Working legal draft
Plain-English rules for signed-in buyer and seller conversations about a real Velvet Directory item.
Rule 1
Start or reply to a message only to ask a practical question about a genuine Velvet Directory listing, an offer, collection or delivery. Messages are not for unsolicited selling, advertising, recruitment, dating, spam or off-platform payment requests.
Rule 2
Do not put an email address, phone number, exact home address, payment-card information, passwords, account codes or collection instructions in a message. Velvet Directory does not show account email addresses or phone numbers inside the inbox. Use the protected purchase path before sharing collection arrangements.
Rule 3
No bullying, threats, stalking, humiliation, hateful or discriminatory language, sexual harassment, coercion, impersonation, scams, fraud, doxxing or image-based abuse. A disagreement about price, condition or availability is not a reason to insult or pressure another member.
Rule 4
Do not ask another member to pay outside the stated Velvet Directory checkout process or an approved external eBay auction. Do not ask for card details, bank-login details, gift cards, cryptocurrency or payment codes.
Rule 5
You can report a message sent by the other member or block a conversation. Reporting pauses the thread while the Velvet owner reviews it. Blocking stops both people from sending further messages in that thread.
How the inbox works
You must sign in to begin or reply to a message. A conversation is connected to one listing and is visible only to its buyer and seller, plus Velvet Directory where a safety report or lawful operational review makes that necessary. Velvet Directory may retain relevant messages and reports while managing the service, investigating misuse, meeting legal obligations or resolving a safety concern. Read the working Privacy Policy for more.
Automated safety check
Velvet may use an automated safety check before a private message is delivered. It can ask for a rewrite or stop a message that appears threatening, hateful, harassing, sexually abusive, scam-related or unsafe. The tool can make mistakes; it does not determine guilt, intent, legal liability, authenticity or value, and it does not automatically suspend an account. You can still use the report path if you are concerned.
Reports and urgent help
Velvet Directory can pause a thread, review a report, restrict a conversation or take other reasonable steps under the working Terms of Use. It is not an emergency service. If there is immediate danger, contact emergency services. For serious online abuse or harmful material, follow the relevant platform report process and consider eSafety’s external guidance.
eSafety reporting guidanceReview before launch: the final terms must state the legal entity, applicable age rules, final moderation process, data-retention period, complaint pathway and escalation contacts after Victorian legal review.