Terms for Trader.co.uk

1. Introduction and About These Terms

1. Welcome to Trader.co.uk (the “Platform”), an online vehicle marketplace operated by Trader.co.uk Services Limited (“Trader.co.uk”, “we”, “us”, “our”). These Platform Terms of Use (“Platform Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Platform.
2. By creating an account, accessing, browsing, listing, bidding, buying, selling, or otherwise using any part of the Platform, you confirm that you accept these Platform Terms and agree to be bound by them. If you do not accept them, you must not use the Platform.
3. The Platform is owned by New Reg Limited (Company No. 03143909) (“New Reg”), which licenses the Trader.co.uk brand, website and associated intellectual property to Trader.co.uk Services Limited as operator. New Reg operates the website infrastructure at group level; Trader.co.uk Services Limited operates the marketplace service, manages listings, contracts with users, and holds the account with the Platform’s payment service provider.
4. These Platform Terms apply to all users, including public sellers, private sellers, trade sellers (sole traders and limited companies), and trade buyers (sole traders and limited companies). Additional or different terms apply to specific activities, as set out in clause 3.

2. Who Trader.co.uk Is - Our Role

This clause is fundamental to your relationship with us and to every transaction on the Platform. Please read it carefully.

5. Disclosed agent of the Seller. In relation to the sale of any vehicle on the Platform, Trader.co.uk acts as the Seller's disclosed agent with limited authority to facilitate and conclude transactions within parameters expressly authorised by the Seller. We facilitate the sale on the Seller’s behalf - including by providing listing tools, conducting auctions and Buy Now transactions, introducing buyers, initiating payment via our regulated payment service provider, and administering handover. We act for the Seller for these facilitation purposes only.
6. We are not a party to the sale. The contract for the sale of a vehicle is formed directly between the Buyer and the Seller. Trader.co.uk is not the buyer or seller of any vehicle and never owns or takes title to any vehicle. Where a Seller has authorised us to do so under the Seller Terms, we may conclude the contract of sale on the Seller's behalf within the pricing and sale parameters set by that Seller. In doing so, we act solely as the Seller's disclosed agent and do not become a party to the contract of sale.
7. Separate service to the Buyer. Separately from our agency for the Seller, we provide platform services to the Buyer (including Platform access, transaction facilitation, payment initiation and buyer-protection mechanics). We charge the Buyer a platform fee for these services, as set out in the Fees & Payments Schedule. Providing these services to the Buyer does not make us the Buyer’s agent and does not make us a party to the sale.
8. What we do NOT do. We do not: negotiate prices; value, inspect, grade, or certify vehicles; guarantee the condition, roadworthiness, mileage, title, or description of any vehicle; provide any warranty in respect of a vehicle; hold, receive, or control the proceeds of sale (these are held and released by the payment service provider); or mediate, adjudicate, or determine disputes between Buyer and Seller. We may pass messages between the parties but do not review or arbitrate them.
9. Payments. All payments are processed by a regulated payment service provider (the “PSP”). Trader.co.uk does not hold, receive, safeguard, or control buyer or seller funds in respect of vehicle sales. The PSP holds funds and releases them in accordance with the Fees & Payments Schedule and the PSP’s own terms.

3. The Trader.co.uk Terms Suite and Order of Priority

10. These Platform Terms operate alongside the following documents, which together form your agreement with us and (where stated) govern your contract with the other party to a sale:

• the Combined Buyer & Seller Terms (which include the Seller's appointment of Trader.co.uk as agent, and which apply to you in your capacity as a buyer, a seller, or both). The Buyer Terms and Seller Terms that may be displayed to you separately when you make an offer or list a vehicle are extracts of the Combined Buyer & Seller Terms, provided for your convenience; the Combined Buyer & Seller Terms are the binding agreement;
• the Auction Rules;
• the Fees & Payments Schedule;
• the Collection & Handover / Acceptance Terms;
• the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy; and
• any further rules, policies, or notices displayed on the Platform.
  
   

11. You should read these documents together. If there is any conflict, the order of priority (highest first) is: (a) the document specific to the activity in question (for example, the Auction Rules for auction conduct, or the Collection & Handover Terms for handover); (b) the Combined Buyer & Seller Terms (applying to you in the relevant capacity, whether as buyer or seller); (c) these Platform Terms. The Fees & Payments Schedule is the single authoritative source for all fees and prevails on fee amounts and their application. Where a Buyer Terms or Seller Terms extract is displayed to you separately, it has the same meaning as, and is subordinate to, the Combined Buyer & Seller Terms from which it is taken.

4. Account Types and Eligibility

12. To transact on the Platform you must register an account and pass the verification applicable to your user type (see clause 5 and the KYC/KYB Policy). The Platform supports the following user types:

Phase 1 note (reviewer): in Phase 1 the Platform supports private/public sellers selling to trade buyers. Public (consumer) buyers are not enabled in Phase 1; the corresponding consumer provisions will be added for Phase 2.

13. You must provide accurate, current, and complete information at registration and keep it up to date. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity under your account. You must notify us promptly of any unauthorised use.
14. We may decline a registration, or restrict, suspend, or close an account, where a user fails verification, provides false information, breaches these Platform Terms, or presents a fraud, legal, safety, sanctions, or other material risk (see clause 9).

