Prohibited Items Policy

BIYU Marketplace is not a curated marketplace. However, for a variety of reasons, we prohibit certain types of items from Biyu Marketplace. Some items present legal risks to our community; others are inconsistent with our values, are harmful to our members, or simply are not in the spirit of BIYU Marketplace. This policy explains what is prohibited or restricted on BIYU Marketplace.
We have a zero tolerance policy for prohibited items, particularly those that promote, support or glorify hatred, those that promote, support or glorify violence, or are unlawful. Sellers deemed to violate this policy can be subject to immediate account suspension or termination, in accordance with our Terms of Use.
This policy is a part of our Terms of Use. By opening a BIYU Marketplace shop, you’re agreeing to this policy and our Terms of Use. If BIYU Marketplace has reason to believe you, your content, or your use of the Services violate our Terms, we may deactivate your content to some or all buyers or suspend or terminate your account (and any accounts BIYU Marketplace determines is related to your account) and your access to the Services. Generally, BIYU Marketplace will notify you that your content or account has been suspended or terminated, unless you’ve repeatedly violated our Terms or we have legal or regulatory reasons preventing us from notifying you.
The following types of items are prohibited or restricted on Etsy:
1. Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs, Drug Paraphernalia, and Medical Drugs
2. Animal Products and Human Remains
3. Dangerous Items: Hazardous Materials, Recalled Items, and Weapons
4. Hate Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Hatred
5. Illegal Items, Items Promoting Illegal Activity, and Highly Regulated Items
6. Internationally Regulated Items
7. Nudity and Mature Content
8. Violent Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Violence
9. Child ponography
10. Selling illegal products to minors
In order to help provide clarity and insight into our policy making process, we have included the rationale behind our decisions and details about how they will be enforced, including some representative examples below of what is allowed on BIYU Marketplace We reserve the right to remove listings that we determine are not within the spirit of v. Violating this policy may result in the member's selling privileges being suspended and/or terminated.

1. Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs, Drug Paraphernalia, and Medical Drugs

Alcohol and drugs are prohibited on BIYU Marketplace. These substances face serious legal restrictions and in many cases are considered controlled substances under applicable law. Our policy also applies to other substances that have or are claimed to have an intoxicating or healing effect. Possible legal restrictions aside, these substances are not in the spirit of BIYU Marketplace.
Biyu Marketplace prohibits certain medical drug claims based on our values, such as claims likely to deceive or pose an unreasonable risk to our community. Biyu Marketplace may remove claims that we deem to be inappropriate, excessive, or otherwise unsuitable for our marketplace. We also remove content that promotes prohibited medical claims, such as anti-vaccine items. If Biyu Marketplace receives proper notice from a legal authority, we may remove an item.

Examples of What is Allowed:

Beer brewing kits

Baked goods containing alcohol
Example: Mini Baba au Rum Cake
Hookahs
Example: Vintage Hookahs
Tobacco pipes

Empty alcohol bottles and items made from them

Example: Wine Bottle Serving Tray

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2. Animal Products and Human Remains

Certain animal products are highly regulated and prohibited on Biyu Marketplace due to the risk of harm to live, companion, or endangered animals.

More Details:

The following are examples of animal products that may not be sold on Biyu Marketplace:

 1. Live animals. 

2. Items created using any endangered or threatened animal species. We define these as animal species designated as threatened or endangered by the US Endangered Species Act. Items made from cat and dog parts or pelts as defined by US Federal Law. 

3. Ivory or bones from ivory-producing animals, including tusks, elk ivory, fossilized ivory, and wooly mammoth ivory. 

4. Items made from human remains or products from the human body, except for teeth, fingernails, and hair.

Examples of What is Allowed:

Non-Ivory Animal Bones and Antlers 

Example: Snake Bone Necklace

 Leather Goods

 Example: Leather Bag 

Textiles Made from Animal Hair 

Example: Authentic Mohair Scarf 

Human Teeth or Hair 

Example: Mini Bottle with Human Hair

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3. Dangerous Items: Hazardous Materials, Recalled Items,and Weapons

For safety and legal reasons, we prohibit certain dangerous items from our marketplace.

More details:

Hazardous Materials

Due to the potential harm caused by hazardous materials, as well as complex legal and shipping regulations surrounding such materials, hazardous materials are prohibited on Biyu Marketplace. 

