Terms of Service

1. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a legally binding contract to use the Service. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.

One account per person. Each person may create and maintain only one Pirate Bids account. Creating or operating additional accounts — including accounts registered under other names, email addresses, devices, or payment methods, or accounts operated on behalf of another person to obtain promotional benefits — is prohibited. If we determine that multiple accounts are operated by or for the benefit of the same person or household acting in concert, we may (a) void any free bids, promotional coins, referral rewards, or other bonuses associated with those accounts, (b) cancel pending or completed auction wins obtained using those accounts, and (c) suspend or terminate the accounts. Households with multiple genuine users are welcome; each individual must use their own account, and we may ask for reasonable verification.

Shipping region. Checkout currently collects shipping addresses for the United States only. By placing a bid or completing a purchase, you confirm that you can accept delivery to a U.S. address.

2. Coins and Bids

Bids are placed using coins, which may be purchased or granted as described below. Pre-bids cost the number of coins (or, in Loyalty Auctions, loyalty points) shown for that auction at the time of bidding — typically one per pre-bid, though an auction may be configured differently. Coins and promotional coins have no cash value, are non-transferable, and except as expressly stated in our refund policy are non-refundable.

Purchased and referral coins. Coins you purchase, and referral rewards credited when a referred friend completes their first paid purchase, are regular (non-promotional) coins. Regular coins do not expire.

Promotional coins. Promotional coins — including bonus coins included with coin packs, free bids earned during onboarding, and membership bonus coins — expire 24 hours after they are added to your account unless a longer period is disclosed when they are granted. Promotional coins cannot be applied toward a Buy It Now purchase price. On the mobile apps, Buy It Now is unavailable while you still hold promotional coins in your account balance.

3. Auctions and Bidding

Pirate Bids uses a two-phase auction system. During the pre-bid phase, users place bids that count toward triggering a live auction. Once triggered, the live auction runs for a limited time, with each bid extending the timer. The highest bidder when the timer expires wins. All bids are final and binding commitments to pay. We may cancel, suspend, or remove any auction at our discretion.

Buy It Now.When offered, Buy It Now lets you purchase an item during the pre-bid phase at the listed Buy It Now price, reduced by what you have already spent on pre-bids for that auction (subject to any minimum price shown at checkout). Buy It Now is not available during the live auction phase or in Loyalty Auctions. Completing a Buy It Now ends the auction and refunds other participants' pre-bids as described in Section 6.

4. Loyalty Points Program

We operate a loyalty program that rewards auction participation. When a regular (non-loyalty) auction concludes with a winner who completes payment, each participant other than the winner is credited one (1) loyalty point for each purchased (non-promotional) coin they spent on pre-bids in that auction. Points are credited only after the winner's payment is completed. No points are issued for auctions that are cancelled, that end via Buy It Now, or in which pre-bids are otherwise refunded; no points are issued for promotional coins; and no points are issued for bids placed in loyalty auctions.

Redemption.Loyalty points may be used solely to place pre-bids in designated “Loyalty Auctions” (typically one point per pre-bid when the auction's cost per bid is one). The live phase of a Loyalty Auction is conducted in U.S. dollars in the same manner as any other auction. Buy It Now is not available in Loyalty Auctions. Points spent in a Loyalty Auction that triggers and completes are used and will not be returned. If a Loyalty Auction is cancelled, points spent on it are re-credited to your account with a new expiration date.

Expiration and limitations. Loyalty points expire six (6) months after issuance and are consumed on an oldest-first basis. Loyalty points have no cash value, are not property, are non-transferable, cannot be purchased or sold, and cannot be redeemed or exchanged for cash, coins, or any other consideration. Loyalty tiers are determined by lifetime points earned and may be used to limit access to certain Loyalty Auctions. We may modify, suspend, or terminate the loyalty program, point-earning rates, tier structures, or expiration rules at any time; material changes will apply prospectively and will not remove points already in your account except through normal expiration or as provided in Sections 9 and 10. Accounts terminated for violation of these Terms forfeit any accrued points.

5. Referrals

You may share your unique referral code with others. When a friend signs up with your code and completes their first paid purchase (a coin pack or membership), they receive referral reward coins and you receive referral reward coins in the amounts shown in the Service at the time of the reward. Those rewards are regular coins and do not use the 24-hour promotional expiry. You may not refer yourself or accounts you control. We may review, delay, reverse, or withhold referral rewards for fraud, abuse, or policy violations.

6. Winning and Payment

If you win an auction, you must complete checkout and pay the final winning amount (plus any applicable shipping and taxes) within 24 hours. Payments are processed by our third-party payment processor (Stripe) or, on mobile, through the applicable app store. Failure to complete checkout within the required window may result in forfeiture of your pre-bids on that auction and, after repeated occurrences, suspension of your account. Coin purchases made through an app store may also be subject to that store's refund and billing policies.

7. Refund Policy

Coins spent on pre-bids are refunded when an auction does not trigger within its allotted timeframe or when another user completes a Buy It Now purchase, as applicable. Coins are also refunded to non-winning participants when an auction winner fails to complete payment; in that case no loyalty points are issued for the auction. Loyalty points spent in a cancelled Loyalty Auction are re-credited as described in Section 4. Amounts paid for completed auction wins and Buy It Now purchases are generally non-refundable except as required by law or expressly stated. Coin purchases are non-refundable once coins are credited to your account, except as required by law or as may apply under Apple or Google store policies for in-app purchases.

8. Memberships

Paid memberships (shown as Pro or Premium in the Service) are billed on a recurring basis until cancelled. You may cancel at any time, and cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. Membership benefits, including monthly coins, are provided as described on the membership page and may change over time. Regular monthly membership coins already credited stay in your account; promotional bonus coins included with membership expire as described in Section 2.

9. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to: create or use multiple accounts (see Section 1); refer yourself or accounts you control through the referral program; collude with other users; use automated systems, bots, or scripts to bid; engage in fraudulent payment activity; interfere with the operation of the Service; or violate any applicable law. Violations may result in immediate account termination, forfeiture of coins, loyalty points, and promotional bonuses, and cancellation of pending or completed wins.

10. Account Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time for violation of these Terms or for conduct we determine to be harmful to the Service or other users. You may delete your account from Account Settings (Privacy) or by contacting us, subject to resolution of any pending bids or orders. Remaining coin and promotional balances are forfeited on deletion. Instructions are also available on our Data Deletion page.

11. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

The Service is provided “as is” without warranties of any kind. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Pirate Bids is not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Service. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service will not exceed the amount you paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated through the Service or by email. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

13. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at support@piratebids.com.