5. Verification (KYC, KYB and Checks)

15. To protect users and the integrity of the Platform, we operate a risk-based trust, safety and marketplace-integrity programme which may include identity verification, business verification, fraud-prevention checks, sanctions and PEP screening, and vehicle-data validation. These checks are undertaken to protect users and the integrity of the Platform and do not constitute regulated AML customer due diligence. The detail is set out in the KYC/KYB Policy.
16. We may request further information at any time and may pause or withhold access to features pending verification. Verification is conducted to maintain Platform safety and does not constitute endorsement of any user, any vehicle, or any transaction, and does not make us a party to, or guarantor of, any sale.

6. Acceptable Use

17. You must use the Platform lawfully and in good faith. You must not:

• provide false, misleading, or fraudulent information, or impersonate any person or business;
• list a vehicle you do not own or have lawful authority to sell, or any stolen, cloned, scrapped, or unlawfully described vehicle;
• manipulate auctions, place bids you do not intend to honour, or use shill or coordinated bidding;
• circumvent the Platform or the PSP to avoid fees, or solicit other users to transact off-Platform to avoid fees (see the Seller Terms and Buyer Terms for anti-circumvention provisions);
• abuse, threaten, or harass other users or our staff;
• introduce malware, scrape, reverse-engineer, or interfere with the Platform’s operation or security; or
• use the Platform in breach of any applicable law, including consumer, trading-standards, data-protection, sanctions, or anti-money-laundering law.

18. We may remove or suspend any listing, content, or account at our reasonable discretion to enforce these Platform Terms or to protect users, the Platform, or third parties.

7. Listings, Content and Platform Information

19. Sellers are solely responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their listings, descriptions, photographs, and disclosures. Detailed seller obligations are in the Seller Terms.
20. Any data, tools, valuations, estimates, or vehicle-check results provided through the Platform are provided for general information only. We do not guarantee their accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any purpose, and they do not constitute advice or a representation by us about any vehicle. Decisions to bid, buy, or sell rest solely with the Buyer and Seller.
21. Licence to your content. You grant Trader.co.uk a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use the content you upload (including photographs and descriptions) for the purposes of operating, verifying, and promoting the Platform and facilitating transactions. We use your content for marketing only where you have given any consent required by law and in accordance with the Privacy Policy.

8. Intellectual Property

22. The Trader.co.uk name, brand, logos, website, software, design, and all associated intellectual property are owned by New Reg Limited and/or its licensors and are used by Trader.co.uk Services Limited under licence. Nothing in these Platform Terms transfers any intellectual property rights to you. You may not copy, reproduce, or exploit any part of the Platform except as expressly permitted.

9. Suspension, Restriction and Termination

23. We may suspend, restrict, or terminate your access to the Platform, or remove listings or content, where: you breach these Platform Terms or any document in the Terms Suite; you fail verification or present a fraud, financial-crime, sanctions, safety, or legal risk you fail to pay sums due; or we are required to do so for legal, regulatory, or operational reasons.
24. Where reasonably practicable and lawful, we will give you notice. Suspension or termination does not affect any binding contract of sale already formed between a Buyer and a Seller, or any accrued rights or sums due.

10. Our Liability

25. Nothing in these Platform Terms limits or excludes our liability for: (a) death or personal injury caused by our negligence; (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; (c) any liability that cannot be limited or excluded by law; or (d) any failure to provide our platform services with reasonable care and skill.
26. Our role. Because we are the Seller’s disclosed agent for facilitation and are not a party to the sale, we are not liable for: the condition, roadworthiness, mileage, quality, description, title, or legality of any vehicle; the acts or omissions of any Buyer or Seller; the formation, performance, or breach of any contract of sale; or the performance, timing, or availability of the PSP.
27. Subject to the first paragraph of this clause, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of business, or loss of opportunity.
28. Liability cap. Subject to the first paragraph of this clause, our total liability to you arising out of or in connection with the Platform and these Platform Terms (whether in contract, tort, including negligence, or otherwise) is limited, per claim or series of connected claims, to the higher of (a) the total fees you paid to Trader.co.uk in respect of the relevant transaction, and (b) £250.

11. Disputes Between Users

29. Any dispute about a vehicle or a sale is between the Buyer and the Seller, who must resolve it directly. We do not mediate, adjudicate, assess evidence, or provide compensation. We may, at our discretion and without obligation, provide transaction records to assist the parties.

12. General

1. Changes. We may update these Platform Terms from time to time. Material changes will be notified through the Platform or by email. Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.
2. Transfer. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these Platform Terms to another group company or to a third party. This will not affect your rights or any contract of sale you have entered into.
3. Third parties. New Reg Limited may enforce clause 8 (Intellectual Property). Otherwise, no person other than you and us has any right to enforce these Platform Terms under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
4. Severability. If any provision is held unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in force.
5. Waiver. A delay in enforcing a right is not a waiver of it.
6. Governing law and jurisdiction. These Platform Terms and any dispute arising from them are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.

13. Contact

Trader.co.uk Services Limited, Unit 5, 117 Liverpool Road, Longton, Preston, PR4 5AA. Email: support@trader.co.uk