Terms of service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern access to and use of the Takas platform, website, mobile applications, services, software, features, and related technologies (collectively, the “Platform”) operated by TAKAS TRADE LTD, a company incorporated in England and Wales with its registered office in London, United Kingdom (“Takas”, “we”, “our”, or “us”).

By accessing, downloading, registering for, browsing, or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to be legally bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with these Terms, you must immediately discontinue use of the Platform.

This document forms part of the Takas legal framework and should be read together with the Takas Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Community Guidelines, Prohibited Items Policy, Buyer Protection Policy, and Seller Protection Policy.

1. About Takas

Takas is a student-focused peer-to-peer marketplace platform that enables eligible users to discover, list, exchange, buy, sell, and communicate regarding second-hand goods and related items.

Takas does not manufacture, own, inspect, certify, store, transport, ship, sell, purchase, broker, guarantee, endorse, or otherwise control any item listed by users. Takas acts solely as a technology platform that facilitates interactions between users and is not a party to any transaction between users.

Transactions, exchanges, meetings, communications, negotiations, and agreements occurring between users are undertaken entirely at the users' own risk. Nothing in these Terms shall be interpreted as creating an agency relationship, partnership, employment relationship, joint venture, brokerage arrangement, escrow service, payment institution relationship, insurance relationship, or fiduciary duty between Takas and any user.

2. Eligibility

To use the Platform, you must:

• be at least eighteen (18) years old
• have legal capacity to enter into binding contracts
• provide accurate and truthful information
• comply with all applicable laws and regulations
• maintain an active and valid account
• successfully complete any verification requirements imposed by Takas.

Users who fail to meet these requirements may have their accounts restricted, suspended, or permanently terminated. Takas reserves the right to refuse access to any person at its sole discretion where reasonably necessary to protect the Platform, users, educational institutions, or legitimate business interests.

3. Student Verification

The Platform is intended primarily for students and educational communities. Takas may require users to verify their eligibility through one or more methods, including institutional email verification, identity verification, student card verification, OCR-based verification technologies, educational institution confirmation, document review, third-party verification providers, and additional verification procedures determined by Takas.

Verification does not constitute a guarantee of a user's identity, honesty, intentions, reliability, conduct, legitimacy, or safety. A verified status only confirms that verification requirements were satisfied at a specific point in time. Users acknowledge that Takas cannot guarantee that any verified user will remain enrolled at an educational institution after verification has been completed.

4. Account Registration

Users must provide complete, accurate, and up-to-date information when creating an account. Users are solely responsible for safeguarding account credentials, maintaining account security, preventing unauthorized access, updating account information, and all activities conducted through their account.

Users may not create accounts using false identities, impersonate another person, create multiple accounts for abusive purposes, or transfer, sell, or share accounts. Takas may suspend or terminate any account suspected of violating these requirements.

5. Marketplace Nature

Users acknowledge and agree that all listings, item descriptions, photographs, and pricing decisions are created and determined by users, and that all exchanges and transactions occur between users. Takas does not verify the accuracy of listings and does not guarantee the existence, quality, authenticity, ownership rights, or legality of listed items, or the successful completion of any transaction.

Users assume full responsibility for conducting their own inspections, evaluations, and due diligence before entering into any transaction.

6. Consumer Rights

Some users may sell items in the course of a business and may therefore be “traders” for the purposes of consumer protection law. Where a buyer is a consumer and the seller is a trader, the buyer may have non-excludable statutory rights against that seller under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (including that goods be of satisfactory quality, as described, and fit for purpose) and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

Nothing in these Terms or in any Takas policy excludes, restricts, or limits any statutory right of a consumer that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited. Such rights are held against the relevant seller. Takas is not the seller and is not a party to transactions between users.

7. In-Person Meetings

The Platform currently facilitates transactions that are primarily completed through in-person meetings arranged between users. Users are solely responsible for selecting meeting locations and assessing personal safety. Takas strongly recommends meeting only in public locations with adequate security and visibility.

Subject to Section 24, Takas is not responsible for meeting arrangements, transportation, personal injury, property damage, theft, assault, misconduct, criminal activity, or losses arising from in-person interactions. Users participate in all meetings at their own risk.

