Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

1. Platform Overview

The Glass Exchange ("we," "us," "our," or "the platform") is an online marketplace for the auction of collector-grade, artist-made functional glass. We provide the infrastructure for buyers and sellers to connect, but we are not a party to any sale. All transactions are directly between buyers and sellers.

By accessing or using the platform — including browsing listings, creating a member account, submitting a piece for auction, placing a bid, or completing a transaction — you agree to these Terms of Use in full. If you do not agree, do not use the platform.

We may update these terms at any time. Continued use of the platform after a change constitutes acceptance of the revised terms. Material changes will be noted with an updated "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

2. Member Accounts

An approved member account is required to place bids and post public comments. Accounts are free to create. Display names are reviewed by The Glass Exchange before activation to reduce spam, impersonation, and offensive handles.

Eligibility. You must be at least 18 years of age to create an account or participate in auctions. By creating an account you represent that you meet this requirement.

Accuracy. You agree to provide accurate, complete information when creating your account. Providing false information — including impersonating another person, artist, brand, or business — is grounds for immediate account suspension.

Display names. Display names must be between 3 and 24 characters and may not contain offensive, hateful, or abusive language, or names that impersonate any person, artist, brand, or business you do not control. We reserve the right to reject, rename, or suspend any display name at our discretion.

Security. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials. You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at hello@theglassexchange.com if you believe your account has been compromised.

Suspension. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate any member account at our discretion, including for non-payment after winning a bid, providing false information, abusive conduct, or any violation of these terms.

3. Bidding & Buying

Bids are binding. By placing a bid you are making a legally binding commitment to purchase the item at that price if you are the winning bidder. Bids cannot be retracted or cancelled once placed. Do not bid unless you are prepared to complete the purchase.

Winning the auction. The highest bid at auction close wins the item, subject to the reserve price being met (if applicable). If the reserve is not met, the auction closes without a sale unless a post-auction agreement is reached through the Deal Desk.

Card authorization. When you place a bid, a temporary authorization hold equal to 5% of your bid amount (minimum $25) may be placed on your registered payment method. This hold supports serious bidding and is not a charge. If you are outbid, the hold is released. If you win, the hold is applied toward your buyer premium as part of final payment processing.

Buyer premium. The buyer premium is 5% of the final hammer price, capped at $5,000. The buyer premium is added to the hammer price to determine the total purchase price. At this stage, credit card checkout also includes a separate 3% card processing fee disclosed at payment. Shipping is calculated and confirmed separately.

Auto-bid. The auto-bid feature places bids on your behalf up to a maximum amount you set. Setting an auto-bid does not guarantee you will win at that amount — it means the system will bid incrementally up to your limit. Auto-bids are subject to the same binding commitment as manual bids.

Anti-sniping. Any bid placed within the final two minutes of an auction extends the auction by two minutes. This process repeats until no bids are placed within the final two minutes, at which point the auction closes.

Non-payment. Winning bidders who fail to complete payment may have their account suspended and may be barred from future participation. We reserve the right to pursue recovery of any applicable fees or costs associated with non-payment.

4. Selling & Submissions

Submission is not acceptance. Submitting a piece does not guarantee it will be listed. We curate every submission for quality, condition, authorship, photography, and market fit. We may decline any submission at our discretion without obligation to provide a detailed explanation.

Accurate disclosure. Sellers are solely responsible for the accuracy of all listing information, including condition, provenance, dimensions, authorship, and any accessories or items described as included. Material misrepresentation is grounds for listing removal, dispute resolution against the seller, and account suspension.

Reserve prices. Sellers may request a reserve price. Reserves remain confidential. We may ask that a reserve be adjusted before acceptance if we determine it is materially inconsistent with current market value. Once a listing is live, a reserve may be lowered but not raised.

Listing fees. There is no seller listing fee. We do not charge sellers for accepted submissions or for auctions that do not meet their reserve.

