof of an official partnership.
15. Likes, agreements and comments Signed-in members may like or unlike eligible posts, agree with a surf report or undo an agreement, and add comments. A member can have one active like and one active agreement for each eligible post. An agreement signals that a report matches that member’s experience; it is not an independent verification, safety endorsement or replacement for that member’s own dated report. Counts can change as reactions or content are removed or account restrictions apply.
Comments and reactions are public community interactions. Comment text must follow the same conduct and privacy rules as a post. Do not coordinate false agreements, fake reviews or harassment.
16. Reporting, moderation and account restrictions Use the Report control on a post, listing, comment/reply or individual message to flag hate, threats, sexual or graphic content, scams, privacy problems or other harmful behaviour. Choose a reason and do not include unnecessary sensitive information in a report. Reports are sent to the owner for review; there is no guaranteed response time or continuous monitoring. For immediate danger, contact emergency services rather than waiting for a website reply.
Limited automated text rules reject some known slurs and harmful phrases. They can miss context and make mistakes; successful publication is not a moderation endorsement. Session and listing photos are not routinely approved before publication. New profile photos are held for review. The owner can reject pending photos, remove content and suspend or delete accounts to address rule breaches, unlawful content, fraud or safety concerns. Decisions should take account of the evidence, context, seriousness and repeat behaviour, as well as lawful expression and privacy.
Owner removals show a ShakaSwap notice where supported and can generate a private update for the author. A reported private message may be removed without revealing unrelated conversation history. A dedicated contact and appeal/complaint route for members and affected non-members has not yet been published; this is an outstanding service requirement, not a claim that in-app reporting is a complete complaints process.
17. Removing your posts and changes to the service Members can find their session posts, surf reports and wanted requests in Account → Your posts, and use available author controls to remove session content, replies or messages, or close wanted requests. Removing or closing content can affect its visibility, comments, reaction counts and report summaries. Some author or owner removals leave a notice rather than silently erasing a conversation. Other members’ separate contributions and copies are not automatically deleted when you remove your own contribution.
Account suspension and deletion currently use owner controls. No fixed retention period or automatic complete erasure is promised here; backup handling and privacy-rights processes must be specified in the full privacy notice. ShakaSwap may update features and these draft terms as the service develops. Material changes should be clearly communicated; no future paid feature or fee applies merely because it is described as a proposal in this draft. These terms do not remove rights or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.