Campus Exchange Legal Centre

Legal, Privacy and Compliance Document

This document explains the terms that govern the use of Campus Exchange, how user information is handled, the responsibilities of sellers and buyers, the buyer protection and refund process, and the platform's compliance approach under South African law, including POPIA.

Last updated: 26 July 2026

1. Terms of Use

Campus Exchange provides a student-focused marketplace where registered users can list, browse, buy, sell and communicate about goods within the campus community. By creating an account, using the website, listing an item, buying an item, sending messages or making payments through the platform, users agree to follow these terms.

Eligibility

  • Users must provide accurate account information and must not impersonate another person.
  • Users must verify their student status or identity before accessing features that require verification.
  • Accounts must not be sold, transferred or shared in a way that avoids platform checks.

Acceptable Use

  • Users must use the platform lawfully, honestly and respectfully.
  • Users must not post false listings, misleading prices, stolen goods, counterfeit goods, prohibited items, exam answers, illegal substances, weapons, alcohol, or any item that violates campus rules or South African law.
  • Harassment, threats, hate speech, fraud, spam, payment manipulation and attempts to bypass platform safety processes are prohibited.
  • Campus Exchange removes listings, restricts features, suspends accounts, deletes accounts, and reports serious misconduct where required to protect the platform, users, or the law.

Platform Role

Campus Exchange acts as a marketplace and transaction facilitator. Sellers remain responsible for the accuracy, ownership and condition of listed items. Buyers remain responsible for reviewing listings, asking relevant questions and inspecting items during the permitted inspection period.

2. Privacy Policy

Campus Exchange collects and processes personal information only where it is needed to operate the marketplace, verify users, secure transactions, communicate with users, prevent fraud, comply with legal obligations and improve the platform.

Information We Collect

  • Account details such as name, email address, password hash, role and profile information.
  • Student or verification information where required to confirm eligibility.
  • Listings, item descriptions, uploaded images, prices, messages, orders, disputes and refund records.
  • Payment-related references and payout information needed to process transactions. Full card details should be handled by the payment provider, not stored by Campus Exchange.
  • Technical information such as IP address, device/browser details, logs, security events and usage activity.

How Information Is Used

  • To create accounts, authenticate users and provide marketplace features.
  • To support listings, orders, protected payment flows, buyer protection, refunds and seller payouts.
  • To send account, security, transaction and support notifications.
  • To detect prohibited items, investigate disputes, prevent fraud and enforce marketplace rules.
  • To meet tax, accounting, audit, legal and regulatory obligations where applicable.

Non-Disclosure and Retention

Campus Exchange does not share users' personal information with anyone, unless required by law.

Personal information is kept only for as long as it is needed for platform operations, legal compliance, disputes, security, and record keeping.

Student verification identity documents are used only for verification. After the verification review is completed, the uploaded identity document is deleted from active platform storage. Campus Exchange keeps a limited verification record, such as the verification status, review outcome, date, and transaction reference, where this is needed for audit, fraud prevention, support, or legal record keeping.

3. Seller Agreement

Sellers agree that every listing must be accurate, lawful and owned by the seller or listed with proper authority. Sellers must describe the item's condition honestly, upload clear images, set a fair price and disclose faults, missing parts, damage or limitations before payment.

  • Sellers must not list stolen, unsafe, counterfeit, restricted or prohibited goods.
  • Sellers must make the item available for inspection or collection as agreed with the buyer.
  • Sellers must not pressure buyers to release funds before the item has been received and inspected.
  • Seller payouts are delayed during disputes, fraud checks, payment reviews or buyer protection windows.
  • Campus Exchange charges seller service charges, boost charges or verification-related charges as displayed on the platform before purchase or listing.
  • Repeated policy violations, fraudulent conduct or confirmed sale of prohibited items lead to listing removal, account suspension, account deletion, permanent removal and reporting to relevant authorities.

Seller Charges and Payout Deductions

Campus Exchange deducts a seller service charge from every completed sale. The standard seller service charge is 13% of the completed sale amount. Verified sellers are charged 11% of the completed sale amount. Optional paid features, including listing boosts, are shown before payment.

If a buyer refund is approved, the only deduction charged on the refund is the payment gateway processing fee, where applicable.

Seller payouts become available only after the order is completed. If an order is disputed, refunded, under fraud review, or awaiting admin resolution, the seller payout is delayed or blocked until the review is finalised.

