DaWanda guidelines
DaWanda is the online marketplace that cares. It’s a place where people with a passion for unique, creative products made with love can get together and share ideas.
Together, we want to make DaWanda an exciting and inspiring place, where you can buy and sell products with a personal touch.
We’re confident that you’ll be amazed at the sheer diversity of products available on our site, and the talent it took to craft them!
Guidelines for selling on DaWanda
Buying and selling on DaWanda is easy, personal and fun. To keep it that way and to make using DaWanda easier we've drawn up a few simple rules:
- Guidelines for products allowed on DaWanda
- Products of your own creation
- Products of your own design
- Vintage articles
- Factory made (or handcrafted) supplies
- Guidelines for resellers
- Prohibited articles
- Guidelines for use of categories and keywords
- Guidelines for use of pictures and written content on DaWanda
- Guidelines for trademark rights and copyright
- Circumventing DaWanda's commission and fees
- General guidelines
- Guidelines for use of links on DaWanda
- Guidelines for credit notes and cancellations
- Guidelines for dealing with other DaWanda users
1. Guidelines for products allowed on DaWanda
Offer something special:
DaWanda is the place for that special something, where unique items can be sold.
DaWanda product categories give you an idea of what's available, but you can be as creative as you like. Whether it's jewellery, furniture, art, music, digital art, toys or fashion -- anything goes.
Just remember to offer products you have a personal connection with and not "off-the-peg" items -- DaWanda products are "products with love".
As the seller you have the sole responsibility of ensuring that the items offered for sale on DaWanda comply with statutory laws and are permitted under DaWanda's Terms and Conditions.
The following is an overview of the articles and services that may be listed on DaWanda, things to take into consideration about certain product categories, and articles forbidden on principle.
If you're unsure about whether you're allowed to list your products here, get in touch with us at feedback@dawanda.com.
These guidelines may not cover all aspects of using DaWanda, and we reserve the right to make exceptions to these rules in special circumstances.
Products of your own creation
You can list handmade, customised/customisable, revamped, refurbished or tailor-made products on DaWanda.
Products of your own design
You can also list products you have designed but not made yourself, as long as these are marked as such.
Vintage Items
We define vintage items as high quality products that are at least 20 years old. These may only be listed in the designated main category "Vintage". They can include fashion, accessories, jewellery and bags, as well as designer objects, furniture, art, antiques and other stylish collectables. The products listed here can be handmade, hand-refurbished or even factory-made. If they are handmade, you get to decide whether to list your products in "Vintage" or one of the other main categories.
Factory made (or handcrafted) supplies
In the category "Supplies" you can list products which can be used for crafting, regardless of whether they're handmade or not. These can be factory-made products and may also be sold in large quantities.
Guidelines for resellers
You don't have to be the creator of a product to be allowed to sell it here; you can be the designer or reseller of unique items.
If you're a reseller and have neither made the product yourself nor contributed in any way to its manufacture or production, please follow these guidelines.
- The product description must include the name of the manufacturer and clearly state your role as reseller.
- You must have the manufacturer's permission to resell the products.
- Only short-run production and one-off items are allowed.
- The products listed must be at least partially handmade. This rule does not apply to resellers of vintage and supply products.
- The products must have a unique feel through and through.
- The products must not be made under inhumane conditions.
You may not sell the following items on DaWanda:
- Articles under embargo
- Fireworks
- Mailing lists, compilations of personal data
- Multilevel marketing, pyramid and matrix schemes
- Stolen items
- Travel vouchers, plane, train or bus tickets
- Items whose sale or distribution contravenes trademark rights or ancillary copyright, industrial property rights (e.g. brands, patents, utility models and registered designs) or other rights (e.g. picture, name and personal rights).
- Propaganda articles and items displaying the distinguishing marks of unconstitutional organisations
- Pornographic items and those potentially harmful to minors
- Forbidden weapons as well as all forms of ammunition
- Radioactive substances, poisonous and explosive substances, as well as all dangerous chemicals
- Live animals, products and preparations made from endangered animal species or plants
- Human organs
- Commercial papers (particularly shares), money market or financial instruments, credit, loans and financial aid
- Promissory notes and legal titles as well as other debts for collection arising from legal transactions
- Items you may own, but whose use is prohibited
- Drugs
- Medicines
- Medical products whose sale is prohibited by law
- Items made with child labour
- Real estate and equivalent rights
We reserve the right to block or delete your listing (in full or in part), without prior notice if we find concrete evidence of a breach of these guidelines. Recurring or serious violations could result in exclusion from trading on DaWanda. We also reserve the right to remove items from the DaWanda catalogue at our discretion if we feel that these don't fit in with our range of products.