While not exhaustive, the following materials are examples of prohibited hazardous materials: 

1. Explosives (fireworks or sparklers) 

2. Explosive precursors 

3. Flammable items 

4. Gasses 

5. Radioactive material

 6. Toxic substances (such as poisons) 

7. Individual or loose lithium ion batteries

 Some ingredients are considered hazardous when found in certain contexts. Items that have been recalled by governments or manufacturers are prohibited from being sold on Biyu Marketplace. Items that may pose a health or safety hazard are prohibited, even if they have not been the subject of a recall. This would include, for example, items that present a choking, electrocution, or strangulation hazard. We generally rely on information from various government agencies to identify these items.

Weapons

Context matters when it comes to defining what is or is not a weapon. When in doubt, it’s safe to assume that we won’t allow any item intended to be used as a weapon to inflict harm. The following items are generally not allowed on Biyu Marketplace. 

1. Guns, knives, or other blatant weapons, even if they are vintage. Imitation firearms and weapons that look real or are prohibited by US law.

Examples of What is Allowed:

Culinary knives or other knives used as tools 

Example: Vintage Kitchen Knives - Collectibles 

Letter openers 

Airsoft guns and other non-harmful toy guns (with some restrictions)

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4. Hate Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Hatred

We want Biyu Marketplace to be a community where people of all backgrounds, nationalities, religions, political affiliations, and even different types of artistic taste and humor feel welcome. Art is incredibly subjective, and what is offensive to one is not necessarily offensive to others.

More Details:

Biyu Marketplace does not allow items or listings that promote, support or glorify hatred toward people or otherwise demean people based upon: race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation (collectively, “protected groups”). We also prohibit items or content that promote organizations or people with such views. 

The following items are not allowed on Biyu Marketplace, 

1. Items that support or commemorate current or historical hate groups, including propaganda or collectibles. Examples of hate groups include Nazi or Neo-Nazi groups, Ku Klux Klan (KKK) groups, white supremacist groups, misogynist groups, or groups that advocate anti-gay, anti-immigrant, or Holocaust denial agendas. 

2. Items that contain racial slurs or derogatory terms in reference to protected groups

Examples of What is Allowed:

Some items may contain symbols or terms associated with hate groups in a context unrelated to the group itself. We understand that these items are subject to a variety of valid and often conflicting interpretations of their educational, historical and artistic value. Recognizing that there may be no consensus on their value and reserving the right to evaluate such items on an individual, case-by-case basis, the following types of items are generally allowed on Biyu Marketplace:

 Co-opted symbols, such as the swastika, when used in a peaceful or religious context (often in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism). The item itself must possess features that clearly depict its cultural or religious origin or purpose. 

A note on swastikas: 

We are sensitive to the fact that there are many cultures throughout the world which use the swastika for legitimate purposes completely independent of Nazism. However, due to the widespread recognition of the Nazi swastika as a hate symbol, we have decided to only allow swastikas when part of a clear religious or cultural context. 

Example: Vintage Buddhist Swastika PendantExample: Buddhist Swastika NecklaceExample: Tunic with Spiritual SymbolsExample: Hindu Brass Sculpture 

Items that use idiomatic expressions that include the word “nazi,” such as “grammar nazi” 

Example: Grammar “Nazi” Print Items denouncing or mocking groups or historical figures that have a history of organized, targeted violence against protected groups Example: Photograph of Anti Nazi Graffiti

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5. Illegal Items, Items Promoting Illegal Activity, and Highly Regulated Items

We respect the law and expect Biyu Marketplace sellers to respect the law as well.

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Illegal items, items that promote illegal activity, and stolen items are not allowed on Biyu Marketplace. Neither are certain items that are subject to complex legal regulations or registration systems. We require sellers to follow all applicable laws for the items they list. Listings may be unavailable for users in regions where the item is restricted to purchase or sell.

 While not exhaustive, examples of items which may be subject to regulation include: 

1. Native American crafts 

2. Plants and seeds 

3. Children's products 

4. Food products 

5. India Restrictions 

Because Biyu Marketplace is a global company, it’s important to abide by the laws of the markets in which you are selling. What is legal in one country may be illegal in another. All forms of illegal activity are strictly prohibited, and listings may not facilitate or promote illegal acts. Examples of listings facilitating illegal acts include lock-picking or locksmithing devices, TV descramblers, items designed to covertly capture private data, and similar. 

Unauthorized replicas or copies of items are prohibited on Biyu Marketplace We consider counterfeit or unauthorized goods to be items that imitate an authentic good, particularly by using a brand’s name, logo, or protected design without the brand owner’s consent. Additionally, we may consider up-cycled or repurposed items, even if using authentic materials, to be counterfeit if they are making use of a brand's name, logo, or protected design without their permission. Examples of prohibited counterfeit or unauthorized goods include replica luxury and non-luxury items like bags and branded apparel. 

