1. Scope

This Auction Authenticity and Item Condition Policy describes how items presented on ShopThing Auctions are graded, described, and authenticated, and the narrow remedies available to you if an item fails our authentication step or is materially misdescribed. It supplements, and is read together with, the Terms and Conditions for Auction Bidding and Purchase (the "Terms"). Capitalized terms not defined in this policy have the meanings given in the Terms.

2. Item descriptions, photographs, accessory lists

Each Lot's title, description, condition information, accessory list, and photographs are presented on the Lot's listing page in good faith. We may include our own inspection notes from our examination of the Lot at our authentication center. Photographs are intended to be representative; minor color and texture variation may occur based on lighting and camera. Photographs are not warranted as a precise reproduction of every wear pattern or condition feature. You should review all photographs and description details before placing a Bid.

3. Condition grading

3.1 The Kori grading system

We grade the condition of every Lot using Kori, our condition grading system. Kori translates the condition assessments performed by the professional auction houses from which we source Lots into a single, consistent six-tier scale, so that you can evaluate a Lot's condition without prior knowledge of any individual auction house's grading conventions. Each Lot's listing page displays its Kori grade, and a fuller explanation of the system is available at our Kori guide.

3.2 The six tiers

Kori has six tiers. From highest to lowest condition:

• Kori 6 — Pristine. Unused, never carried. Factory-sealed or store-fresh, with some or all original packaging and no signs of handling or wear.
• Kori 5 — Like New. Owned but never worn. Tried on or briefly displayed, but showing no signs of use under studio lighting.
• Kori 4 — Excellent. Minimal wear, exceptional condition. Worn a handful of times or never at all, and indistinguishable from like new at normal viewing distance; a faint mark may be visible up close.
• Kori 3 — Very Good. Light wear, gently used. Small marks may be visible on the exterior and sometimes the interior, and hardware shine may be slightly reduced or surface-scratched.
• Kori 2 — Good. Visible wear, fully functional. Corner wear and other areas of wear are visible on the exterior and interior, and hardware may be scratched, with no damage affecting function.
• Kori 1 — Well Loved. Heavy wear, character intact. Significant patina or wear including scratches, dents, peeling, or scuffing; the item may need minor repair or may have been previously restored.

3.3 How grades are assigned

Each Lot's Kori grade is derived from the condition assessment supplied by the auction house from which we source the Lot, mapped to the Kori scale using criteria we have calibrated through our own inspection. Where a source assessment was borderline, or our inspection suggested an item presents below its source grade, we map conservatively, toward the lower tier.

3.4 A grade is an opinion of condition, not a warranty

A Kori grade is our good-faith opinion of a Lot's overall condition at the time of grading. It is a summary of condition and not an exhaustive statement of every condition feature, and condition is inherently a matter of judgment. Condition that falls anywhere within the range described for the displayed tier — including condition at or toward the lower edge of that tier — is expected variation and is consistent with the grade. A Kori grade is not a warranty or guarantee of condition; each Lot is sold AS IS, WITH ALL FAULTS as described in §8, subject only to the narrow remedies in §6 and §7. In particular, the material-misdescription remedy in §7 is available, as set out in §7.2, only where a Lot's actual condition would require assignment of a grade lower than the tier displayed on the Lot listing, and not for condition variation within the displayed tier.

4. Authentication

We authenticate items at our authentication center before they are shipped to you. Authentication is performed by our in-house authentication team, by our authentication partner, or both.

Where we authenticate, we represent that we performed the authentication step described above. The scope of authentication we perform is set out in our operational standards and may evolve over time.

5. Brand and manufacturer disclaimer

Brands and manufacturers are not responsible for our authentication conclusions or for our condition grading, and may not honour either. Any rights or remedies you may have against a brand or manufacturer, including under any brand-administered authentication program or repair service, are between you and the brand. Our representations under this policy are limited to those expressly stated here.

6. Authentication failure

If a Lot fails our authentication step at our authentication center, we will not ship the Lot to you. Instead:

• we rescind the Final Sale;
• we refund you the full Bid amount plus applicable tax; the refund is processed automatically through the same payment method you used at capture;
• we retain the failed item out of circulation; we do not relist, resell, donate, or otherwise return it to commerce;
• we notify you by email of the outcome. You have no further obligation. No customer action is required to initiate this process; the authentication step is part of our normal fulfilment workflow.

