FootballSociety Buyer Protection Procedure

This Buyer Protection Procedure (the "Procedure") applies to every purchase made by a verified user ("buyer") through the FootballSociety marketplace, a trading name of WCM Company, established in Vlaardingen, the Netherlands.

The Procedure governs how FootballSociety holds the buyer's payment in escrow, the conditions under which the buyer may claim a refund, the applicable deadlines, the evidence required, and how disputes are resolved.

By placing a purchase on the marketplace, the buyer accepts this Procedure. The Procedure also applies to sellers insofar as it concerns their obligations and the refund to the buyer.

In the event of conflict between this Procedure and the User Agreement, the User Agreement prevails. In the event of conflict with mandatory law, mandatory law prevails to the extent of the conflicting provision.

The Procedure applies only to transactions fully settled through FootballSociety's payment infrastructure (Stripe). Transactions or arrangements concluded outside the platform fall outside the Procedure and under the exclusion in article 4.

For each purchase a Buyer Protection fee is charged of 5% of the item price, capped at €50 per purchase. The contribution is mandatory for all buyers and has no exemptions, including for Premium members.

The contribution covers the administrative and financial handling of disputes, the escrow service, FootballSociety's role as intermediary in assessing complaints, and the risk of non- or incorrect delivery as described in article 3.

The paid purchase amount (item price, shipping and buyer protection fee) is held in escrow by FootballSociety until the order is confirmed as delivered in line with the deadlines in article 5, or until a dispute is resolved.

The maximum cover per purchase is the full amount paid by the buyer (item price plus shipping), up to an absolute ceiling of €10,000 per purchase and €25,000 per buyer per calendar year. For purchases above the ceiling, cover is limited to the ceiling.

FootballSociety provides cover for the buyer in the following specifically described situations:

• •Non-shipment: the seller does not ship the item within 5 days of payment, after which the order is automatically cancelled and the buyer receives a full refund.
• •Non-receipt: the seller has shipped, but the item does not reach the buyer, and the buyer reports this within the complaint deadline in article 5.
• •Item not as described: the delivered item materially differs from the description, photos, condition, size or club/year/kit-type stated on the listing.
• •Wrong item: the seller shipped a different item than the one purchased.
• •Damaged in transit: the item arrives damaged in a way that is not the result of normal use or wear consistent with the stated condition.
• •Authenticity: it is made plausible that the shirt is not authentic while the listing suggested authenticity. This case does not lead to an automatic refund. The buyer may file a complaint and discuss a return and refund with the seller; if no agreement is reached, FootballSociety will guide the dispute to an appropriate resolution (including a return or partial refund), but FootballSociety does not grant an automatic full refund for authenticity complaints.

In all cases except authenticity the buyer may, subject to the deadlines and evidence in articles 5 and 6, claim a full refund of the paid purchase amount and original shipping, or, if the seller still delivers correctly, performance. For authenticity the consultation-and-assistance arrangement described in this article applies; FootballSociety does not grant an automatic full refund for authenticity complaints.

Cover is limited to the amount paid by the buyer through the platform. FootballSociety is not an insurer within the meaning of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act; the Procedure is a contractual arrangement between FootballSociety, the buyer and the seller, not an insurance policy.

Buyer protection is excluded and no refund is due in the following cases:

• •Off-platform transactions: purchases or arrangements concluded wholly or partly outside FootballSociety's payment infrastructure, including direct bank transfers, cash payments or payment apps.
• •Fit and preference: complaints about fit, personal taste, colour variation within normal screen variance, or aesthetic preferences not recorded in the listing.
• •Wear consistent with stated condition: complaints about defects consistent with the condition stated by the seller (mint, excellent, good, fair or worn).
• •Wrong size with correct listing: where the seller stated the size as listed and the buyer ordered a size other than their own measurements require.
• •Changes after delivery: damage, loss or changes arising after the item has been received by the buyer or a third party designated by them.
• •Delivery issues caused by the buyer: incorrect or incomplete address, refusal of delivery, or failure to collect a parcel from the carrier, unless caused by the seller.
• •Force majeure: delay or non-delivery due to force majeure such as natural disasters, government measures, strikes, war or other circumstances beyond the control of FootballSociety and the seller.
• •Orders incorrectly entered or incompletely paid by the buyer.
• •Transactions between acting parties where the item was intentionally passed on, traded or destroyed before or during a dispute, without FootballSociety's consent.
• •Fraud or deception by the buyer, including filing a false complaint, fabricating evidence, or cooperating in an unjustified chargeback.
• •Complaints filed after the deadlines in article 5.

If a complaint falls under one of these exclusions, FootballSociety may reject it. A rejection leads to release of the escrow to the seller, unless an external chargeback is pending.

The following deadlines apply to every purchase and are enforced by FootballSociety through automated checks:

To claim cover, the buyer must provide FootballSociety with adequate evidence. The minimum evidence per complaint type is:

• •Non-shipment / non-receipt: a statement from the buyer that the item was not received, supplemented with the tracking number and, if available, written confirmation from the carrier that the parcel was not delivered.
• •Item not as described / wrong item: clear photos of the received item compared with the listing photos, including labels, sizes, brands and any product codes.
• •Damaged in transit: photos of the damaged item and of the packaging showing the damage, taken before unpacking where possible.
• •Authenticity: a reasoned report from a recognised authentication service or independent expert, or otherwise objective evidence making non-authenticity plausible.

