Money Back Guarantee policy
Some car listings may be eligible for a money back guarantee. Learn more.
Some car listings may be eligible for a Money Back Guarantee. Learn how it works, who's eligible, and how to make a claim.
About the policy
If you buy a Premium package on a Cars listing, are part of our experiment group and your car doesn't sell within the guarantee window, we'll refund what you paid for the bundle as Trade Me credit. You can choose to keep your listing live until it’s sold by re-list like normal. This policy explains how the Money Back Guarantee works, who's eligible, and how to make a claim.
What the Money Back Guarantee covers
The Money Back Guarantee is a refund of the price you paid for a Premium package on a private Cars listing on Trade Me Motors. It's our way of giving you confidence that paying for a Premium package is worth it — if your car doesn't sell, we'll refund the bundle.
If you qualify, we'll refund the full price of your Premium package to your Ping account.
Who's eligible
To be eligible for the Money Back Guarantee, all of the following must apply:
- You bought a Premium package on a Cars listing on Trade Me Motors.
- You're a private seller. Dealers and HVDL Members are not eligible.
- Your listing was a Classifieds (fixed-price) listing, not an auction.
- Your listing was live for at least 60 continuous days in its initial listing period. You can't have withdrawn it, ended it early, or had it removed by Trade Me for breaching our rules.
- You have lodged your claim within 45 days of your listing becoming eligible.
- The car hasn't been sold or otherwise transferred.
- You are part of our Money Back Guarantee user experiment. From time to time, we test new product ideas to see if they’d be useful for our members. If you’re part of the experiment, you will have seen an advertisement for the Money Back Guarantee while listing your car. You can learn more about the way we experiment here.
How a claim works
When you become eligible
You become eligible to claim 61 days after your listing was created, provided the car hasn't sold (on Trade Me or anywhere else) or otherwise undergone a change of ownership, and you are part of our experiment group.
How to claim
Complete this form and our team will review your claim. If you meet the criteria, we’ll refund the price you paid for your premium listing to your Ping account.
Seller declaration
As part of your claim, you'll be asked to declare that:
- The car you listed has not been sold, traded, gifted or otherwise transferred to anyone, on Trade Me or off it, since your listing started.
- All information you've given Trade Me about the listing and the vehicle is true and correct.
Making a false declaration is a breach of our Terms and Conditions and may result in the claim being declined, the credit being reversed, and your account being restricted.
How we verify
Before we approve a refund, we will check that you are part of the experiment group and may check the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register to confirm there's been no change of ownership on the vehicle since the listing was created. By making a claim, you consent to us doing this.
How and when you're refunded
Approved refunds are paid as Trade Me account credit equal to the price you paid for the Premium Bundle. Credit is applied to the Trade Me account that purchased the bundle, and can be used towards future Trade Me listings, upgrades and fees.
Ensuring you're covered by the guarantee
The Money Back Guarantee doesn't apply, and no refund will be paid, where:
- The seller is a motor vehicle dealer, an HVDL member, or is otherwise listing in trade.
- The listing wasn't a Cars Classifieds listing on Trade Me Motors.
- The listing didn't run for its full duration — for example, it was withdrawn, ended early, or removed by Trade Me for breaching our rules.
- There has been a change of registered ownership of the vehicle on the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register at any point between the listing being created and the claim being assessed.
- The vehicle has been sold, traded or otherwise transferred — even if the NZTA register hasn't yet been updated.
- The seller has relisted the same vehicle on Trade Me during the 45-day claim window. In this case the original guarantee is forfeited and a new Premium Bundle would be required to start a fresh guarantee.
- The claim is made outside the 45-day claim window.
- Trade Me reasonably believes the claim is fraudulent, misleading, or made in bad faith, or otherwise are in breach of our terms and conditions.
Other things to know
- This policy sits alongside the Trade Me Terms and Conditions and the Trade Me Motors listing rules. If there's any conflict, the Terms and Conditions take precedence.
- We may update this policy from time to time. The version that applies to your claim is the one in force on the day your listing was created.
- We may decline a claim, reverse credit already issued, and restrict accounts where we reasonably believe this policy or our Terms and Conditions have been breached.
- Nothing in this policy limits any rights you have under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or the Fair Trading Act 1986 where those Acts apply.
Need more help?
If you've got a question about the Money Back Guarantee or you're not sure whether you're eligible, contact our Support team.