Terms of Service

Last updated October 19, 2026

These terms apply to your use of Bravo Zulu Auction House, operated by BZ Bids ("we", "us"). By creating an account or using the site you agree to them.

What we are

Bravo Zulu Auction House is an online venue where people list items and bid on them. We are not the seller or the buyer of any item, and we are not a party to the sale between a seller and a winning bidder. We do not inspect, hold, ship, or guarantee items, and we do not verify what sellers say about them.

Payments

We do not process payments or hold anyone's money. After an auction ends, the winner pays the seller directly (through PayPal) and the two arrange shipping themselves. Because payments happen outside our site, we cannot refund, reverse, or protect them. Any buyer protection comes only from the payment service you choose, and those services have their own rules. Pay carefully, use the option that offers purchase protection where available, and never pay for anything unrelated to a listing. We record when a buyer says they have paid (and any PayPal transaction ID they give) and when a seller confirms a payment arrived. These records are what users tell us; we cannot see or verify PayPal payments. A buyer should only say they have paid if they have, and a seller should only confirm a payment that has arrived in their PayPal account. When a buyer says they paid, the seller must answer: confirm it arrived, or say it didn't. If a seller doesn't answer within 5 days, we treat the order as paid and the seller can no longer report it as unpaid. To keep orders moving, we may pause a buyer from bidding while an order of theirs has gone about a week with no payment confirmed, and we may pause a seller from creating listings, or from marking an order shipped, while they have not answered a buyer's report of payment. These pauses end as soon as the order is dealt with.

Shipping

Sellers must enter the packed item's actual weight, the size of the box or padded mailer they would use, and a ship-from ZIP code when they list. The winner chooses how the item ships at checkout, from the methods that fit its weight. A tracked box or padded mailer is always available (USPS Ground Advantage, which includes tracking and USPS insurance) and is priced with USPS Ground Advantage from those details and the winner's ZIP code, at USPS's commercial online rate, which is the rate available when postage is bought online (for example through USPS Click-N-Ship or a shipping service) and is lower than the post office counter price, so sellers should buy postage online. Light items may also be shipped in a stamped envelope (PWE, up to 3 oz) or a large envelope (up to 13 oz), priced with USPS First-Class Mail by weight. Those envelope methods usually have no tracking. By choosing one, the winner accepts the risk of loss or delay without tracking, and the seller is not required to provide a tracking number. The price is shown to the winner at checkout together with the total owed. All items must be shipped with USPS. The shipping price is calculated only by this site; sellers may not set their own shipping price or add handling or other shipping charges. The winner pays the item price plus calculated shipping directly to the seller through PayPal, and the winner's shipping address is shared with the seller so the item can be shipped. Calculated postage is an estimate of USPS's published rate and may differ from what the seller actually pays for postage, for example because of surcharges or different rate tiers. Because the payer can change the amount on a PayPal payment link, sellers should confirm they received the full total before shipping, and should enter accurate package details so shipping is correct.

Fees

Bidding and browsing are free. Sellers pay two fees. First, a listing fee of $0.15 per listing beyond a monthly free allowance that starts at 10 listings and grows as a seller completes more sales and stays active longer. Second, when an auction ends with a winning bidder, a sale fee of 4% of the total the buyer pays, meaning the final winning price plus the shipping calculated at checkout, with a minimum sale fee of $0.25. Fees are totaled and charged once a month to the seller's card on file, and a valid card is required to list. The sale fee is based on the recorded amounts whether or not payment later happens off our site. If a winning bidder never pays, the seller may report it on the listing page between 4 and 45 days after the auction ends. To file it, the seller confirms they checked their PayPal account and no payment from the buyer arrived; a seller who has already confirmed the payment cannot report it as unpaid. We contact the buyer, who has 3 days to say they paid, and we review the report. A sale fee under review is not charged. If we approve the claim, both that sale's sale fee and the listing fee are cancelled, and refunded to the seller's card if they were already charged, and the seller may re-list the item for free. We may decline a claim, for example if the buyer shows they paid, and we may limit or close the accounts of users who make false claims or repeatedly fail to pay. A seller whose claims are found to be false twice can no longer file non-payment claims. Apart from approved claims, fees are not refundable. We may change fees going forward and will post the change here.

