Legal — Disputes

Dispute resolution

When a IronHead™ transaction goes sideways, this is the path that takes it from ticket to closure. The process is intentionally stepped — most disputes resolve at the ticket stage, the next-most at mediation, and arbitration is reserved for the narrow cases the platform cannot resolve without a third party.

Open a ticket

Start by writing to us through the contact page with the listing id (or guide slug), the order id or Stripe session id, and a short description of the issue. Tickets opened within the windows below reach the full three-step process.

• Auction disputes.Open within fourteen days of the listing's confirmed delivery date.
• Guide disputes. Open within thirty days of the guide purchase date. After thirty days, the dispute is handled as a content-correction ticket rather than a refund ticket.
• Forum-conduct disputes. Open within ninety days of the offending post.

What the platform will and will not do

The platform WILL:mediate the dispute, request evidence from both sides, document a resolution outcome, coordinate manual next steps, escalate to arbitration only with both parties' consent, and answer every ticket within three business days. The platform does not hold buyer sale funds in escrow.

The platform WILL NOT:act as the warrantor of the lot's mechanical condition, guarantee title registration in the buyer's jurisdiction, provide legal advice to either party, share one party's private dispute content with the other party without consent (except for the evidence submissions that both parties explicitly contribute), or rule on disputes between parties unrelated to a platform transaction.

Evidence requirements

The mediator may request any of the following from each side:

• Original listing photos and seller comms record (from the seller).
• Delivery confirmation, courier tracking, and unboxing photos from the buyer.
• Independent inspection report (third-party mechanic, dealer, or auction-house appraisal).
• Title document or registration copy (from the seller).
• Any repair estimate or restoration cost quote relevant to the dispute.

Failure to provide requested evidence on either side is cause for the mediator to rule in favour of the cooperative side. Repeated non-cooperation is cause for account review.

Mediation outcome

Mediation concludes with one of four outcomes: (a) the sale proceeds as agreed, (b) a full refund to the buyer (with the buyer's premium refunded as well), (c) a partial refund and the sale is completed, or (d) both parties agree to a non-monetary remedy (replacement part, second-listing arrangement, public apology). Each outcome is written into a short ruling note that the platform archives for seven years.

Mediation time window: fourteen days from the ticket opening, extendable by mutual consent to thirty days for complex disputes. After thirty days without resolution, the dispute escalates to arbitration OR is registered as "closed without resolution" by mutual agreement of both parties.

Arbitration (optional, only by mutual consent)

For disputes that mediation cannot close, the platform offers neutral-arbitration at a recognised ADR provider (currently specified on request to the support inbox). Both parties MUST consent — the platform does not force arbitration on either party, and the standing rule is that either party retains the right to walk away with the dispute recorded as "closed" rather than "arbitration pursued".

Arbitration is reserved for purchase sums above a threshold specified on request; for amounts below, the platform's mediation outcome is final as between the parties and the platform.

The contractual enforceability of the arbitration clause — its carve-outs, its consumer-rights regime override in the EU / UK / California, its statutory rescission window — has not been reviewed by qualified counsel and requires professional legal review before this text can be relied on.

What Bypasses the disputes process?

Filing a credit-card chargeback while a dispute is open — or instead of opening a dispute — forfeits the buyer's entitlement to mediation or arbitration (see refunds & cancellations, Section 5). The platform cooperates with the card-issuing bank's evidence submission and treats the chargeback outcome as final.

Filing a small-claims or magistrate-court action against the OTHER party (not the platform) without first opening a ticket is not forbidden, but the platform's standing position is that the buyer must exhaust the ticket step before seeking platform-level cooperation.

Distribution of loss on default

When the dispute concerns a buyer default or seller default, loss distribution between the buyer, the seller, and the platform is decided by the mediator on a case-by-case basis. There is no fixed remission schedule. The platform's policies most often applied:

• Buyer default: buyer voids the bid; seller keeps no commission; platform keeps no premium. (No money moved.)
• Seller default: full refund to buyer including premium; seller's listing fee is non-refundable except where the platform deems the default was preventable.
• Platform fault (rare): pro-rata refund matching the disputed fee portion; the underlying seller-side transaction completes separately.

Recording and retention

Every dispute ticket, evidence package, mediation ruling, and outcome note is retained for seven years for tax and regulatory review, and is referenced in case either party later opens a related dispute. Personal data submitted during a dispute is governed by the privacy policy.

Effective date: 2026-08-26. This document is informational and has not been reviewed by qualified counsel. Items about jurisdiction-specific enforceability of binding-arbitration clauses, consumer-rights carve-outs (EU / UK / California), and statutory limitation periods require professional legal review before this text can be relied on as a binding contract.