8. User Inspection Obligation

Before completing any purchase, trade, exchange, or transfer, users are responsible for thoroughly inspecting items, including physical condition, functionality, completeness, authenticity, compatibility, ownership indicators, and visible defects.

By accepting an item during an in-person transaction, the receiving user acknowledges that they have had a reasonable opportunity to inspect the item. Except where prohibited by law and without prejudice to Section 6, Takas shall not be responsible for dissatisfaction arising after an item has been accepted by a user.

9. Listings and User Content

Users are solely responsible for all content they create, upload, publish, transmit, display, or otherwise make available through the Platform, including listings, descriptions, photographs, videos, messages, usernames, reviews, comments, and profile information.

Users represent and warrant that:

• they own the item being listed or possess all necessary rights to list it
• all information provided is accurate and not misleading
• uploaded content does not infringe intellectual property rights
• listings comply with applicable laws and regulations
• listings do not violate these Terms.

Takas reserves the right, but not the obligation, to review, edit, restrict, remove, hide, or reject any content at its sole discretion. Removal of content does not create any obligation for Takas to provide compensation, reimbursement, or refunds, except where required by law.

10. Listing Fees and Paid Services

Certain Platform features may require payment of listing fees, promotional fees, visibility fees, subscription fees, or other service charges. By purchasing such services, users authorize Takas to collect the applicable fee. A listing fee grants only the right to publish a listing on the Platform and does not guarantee views, engagement, enquiries, trades, purchases, sales, or transaction completion.

Where a user is a consumer purchasing a paid service from Takas at a distance, the user has a right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 to cancel within fourteen (14) days. By requesting that a paid digital service (such as publication of a listing or a promotion) begin immediately, the user expressly requests that performance start during the cancellation period and acknowledges that the right to cancel is lost once the service has been fully performed. To the extent a service has not been fully performed, a consumer may cancel and receive a proportionate refund.

Subject to the paragraph above and to any other non-excludable statutory right, listing, visibility, and promotional fees are non-refundable, and subscription fees are non-refundable for partially used periods.

11. AI-Powered Features

Takas may provide artificial intelligence tools including, but not limited to, AI Fast Listing, AI Fast Shop, AI Recommendations, AI Search Assistance, AI Fraud Detection Systems, AI Content Moderation, AI Safety Systems, and future AI-powered services.

Users acknowledge that artificial intelligence systems may generate inaccurate information, produce incomplete outputs, contain factual errors, misunderstand user intent, or provide unsuitable recommendations. All AI outputs are provided for convenience only. Users remain solely responsible for independently reviewing, verifying, and evaluating all AI-generated content before relying upon it.

Takas makes no representation, warranty, or guarantee regarding the accuracy, reliability, completeness, legality, suitability, merchantability, fitness, or usefulness of AI-generated outputs. AI systems shall not be relied upon for legal, financial, safety-critical, medical, academic, or professional decisions.

11.1 AI Fast Shop

AI Fast Shop is designed to assist users in discovering relevant listings more efficiently. Recommendations generated through AI Fast Shop are informational only. Takas does not endorse, certify, recommend, or guarantee any seller, buyer, listing, product, service, or transaction suggested through AI Fast Shop.

11.2 AI Fast Listing

AI Fast Listing may assist users in generating titles, descriptions, categories, keywords, estimated values, or other listing content. Publication of AI-generated content constitutes confirmation that the user has reviewed and approved such content, and any legal, financial, commercial, or reputational consequences arising from published content remain the sole responsibility of the user.

12. Reviews and Ratings

The Platform may allow users to submit reviews, ratings, feedback, and reputation indicators. Reviews must reflect genuine experiences, be truthful, not be misleading, and not contain threats, harassment, hate speech, or unlawful content.

Users may not purchase or exchange reviews for compensation, manipulate ratings, coordinate review abuse, or create fake accounts for reputation purposes. Takas reserves the right to remove, modify, suppress, investigate, or permanently delete any review system activity that may compromise platform integrity, and does not guarantee the accuracy of reviews.

13. Prohibited Items

Users may not list, offer, promote, exchange, request, or facilitate any item, service, or activity that is prohibited. Prohibited categories include (without limitation) illegal goods, weapons, drugs and controlled substances, alcohol, tobacco and nicotine products, adult content, regulated financial products, academic misconduct services, dangerous goods, live animals, digital abuse tools, and any item that violates applicable law.

