Buying through Chonk

1. Your choice

You can contact a seller and arrange payment directly without a Chonk transaction fee. Those payments are outside this service. A seller may separately offer optional Chonk checkout for an active fixed-price plant advert or a completed plant auction with a verified winner, in each case with tracked UK delivery. Only the authenticated winning bidder can start checkout for a completed auction. Collection and services are not included in this checkout.

The sale is between buyer and seller. Chonk supplies checkout coordination, order records, delayed payment release and the dispute review described below.

The completed-auction provisions use policy version 2026-10-10 for new auction orders. Existing orders retain the policy version accepted at checkout; the fixed-price checkout policy remains version 2026-10-02.

2. Price and service charge

The buyer pays the agreed item price, the listed postage and a Chonk service charge of 10% of the item price, rounded to the nearest penny. No percentage fee is charged on postage. The total is shown before payment. The seller receives the agreed item price and postage. Chonk pays its Stripe processing and Connect costs from its service charge.

For an auction won at £40, the service charge is £4: £44 before the seller’s explicitly listed postage is added. A winning bid does not confirm payment.

For an item priced at £50 with £6 postage, the buyer pays £61. The seller receives £56. Chonk’s gross service charge is £5.

3. Stripe payments

Stripe processes card payments. Sellers complete Stripe identity and bank-account checks before offering checkout. Chonk does not collect card numbers or store bank credentials. Seller transfers are delayed until the order meets the release rules. This service is not escrow, insurance or a guarantee that every claim will be accepted.

A return to Chonk from Stripe is not proof of payment. Wait for the order to show that payment has been received. Never send an item based only on a screenshot or message from a buyer.

4. Dispatch and delivery

The seller must dispatch using tracked UK postage by the deadline shown in the paid order, normally five calendar days after payment. If the deadline passes without dispatch being recorded, Chonk starts a full refund. Sellers must pack plants suitably and agree any weather-related delay before checkout.

The seller enters the carrier and tracking reference. Chonk verifies delivery against carrier evidence. Entering a tracking reference alone does not prove delivery or trigger payment release. The buyer’s delivery address is available only to the authorised seller and Chonk administrators after payment. Use it only to fulfil the order.

5. Payment release

The buyer can confirm that the parcel has arrived and the item is accepted to release seller payment. For a private sale, Chonk otherwise releases payment after a 48-hour inspection period following verified delivery and the buyer’s delivery notification. The order shows the deadline in London time. An arrival problem reported within that inspection period pauses the process. Silence does not extend the deadline. A report pauses payment for review and does not automatically entitle the buyer to a refund.

Business seller orders require manual completion in this first version. A payment release or platform deadline does not remove statutory consumer rights. A transfer to a seller’s Stripe account does not mean their bank has received it. Stripe’s payout schedule and checks determine bank arrival.

6. Reporting a problem

Report a missing parcel, arrival damage, wrong item or a material difference from the advert using “Report a problem” on the order. Describe the issue and upload photographs of the item, packaging and delivery label where relevant. Both parties can add evidence and respond to the other party’s account before a decision. Chonk reviews the checkout description, photographs, tracking and both parties’ responses before deciding whether to refund or release payment.

Later plant decline is not automatically evidence of arrival damage. Care, temperature, pests and transit can all affect plant health. Chonk does not guarantee botanical identity or independently authenticate a cultivar. An inaccurate description can still be reviewed.

Do not dispose of the item or return it without agreed instructions, unless safety requires otherwise. Where the seller supplied the wrong item or an item materially different from its description, the seller must arrange or pay for any return required by Chonk’s decision. Statutory return obligations take precedence for business sales.

7. Refunds and cancellations

An unpaid checkout can be cancelled once Stripe confirms that it has expired without payment. A fixed-price advert becomes available again. A completed auction stays closed with its original result; cancelling or expiring an unpaid checkout does not restart bidding or offer the item to another bidder. A full order refund includes the item price, original postage and Chonk service charge. Bank processing can take additional time after Stripe accepts the refund.

An owner-approved full refund can also be processed after seller payment release. Chonk recovers the seller transfer and keeps the order under review if recovery cannot complete. Paid cancellations require review. Private buyers do not receive an automatic change-of-mind return right from this service. Business sellers must honour applicable cancellation, refund and other consumer rights. Chonk’s inspection window does not replace those rights.

8. Seller responsibilities

Enable checkout only for an item you own and can send. Keep the description, seller status, photos, condition and postage accurate. A fixed-price advert is reserved during checkout and the order. A completed auction stays closed, and checkout is restricted to its verified winner. Set the tracked postage charge explicitly before enabling checkout; an unspecified charge is not free postage. The order fixes the winning bid, service charge and postage. Do not sell the same item elsewhere while a checkout or order is open. Dispatch only after the paid order appears.

Funds can remain delayed during disputes, Stripe checks or suspected fraud. Stripe refunds or card disputes can require transfer recovery. The seller must cooperate with evidence requests and repay sale proceeds where a valid refund or payment reversal requires it. Chonk’s service fee does not limit its responsibilities under its Stripe agreement.

9. Privacy and records

Chonk keeps private order details, the advert snapshot, fee calculations, tracking, payment references, evidence and decisions. Stripe holds the checkout delivery address and payment information. Orders and evidence are visible to the two parties and authorised administrators. Records needed for open disputes, accounting or legal obligations may be retained after an account closure request. See the privacy notice.

10. Help and appeals

Use the complaints process and quote the order number if you disagree with a decision or need help after release. Chonk’s decision does not prevent you exercising statutory rights, contacting your card provider or pursuing other lawful remedies.