Community Guidelines

The DropMuse is a marketplace for original and pre-owned art and collectibles. These guidelines exist to keep the community fair, respectful, and trustworthy for every buyer, seller, and collector. By using the platform you agree to follow them. Violations may result in content removal, account restriction, or permanent ban. These guidelines supplement our Terms of Service.

1. Review Guidelines

Reviews help buyers make informed decisions and allow sellers and collectors to build a credible reputation. To keep reviews useful and trustworthy, the following standards apply.

What makes a valid review

• Based on a real transaction. Only buyers who completed a purchase through The DropMuse may leave a review on that order.
• Honest and firsthand. Describe your actual experience — condition of the item, packaging, communication, and accuracy of the listing.
• Timely. Reviews may be submitted within 30 days of delivery confirmation (or auto-confirm after 7 days from shipment).
• One review per transaction. Each order may receive one review.

Review content that is not allowed

• Personal attacks, slurs, or abusive language directed at the seller, collector, or any individual
• Content unrelated to the transaction (e.g., political views, personal grievances unrelated to the order)
• False factual claims presented as fact (e.g., fabricated shipping timelines or condition descriptions)
• Private information about another user (address, legal name, contact details)
• Reviews submitted in exchange for a discount, free item, or any form of compensation — this constitutes review manipulation and may lead to account suspension for all parties involved
• Retaliatory reviews posted with the intent to harm rather than inform
• Spam or duplicate submissions

Reviews that violate these guidelines may be removed by our moderation team. When a review is removed, a notice will appear in its place stating that it was removed for violating community guidelines. Removed reviews do not count toward a seller's or collector's rating average.

2. Message and Communication Conduct

Messaging tools on The DropMuse exist to support legitimate transactions — asking questions about an artwork, coordinating shipping, or resolving order issues. All messages must remain respectful and lawful.

Prohibited in messages

• Harassment, threats, intimidation, or abusive language of any kind
• Hate speech or discriminatory content based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin
• Sexual or explicit content
• Attempts to conduct payment outside the platform (requesting cash, wire transfers, P2P apps, or cryptocurrency in place of the checkout flow)
• Scams, phishing, or instructions designed to facilitate fraud
• Sharing another user's private information without consent
• Unsolicited promotional messages or spam

External links to social media or personal websites are restricted during and after active transactions to protect buyers and sellers from off-platform solicitation. Links to official The DropMuse pages are always permitted.

3. Listing Standards

All listings on The DropMuse must accurately represent the item being sold.

Listings must

• Accurately describe the item's condition, size, medium, and any relevant details
• Use images that show the actual item — stock images or unrelated photos are not permitted
• Be created by a user with the right to sell the item (original artist, or a verified collector reselling a work purchased through the platform)
• Comply with all applicable laws, including intellectual property and export regulations

Listings must not

• Misrepresent authorship, provenance, condition, materials, or dimensions
• List counterfeit, replica, or unauthorized reproductions as originals
• Include prohibited content (adult/NSFW material, hate imagery, content glorifying violence)
• Duplicate an active listing for the same physical item to inflate visibility
• List items that cannot legally be sold (stolen property, regulated materials, items subject to trade restrictions)

4. Identity and Account Conduct

• One account per person. Creating multiple accounts to evade bans, inflate ratings, or manipulate the platform is prohibited.
• No impersonation. Display names, usernames, and profile content may not impersonate The DropMuse, its team, other users, or public figures.
• Accurate information. Account details used for verification (name, payment, shipping) must be accurate and belong to you.
• No account sharing. Do not share login credentials or allow others to operate your account.

5. Prohibited Behavior

The following behaviors are strictly prohibited and may result in immediate account suspension or permanent ban:

• Fraud, including payment fraud, chargeback abuse, and manipulation of refund or dispute processes. Note: filing a chargeback with your card issuer is your legal right; however, bypassing the Platform's in-app dispute tools may limit your access to those tools during and after the chargeback process.
• Attempting to circumvent platform fees or conduct off-platform transactions for items listed here
• Coordinated manipulation of reviews, ratings, or trust signals
• Systematic cancellation or non-fulfillment without legitimate reason
• Using automated tools, bots, or scripts to scrape, spam, or manipulate the platform
• Any activity that violates applicable law, including money laundering, tax evasion, or handling stolen goods

6. How We Moderate

Our team reviews reported content, flagged accounts, and patterns identified through our trust systems. We may take the following actions depending on severity:

• Content removal — individual reviews, messages, or listings removed for policy violations
• Warning — a notice sent to the account; the account remains active
• Temporary restriction — buying, selling, or messaging limits applied for a set period
• Account suspension — full account access suspended pending review
• Permanent ban — account permanently closed; associated accounts may also be closed

We aim to be consistent and proportionate. Context matters — repeated violations or severe harm to others result in stronger action. We do not disclose details of actions taken against other accounts.

7. Reporting Violations

If you encounter content or behavior that violates these guidelines:

• Use the Report button on any listing to flag it for review
• Contact our support team at support or contact for account-level concerns
• Include as much context as possible — screenshots, order numbers, message excerpts — so our team can investigate efficiently

Reports are reviewed by our team. We do not take action based solely on volume of reports; each report is evaluated on its merits. False reports submitted to harass or disadvantage another user are themselves a violation of these guidelines.

8. Updates to These Guidelines

We may update these guidelines as the platform evolves. Significant changes will be noted on this page with a revised date. Continued use of the platform after updates constitutes acceptance of the revised guidelines.

Questions? Reach us via contact or support.