Community Guidelines

Merkvex is a peer-to-peer market for Pokémon cards. You trade with other people. We provide the rails: listings, offers, on-platform chat, tracking fields, ratings, disputes, and trust signals.

We assume good faith until evidence says otherwise. We do not publicly label accounts as “under investigation.” We do restrict or remove people who repeatedly harm others or the market.

• Stay on-platform for the deal. Offers, acceptances, condition questions, and tracking go through Merkvex. Taking someone off-site to “avoid fees” or hide history is a red flag and may be treated as evasion.
• Describe condition honestly. NM means NM. The fair-value tools price what you claim; lying is fraud against the next person who trusts your listing.
• Photograph the actual copy. Use photo-verify when you can. Pack photos before ship. Thirty seconds of photos end most “he said / she said” fights.
• Ship protected and tracked. Penny sleeve + top loader + rigid mailer minimum for singles. Carrier tracking is required for shipped trades. Insurance when value warrants it.
• Enter real tracking numbers in the trade room when you ship. Fake tracking is a serious violation.
• Confirm completion in good faith when you receive what was agreed. Do not hold confirmation hostage without a dispute.
• Rate fairly after completed trades. Ratings are for fulfillment and honesty, not for winning an argument about market price.
• Keep chat clean. Slurs, harassment, and threats are blocked and may lead to restriction or ban. Trade chat and Mailbox both enforce this.
• One person, one account for trading reputation. Multi-accounting to evade limits, ratings, or sanctions is prohibited.
• Be 18+. Same as the Terms. We do not knowingly serve children under 13 (COPPA) or allow trading by anyone under 18. This is a real-money-adjacent marketplace culture even when cash settles off-platform between peers.
• Follow sanctions and export laws. Do not use the Service from comprehensively sanctioned territories or if you are a restricted party (Terms §5.6). Do not list or trade illegal items.

• Scams: switcheroo cards, empty envelopes, “lost in mail” with fake tracking, payment outside agreed terms then ghosting.
• Condition fraud: listing heavily played as NM, hiding whitening / creases / damage known to you.
• Photo fraud: stock photos of a different copy presented as the listed card.
• Rating manipulation: farming completes with alts/friends, coercive “5★ or I dispute,” brigading.
• Trust farming: looping low-value trades to inflate counts without real fulfillment.
• Harassment or doxxing in chat, mail, listings notes, or off-platform contact that stems from Merkvex trades.
• Impersonation of Merkvex staff, other collectors, or official channels.
• Chargebacks used as a weapon after receiving goods in a peer arrangement, where applicable: report payment disputes honestly.
• Automation / bots that spam offers, scrape in violation of fair use, or game ranking.
• Illegal goods or anything that is not legitimate TCG collecting activity.
• IP theft: uploading material you do not have rights to (counterfeit packaging claims, stolen photos of other sellers’ stock presented as yours, etc.). Copyright complaints follow Terms §8 (DMCA / Notice-and-Notice).

Merkvex does not sell a “Verified Trader” badge. Trust is earned on the Avatar Card (especially the trust / Vault & Mint side of the frame ladder) and on your public stall profile.

• Completed trades that both parties confirm (and tracking where required).
• Star ratings with count: always read 4.9★ (3) differently from 4.9★ (200).
• Real photos of the actual card and honest condition.
• Tenure, badges, founding marks where earned: never purchased as trust.
• Clean record: no active restriction, suspension, or ban.

New collectors can and should trade. Low history is not a crime; it is a signal to start small and use photos + tracking.

Email verification is required for a normal account. Phone verification may be added later for higher-risk actions; it is not required at launch.

If a trade goes wrong after accept/ship/complete, either party may open a dispute in the trade room (reason required). Only one open dispute per trade.

What to include

• Clear description of the problem
• Photos of cards received / packing / damage
• Tracking number and carrier screenshots
• Relevant chat excerpts (prefer on-platform chat: it is already logged)
• Delivery confirmation or “not received” evidence

Today, full evidence packs may be requested by support (email or staff Mail). Structured in-app evidence upload continues to improve. Cooperate quickly; silence hurts your case.

While a dispute is open, ratings on that trade may be held. Do not open frivolous disputes to dodge a deserved rating.

Sanctions fit the harm. Repeat patterns matter; each report is still read on its own merits.

We may jump steps for zero-tolerance conduct. We will not post “this user is under investigation” on public profiles.

During an investigation we prefer a temporary trading freeze over public shame. You may still browse the market. You should not be able to open or accept new trades until the freeze lifts or the case resolves.

If you see that message, contact hello@merkvex.com or reply to the staff Mail thread. Do not create a second account to work around it: that converts a temporary freeze into a ban.

If you believe a restriction, suspension, or ban was applied in error:

• Appeal within 14 days of notice.
• Email hello@merkvex.com with subject line Appeal: @yourhandle (or reply in the staff Mail thread).
• Include: what decision you are appealing, why you believe it is wrong, and any new evidence.
• One appeal per decision unless we ask for more information.
• We aim to respond within a reasonable time for a sole-operator service (typically within 7–14 days). Complex cases take longer.
• The review may uphold, reduce, or reverse the decision. Frivolous or abusive appeals may be closed without further reply.

Appeals provide the human review path for automated or semi-automated enforcement signals (see Privacy Policy §13).

• Active trade problem: open a dispute in the trade room first when available.
• Scam / safety / harassment: email hello@merkvex.com with handles, trade IDs, screenshots, tracking.
• In-app Mail: Support ticket from Mailbox when that desk is live for your account.

Good reports are specific. “They’re shady” is weak. “Trade #…, tracking X, photo of empty package Y” is strong.

Copyright and other IP complaints are handled under Terms §8:

• US DMCA: send a compliant notice to hello@merkvex.com subject DMCA Notice. Counter-notices and repeat-infringer termination are described in the Terms.
• Canada Notice-and-Notice: subject Copyright Notice. Canada.
• Other IP: subject IP Notice.

We may remove material and restrict accounts when appropriate. This section does not create escrow or payment remedies for card trades.

• We are: a marketplace software layer, trust rails, and operator of last resort for account sanctions.
• We are not: a bank, escrow agent, insurer, or court. Peer payment methods are between the parties unless we explicitly offer a Merkvex-held payment product (we do not claim that here).
• Pricing tools on the Board / Price Guide / Sealed Value are informational: not trade guarantees.
• Ciphers (and Blanks that stamp into them) are a limited in-Service licence under the Terms: not cash, not legal tender.
• Staff will never ask for your password. Official contact is merkvex.com surfaces and hello@merkvex.com.