Terms of service

• Age and residence: you must be 18 or over and live in the UK.
• One account per person or business: keep your login details safe.
• Sellers: must connect a payout account through our payment provider, which verifies their identity, before they can quote.

• Trade seller: a business or sole trader. You have full consumer rights, including the right to cancel (§7) and the right to reject faulty goods (§8).
• Private seller: an individual selling their own spare parts. The part must be as described. Change-of-mind returns apply only if the seller accepts them (§7).

1. You post a request. It's free and doesn't commit you to anything.
2. Sellers send quotes. Each quote shows the price, condition, warranty and the return terms.
3. When you accept a quote and pay, a contract is formed between you and the seller.
4. We hold your payment until the order closes (§6).

• Requests: a request stays open for 7 days, and you can have up to … open at once. Requests must be for genuine parts you intend to buy.
• Quotes: a quote is the seller's offer. It can be changed or withdrawn until you accept it. A counter-offer accepted in chat replaces the original quote.
• Price errors: if a quote contains an obvious pricing error, the seller may cancel before dispatch, and you get a full refund.
• Cancelling before dispatch: a buyer may cancel before the parcel is dispatched. Trade orders get a full refund. Private orders get a full refund minus any label already used.
• Checking fitment is your responsibility: confirm with your mechanic that the part matches your vehicle (registration, VIN, part number) before ordering. Vehicle details shown on PartSorted come from official records and are a guide only.

Buyers pay:

• the part price;
• delivery, which is the courier's price for the service you choose plus our handling margin;
• a service fee for using the platform;
• a free returns charge, on orders that qualify for free returns (§7).

Sellers pay:

• Commission: on the part price: private sellers …; trade sellers … (Free), … (Starter) or … (Pro).
• Trade plans: Starter …/month and Pro …/month. These are billed monthly, and you can cancel at any time, effective at the end of the paid period.
• Costs the seller causes: set out in §10.

• Payments: are processed by our payment provider. We hold the money until the order closes.
• The order closes: when the buyer confirms receipt, or automatically 48 hours after delivery if no problem is reported. For pickup-point orders, the 48 hours starts when the buyer collects. We send reminders before it closes.
• A private seller's first 3 sales: close only when the buyer confirms, or automatically after 7 days.
• The seller is paid: the part price minus commission when the order closes. If a return, dispute or claim is open, the money stays held until it's resolved.
• Dispatch: sellers must dispatch within 3 working days of payment. If they don't, the order is cancelled and the buyer gets a full refund.

• Who holds the money: your payment is held by our payment provider on our instructions. PartSorted is not a bank, and held funds earn no interest.
• Fraud checks: we may delay or cancel an order, or hold a payout, while we check for fraud or a breach of these terms.
• Chargebacks: if a buyer raises a chargeback with their card issuer, the order's money stays held until it's resolved. Chargeback costs are recovered as set out in §10.

Trade sellers:

• Change of mind: you can cancel within 14 days of delivery, for new and used parts. Tell us through your order page, then send the part back within 14 days.
• What you get back: the part price, the standard delivery charge and the service fee.
• Return postage: paid from the free returns cover if your order has it; otherwise you pay it.
• Deductions: the refund can be reduced if the part was handled more than needed to inspect it, or fitted.

Private sellers:

• Change of mind: only if the quote says "returns accepted", and you must tell us within 48 hours of delivery.
• What you get back: the part price. The delivery charge and service fee are not refunded.
• Return postage: paid from the free returns cover if your order has it; otherwise you pay it.

Free returns:

• Which orders: standard-size parcels (up to …, longest side … or less). It covers the return postage for change-of-mind returns.
• Large or heavy items: don't have free returns. This is shown on the quote.

For every return:

• The part goes straight back to the seller, using a label arranged through PartSorted.
• You have 7 days from receiving the label to send it, or the return is cancelled.
• The refund is issued once the seller confirms receipt, or automatically 48 hours after tracking shows it delivered.

You get a full refund (the part, delivery, the service fee and any returns charge) if a part:

• is faulty, is the wrong part, or isn't as described;
• arrives damaged; or
• never arrives (lost, or tracking hasn't moved for 7 days).

Time limits for reporting:

• Trade sellers: within 30 days of delivery.
• Private sellers: within 48 hours of delivery.

Who pays:

• The seller: pays the return label and the refund costs for faulty, wrong or not-as-described parts.
• The courier's cover: pays for parts damaged or lost in transit.