Evidence must be uploaded via the order overview within the complaint window (article 5). FootballSociety assesses completeness and may request additional evidence ("needs_info").

Failure to provide required evidence (in time) may lead to rejection of the complaint and release of the escrow to the seller.

FootballSociety treats evidence confidentially, shares it only with the seller for rebuttal and with administrators for assessment, and retains it no longer than necessary for handling the dispute and any legal retention obligations.

The procedure for handling a complaint is as follows:

• •The buyer opens a dispute via "I have a complaint" in the order overview, selects a reason category and supplies the required evidence from article 6.
• •The seller may respond within 3 business days and provide counter-evidence.
• •FootballSociety assesses the complaint and (counter-)evidence, and may request additional information from either party ("needs_info").
• •FootballSociety decides the complaint with one of the following outcomes: refund to the buyer ("resolved_refunded"), dismissal in favour of the seller ("resolved_seller"), or request for additional information ("needs_info").
• •On a refund, FootballSociety refunds the paid amount via the original payment method; any wallet portion is credited to the buyer wallet. The seller escrow is reversed.

Save for error or misuse, FootballSociety's decisions are binding as regards the settlement of the transaction via the platform. The decision does not affect the buyer's right to take external legal action, as referred to in article 12.

FootballSociety reserves the right to refer a dispute to the payment processor or an external dispute resolution body if the nature of the complaint so requires.

An approved refund comprises the full amount paid by the buyer: item price, original shipping, and the buyer protection fee. Refunds are made via Stripe to the original payment method; a wallet portion is credited to the buyer wallet.

The seller is responsible for the refund where a shortcoming was caused by them. FootballSociety reverses the escrow on the seller's behalf and may recover seller proceeds already released if a dispute is subsequently decided in the buyer's favour.

On a refund, the buyer must return the item to the seller within 5 days (article 5). Return costs are borne in principle by the party at fault: where the seller caused the shortcoming, the seller covers return costs; on a dismissal, the buyer bears them.

To prevent double handling, FootballSociety may suspend the refund until the return is confirmed, or until a pending chargeback via the payment processor is resolved.

To be eligible for buyer protection, the buyer must:

• •Provide a correct and complete delivery address at checkout.
• •Inspect the item on receipt and, if a problem is found, report it within the 2-day complaint window via the order overview.
• •Provide the requested evidence (article 6) in time and truthfully.
• •Take receipt of the item and not pass it on, trade, destroy or dispose of it before or during a pending dispute, unless FootballSociety requests otherwise.
• •On an approved refund, return the item within 5 days and retain proof of shipment.
• •Cooperate with FootballSociety and the payment processor, and not misuse the Procedure, chargebacks or refunds.

If the buyer breaches any of these obligations, FootballSociety may reject the complaint, revoke a refund already granted, and take appropriate measures including account restriction or exclusion.

The seller is required to:

• •Describe the item accurately and honestly, with correct photos, condition, size, club, year, kit-type and authenticity.
• •Ship within 5 days of payment and enter the tracking number in time.
• •Respond within 3 business days of a complaint and provide (counter-)evidence.
• •On a dispute decided against them, cooperate with the return and refund, and repay proceeds already paid out if FootballSociety so requests.

Repeated or serious breaches may lead to loss of selling rights, removal of listings and account exclusion.

Buyer protection is a contractual arrangement intended to protect the buyer against loss on non-correct delivery, and not a general liability regime of FootballSociety.

To the extent permitted by mandatory law, FootballSociety's liability towards the buyer and seller is limited to the amount settled via the platform for the relevant transaction, subject to the absolute ceilings in article 2.

FootballSociety is not liable for indirect damage, consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of enjoyment or damage arising from the (temporarily) unavailable platform, payment infrastructure or escrow service, except in cases of intent or conscious recklessness by FootballSociety.

FootballSociety acts as intermediary and escrow service between buyer and seller and is not a party to the underlying sale agreement between buyer and seller. The sale agreement is concluded solely between buyer and seller.

The buyer and seller indemnify FootballSociety against all claims, damages and costs (including reasonable legal costs) arising from their acts or omissions on or outside the platform, from incorrect information, fraudulent behaviour, or from disputes between them not resolved through the Procedure.

An external chargeback initiated by the buyer or seller that is unjustified or filed to circumvent the Procedure entitles FootballSociety to impose account restrictions and exclude that party from the Procedure.

Nothing in this Procedure limits the buyer's statutory rights as a consumer under mandatory law, in particular the seller's statutory liability for conformity and defects under applicable consumer law.

FootballSociety may amend this Procedure. An amendment is published on the platform with a new version and effective date. Existing, ongoing transactions are assessed under the version of the Procedure in force at the time of purchase.

Complaints about FootballSociety's handling may be filed via team.footballsociety@outlook.com. Consumers in the European Union may also file a complaint with the European Online Dispute Resolution platform or the national dispute resolution body of their country of residence.

This Procedure is governed by Dutch law. Disputes not resolved through the Procedure are brought before the competent court in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, without prejudice to the consumer's statutory right to bring a dispute in their country of residence.

If a provision of this Procedure is void or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect; the parties shall in good faith agree a replacement provision that is as close as possible to the original intent.