Bidding

A bid is a binding commitment to buy the item at up to your maximum bid if you win. You may set a maximum, and the site raises your visible bid only as far as needed to keep you ahead. A bid placed near the end of an auction extends the closing time by a few minutes. Do not bid unless you intend to pay.

A seller may set a hidden reserve price. If bidding doesn't reach it by the end, the item does not sell and no one wins it. When a bidder's maximum reaches the reserve, the current price rises to the reserve. A seller may also set a Buy It Now price, which is offered until the first bid. Choosing Buy It Now and confirming is a binding purchase at that price plus shipping and ends the auction immediately.

A seller may instead list an item at a fixed price, with no bidding, and may offer several of the same item and allow offers. Buying a fixed-price item, having your offer accepted, or accepting a seller's counteroffer is a binding purchase at that price plus shipping. Offers and counteroffers expire after 48 hours. The same fees apply to fixed-price sales as to auctions.

To protect sellers from fake bids, new members may bid (or use Buy It Now) up to $500 per item until their account is 30 days old or they have completed 2 paid purchases. Sellers may also refuse bids from members who recently won items and didn't pay, or who have recent negative ratings.

Selling

You may list only items you own and are legally allowed to sell. Choose the right category and the item's true condition. Describe them honestly and include accurate photos. You agree to complete the sale with the winning bidder, ship the item as described, and set up a working way to be paid. You are responsible for any taxes, licenses, and legal requirements that apply to your sales.

Editing, cancelling and re-listing

Before anyone has bid, a seller may change a listing's title, description, price, photos and shipping details. Once there are bids, a seller may only add to the description and add photos, so that bidders are not misled. A seller may cancel a listing at any time before it has bids; with bids, only while more than 12 hours remain, and bidders are notified. A cancelled listing has no winner and no sale fee, and the listing fee is not refunded. An item that ends without a winner, or was cancelled, may be re-listed for free as many times as it remains unsold, without a new listing fee or using the monthly free allowance. A re-list must be the same product: its title and original photos cannot be changed, the starting price and any reserve price can only stay the same or go down, and the seller may add to the description, add photos and correct shipping details. A different item must be listed as a new listing.

Problems with an order

Our Buyer protection policy is part of these terms. In short: sellers ship within 3 business days of payment; a seller who never ships, or whose tracking never shows USPS receiving the package, must refund in full; a seller is not required to refund a package that USPS tracking shows in transit or delivered, or an untracked envelope the buyer chose; an item significantly not as described must be refunded in full once the buyer returns it, with the seller paying return postage; and sellers do not have to accept returns for a change of mind. Buyers report problems within 14 days of delivery or expected delivery. Sellers who do not follow the policy may lose selling privileges or their account.

Prohibited items and conduct

You may not list anything illegal, stolen, counterfeit, or dangerous, including firearms, ammunition, controlled substances, or items that infringe someone else's rights. You may not manipulate auctions (including bidding on your own listings, through fake or second accounts, or by having friends or family bid to raise the price), harass other users, attempt to move a sale off the site to avoid these terms, or interfere with how the site works. We review bidding for signs of manipulation, such as a bid coming from the same internet connection the seller uses. We can remove listings and suspend or close accounts at our discretion.

Your account

You must be at least 18 and able to enter a binding contract. Keep your password private and tell us if you think your account was accessed without permission. You are responsible for activity on your account.

Sharing contact details

When an auction ends with a winner, the seller and the winner see each other's name and can message each other on the listing; the winner's shipping address is shared with the seller at checkout. Email addresses are not shared. Use messages and the shipping address only to complete the transaction, and don't use messages to arrange payment or a sale outside the order. Messages, questions, answers, and listings that contain email addresses, phone numbers, outside links, or other payment methods are blocked. We may read an order's messages to resolve a problem or a report.

Disclaimers and limits

The site is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. To the fullest extent the law allows, we are not liable for the quality, safety, legality, or delivery of items, for what users say or do, for lost payments, or for indirect or consequential losses. Our total liability for any claim relating to the site is limited to the amount you paid us to use it, which is currently nothing. Some places do not allow these limits, so they apply only where permitted.

Changes

We may update these terms. If you keep using the site after a change, you accept the updated terms.

Contact

Questions? Use our contact form.