Auction Terms & Conditions

Castle of Crystals (“we,” “us,” the “Platform”) provides the technology that lets members list, auction, buy, and ship diamond painting kits — including handmade, custom, and craft items. We are a venue and payment facilitator, not the buyer or seller in any transaction. The contract of sale is directly between the seller and the winning buyer. We are not a party to that contract and do not take ownership of any item.

• You must be at least 18 years old and able to enter a binding contract to buy or sell.
• To help prevent fraud and shill bidding, an account must be at least one (1) day old and have a valid payment method on file before it can bid.
• You are responsible for the accuracy of your account information and for all activity that happens under your account.

Castle of Crystals uses a second-price (Vickrey) + $1 auction model. The highest bidder wins, but pays the amount of the second-highest bid plus $1 — never their own maximum bid. This rewards honest bidding: your best strategy is simply to bid the most you'd genuinely pay.

Example:

• Bidder A bids $60. Bidder B bids $45.
• Bidder A wins and pays $46 ($45 second-highest + $1), not $60.

If a bid is placed in the final 10 minutes of an auction, the auction automatically extends by 10 minutes so everyone has a fair chance to respond. Auto-extension can occur up to three (3) times; after that, the auction ends at its hard deadline regardless of new bids.

Sellers may set an optional reserve — the minimum they're willing to accept. If the final winning price does not meet the reserve, the auction closes with no sale and no one is charged. A reserve is private; bidders will only see whether it has been met.

Sellers may add a Buy It Now price. A buyer who clicks Buy It Now purchases the item immediately at that price and the auction ends. BIN is typically available until the first qualifying bid is placed, at the seller's configuration. A completed Buy It Now purchase is a binding sale on the same terms as a winning bid.

Every bid is a binding offer to buy at the applicable Vickrey price, and a Buy It Now click is a binding purchase. If you win, you are obligated to complete payment. Bids may not be retracted except at our sole discretion (for example, a clear typo caught immediately). Repeated non-payment or bid retraction may result in suspension or a ban.

• Accurate listings. Describe items honestly — brand, size, drill type and count, condition, completeness (missing drills, opened packaging, etc.), and clear photos of the actual item.
• Ship promptly. Ship within five (5) business days of payment confirmation and enter valid tracking through the Platform. See our Shipping Policy.
• Honor the sale. Sell the exact item listed to the winning buyer at the determined price. You may not cancel simply because the final price was lower than hoped — that's what the reserve is for.
• No off-platform diversion. Don't use the Platform to advertise sales that complete elsewhere to avoid fees.

• Keep a valid payment method on file and ensure it can be charged when you win.
• Honor your winning bid or Buy It Now purchase.
• Confirm receipt promptly once your item arrives so the seller can be paid (see Section 11).
• Raise any problem through our Dispute Resolution Policy rather than a payment chargeback.

Shill bidding — bidding on your own listing, or coordinating with others to inflate a price without genuine intent to buy — is strictly prohibited. We enforce this both technically and legally. Our systems use account-age gating, payment-method requirements, and IP, device-fingerprint, and shared-signal detection to identify related accounts. Suspected shill activity may result in cancelled auctions, withheld payouts, and permanent bans.

Payments are processed by Stripe. The winning buyer is charged at auction close (or immediately on a Buy It Now). Funds are then held — they are not released to the seller right away.

• The seller's payout is released once the buyer clicks “I received it,” or automatically seven (7) days after delivery is confirmed by the carrier if the buyer takes no action.
• If a dispute is opened, the payout is frozen until the dispute is resolved by our admin team.

Castle of Crystals charges a 4% platform commission on the final sale price. The fee is deducted on the seller side — sellers receive 96% of the sale price on payout. Buyers are not charged a separate platform commission (standard payment-processing fees may apply as disclosed at checkout).

• Only genuine diamond painting kits, related supplies, and craft items may be listed. No counterfeit, stolen, or misrepresented goods.
• No harassment, fraud, price manipulation, or attempts to circumvent fees or safety systems.

To protect the community, we may — at our reasonable discretion, and without prior notice where necessary — cancel or reverse an auction, remove a listing, freeze a payout, and suspend or permanently ban an account for violations of these Terms, suspected fraud or shill activity, non-payment, or non-shipment. Where an auction is cancelled before payout, held funds are returned to the buyer.

If something goes wrong with a transaction, our Dispute Resolution Policy governs how issues are raised and resolved. You agree to use that process before pursuing a payment-provider chargeback.

Castle of Crystals provides the marketplace “as is.” We are not a party to sales between members and do not guarantee the quality, safety, legality, or delivery of any item, or the truth of any listing. To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability arising out of or relating to any transaction is limited to the amount of platform fees we actually collected on that transaction. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, or for carrier delays, loss, or damage in transit.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of [STATE], without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. You agree that any dispute with the Platform will be brought in the state or federal courts located in that state.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by the “Last updated” date above. Continuing to use the Platform after an update means you accept the revised Terms.