The full and controlling list of prohibited items and activities is set out in the Takas Prohibited Items Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. Takas may amend that list at any time, and listings may be removed without notice.

14. Fraud Prevention

To protect users and educational communities, Takas may investigate activity that appears suspicious. Takas may request identification documents, proof of ownership, proof of enrolment, transaction records, or photographs; review communications; temporarily restrict accounts; permanently terminate accounts; freeze platform features; and remove listings. Users agree to cooperate with reasonable fraud investigations, and failure to cooperate may result in account suspension or termination.

15. School Notification Rights

User safety is a core objective of the Platform. Where Takas reasonably believes that a user may have engaged in fraud, theft, harassment, threats, stalking, identity misuse, criminal conduct, student-targeted scams, academic misconduct, or behaviour that may place other students at risk, Takas reserves the right to notify educational institutions, universities, colleges, student unions, law enforcement authorities, regulatory bodies, or other appropriate organizations.

Such disclosures may occur where reasonably necessary and proportionate to protect users, communities, institutions, or the public, and shall be limited to information reasonably necessary to address the concern. Nothing in these Terms creates an obligation for Takas to investigate every report or make any particular disclosure. Disclosures of personal data are made in accordance with the Takas Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.

16. Account Restrictions and Termination

Takas may suspend, restrict, limit, disable, or permanently terminate any account where it reasonably determines that such action is necessary, including in cases of suspected fraud, scam activity, fake verification, multiple account abuse, platform manipulation, prohibited item listings, abusive conduct, unlawful activity, safety concerns, or repeated violations of these Terms.

Except where required by law, users shall not be entitled to compensation resulting from account suspension or termination. Protection of the Platform and its users shall take precedence over continued access to Platform services.

17. Intellectual Property Rights

All trademarks, logos, service marks, software, interfaces, designs, graphics, branding elements, source code, databases, functionality, text, features, and technology associated with the Platform are owned by or licensed to TAKAS TRADE LTD. Nothing within the Platform grants users ownership of any Takas intellectual property.

Users may not copy Platform features, reverse engineer Platform systems, extract Platform databases, reproduce Platform branding, create derivative works, or use Takas intellectual property without written authorization.

Users retain ownership of content they submit to the Platform. However, by uploading content, users grant Takas a worldwide, non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensable, royalty-free licence to host, store, display, reproduce, distribute, modify, adapt, process, analyse, and promote such content solely for operating, securing, improving, marketing, and maintaining the Platform. This licence remains effective for as long as reasonably necessary to operate the Platform and comply with legal obligations.

18. User Conduct

Users agree to behave responsibly and respectfully when using the Platform. Users must not threaten, harass, discriminate against, stalk, or intimidate others; engage in hate speech; spread misinformation; impersonate another person; collect personal data without authorization; misuse educational institution identities; manipulate Platform systems; exploit bugs or vulnerabilities; attempt unauthorized access; or disrupt Platform operations. Takas reserves the right to determine whether conduct violates Platform standards. Further conduct expectations are set out in the Community Guidelines.

19. Reporting System

Users may report suspicious listings, counterfeit goods, scams, harassment, abusive behaviour, safety concerns, and policy violations. Submission of a report does not guarantee investigation, removal, suspension, compensation, or resolution. Takas may investigate reports at its sole discretion and allocate resources according to risk and severity.

20. Data Processing and Safety Monitoring

Takas may collect, process, store, analyse, transfer, and use information necessary to operate the Platform, verify users, prevent fraud, improve security, comply with legal obligations, develop new services, improve artificial intelligence systems, and protect users and institutions. Such processing shall occur in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and the Takas Privacy Policy.

To protect users and educational communities, Takas may deploy automated and human moderation systems that analyse listings, messages, reviews, account behaviour, fraud indicators, and suspicious activity patterns. Users acknowledge that safety systems may occasionally make mistakes, and Takas reserves the right to make moderation decisions based on automated and manual reviews.

21. No Warranty

The Platform is provided on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Takas disclaims all warranties, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including warranties relating to availability, reliability, uptime, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, security, accuracy, and uninterrupted service.

