Authentication policy

Version 1.0 · Effective 30 October 2026 · Last updated 30 October 2026

1. Our role

SecondChance is a peer-to-peer marketplace. The pieces belong to the sellers and stay with them until the handover; we do not take them in, store them or ship them. What we do is check every listing before it goes live, ban counterfeits, and protect buyers through Buyer Protection.

This policy explains what that check covers and what it does not. It forms part of our Terms of Service and Seller Agreement.

2. What sellers must provide

• Real photographs of the actual piece — front, back, a close-up of hardware or stitching, and the label, stamp or serial, plus any extra angles that show its true condition. Photos must be sharp and in good light.
• No borrowed images. Screenshots from Google, Pinterest or other listings, and stock or catalogue photos standing in for the item, are not allowed and lead to rejection.
• Provenance answers — whether they have the original receipt and the original packaging. Photos of them are encouraged.
• An authenticity confirmation, ticked before publishing: “I confirm that this item is genuine to the best of my knowledge and that the information and photographs submitted accurately represent the item I am offering for sale. I understand that Second Chance may request additional evidence, reject the listing, or suspend my account if the item is suspected to be counterfeit or materially misrepresented.” It is recorded against the seller’s account and that listing.

3. How we review a listing

A member of our team reviews every submission before it appears in the shop, against a standard checklist:

• Brand — that the brand and the claimed model exist, and that the logo, label and model are consistent with the photographs.
• Construction — stitching, materials, hardware, shape and colourway, compared with known production.
• Identifiers — style codes, serial or date codes and tags, where the brand uses them, and whether they match the claimed piece.
• Seller evidence — whether the purchase story makes sense, and whether any receipt and packaging are relevant and consistent.
• Red flags — misspelt branding, wrong fonts or logos, poor construction, impossible model and colour combinations, suspicious codes, stock images, a refusal to provide requested photos, a price far out of line with the piece, or a story that contradicts itself.

The outcome is one of three: the listing is approved; we ask the seller for more photos or evidence and hold it back until they answer; or we reject it, with the reason.

4. After a listing is live

A listing can be reviewed again at any time — after a report from another member, a complaint from a rights holder, or if something new comes to light. While it is being checked it is hidden from the shop. We can remove it at any stage, including after it has sold.

5. External authentication

For high-value pieces, brands that are frequently counterfeited, or where our review is inconclusive, we may require the piece to be checked by an independent authentication service before it is listed, or during a dispute. We tell the seller the requirement and the cost before anything is done. Who pays is set out in our Seller Agreement and Refund & Dispute Policy. An independent provider’s result takes precedence over our own review.

6. The “Authenticated” badge

A listing shows an “Authenticated” badge only where that specific piece has passed a completed authentication check recorded on the listing. It means the piece passed that check on that date, based on the evidence available. It is not a certificate from the brand, an assessment of condition beyond authenticity, or a permanent status. Listings without the badge have still been through the review in Section 3.

7. What our review does not guarantee

Our review is based on photographs and documents, not on handling the piece. It lowers the risk of a counterfeit reaching you, but no remote review can rule it out completely, and the seller remains responsible for what they sell. That is why the sale is never final until you have seen the piece yourself and accepted it, and why Buyer Protection gives you 3 days to return anything that is not genuine.

8. What to check at the handover

• Stitching — even, dense and straight, with no loose threads.
• Hardware — weight, plating and engravings that match the listing photos.
• Date codes, serials and stamps against the label photo in the listing.
• Lining, interior stamps and pocket construction.
• Leather grain, edge paint and glazing.
• Dust bag, box and receipt, where the listing says they are included.

If anything does not match, do not accept the piece — and if you are paying cash, do not pay. Open a return or report a problem from the order.

9. Counterfeits

Counterfeit, replica and “inspired by” items are banned, whatever the price or the description. When we find one, we remove the listing, refund the buyer under our Refund & Dispute Policy, withhold any payout for that sale, and suspend or close the seller’s account. Where the law requires it, or the case suggests fraud, we report it to rights holders or the authorities.

10. Reporting a listing

Anyone can report a listing from its page — you do not need to be certain, and you do not need to have bought it. Reports go to our trust team, never to the seller, and are never attributed to you. For a suspected counterfeit, photographs of the hardware, interior stamp and serial help most. You can also write to secondchancejo.co@gmail.com.