Seller approval. All final listing content — including photography organization, written description, and reserve — is subject to seller approval before publication. By approving a listing, the seller confirms all content is accurate.

Cancellation. Once a listing is live with active bids, it cannot be cancelled by the seller. Attempting to cancel or withdraw a listing after bids have been placed may result in account suspension.

Verified Seller. The Verified Seller designation is granted by The Glass Exchange at our discretion, initially through manual review and over time through a completed transaction record. The designation may be revoked at any time for conduct inconsistent with platform standards.

5. Transactions, Payment & Delivery

Payment. Winning bidders are contacted after auction close to complete final payment. Payment must be completed promptly. We use Stripe for payment processing. By providing payment information you agree to Stripe's terms of service in addition to ours.

Shipping. Sellers are responsible for packaging the piece securely, shipping fully insured, and providing tracking information promptly after auction close. The Glass Exchange's shipping standards (available at theglassexchange.com/shipping) define minimum packaging expectations. Sellers who fail to meet these standards accept responsibility for shipping-related damage claims.

Verification window. Buyers have 72 hours after confirmed delivery or completed handoff to verify that the piece arrived as described. During this window, buyers should review the piece against the listing description and condition notes. Seller payout is held until the verification window closes without a dispute, or a dispute is resolved in the seller's favor.

Seller payout. Seller payout is released after the verification window closes. We do not hold funds beyond the verification period without cause. In the event of a dispute, payout is held until the dispute is resolved.

Local handoff. Buyer and seller may agree to complete the transaction through an in-person exchange after auction close. The same 72-hour verification window applies, beginning at the time of exchange. Documentation of the handoff is strongly encouraged.

6. Disputes

Scope. Valid disputes include: the piece arriving materially different from the listing description, undisclosed damage, or missing accessories confirmed as included in the listing. Buyer's remorse, minor photographic variation, and issues disclosed in the listing prior to bidding do not constitute valid disputes.

Filing a dispute. Disputes must be submitted through the transaction page within the 72-hour verification window. Once a dispute is filed, the verification clock is paused and seller payout is held pending resolution.

Resolution process. The Glass Exchange will review the listing description, condition notes, both parties' statements, and any available documentation (including packaging photos or video). We aim to respond to all disputes within 24–48 hours. Both parties agree that The Glass Exchange's dispute resolution decisions are final and binding.

Outcomes. Dispute outcomes may include full or partial refund, return of the item, or a finding in favor of the seller. In the case of a required return, return shipping is the buyer's responsibility unless the listing contained material misrepresentation, as determined by The Glass Exchange.

Platform limitations. The Glass Exchange is not responsible for shipping damage, carrier loss, theft in transit, or events outside our control. We facilitate dispute resolution but do not guarantee outcomes. Sellers who properly package, insure, and document their shipments significantly reduce their exposure to adverse dispute outcomes.

7. Conduct & Prohibited Use

You agree not to use The Glass Exchange to:

• Place bids without intent to complete purchase if you win
• Submit pieces with false, misleading, or materially incomplete information
• Impersonate any person, artist, brand, or business
• Harass, threaten, or abuse other users through any platform feature including comments
• Manipulate auction outcomes through shill bidding, bid retraction abuse, or coordinated activity
• Circumvent the platform by arranging off-platform transactions with counterparties you met through The Glass Exchange during active auction periods
• Use automated means to scrape, crawl, or collect data from the platform without written permission
• Attempt to introduce malicious code or interfere with platform operations
• Violate any applicable local, state, federal, or international law

Violations may result in immediate account suspension, voiding of active bids, and referral to appropriate authorities where applicable.

8. Limitation of Liability & Disclaimers

Marketplace only. The Glass Exchange is a marketplace platform. We are not a buyer, seller, auctioneer, broker, or agent in any transaction. We do not take physical possession of any items. We do not authenticate, appraise, or guarantee the condition, authenticity, provenance, or value of any piece listed on the platform.