Takas does not guarantee that the Platform will always be available or error-free, that listings will be accurate, that users will behave honestly, that transactions will succeed, or that items will be authentic. Use of the Platform occurs at the user's own risk. Nothing in this Section affects rights that cannot be excluded under applicable law, including a consumer's statutory rights.

22. Limitation of Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits Takas' liability for: (a) death or personal injury caused by Takas' negligence; (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; (c) any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law, including under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The exclusions and cap below apply only to the extent permitted by law and are subject to this paragraph.

Subject to the paragraph above, and to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, TAKAS TRADE LTD, its directors, officers, shareholders, employees, contractors, affiliates, suppliers, licensors, and partners shall not be liable for user disputes, transaction failures, item defects, counterfeit goods, inaccurate listings, lost profits, lost opportunities, business interruption, reputational damage, personal disagreements, data loss, emotional distress, or any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages. This limitation applies regardless of legal theory, including contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, statutory claims, or otherwise.

Subject to the first paragraph of this Section, where liability is not otherwise excluded, Takas' total aggregate liability shall not exceed the greater of (a) one hundred pounds (£100); or (b) the total amount paid directly by the user to Takas during the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

23. User Responsibility

Users accept full responsibility for their decisions, communications, meetings, inspections, transactions, exchanges, purchases, sales, and compliance with laws. Users acknowledge that Takas merely provides technological infrastructure and does not control user behaviour.

24. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, users agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless TAKAS TRADE LTD and its affiliates from any third-party claims, damages, liabilities, losses, costs, expenses, fines, penalties, investigations, and reasonable legal fees arising from the user's conduct, listings, transactions, uploaded content, policy violations, legal violations, intellectual property disputes, fraud, or misuse of the Platform. This obligation survives termination of the account. This Section does not require a consumer to indemnify Takas to any extent that would be unenforceable under applicable law.

25. Force Majeure

Takas shall not be liable for any delay, interruption, failure, or inability to provide services resulting from circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, pandemics, cyberattacks, infrastructure failures, internet outages, power failures, government actions, regulatory changes, labour disputes, acts of terrorism, war, or civil unrest. During such events, Platform functionality may be restricted, suspended, or unavailable.

26. Platform Changes

Takas reserves the right to modify, suspend, discontinue, replace, or remove any part of the Platform at any time, including features, pricing, listing fees, AI services, verification methods, account requirements, user interfaces, and marketplace functionality. Except where required by law, no user shall be entitled to compensation resulting from such modifications. Where changes to these Terms are material, Takas will provide reasonable notice through the Platform, email, or account notifications.

27. Apple App Store Provisions

Users acknowledge that these Terms are entered into solely between the user and TAKAS TRADE LTD. Apple Inc. and its affiliates are not parties to these Terms and bear no responsibility for Platform operation, support services, maintenance, claims, disputes, warranties, or investigations. To the extent permitted by law, Apple shall be considered a third-party beneficiary of these Terms and may enforce relevant provisions.

28. Google Play Provisions

Google LLC and its affiliates are not responsible for Platform operation, support, maintenance, warranties, claims, or dispute resolution. Users acknowledge that Google provides distribution services only and is not responsible for user conduct, transactions, or marketplace activity.

29. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Disputes arising from or relating to the Platform shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. Nothing in this Section deprives a consumer of the protection of mandatory consumer protection laws, or of the right to bring proceedings in the courts of the jurisdiction in which they are habitually resident, where such rights apply.

30. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is determined to be unlawful, invalid, or unenforceable, that provision shall be severed and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

31. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with any policies incorporated by reference, constitute the entire agreement between the user and TAKAS TRADE LTD regarding use of the Platform.

32. Contact Information

TAKAS TRADE LTD, London, England, United Kingdom.

Legal Contact: info@takastrade.com

Support Contact: info@takastrade.com

Website: https://takastrade.com

33. Final Acknowledgement

By creating an account, accessing the Platform, or using any Takas service, users acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these Terms of Service, and that Takas is a technology platform facilitating student-to-student interactions and is not a party to transactions conducted between users.

TAKAS TRADE LTD · London, England & Wales, United Kingdom
Contact: info@takastrade.com