Questions & answers

The seller picks which carriers they're willing to use when they list, and gives the parcel size. The buyer then chooses from that list at checkout. A seller is never committed to a courier they don't use, and a buyer is never surprised by the cost at the last moment.

We do, from the carrier's own published rate for that parcel size — sellers don't have to guess and can't inflate it. Currently: Royal Mail (tracked), Evri, InPost lockers, DPD and Yodel.

The buyer, at checkout. It goes to the seller, who buys the label. Castoffs takes no cut of postage.

Yes, for posted items. The seller can't mark something as dispatched without entering a tracking number and carrier. Tracking is what evidences that the gear actually moved, which is what lets us hold and release the money fairly.

Heavy and awkward gear is collection only — no courier is going to make that pleasant for either of you. The listing form steers big items that way automatically.

Because the locker texts you the pickup code. We only collect it on InPost orders, and it goes to the seller purely so they can complete the label form.

Your card is held, not charged. Nothing is taken until you hand the seller your collection code — so right up to the moment you're happy with the item, the money is still yours.

Because it's the one thing that proves the handover happened, and it's yours to give. It also means neither of you has to cross a boatyard carrying a wad of twenties.

Your six-digit code is on your purchases page. Look the item over first. If you're happy, read the code out — the seller types it in, and that's what pays them. They should enter it before handing anything over, so you both see it go through.

Through the messages on the site, from the link on your purchase. The seller sees the sale on their dashboard with a message link too, so neither of you has to hunt for the other.

Don't give them the code. That's the whole of it — no claim to raise, no form to fill in. You can tap I'm not taking it on your purchases page to release the hold there and then and put the item back on sale, or just walk away and let it lapse.

The hold on your card expires by itself after about a week, the purchase cancels, and the item goes back on sale. You were never charged. If you still want it, buy it again — you'll get a new code and a fresh week.

No. That's the point of the code — only you have it, and nothing moves without it.

The seller isn't paid while the gear travels. The money is released when you confirm the item arrived as described — or, if something is wrong, it can be refunded to you directly, because it never left.

Until you confirm. If you don't, there's a backstop: money releases automatically 21 days after dispatch, so a seller isn't held hostage by a buyer who has simply moved on with their life.

Yes. If it arrived and it's right, confirm it — the seller gets paid straight away. It costs you nothing and it's the decent thing to do.

Yes, though not to browse. Holding money between two people means we have to know who both of them are — anonymous buyers and held payments don't coexist. Signing up takes a minute.

Straight to your bank account, via Stripe. You'll do a one-off setup the first time you sell — identity and bank details.

Anyone handling payments for other people has to, by law. It's not a Castoffs policy and we can't waive it. It also happens to be why you can trust the person at the other end of the transaction.

No. There is no wallet, no store credit and no balance to withdraw. Money moves from the buyer, to escrow, to your bank. We think that's cleaner for everyone.

Message the seller first — most of these are a genuine misunderstanding and get fixed quickly. If that goes nowhere, raise a claim while the funds are still held.

We aim to decide within five working days of having a fully evidenced claim from both sides. Photographs help enormously; so does having kept the conversation on the site.

Tracking is mandatory, so there is always a record to check. If the carrier lost it, that's a claim against the carrier — but the held payment means you are not out of pocket while it's sorted out.

Yes. Reviews from both sides stay hidden until you've both written one or seven days pass, so what you get is an opinion rather than a retaliation.

Secondhand marine gear, chandlery clearance, ex-demo and off-cuts, and genuinely one-off stock. Parts, gear and electronics — the things that keep boats working.

Not a whole vessel — anything with a cabin or accommodation space belongs on a broker's books, not here. Dinghies, tenders and similar open craft under five metres are fine.

Because that is precisely what we're not. Bulk drop-shipped commodity stock is prohibited. A marketplace flooded with anonymous identical imports is no use to anybody, and it would drive off the chandleries who make this worth visiting.

Flares and pyrotechnics, banned antifouling chemicals, damaged or unstable batteries and fuels, counterfeit branded goods, and anything weapons-adjacent including flare guns. No exceptions, whatever the condition.

A £39-a-month account for marine businesses — chandleries, riggers, brokers. You get a storefront page carrying all your listings and trade-facing tools. Standard selling stays free; Pro is for people doing volume.

Pro is for registered marine businesses — chandleries, riggers, brokers. You give us your business name when you sign up, and we can ask for evidence of an active marine operation and withdraw the badge if it isn't there. We're small enough at the moment that every Pro account is looked at by a person.

Yes — nothing sits in a queue. But we're small, so a person genuinely does read every listing that goes up, and anything that doesn't belong here comes down. If that ever changes to spot-checking rather than reading all of them, we'll say so on this page.