Buying from a Private Seller or a Business Seller

1. Why This Distinction Matters

Squinted is a marketplace where both individuals clearing out their own eyewear collection and small businesses selling eyewear as part of their trade can list items for sale. UK consumer law treats these two situations differently, and it's important you know which one applies before you buy.

Statutory rights such as the right to a refund, repair, or replacement for goods that are faulty, not fit for purpose, or not as described — set out in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 — apply to purchases made from a trader (a business or an individual selling in the course of business). They generally do not apply to purchases made from another private individual selling their own personal items, in the same way that buying a used item from a friend or at a car boot sale doesn't carry the same statutory guarantees as buying from a shop.

2. Private Sellers

A private seller is an individual selling their own pre-loved eyewear occasionally, not as a business. When you buy from a private seller on Squinted:

• The Consumer Rights Act 2015 does not apply to your purchase, because the seller is not acting "in the course of a business."
• You do not have a statutory 14-day right to cancel for change of mind — private sales are not "distance sales" from a trader under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.
• You are still protected by our own Buyer Protection Policy — this is a contractual promise from Squinted, not a legal requirement, and it covers things like items not arriving, items that are significantly not as described, or counterfeit items.
• The seller must still describe the item honestly and accurately — misrepresenting an item remains a breach of our Marketplace Seller Terms and, in serious cases, could amount to misrepresentation under general contract law.

3. Business Sellers

A business seller is anyone selling eyewear on Squinted as part of a trade or business — for example, a small independent eyewear reseller, or a seller who lists frequently and at a scale that means they are acting in the course of business, regardless of how they describe themselves. When you buy from a business seller on Squinted, in addition to our Buyer Protection Policy, you also benefit from statutory rights including:

• The right to goods that are of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
• A short-term right to reject faulty goods (normally within 30 days), and a right to a repair, replacement, or refund if a fault is found later.
• A 14-day statutory right to cancel most online purchases for any reason, under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (some exceptions apply — for example, if you ask for delivery to start before the cancellation period ends, or for items that are made-to-measure).

These statutory rights sit alongside our Buyer Protection Policy and are not replaced by it. If a business seller's terms or our policies ever conflict with your statutory rights, your statutory rights take priority.

4. How We Classify Sellers

When you set up a seller account, we ask you to confirm whether you're selling as a private individual or as a business. If you're not sure which applies to you, ask yourself:

• Are you regularly buying or making eyewear with the intention of reselling it for profit, rather than simply clearing out items you've personally owned and used?
• Are you selling in significant volume, or advertising yourself as a business?
• Do you already run a business that eyewear sales form part of?

If the answer to any of these is yes, you should register and list as a business seller. We may also review account activity — such as the volume and frequency of items sold — and reclassify an account as a business seller where it's reasonably clear that trading is taking place, regardless of how the account was originally registered. Misrepresenting your seller status is a breach of our Marketplace Seller Terms.

5. Where You'll See This on Squinted

Every listing and order summary on Squinted clearly shows whether you're buying from a private seller or a business seller, before you complete your purchase. If this isn't shown clearly on a listing you're viewing, please contact us before buying.

6. A Note for Business Sellers on Tax Reporting

If you sell as a business seller, or your activity as a private seller meets certain volume or value thresholds, UK law requires online marketplaces like Squinted to collect your tax reference details and report your sales income to HMRC. This is explained further in our Privacy Policy and our Marketplace Seller Terms.