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Trust & safety
Short answer — yes, and here's exactly how. Peer-to-peer resale only works if both sides can trust the transaction. This page walks through the protections we've built, the scams we actively look for, and what to do if something feels off.
Last reviewed: 25 April 2026. We update this page whenever the underlying behaviour changes.
Here's how a normal order moves through the system:
If an order never ships, we cancel it automatically on day seven and refund you in full — with no action required on your part.
We use Stripe Connect Express's identity verification — the same Know Your Customer (KYC) process Stripe applies to every regulated payments account. A seller has to provide a government-issued ID, a selfie, and a UK bank account in their own name before they can receive any payouts.
Business sellers (sole traders and limited companies) additionally provide their trading details. For limited companies we cross- check the Companies House number against the public register and confirm the company is registered and active. The "Verified business" badge on a shop reflects that check.
None of this guarantees every seller is perfect — but it does mean that if something goes wrong, we have an identity-verified person to hold accountable. Anonymous sellers don't exist on Rare Kind.
Card numbers, expiry dates, and CVVs are entered directly into Stripe's checkout widget. We receive a tokenised reference back — enough to charge and refund your card, but not enough for anyone (including us) to use it elsewhere.
Every checkout is screened by Stripe Radar, which uses machine learning trained across billions of transactions to flag high-risk patterns. High-risk transactions are challenged with 3D Secure — the "enter the code from your bank" step. If a payment looks fraudulent, it's declined before we ever see the order.
If your card is ever charged without your authorisation, your bank will refund you through the standard chargeback process. We cooperate fully with chargeback investigations.
Off-platform payments are the single most common way resale scams happen. The pitch usually sounds reasonable: "I'll give you a discount if you pay by bank transfer", or "my account is having issues, can you PayPal me directly."
Once money leaves Rare Kind, three things are true:
Asking for an off-platform payment is a straight breach of our terms of service. We scan messages for the tell-tale language (IBANs, sort codes, "pay me direct", "bank transfer") and flag them for our moderation team. Sellers who try it get suspended; repeat offenders are removed.
If you've been asked to pay off-platform, send us a message with the message in it — we'll handle the rest.
Sellers warrant that every item they list is genuine and accurately described. If a buyer reports a listing as counterfeit, we investigate: the seller has to evidence authenticity (receipts, original packaging, provenance) or the item comes down and the order is refunded.
Repeated counterfeit listings lead to account removal and, where relevant, referral to Trading Standards or the brand's anti-counterfeiting team. We work with rights-holders who want to take action — see our IP policy for the notice-and-takedown process.
If a price looks too good to be true — a box-fresh designer piece at a fraction of retail from a seller with no reviews — it often is. Check the seller's profile, look at their other listings, and message them with questions before you buy.
For higher-value items, we pause the usual automatic flow and have a human on our team look at the order: the listing, the buyer's confirmation, and any messages between the two parties. Only then do we release funds to the seller.
This adds a day or two to payouts on premium items, but it dramatically reduces the scope for scams targeting expensive pieces. Legitimate sellers get paid after a short delay; opportunistic fraud loses its biggest target.
You have 2 days from delivery to open a dispute on a private-seller order, and 14 days from delivery on a business-seller order (the longer window incorporates the statutory right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013). From your order page, tap "Raise a dispute". Describe what's wrong — item doesn't match the listing, damaged in transit, counterfeit, didn't arrive, etc. — and attach photos if you can.
When a dispute opens:
Beyond Rare Kind's internal process, UK buyers retain their card-network chargeback rights with their own bank, and the small claims track of the County Court remains available if a dispute can't be resolved between the parties. See the returns & refunds policy for the full detail.
As a seller, you're protected against:
Every profile, listing, review and message has a Report button. Pick the closest reason, add a few words of context, and our moderation team gets a ticket. Your name is never shared with the person you're reporting.
If you'd rather email, reach us at hello@joinrarekind.co.uk — include the order ID, username, or listing URL so we can find what you're referring to quickly.
We treat safety reports as priority queue. Most get a first human response inside a working day; genuine emergencies (self-harm, threats) are escalated immediately and, where appropriate, referred to the relevant authorities.
Still uncertain about something? Get in touch or email hello@joinrarekind.co.uk. We'd rather spend ten minutes answering a "is this normal?" question than pick up the pieces of a scam afterwards.