Code of Conduct

The following Code of Conduct outlines the accepted behavior of registered sellers on Stampworld.

Stampworld expects all sellers to behave professionally, responsibly, and in a transparent fashion in all aspects of their behavior on the platform, including the contact with buyers, fair pricing of assets, timely order processing, and many more situations.

Please note that Stampworld has the right to make decisions to protect our business, including removing items for sale, revoking subscriptions, and removing members from the site, in case we determine that a member harms any aspect of our business by violating the Code of Conduct or Terms & Conditions.

Responsible behavior:

Responsible behavior can be many things, and in addition to everything explicitly mentioned below, we define irresponsible behavior as behavior that negatively impacts someone or something other than yourself.

Specifically, there are a few rules that form the basis of what we see as responsible behavior on Stampworld, which can be found below.

Fair Pricing:One of the greatest assets of Stampworld is the catalogue, and in order not to erode the value of the catalogue and push the catalogue values to nothing, we require that stamps and stamp-related items (from now collectively referred to as items) must be offered for sale at reasonable price levels in accordance with the quality of the item added for sale. We will not allow price dumping and destructive pricing behavior. A fair price should allow the average seller to earn a reasonable wage, after accounting for time spent adding items for sale, and handling an order.

To prevent price dumping, price levels are continuously evaluated by independent experts in the field. Sellers whose prices are generally found to be below the threshold determined by the independent experts will be asked to change their prices, to ensure that they are in line with the accepted price range. If a seller does not respond to the price adjustment request and act accordingly, Stampworld is free to remove items for sale, and based on the transgression, take any corrective action found appropriate, including revoking the seller subscription.

Posting multiple identical items for sale: To avoid the sales system of Stampworld clogging up with identical items for sale by the same seller, it is considered irresponsible behavior to post multiple identical items for sale. If a seller has identical items in stock, and wishes to sell all of these, the proper way to do this is to add the item for sale again once it has been purchased. This can be done with one click. If a seller creates multiple identical items for sale, Stampworld will remove the excess items for sale, and inform the seller of the transgression. In case of multiple transgressions by the same seller, Stampworld will revoke the subscription of the seller.

It is perfectly fine to add multiple versions of the same item for sale if the items for sale are not identical. It is not accepted to add multiple identical stamps for sale, with the only noticeable difference being different cancellations.

Adding items for sale incorrectly: Everyone can make mistakes, and Stampworld naturally accept that mistakes happen. However, we do not accept sellers intentionally adding items for sale that do not correspond where they are added for sale. This includes incomplete sets added for sale as a set, as well as any other item for sale that is misplaced in the catalogue. We take into account that there can be cases, where adding a stamp incorrectly is the only option for a number of reasons, and if you believe that this is the case for you, please respond to the removal request with your argumentation.

As mentioned, we accept that mistakes happen, and if we encounter items for sale in the wrong place, they will simply be removed. If we spot a tendency of intentional misplacement of items for sale by a seller, Stampworld might take corrective action, including revoking the seller subscription.

Contact with customers and other sellers: Stampworld is a global platform that allows communication and purchasing across borders. This might cause some hurdles at times, as customers might not be fluent in English (the seller might not either), or the customer might have unrealistic expectations regarding international shipping. However, we expect that all sellers treat all customers with respect, no matter what the issue might be.

If a customer has a problem, the seller has an obligation to offer their help, whatever that might be. The sellers risk hurting not only their own business, but ours as well, if issues with customers are mishandled. Hence, this is extremely important for Stampworld. If Stampworld receives complaints about a seller, we will bring this to the attention of the seller and expect the seller to help solve the issue. If a seller is unresponsive or unwilling to help solve the issue, and is found to be at fault, Stampworld might take corrective action against the seller, which might include a 14-day ban, or potentially a permanent revoking of the subscription.

Swift payment of outstanding balance: Stampworld provides our sellers with a platform to sell their stamps and stamp-related items, as well as access to a wide range of potential customers. For this service, we charge a subscription, as well as a percentage of the sales volume. The Seller Fee is invoiced every three months, and payment is due no later than 30 days after the invoicing date. If a seller has not paid the Seller Fee in time, Stampworld will reach out to ensure that the seller is aware that there is an outstanding balance on his account. If the seller neglects to pay within a reasonable time frame, this is regarded as irresponsible behavior. If Stampworld determines this to be intentional, or if a pattern emerges, the seller risks having his subscription revoked.

As mentioned above, many other things might constitute irresponsible behavior, and Stampworld reserves the right to determine what might or might not be responsible behavior. Any issues will be communicated to the individual seller.

Transparency:

In order to create a trusting community, where customers and sellers are comfortable dealing with each other, Stampworld has instituted a range of requirements, in order to protect customers.

When we speak of transparency, what we mean is that we want it to be transparent, who a customer is buying from. To ensure this, we have added the following requirements of all sellers, who have more than 10,000 items for sale, or who sell for more than $10,000 per year.

All large sellers (identified as mentioned above) will be required to provide:

- Full Name

- Name of Business

- Business Address

- Phone Number

This information will be publicly available on the Seller profile, so all potential customers know who they are buying from.

Apart from the information available above, all large sellers must provide a VAT number or proof of Commerce Registration in their native country, upon request.

Failure to adhere to the transparency requirements will result in subscriptions being revoked by Stampworld. The Code of Conduct was instituted on January 12, 2022, but the rules apply to all sellers on the platform, regardless of when they signed up.

If you cannot accept the Code of Conduct and are not willing to adhere to the rules, you can choose to have your Seller subscription refunded, and have your account closed. In that case, please reach out to support@stampworld.com, for assistance with this.