No warranties. The platform is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranty of any kind, express or implied. We do not warrant that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components.

Limitation of damages. To the maximum extent permitted by law, The Glass Exchange shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the platform, including but not limited to losses arising from auction outcomes, shipping failures, payment disputes, or reliance on listing information provided by third-party sellers.

Indemnification. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Glass Exchange, its owners, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the platform, your violation of these terms, or your violation of any rights of another party.

Governing law. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from these terms shall be resolved in the courts of Michigan.

Entire agreement. These terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and The Glass Exchange regarding your use of the platform and supersede all prior agreements.

9. Information We Collect

Account information. When you create a member account, we collect your full name, email address, display name, and any optional bio you provide. This information is used to manage your account and activate bidding and commenting privileges.

Submission information. When you submit a piece for auction, we collect contact details, address information, piece details, photography, and any supporting documentation you provide. This information is used to evaluate and prepare your listing.

Transaction information. When you complete a purchase, we collect payment information (processed by Stripe — we do not store raw card numbers), shipping address, and transaction correspondence. This information is used to fulfill and support the transaction.

Usage information. We may collect information about how you interact with the platform, including pages visited, listings viewed, search queries, and bid activity. This information is used to improve the platform and understand how it is being used.

Communications. If you contact us by email or through the contact form, we retain those communications to help us respond and to track ongoing issues.

10. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Operate and maintain the marketplace platform
• Review and approve member accounts and display names
• Evaluate and prepare auction listings
• Process transactions, payments, and payouts
• Facilitate dispute resolution
• Send transactional notifications (outbid alerts, closing notifications, transaction updates)
• Respond to support inquiries and contact form submissions
• Improve platform functionality and user experience
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and policy violations
• Comply with legal obligations

We do not use your information for advertising targeting, do not sell your data to third parties, and do not use your data to train AI models or any other commercial purpose beyond operating the platform.

11. Information Sharing

Between buyers and sellers. To complete a transaction, certain information is shared between buyer and seller. Sellers receive the winning bidder's shipping address to fulfill the order. Buyers receive tracking information and seller correspondence relevant to their transaction. Neither party receives the other's financial information.

Service providers. We use third-party service providers to operate the platform, including Stripe for payment processing. These providers receive only the information necessary to perform their specific function and are contractually required to protect it.

Legal requirements. We may disclose information when required by law, subpoena, or court order, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of any person, prevent fraud, or protect our legal rights.

Business transfers. In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or part of our business, user information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify users of any such change.

We do not sell your data. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for their own marketing or commercial purposes.

12. Cookies & Local Storage

The Glass Exchange uses browser local storage to save your member session, watchlist, and notification preferences on your device. This data stays on your device and is not transmitted to our servers unless you take an action that requires it (such as placing a bid or submitting a form).

We may use standard analytics cookies to understand aggregate platform usage (pages visited, general traffic patterns). We do not use advertising cookies or tracking pixels from third-party ad networks.

You can clear your local storage at any time through your browser settings. Doing so will sign you out and clear your watchlist and preferences.

13. Your Rights & Data Control

Access. You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you at any time by emailing hello@theglassexchange.com.

Correction. If any information we hold about you is inaccurate, you may request that we correct it.

Deletion. You may request deletion of your account and associated personal data. We will honor deletion requests subject to any legal or operational obligations that require us to retain certain records (such as completed transaction records for financial compliance purposes).

Opt-out. You may opt out of non-essential communications at any time by emailing us. Note that transactional notifications (such as outbid alerts, delivery confirmations, and dispute updates) are part of the platform's core function and cannot be disabled while your account is active.

California residents. If you are a California resident, you may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know what personal information is collected, the right to delete, and the right to opt out of sale. We do not sell personal information. To exercise your CCPA rights, contact us at hello@theglassexchange.com.

14. Privacy Contact

For any questions, requests, or concerns related to this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at:

We will respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 10 business days.