This document describes the Terms and Conditions of Use of the services accessible on the Site BalkanAuction.com (in short BalkanAuction).
The Site is administered and maintained by Auction.BG Ltd.

BalkanAuction is an e-commerce platform where every user can:
  - Advertise goods for sale at auction and at a fixed price
  - Buy and bid in auctions started by another user.

Definitions of the terms used in these Terms and Conditions of Use:
  - Online Auction - an internet-based sales ad posted on the website BalkanAuction
  - User - any person who has registered with the website in order to use the services provided by the website
  - Seller - a user who starts an online auction
  - Buyer - a user who has won an online auction
  - Deal - When a Buyer wins an online auction, this is deemed a sales-and-purchase agreement between the Seller and the Buyer
  - Uncontrolled Deal - an agreement between a Seller and a Buyer on a particular auction through the communication module of the system
  - User account - a virtual individual account that visualizes all charged amounts from and to BalkanAuction based on the use of the paid functionalities of the platform, bonuses and more. Important: the account does not have a payment function between the parties of a deal (Seller-Buyer). The units allocated in it are not electronic money within the meaning of the regulations for the providing of payment services
  - Rating - a grading system based on the users' feedback for each other
  - Reserve Price - a minimal price at which the Seller would agree to sell
  - Buy It Now price - a price at which the Buyer would agree to buy and bypass the bidding.

Given that BalkanAuction is an international website, an official website time zone is selected. This time zone is UTC +2.

1. These Terms and Conditions of Use become compulsory for every registered user.

2. BalkanAuction reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change these Terms and Conditions of Use.

3. If there are changes in these General Terms and Conditions, the system shall notify all active users. If the user did not use their right to disagree with the changes in the time limit given by law and continues to use the website's services, it is assumed that they agree with the new General Terms and Conditions.

4. The website is not a broker. It does not participate and it does not bear any responsibility or liability in any way for the deals concluded between the Buyers and the Sellers.

Registration

5. Any person who would like to use the services of the website shall have to register.

6. Any person who has sent an application for registration agrees to the Terms and Conditions of Use and all the procedures involved in the registration and the subsequent authentication including a mobile phone (SMS) confirmation/authentication as well.

7. Only Persons over the age of 18 have the right to register. Legal entities are registered by their representatives.

8. BalkanAuction collects personal data from the users (Data Controller reg. No. 21044 under the Personal Data Protection Act, The Republic of Bulgaria).
  8.1. By applying for registration, every person consents to providing their personal data.
  8.2. Any person who wishes to register is deemed as having agreed to have read the Privacy Policy and to accept it.
  8.3. If there is a deal between a Seller and a Buyer, the website does not automatically disclose personal data.
  8.4. The website shall not bear any responsibility for any invalid or incomplete contact/delivery details provided by the users.
  8.5. Any person who wishes to be registered is deemed as having agreed to receive notifications based on their activities in the system.

9. The registration, the data (including the rating) and the related obligations to the website, is personal and cannot be passed on to other people. The registration of new/additional profiles by user is a possible action only if it is made by Seller type user with a great quantity and variety of items. An administrator’s approval is required after a sent e-mail application.

10. The website reserves its right to:
  - Refuse a registration;
  - Terminate a registration without any prior notice;
  - Request additional personal data and ID verification documents of the persons;
  - Request a guarantee fee payment to prevent any malicious/unfair actions;
  - Deactivate a registration after a request made by the user.

11. The website does not bear any responsibility for any publicly visualized personal data by the users in auction descriptions, public texts and comments.

Fees

12. The registration is free of charge.

13. BalkanAuction does not collect fees from the Buyers (excl. user subscriptions).

14. Sellers are charged fees when using additional/advertising options, as well as when concluding a deal as provided in the Fees Section.
  14.1. A final fee is also charged when using uncontrolled deals, i.e. in cases of early termination of auctions after an agreement/arrangement between a Seller and a Buyer through the communication module of the system. This fee is at a discount from the standard one and it is at the rate of 3.4% of the starting/current offered price of the terminated auction. Concluding such a type of deal eliminates the options of rating comments and making a final fee refund request in case of non-completion. If a deal is made throughout communication, it is obligatory to terminate the auction with a declared reason for "Agreed sale through the system". Any other activity or inactivity will be indexed as an obvious violation.
  14.2. If the Seller's declared reason for early termination of an auction is identified as dishonest behaviour, the maximum possible fee (49 €), no greater than the value of the deal, will be charged. As a breach of site terms and conditions, which is reason for a sanction, is also considered a preliminary termination with a declared reason different from "Agreed sale through the system", but with existing communication, which consists of given information about the delivery and/or a telephone number and/or an email address.

