For sellers

Seller Protection on Cyclesite

Most marketplaces protect buyers and quietly leave sellers to absorb the cost when something goes wrong. Cyclesite is built differently. These commitments are how we keep sellers safe without making the buyer experience worse, and they apply automatically when a sale uses Buyer Protection with secure delivery.

Pricing-Stability Commitment

Listing-fee tiers are reviewed at most once per calendar year. Any future increase is announced 30 days in advance and never applies to active listings, which keep the fee they were published at, for the full duration purchased.

Read the commitment

Escrow fees capped at £300

When a sale uses Buyer Protection with secure delivery, the platform fee is 2.5% (capped at £125) and the buyer fee is 3.5% (capped at £175), with a combined cap of £300, no matter how high the sale price. A £10,000 bike pays £300 in escrow, not £600.

See the full fee schedule

Return-Shipping Commitment

When a Buyer Protection sale ends in a borderline transit-damage dispute and you completed the photo-checkpoint packing flow, we cover your return shipping for up to one incident per quarter, per seller. The £75 cancellation fee is also waived in those cases.

See the policy

Documented seller appeal

If a dispute is closed against you, you have 5 business days to appeal. A different reviewer re-reads the file with any new evidence, and you have a written outcome within 5 business days. You can also refuse a forced partial refund and require the bike to be returned at our cost.

How appeals work

Photo-checkpoint packing flow

When you ship via Buyer Protection, the wizard prompts you to upload three dated photos at the packing checkpoints: bare frame protected, in-box, sealed. Those photos are dispute-grade evidence on your side that the bike left in good condition and was packed correctly.

Verified buyers

Buyers earn a Trusted Buyer badge after a clean dispute history over 6 months. Sellers see this badge on enquiries, so a buyer with a track record of fabricated claims has a visible signal against them. Repeat offenders lose marketplace access entirely.

What this does not cover

Honest about the edges. Seller Protection applies to Buyer Protection sales with secure delivery. It does not cover:

  • Direct-collection sales: these are private contracts between you and the buyer.
  • Listings that misrepresented the bike at sale time (factually wrong spec, undisclosed material damage, frame number mismatch).
  • Damage caused after the courier collection scan when the photo checkpoints show the bike left in good condition: that's carrier liability, not seller liability.
  • Disputes resolved more than 14 days after the appeal closed: those escalate via the formal complaints procedure.

Seller protection FAQs

Is Seller Protection automatic?
Yes for sales that go through Buyer Protection with secure delivery: the appeal route, the £300 escrow cap, and the return-shipping commitment all apply automatically. For direct-collection sales (where you and the buyer arrange handover yourselves), the platform isn't a party to the contract, so we can support you with messaging history and evidence but cannot make rulings on the deal itself.
What does the photo-checkpoint flow look like?
When you book Buyer Protection shipping, the listing wizard asks you to upload three photos before the shipping label is released: (1) the bare frame with all protective wrap in place, (2) the bike in the box with all components secured, (3) the sealed box with the shipping label on it. The checkpoints are timestamped and stored with the order. They are dispute-grade evidence that you packed the bike correctly.
How do I appeal a dispute ruling?
From your orders page, open the closed dispute and click "Appeal this ruling". The button is available for 5 business days after the original ruling lands. State why you believe the ruling was wrong and upload any new evidence. A different reviewer (not the one who issued the original ruling) re-reads the file. You have a written outcome within 5 business days. Funds are held throughout the appeal.
Can I refuse a forced partial refund?
Yes. If the dispute team issued a partial-refund ruling you don't accept, your appeal can require the buyer to return the bike to you in full instead. Cyclesite covers the return shipping (subject to the Return-Shipping Commitment in the seller policy). You then keep the bike, and the buyer is fully refunded.
What if I sell more than once a quarter and there is a second incident?
The free-return-per-quarter is exactly that: one. A subsequent borderline incident in the same quarter falls back to the standard policy: you cover return shipping. The credit resets on the 1st of January, April, July and October. We chose a quarterly window rather than annual because it gives sellers a meaningful safety net early without creating an open-ended liability.
Do my fees change if you raise the listing prices later?
Active listings keep the fee you were published at, for the full duration purchased. A future price increase is announced 30 days in advance via email and never applies mid-listing. Sellers who paid for a multi-listing bundle or annual plan keep their original rate for 6 months after the new pricing goes live.

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Transparent flat fees, no commission on classified sales, every listing stolen-checked, and the seller commitments above included automatically on Buyer Protection sales.

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Last updated 2026-05-08. The Seller Protection commitments are part of the Seller policy and the Dispute policy. If those documents disagree with this page, the legal documents are the authoritative source.