2. Guidelines for use of categories and keywords
Choose the right category:
It can be very difficult to find the right category for special items. This is why we're constantly expanding our categories: there's now an appropriate category for nearly every item.
A wrongly categorised product is confusing and annoying for both buyers and other sellers; this is especially true when there's obviously a more appropriate category on DaWanda.
For example: The pattern for a skirt is put in the category Fashion >> Skirts >> Long Skirts.
There is, however, a category for dress patterns: Supplies » Tools & Implements » Patterns
By incorrectly categorising an item you also do yourself a disservice. Buyers generally look for items on DaWanda using categories, and can't find your item if it's wrongly classified (the category "Everything Else" should thus only be used if there really isn't any other appropriate category).
Find the right keywords:
On DaWanda, keywords are subject headings that describe your product or its use in detail. The right keywords can get the buyer's attention and maybe even trigger a purchase. There should thus be a reasonable and natural connection between the keywords you use, and your product.
The lack of a reasonable connection is a breach of our guidelines for sale.
We call this "keyword spamming". Keyword spamming takes place when terms appear in the keywords that are misleading and have nothing to do with the item. This also applies to the title or description of an item.
This works:
A skirt is on offer, and in the title, description or keywords terms are used that fit the product. E.g. "silk", "summer", "frills", "naval" or "stripes".
This doesn't:
A skirt is on offer, and in the title, description or keywords terms like "nappy cake", "wall décor" or "baptism candle" are used.
We reserve the right to block or delete your listing (in full or in part), without prior notice, if we find concrete evidence of a breach of these guidelines. Recurring or serious violations could result in exclusion from trading on DaWanda.
3. Guidelines for the use of pictures and written content on DaWanda
Describe your product with love!
Products made with love deserve descriptions written with love and pictures taken with love.
The words and pictures you use to describe your product, or which appear elsewhere (e.g. comments, ratings) must not be in contravention of any effective copyright or trademark rights. There's nothing wrong with a little humour, but show some respect and be careful you don't insult or disparage other people.
Describe your product precisely and be aware of the legal requirements your description may have to fulfill.
If, for example, you're selling toys which contain small parts that children might swallow easily, mention this separately in your product description.
Don't use other people's names or brands in your advert. This is unfair and also dangerous as it contravenes trademark and/or licensing rights. Read more about this in „Guidelines for trademark rights and copyright“
This works:
"Beautiful bleached nappa leather bag with 5 compartments
This doesn't:
"Beautiful bag in Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton style"
We don't find it amusing when text and pictures contain the following:
- Pornography
- Insults
- Incitement to hatred
- Libel
- Unconstitutional content
- Breach of personal rights
- Content potentially harmful to minors
- Cruelty to animals
- Use of someone else's written content or pictures without the consent of the originator
4. Guidelines for trademark rights and copyright
Please be aware that the following advice doesn't describe all possible conflicts that could arise in connection with the rights of third parties. You are responsible for ensuring that the offer and sale of your products don't contravene the rights of third parties. No random monitoring of the listings for possible breaches of the law is carried out by DaWanda.
Be honest and creative! If you've invented and produced something, you can put it up for sale on DaWanda. It's okay to be inspired, but be honest and don't use anyone else's intellectual work for your own commercial purposes.
Designs, pictures, materials, terms or patterns and other instructions could be subject to copyright held by third parties. If so, you may need permission from the copyright holder in order to use them for your product.
If you're using a pattern or instructions from a magazine or the Internet, find out if you're allowed to use this design (even in an altered form) for commercial purposes. The regular sale of articles is commercial.
In general, the use in commercial dealings of any copyrighted term, in a similar way to a trademark, requires the permission of the copyright holder, or is only permissible under exceptional circumstances.
We explicitly warn you not to convert copyrighted or trademarked objects or use other people's brands in your advertisements. You run the risk of receiving a written warning from the copyright holder.
Typical examples of breaches of third party intellectual property rights are forgeries of well-known brands or the use of copyrighted motifs on handmade products.
Example of the prohibited use of other people's brands:
"Nappy cake with an original Maya the Bee figurine"
"Chanel-style handbag"
If you'd like to report another seller's violation of your rights, please give us relevant proof of your rights and the breach thereof.
We reserve the right to block or delete your listing (in full or in part), without prior notice, if we find concrete evidence of a breach of these guidelines. Recurring or serious violations could result in exclusion from trading on DaWanda.
Circumventing DaWanda's commission and fees – general guidelines
Be fair to your marketplace!
