Counterfeit & Authenticity Policy
Last Updated: June 2026
1. Zero-Tolerance Anti-Counterfeit Mandate
Squinted Ltd is built on trust, circular sustainability, and structural integrity. The creation, listing, distribution, or sale of counterfeit goods severely undermines our community and constitutes a direct violation of United Kingdom intellectual property laws.
We maintain a strict, zero-tolerance policy toward counterfeit items, replicas, clones, or unauthorized gray-market reproductions of any brand cataloged on our marketplace. Every single item listed must be 100% authentic.
2. Verification Vetting and Monitoring
To maintain an uncompromised marketplace catalog, Squinted utilizes a multi-layered ecosystem to review listings before and after they appear live on our platform:
- AI Frame Verification: Our built-in camera layout tools examine structural frame proportions, logos, hinge setups, and inner arm stamps against known brand manufacturing standards during the onboarding upload phase.
- Community Moderation: Verified community members and internal brand security teams have immediate, direct mechanisms to flag suspicious or mislabeled listings for urgent administrative review.
- Post-Sale Inspection Windows: As outlined in our Buyer Protection framework, funds processed via Stripe Connect are withheld in a secure staging capacity, granting buyers an explicit window upon physical delivery to run cross-checks before any payouts are finalized.
3. Seller Infractions and Account Penalty Tiering
If an item listed by a seller is verified to be counterfeit, unauthentic, or significantly misrepresented regarding its structural provenance, Squinted Ltd reserves the absolute right to take immediate, unilateral enforcement action.
Depending on the gravity and frequency of the infraction, actions include:
- Immediate, permanent deletion of the non-compliant product listing from the public marketplace.
- Indefinite withholding or total cancellation of pending Stripe transaction payouts for the disputed order, with funds routed entirely back to the defrauded buyer.
- Immediate, permanent suspension of the seller's account profile and a comprehensive platform ban across our device networks.
- Reporting systemic or commercial-scale fraudulent operations directly to UK Trading Standards and relevant law enforcement frameworks.
4. Buyer Recourse and Dispute Processes
If you purchase a pair of frames on Squinted and possess reasonable grounds to suspect they are not authentic upon physical arrival, you must trigger a dispute within our specified protection window before funds are released.
Buyers will be asked to upload clear, close-up photographs detailing the areas of concern (such as misaligned branding stamps, substandard hinge hardware, or weight anomalies). Our dispute management panel will thoroughly audit the ticket. If the frame is determined to be unauthentic, the transaction will be cancelled immediately, and a full refund will be processed back to your original payment method. Counterfeit items may be ordered to be destroyed or surrendered rather than returned to the seller, preventing them from re-entering circulation.
5. Brand Protection & Intellectual Property Cooperation
Squinted Ltd deeply respects intellectual property rights. We cooperate transparently with designer labels, independent eyewear manufacturers, and trademark owners to protect their brand architecture. If you are an authorized brand representative looking to issue a removal notice regarding an unauthorized use of corporate branding or a suspected replica listing, submit your claim directly to our compliance desk at admin@squinted.co.uk.