Know which purchase route you are using
A direct trade is a sale whose payment you arrange with the seller, such as cash or bank transfer. Recording it in Tradewind does not add payment protection or give Tradewind control of that money.
An integrated Tradewind purchase uses the payment and delivery options identified in checkout and the agreed release process below. Only explicitly described services apply; there is no blanket guarantee of compensation.
A retailer's own checkout is a separate route. If the retailer receives payment through its own Shopify checkout, Tradewind cannot promise to control its payout unless an express agreement and supported payment arrangement provide that control.
Before you commit
Check the named seller, private or business status, actual condition, included parts, total price, fees, delivery service and return terms. Ask about material uncertainties before buying.
Stock, delivery eligibility and the final price must be confirmed before the final payment is captured. If a courier quote is required, the buyer must accept the quote first. A later surcharge requires the buyer's express agreement; it cannot simply be added to the payment.
Payment, inspection and release
Only the payment provider's verified payment confirmation establishes that an integrated order has been paid. A buyer pressing a button or a Shopify order being marked paid is not sufficient evidence of payment.
After physical receipt, inspect the goods before choosing the clearly labelled action to approve release of the seller's proceeds. Tracking marked delivered is a prompt to inspect, not automatic approval.
The proposed inspection reminder period is [INSPECTION_PERIOD]. It is an operational prompt, not a deadline that removes statutory rights. You do not have to fully test the equipment at the doorstep or produce an unboxing video to retain your legal rights.
If the buyer does not respond, use [PROVIDER_APPROVED_NO_RESPONSE_RESOLUTION_PROCESS], including reminders and a fair escalation route before the provider's holding limit. Silence alone must not be labelled buyer approval. Any release or refund required by a lawful dispute outcome or provider rule must be explained to both parties.
Report a problem through [ORDER_ISSUE_REPORTING_ROUTE]. The proposed process pauses unreleased proceeds during review, subject to law and provider requirements. Confirming receipt or approving release does not prevent a later valid claim.
Collection
Agree a suitable meeting place and inspect the item before completing the handover. For integrated purchases, the collection confirmation must clearly explain whether the action authorises release of payment.
A location check-in, collection code shown before inspection, recorded direct payment or review does not by itself create buyer protection. The app must make the consequences of each confirmation clear.
Packing and courier booking
The seller must give the actual packed dimensions and weight of each parcel, its contents and value, and follow the selected service's packing instructions. Protect edges and separate loose or sharp parts. Photos of the goods and packaging can help a claim; retain packaging while a damage claim is being considered.
The proposed automated parcel service is for eligible, correctly packed compact equipment. Long, fragile, oversized or high-value items require a reviewed quote where the ordinary parcel options cannot meet both carriage and protection requirements.
Powered boards, large lithium batteries, gas cylinders and hazardous repair materials are excluded from the proposed launch courier service pending specialist approval. This does not mean every such item is unlawful to sell; collection or another lawful specialist arrangement may be needed.
Before booking, checkout must name the carrier or broker, the contract holder, the delivery price, any collection requirement, loss and damage cover separately, value caps, excesses, exclusions and claim deadlines. Unknown cover must not be described as insured or guaranteed.
Who bears delivery risk
For a business-to-consumer sale, the business seller remains responsible for delivery until the goods come into the consumer's physical possession, or that of a person the consumer identifies, subject to the legal exception for a carrier independently commissioned by the consumer and not offered by the trader. Choosing a delivery option offered in checkout does not by itself trigger that exception.
For integrated private sales, the proposed contractual rule is that the seller bears loss or damage in transit until physical receipt by the buyer or an agreed recipient, except to the extent attributable to the buyer, Tradewind or another party under applicable law and the agreed arrangements. This is a proposed platform sale term, not a statement that all consumer retail law applies to private sellers.
A carrier compensation limit does not automatically reduce a refund owed to the buyer. Any uncovered loss must be allocated fairly under the applicable sale and service contracts; it cannot be removed simply by labelling delivery 'at your own risk'.
Retailer orders and Shopify
The named retailer sells and fulfils the goods, provides its required business information, and handles its stock, dispatch, returns and consumer remedies. Tradewind may transmit the order and necessary customer details to the retailer's shop under a signed integration agreement and the privacy notice.