7. Material misdescription — the narrow customer-side remedy

7.1 Final Sale baseline

All Final Sales are final per §8.2 of the Terms. The only customer-initiated remedy after a Final Sale is the material-misdescription path in this §7. Buyer's-remorse refunds, returns for any other reason, and at-will cancellation are not available. ShopThing VIP returns (the right to two returns per month described in the ShopThing VIP Terms) do not apply to auction Lots.

7.2 Eligibility

This remedy is available only where the item, as delivered to you, is materially different from the Lot's listing description in a way that goes beyond an interpretive disagreement about condition. Material differences include:

• wrong brand or wrong model;
• wrong color or wrong material;
• the item's actual condition, assessed against our grading criteria in §3, would require assignment of a grade lower than the grade displayed on the Lot listing; condition at or toward the lower edge of the displayed grade band is expected variation and does not qualify;
• evidence of counterfeit, other than as already addressed by the authentication-failure path in §6;
• missing accessories that were listed as included in the Lot description. This remedy is not a return policy for change-of-mind, fit, color preference under varying light, perception of wear within the displayed grade, or any other interpretive condition disagreement.

7.3 Required evidence

To submit a material-misdescription claim, you must provide all of the following:

• An unboxing video, OR clearly timestamped photographs, taken at the moment of receipt, showing the item in its original carrier packaging before any handling by you. We strongly encourage all customers to record an unboxing video as a matter of course; absence of an unboxing video or timestamped photographs is grounds for us to deny the claim.
• Multi-angle photographs of the alleged defect (typically three to five photographs from different angles).
• A clear written description of the alleged material difference, with reference to the Lot's listing description.
• Confirmation that the item has not been used, worn, cleaned, or otherwise altered post-delivery.
• Confirmation that all original packaging, tags, dust bags, papers, and accessories are present and ready to be returned.

7.4 Reporting window

Material-misdescription claims must be submitted to hello@shopthing.com within 48 hours of carrier-confirmed delivery. The 48-hour clock begins at the carrier's confirmed delivery timestamp. Claims submitted after 48 hours are time-barred without exception. No discretionary extensions to the 48-hour window are available.

7.5 Burden of proof

You bear the burden of proof. Missing or inconclusive evidence is sufficient grounds for us to deny the claim. We do not request additional rounds of evidence after our initial review; if your initial submission is inconclusive, the claim will be denied.

7.6 Internal adjudication

Our authentication and operations team reviews the claim and the evidence. The team renders a determination within 10 business days of receipt. The determination is final and binding under these Terms and is not subject to further internal appeal or to external dispute resolution under §21 of the Terms, except where applicable law requires otherwise. By submitting a claim under this §7, you agree to be bound by our determination.

7.7 Outcome where the claim is upheld

Where we uphold the claim, at our sole election, we will either:

• (a) rescind the Final Sale and refund you the full Bid amount plus applicable tax, with you returning the item to us using a prepaid return label that we provide; or
• (b) apply a partial credit to your account in an amount we determine reflects the material difference, with you retaining the item. Where the outcome is option (a), we cover the cost of return shipping.

7.8 Outcome where the claim is not upheld

Where we do not uphold the claim, no return is accepted, the Final Sale stands, you keep the item, and the case is closed. We will not reopen the case absent material new evidence of a kind that we would have considered in our original determination.

7.9 Non-transferable

This remedy applies only to the original Bidder of record. Subsequent transferees, including any party to whom you may gift, lend, or resell the item, are not entitled to the remedy under this §7.

8. "As Is" and "With All Faults"

Subject to §6 (authentication failure) and §7 (material misdescription) above, every Lot sold on ShopThing Auctions is sold AS IS, WITH ALL FAULTS. Except as expressly stated in this policy, we make no warranty, express or implied, with respect to any Lot, including any warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, or title beyond what we received from our source, all of which are disclaimed to the maximum extent permitted by law.

9. Reference to the Terms

This policy is summarized in §13 and §14 of the Terms. In case of conflict between this policy and the Terms, this policy controls with respect to authentication and material misdescription.

10. Contact

Authentication and material-misdescription claims must be submitted to hello@shopthing.com within 48 hours of carrier-confirmed delivery and must include the evidence required in §7.3.