Personal information may not be sold, for instance as part of a data bank or mailing list. The sale of personal or government documents, such as credit cards, identification cards, and licenses is also prohibited. 

Given associated regulations, lottery tickets, cryptocurrency mining rigs, and current, exchangeable currency and postage may not be sold on Biyu Marketplace. We also prohibit the sale of financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, and other securities. Handmade items containing any of these items in a usable condition are also not allowed. Collectible postage or currency that priced at less than $1,000 are allowed unless subject to legal or other restrictions. Collectible currency may not be offered as 'unsearched' or as a mixed lot of unknown contents.

6. Internationally Regulated Items

Biyu Marketplace provides a direct connection between buyers and sellers around the world. If you buy or sell an item from another country, or if you enter into a transaction with someone across international borders, you are responsible for complying with laws and regulations of the country of destination as well as your local laws.

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When buying and selling internationally, you should comply with your local laws and be aware that other countries may have their own restrictions. You might be prohibited from exporting or importing certain items under international laws and regulations. Some transactions may require licenses, permits, or other documentation. If you have questions about how to comply with the law, we recommend that you speak to a qualified professional. 

When you use Biyu Marketplace’s services, you are also responsible for complying with economic sanctions and trade restrictions, including those implemented by the Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") of the US Department of the Treasury. Biyu Marketplace reserves the right to request that sellers provide additional information, disclose an item's country of origin in a listing, or take other steps to meet compliance obligations. 

You should be aware that third-party payment processors, such as PayPal, may independently monitor transactions for sanctions compliance and may block some transactions as part of their own compliance programs. Biyu Marketplace has no authority or control over the independent decision-making of these providers.

Examples of What is Allowed:

Sanctions or compliance programs may have certain exceptions to their restrictions. For example, while OFAC broadly prohibits transactions involving goods that originate from sanctioned areas, there are exceptions for informational materials such as publications, films, posters, phonograph records, photographs, tapes, compact disks, and certain artworks. Items that don’t originate from a sanctioned area but make a reference to a sanctioned area are generally permitted.

7. Nudity and Mature Content

As a creative community, we tend to be fairly liberal about what we allow on Biyu Marketplace That said, we prohibit pornography, illegal or exploitative items, and used intimate items. Beyond that, we allow but place restrictions on mature content so that people who are offended by this kind of material don't have to see it. If you are selling mature content, we ask that you be respectful of differing sensibilities by listing and tagging your items properly.

More Details:

We prohibit items which are not aligned with Biyu Marketplace’s brand and values, or which carry legal or other restrictions. Depictions of the sexualization of minors are prohibited. We also prohibit depictions of bestiality, incest, and non-consensual sex.

 Pornography of any sort is prohibited on Biyu Marketplace, whereas mature content is restricted. Although pornography can be difficult to define, an item generally qualifies as pornography when it contains printed or visual material that explicitly describes or displays sex acts, sex organs, or other erotic behavior for the sole purpose of sexual arousal or stimulation. 

We define mature content as printed or visual depictions of human genitalia, sexual activity or content, profane language, sexual wellness items, violent images Violent Items), and explicit types or representations of taxidermy. Not all nudity is considered mature, and examples are listed below. If you find yourself questioning whether your item is mature, then it is likely a good idea to assume that it is mature content, and you should label it as such.

 When deciding whether mature content crosses over the threshold into pornography, we take into consideration the explicitness of depictions of sexual activity or content.

Examples of What is Allowed Without Restriction:

Non-pornographic nude photography and depictions of breasts 

Example: Authentic Tribal Photograph

 Non-pornographic depictions of buttocks

Example: Fine Art Photograph of Nude Man 

Abstracted or cartoonish depictions, within reason 

Example: Cartoon Men and Women Nude Print

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8. Violent Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Violence

We want Biyu Marketplace to be a safe place for everyone. While violent content can be a legitimate part of historical, educational, or artistic expression, it should never be used to promote or glorify violent acts against others.

More Details:

We do not allow items or listings that promote, support or glorify acts of violence or harm towards self or others, including credible threats of harm. 

The following items are not allowed on Biyu Marketplace: 

1. Items that glorify human suffering or tragedies, including items that commemorate or honor serial killers 

2. Items that attempt to exploit natural disasters or human tragedies 

3. Items that encourage, glorify, or celebrate acts of violence against individuals or groups 

4. Items that encourage self-mutilation, starvation, or other self-harm 

5. Items that promote or endorse harmful misinformation 

This prohibited items list is subject to change as prohibited items by law grow