• “No change-of-mind returns”, not “non-refundable”: no part on PartSorted is fully non-refundable. Sellers can only turn off change-of-mind returns where the law allows it. Faulty, wrong, damaged and not-as-described parts are always covered.
• Private sellers: may sell any part, new or used, with no change-of-mind returns. This is shown on the quote.
• Trade sellers can only exclude change-of-mind returns for: parts made or modified to the buyer's own specification (marked "Custom / made to order", with a reason), and sealed fluids and chemicals (oil, coolant, brake fluid, additives) once the seal is broken.
• Used parts: must match the condition, mileage and photos in the quote, allowing for their age and price. Wear the quote mentions is not a fault.
• Fitted or used parts returned for change of mind: the refund can be reduced to reflect any loss in value caused by handling beyond what's needed to inspect the part. Sellers may photograph a paint mark or seal before dispatch. A part returned with that mark broken, or damaged, may get a reduced refund or none.
• Wrong diagnosis: a part that works but doesn't fix the fault, or is the wrong part for the car because the buyer chose it, is a change-of-mind return, not a faulty one. Check part numbers with your mechanic before ordering.
• Opened fluids: refunded only if the seller supplied the wrong product, or it is provably defective (out of date, contaminated, leaking). We decide using photos of the label, seal, batch number and product. The buyer won't be asked to post opened liquids back. A partial refund may be given where the evidence is unclear.
• Evidence: claims about faulty, damaged, wrong or not-as-described parts need photos. Our decision follows the evidence from both sides (§9).

• Raising a dispute: if you and the seller can't agree, either of you can raise a dispute from the order page.
• Responding: the other side has 48 hours to respond with evidence.
• Our decision: PartSorted reviews the evidence and decides: a full refund, a partial refund or payment to the seller. Our decision settles the matter on the platform. You keep your statutory rights and your right to go to court.

Sellers must:

• describe parts honestly, with real photos;
• enter accurate parcel sizes and weights;
• dispatch on time, and package parts properly;
• respond to returns and disputes within the time limits.

Sellers agree that PartSorted may recover the following, where the seller is responsible:

• return labels for faulty, wrong or not-as-described parts;
• the original delivery refunded on a trade change-of-mind cancellation;
• payment processing costs lost on refunds;
• courier surcharges caused by wrong parcel details;
• chargebacks lost because of the seller's fault.

• How we recover them: first from the order's held money, then from future payouts, then by debiting the seller's payout account.
• While a seller owes money: they can't send new quotes.
• Account deletion: an account can't be deleted while it has an open order, return, dispute, held payment or balance owed.

• Never allowed: stolen parts, or parts without a lawful origin; counterfeit or replica parts sold as genuine; and parts that are illegal to use on UK roads, unless clearly sold for off-road or competition use.
• Catalytic converters and number plates: the seller must be able to prove lawful ownership. Number plates may only be supplied by registered number plate suppliers, under DVLA rules.
• Dangerous goods (airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, batteries, fuel, aerosols, some fluids): these can only be sent using courier services that allow them, and must be packed to the courier's rules. The seller is responsible for the extra costs and penalties if they aren't.
• Safety-critical parts (brakes, steering, suspension, airbags): we strongly recommend these are fitted by a qualified mechanic. Sellers must not misdescribe their condition.

• Private sellers: sell their own unwanted parts, not goods bought to resell.
• If you sell regularly or for profit: you may be a trader in law. You must then register as a trade vendor, and your buyers get full consumer rights. We flag accounts that look like trading (for example … sales or … in a month).
• HMRC reporting: we must collect seller details and report seller income to HMRC under the digital platform reporting rules. Sellers are responsible for their own tax.

• Who can review: only buyers with a confirmed order can leave a review. Reviews must be honest, and must not be paid for, swapped or written by the seller.
• Removal: we remove fake or abusive reviews, and may suspend accounts involved.
• Seller replies: sellers can post one public reply to a review.
• Chat: keep messages respectful and on-platform. Don't share contact or payment details to trade outside PartSorted. We may read chats to investigate reports or disputes, and automatically flag messages that look like off-platform dealing.

• Ownership: you keep ownership of the photos and text you upload.
• Licence: you give us a licence to display, store and use them to run the platform (for example, showing quote photos to buyers and evidence in disputes).
• Your responsibility: you must have the right to upload them.

• Suspension: we may suspend or close an account that breaks these terms, is involved in fraud, or puts other users at risk. We'll tell you why unless the law or an investigation prevents it.
• Closing your account: you can close it at any time once nothing is open (see §10). Your data is handled as described in our Privacy policy.

• Not allowed: counterfeit or stolen parts, misleading listings, fake reviews, and arranging payment outside PartSorted.
• What we can do: suspend or close accounts that break these terms.
• Subscription fees: unused subscription time is refunded, except in cases of fraud.

• The contract for the part: is between the buyer and the seller.
• What we're liable for: running the platform with reasonable care and skill, and handling held money as described in these terms.
• What we're not liable for: losses we couldn't reasonably foresee, or a seller's own failures beyond the protections in §7–9.
• What we never exclude: liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or anything else the law doesn't allow us to exclude.

• Availability: we aim to keep PartSorted available, but it may be interrupted for maintenance or reasons outside our control.
• Events beyond our control: we're not responsible for delays caused by them (for example courier strikes or severe weather), but your money stays protected under these terms.
• Outside services: vehicle data, payments, delivery and messaging rely on outside services. We're not responsible for their errors beyond taking reasonable care in choosing and using them.

• Order and account messages: we'll send order, payment and account messages by email, push notification and in-app message. You can't turn these off while you have an account.
• Marketing: sent only with your consent, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

• Law: English law applies.
• Complaints: contact us first: email us at support@partsorted.co.uk. If you're a consumer, you can also go to court in the part of the UK where you live.