4. Buyer Protection and Refunds

Buyer protection is designed to reduce risk when buying from another student. Buyer payments are held until the buyer has received the item and the inspection or release process has been completed.

Refund Eligibility

  • The item is materially different from the listing description.
  • The item is damaged, incomplete or defective in a way that was not disclosed before purchase.
  • The seller cannot provide the item after payment.
  • The listing is confirmed to be fraudulent, prohibited or unlawful.

Refund Process

  1. The buyer opens a dispute or refund request within the platform's allowed inspection period.
  2. The buyer provides evidence such as photos, messages, collection details or an unboxing video for couriered items.
  3. The seller can respond with evidence and an explanation.
  4. Campus Exchange reviews the available information and approves a refund, releases funds to the seller, requests more evidence or takes account action.
  5. Approved refunds are returned through the available refund or withdrawal process. The only fee charged on an approved buyer refund is the payment gateway processing fee, where applicable.

Buyer protection does not cover buyer's remorse, ordinary wear that was disclosed, price changes after purchase, damage caused after collection, or private arrangements made outside the platform.

5. Compliance

Compliance means that Campus Exchange runs the marketplace in a safe, fair and lawful way. It means users must be treated honestly, payments must be handled carefully, personal information must be protected, and the platform must take action when someone breaks the rules.

  • Marketplace safety: Campus Exchange does not allow dangerous, illegal, stolen, misleading or prohibited items. Listings can be reviewed, removed or blocked when they break the rules.
  • Fair transactions: Buyers must receive what was advertised, and sellers must describe items honestly. If there is a problem with an order, Campus Exchange reviews the matter before funds are released or refunded.
  • Payment control: Payments are processed through a secure payment provider. Campus Exchange keeps transaction records so payments, refunds and seller payouts can be checked and traced.
  • Clear charges: Seller charges and optional paid features are shown before payment. Refunds only deduct the payment gateway processing fee where it applies.
  • Account security: Users must log in to access protected features. Admin and user access is separated so that sensitive actions are handled only by authorised users.
  • Data encryption: Sensitive information is protected through secure connections, password hashing, and server or database safeguards designed to reduce unauthorised access.
  • Record keeping: Campus Exchange keeps necessary records of orders, payments, refunds, disputes, support messages and moderation decisions so issues can be investigated properly.
  • Rule enforcement: Users who break the rules can have listings removed, features restricted, accounts suspended, accounts deleted, or serious conduct reported where required.
  • Campus conduct: Users must follow campus rules when arranging meetups, using campus spaces or trading with other students.

6. POPIA Act

The Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013, known as POPIA, regulates how personal information is processed in South Africa. Campus Exchange treats users as data subjects and aims to process personal information lawfully, fairly, securely and for clear marketplace purposes.

POPIA-Aligned Processing Principles

  • Accountability: Campus Exchange is responsible for implementing privacy practices and responding to privacy requests.
  • Processing limitation: personal information is collected only where there is a lawful reason, such as consent, contract performance, legal compliance, legitimate interest or user protection.
  • Purpose specification: personal information is collected for defined marketplace, security, payment, support and compliance purposes.
  • Further processing limitation: information should not be reused for incompatible purposes without a lawful basis.
  • Information quality: users should keep their account and transaction information accurate and up to date.
  • Openness: users should be informed about what information is collected and why.
  • Security safeguards: reasonable technical and organisational safeguards should protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure.
  • Data subject participation: users can request access to, correction of or deletion of their personal information, subject to lawful retention requirements.

User Privacy Rights

Subject to POPIA and other applicable laws, users can request access to their personal information, ask for inaccurate information to be corrected, object to certain processing, withdraw consent where consent is the basis for processing, and request deletion where Campus Exchange no longer has a lawful reason to retain the information.

Verification identity documents are treated as sensitive personal information. Campus Exchange's intended retention approach is data minimisation: use the identity document for verification, delete the uploaded identity document after the review is completed, and retain only the minimum operational record needed to prove that verification took place and to support audit, security, dispute, or legal requirements.

Security Incidents

If Campus Exchange becomes aware of unauthorised access to personal information, it should investigate promptly and, where legally required, notify affected users and the Information Regulator.

7. Contact and Requests

Questions about these terms, privacy practices, refunds, seller obligations or POPIA requests can be sent to Campus Exchange support.

Email: support@campusexchange.co.za

Campus Exchange updates this document when platform features, legal requirements, payment processes or operational policies change. Continued use of the platform after an update means the user accepts the updated document.