If payment is captured through Tradewind's integrated flow, retailer settlement after buyer approval requires an express retailer agreement and an approved provider setup. The Shopify order must distinguish buyer payment from retailer settlement; it must not cause a second charge to the buyer.
Retailer shipping prices and policies must be agreed for this sales channel and shown before purchase. A retailer's public website or presence in demonstration data does not establish a Tradewind partnership or authorise delayed settlement.
Non-delivery, damage and description problems
Notify the seller and Tradewind promptly, describing the problem and providing reasonably available evidence. Do not send an item back without agreed return instructions unless doing so is necessary to exercise a legal right. If a parcel is visibly damaged, record it where practicable and ask for instructions; refusing it at the doorstep is not the only way to preserve your rights.
Business sellers must provide the remedies required by consumer law. For integrated private sales, the proposed contractual remedy for proven non-delivery or material misdescription is an appropriate return and refund, with the seller paying reasonable necessary return carriage where the seller is responsible.
Fault, damage and misdescription are different from changing your mind. The appropriate remedy depends on the facts and applicable rights; a buyer cannot be required to pay a seller's fault-related return costs merely because the seller calls it a return.
Where a refund is due, its scope and timing must follow applicable law and the agreed sale terms. Tradewind and the seller must not make a legally required refund wait for a courier investigation to finish.
Business sales and changing your mind
For most online purchases from a business, a consumer can notify cancellation within 14 days after receiving the goods and then has a further 14 days to return them. Legal exceptions apply, including some genuinely personalised goods. The seller must explain any applicable exception before purchase.
The consumer may bear direct change-of-mind return costs only where properly informed before the contract. For goods that cannot normally be returned by post, the required return cost information or reasonable estimate must be supplied in advance.
Required refunds include the standard outbound delivery cost where the cancellation rules require it. Premium delivery upgrades and deductions for handling beyond what is necessary to inspect the goods are subject to the legal rules. Refund timing must follow the applicable cancellation or faulty-goods rules.
Faulty, misdescribed or unfit goods have separate remedies, including the short-term right to reject where applicable. Retailer goodwill policies may add to these rights, but cannot replace or reduce them.
Private sales and changing your mind
A private seller does not normally have to accept a return simply because the buyer changes their mind. Any agreed change-of-mind return option and its costs must be recorded before purchase.
This does not permit misdescription, fraud or sale without the right to sell, and does not remove the proposed integrated-sale remedies above. 'Sold as seen' is not a blanket answer to a valid claim.
Carrier compensation and insurance
Carriage acceptance, loss compensation, damage compensation and a separate insurance policy are different things. Some services will carry an item while excluding damage claims. Paying for extra protection does not override a category or packaging exclusion.
The courier or broker contract holder must submit the claim within the service's deadline and manage the required evidence. If Tradewind holds that contract, we must carry out that role; we cannot simply send the buyer to a carrier that will not accept their claim.
[INSURANCE_PROVIDER_POLICY_AND_DISTRIBUTION_ARRANGEMENT_IF_USED] must be completed before any insurance is offered. No seller or buyer should be told that all equipment is insured by default.
Any compensation must be reconciled with refunds and seller settlements so that the same loss is not paid twice. A buyer refund does not automatically entitle the seller to receive the full sale proceeds as well.
Refunds, later disputes and complaints
Refunds for integrated payments must be processed through the original payment arrangement where supported and their actual outcome confirmed. A Shopify refund record, an internal order status or a promise to refund is not proof that the buyer has received the money.
Card disputes can occur after delivery and after the buyer approves release. Which balance is debited, who funds a refund, and who bears an unrecoverable seller balance depend on [PAYMENT_PROVIDER_AND_SIGNED_PARTNER_AGREEMENT]. Tradewind's terms cannot change a bank's or provider's contractual rights.
Support response and escalation arrangements: [SUPPORT_AND_ESCALATION_TIMES]. Complaints and review route: [DISPUTE_RESOLUTION_AND_COMPLAINTS_ROUTE]. Platform review does not remove statutory rights, available card remedies or access to courts.