15. Adding an amount to a user account is done after depositing funds on the BalkanAuction account according to the information provided on the website. BalkanAuction displays the transfer in units equal to the amount paid. This amount is updated after each operation made by the user, as a result of which its value changes (adding an amount and providing a bonus leads to an increase in the amount of units in the user account, while marking a paid option and charging a final fee leads to a decrease in the amount).
  15.1. In case of a negative balance on a specific user account at the end of the current month, which is lower than minus 3 € (three euro), the user is obliged to add an amount to their account with no less than the amount due and not later than the 10th of the next month. After that deadline, ie. in case of delay, restrictions are applied to the profile/profiles. In order to have those restrictions removed, the whole amount currently owed to the system must be paid. In case the customer uses additional profiles and/or there is any indication for connection with other profiles, the restriction is placed on all of the linked profiles.
  15.2. A user can request an invoice after each amount added to their account in the platform by entering the necessary data (General section). All invoices issued to a user are available to them in an electronic format and are accessible for downloading within 365 days. Accepting the General Terms and Conditions also means accepting the submission of invoices in an electronic format within the meaning of the regulations applicable to VAT.

Online Auctions

16. A Buyer shall be deemed the winner at an auction if any of the following conditions is met:
  16.1. The Buyer is the leading bidder at the end of the auction (in case of an online auction without any reserve price);
  16.2. The Buyer is the leading bidder at the end of the auction and the reserve price (if there is such) has been reached;
  16.3. The Buyer has used a Buy It Now price (if there is such);
  16.4. An offer made through the built-in special functions of the system has been accepted (Make Offer).

17. Every standard auction is open-bidding and the user who has entered the highest price will be declared the winner. The bidding increment is fixed, although its value is different for different price ranges. That value is clearly visible at any auction where the bidding has started and it represents the actual difference between the lowest admissible price for the next bid and the current offered price. In case the difference between the amounts entered by the winner and by the user ranking second is larger than the increment, the final value of the auction is formed by the amount of second ranking user plus the increment. The users are ranked in descending order of the amounts they have entered.

18. In case of a concluded deal, the Buyer is obliged to purchase the goods offered by the Seller in accordance with the terms and conditions of payment and delivery described in the online auction.

19. Every Seller can start an online auction with any goods, provided the following conditions are met:
  19.1. The item is not prohibited under the European legislation;
  19.2. The Seller has all the required licenses, permits and patents in case that those are required by the European legislation;
  19.3. The item is presented via text and/or images in a way which shall not mislead the Buyers;
  19.4. If the item is a Replica, it is shown both in the description and in the title of the auction;
  19.5. The main image used to indicate the auction in all the lists visualizes the item advertised for sale;
  19.6. All terms and conditions of payment and delivery have been described.

20. In case of a concluded deal, the Seller should deliver the goods to the Buyer. The item should match completely its presentation in the online auction.

21. The Seller is not allowed to demand from the Buyer any additional fees, surcharges, VAT and any other additional payments if those have not been explicitly described in the online auction.

22. The Seller is not allowed to start an online auction which has at least one of the following features:
  22.1. It contains words and expressions which are vulgar or contrary to good morals;
  22.2. It contains images with violent scenes which are contrary to good morals (incl. scenes of violence, sadism, child pornography);
  22.3. It contains ad links (exception: requested and approved advertising campaigns);
  22.4. It contains any personal data (contact details);
  22.5. It visualizes an unrealistically high price (many times higher than the market price);
  22.6. It uses other persons' intellectual property without the permission of the copyright owners;
  22.7. An inappropriate category has been selected;
  22.8. It is doubled/multiplied, whereas maximum two active auctions are permitted in the case that sufficient quantity is available of any particular item;
  22.9. Ads of the types: "I buy", "I swap", "Service", "Food", "Advertisement" and "Additional images".

23. BalkanAuction reserves the right to cancel any online auction as well as to delete a text or part of a text, published by users and publicly displayed in the content of the site. Content restriction actions or user profiles are based on internal moderation policies and procedures, which are checked for violations of the Terms and Conditions or applicable laws. The underlying purpose of these policies and procedures is to ensure the safety of users and fight any abuse. A procedure for complaints submitted by consumers has also been developed related to content or account blocking solutions. Complaints are submitted through the contact form on the platform, and their consideration is within 14 days. The deadline for filing a complaint is within 6 months of the moderator's decision on restriction.

Responsibility

24. BalkanAuction shall not be liable for any undesired consequences occurred as a result of any malfunction of the website, including failed deals between Buyers and Sellers.

    These Terms and Conditions of Use have not been updated since July 10, 2023.