Selling unique products on DaWanda isn't expensive. It is free to list your items, and just 5% commission is due, only on completion of a sale. It is entirely free for you, the seller, to use DaWanda's marketplace (including customer service) and a wide variety of features on the website.
Please be fair and use these functions conscientiously.
We especially don't want you to:
- use comments, profile or shop descriptions or other message functions to encourage other DaWanda users to go to external online shops
- withdraw a listing from DaWanda in order to sell the item elsewhere, even though you made contact with your customer via DaWanda. In such instances you can mark the item "Sold"
- give links to other online shops in your listings to encourage people to shop outside DaWanda
- use your commercial partner's contact details for anything other than the transaction of a purchase or sale
- ask for a credit note for the sales commission, even though the buyer has paid the asking price and you haven't refunded the money
5. Guidelines for use of links on DaWanda
We don't allow links or URLs (web addresses) in listings, in the DaWanda shop, profiles, banners, pictures, comments, ratings and user names that would encourage buyers to go to other commercial Internet sites.
This mainly applies to the rendering of web shop addresses (e.g. www.my-shop.com or myshop.com).
If any reference is made to an Internet address where a sales transaction could take place outside DaWanda, this constitutes a breach of our guidelines for sale. This is also applicable to invitations by e-mail, telephone, fax or the like which encourage people to make transactions outside DaWanda.
If you have a blog or want to link to your page on a social network, you can do this in your product description or in the forum. Please ensure that these pages contain no links to commercial Internet sites encouraging people to buy outside DaWanda.
We reserve the right to block or delete your listings (in full or in part), without prior notice, if we find concrete evidence of a breach of these guidelines. Recurring or serious violations could result in exclusion from trading on DaWanda.
6. Guidelines for credit notes and cancellations
Communicate with your commercial partner!
On DaWanda, transactions between buyer and seller are usually very quick and cordial. In some transactions, a purchase isn't completed, or the buyer returns the article and the seller refunds the purchase price.
In these situations we refund the seller's commission fee, so the article can be re-listed for sale on DaWanda with no financial loss to the seller.
Here's how this works:
If the buyer doesn't get in touch and doesn't pay:
- After your confirmation of purchase, give the buyer at least 7 days to get in touch and send payment
- Send the product as soon as payment is received. If you're offering customised products or products made to specifications please indicate any possible delays in delivery in your product description.
- If the buyer doesn't get in touch with you within 7 days, or pay for the item purchased within that time, send them a reminder via My DaWanda, thus giving them a minimum of another 7 days to pay. We only cancel orders that haven't been paid for if a reminder has already been sent.
- You can request a cancellation of sales made in the current month and the previous one at My DaWanda > Fees & Bills > My Bill.
To cancel older sales send a message with the order number to the feedback team.
As a general rule, we don't cancel any sales older than 3 months.
- Please settle all queries with the buyer beforehand. A reversal of a sale requires you to have refunded the buyer's purchase price and received your product from them.
- Comment on the invoice item at My DaWanda > Fees & Bills > My Bill and please give an adequate reason for your cancellation.
7. Guidelines for dealing with other DaWanda users
Be considerate and impartial:
DaWanda allows you to exchange ideas and information with other users, leave comments on their profiles, send them personal messages, rate your commercial partners, participate in forum discussions and get to know people. For this to work and to allow everyone to benefit from the experience, please observe a few rules:
Be friendly and respectful:
Don't forget: Behind every DaWanda username is a real person with feelings. Opinions, convictions and attitudes differ. Respect this and don't start arguments! Defamatory statements, insults, harassment, personal attacks and insinuations are bad form and will be deleted.
Be supportive:
We all want to make things better. Good tips and suggestions from other DaWanda users are very welcome. We don't like non-constructive criticism. Provocative statements and contributions by moaners and killjoys will be deleted from our site. Be aware of the topics in the forum and publish your contributions under the appropriate topic title.
Stay discreet:
Don't release any personal data -- yours or anyone else's. Don't publish any messages or e-mails that you've received from other people either.
Urgent questions about your activities or those of other DaWanda users have no place in the forum, in the comments or anywhere else on our website. The DaWanda feedback team would be happy to help you with any question or problem you may have. Just send us a message.
Be honest:
Don't pass off other people's words or pictures as your own. This applies to comments, forum contributions, product descriptions and all other written content you might release on the DaWanda website.
We reserve the right to block or delete your listing (in full or in part), without prior notice, if we find concrete evidence of a breach of these guidelines. Recurring or serious violations could result in exclusion from trading on DaWanda.
