Category Listing Guidelines

Every listing is subject to review. Tophatter may require information such as proof of purchase, additional photos or further details pertaining to the listed item at any given time.

Accessories & Shoes

Accessories include wearable items such as backpacks, belts, brooches, clutches, duffels, evening bags, hair accessories such as barrettes, headbands, hair clips and hairpins, gloves, handbags, hats, keychains, scarves, socks, sunglasses, ties, tights, tote bags, wallets, watches, and wristlets. The Accessories category does not include jewelry, apparel, shoes, or wearable tech accessories.

Shoes includes footwear for adults such as boots, clogs, flats, heels, sandals, slippers, and sneakers.

We have two Accessories & Shoes tiers, with varying listing requirements.

Fashion Brands – When listing fashion brands sellers must ensure that:

Each listing includes one of the following: a style number, model number, serial number, date code, or item number. If the manufacturer has not provided a style, model, serial, or item number, then a model/style name and valid proof of purchase can be substituted.
Each listing includes at least one personal photo of the item.

Unbranded & Wholesale Brands – There are no additional listing requirements for unbranded & wholesale brands. Includes items that are typically sold at a lower price point and are mass-produced. These items do not usually have a serial number or special mark of authenticity. Examples include, but are not limited to: Cherokee, Merona, ModDeals, Mossimo, Mossy Oak, PattyBoutik, ROMWE, RoseGal, SAMMYDress, Treviso, Tyche Donca, White Stag.

Apparel

Apparel includes wearable garments for adults such as blouses, coats, dresses, intimates such as bras, panties, boxers, shapewear, swimsuits, teddies and underwear, jackets, jumpsuits, leggings, pants, shorts, shirts, skirts, sweaters twinsets and tops. Please note we do require a size chart in each listing. We do not require, but recommend adding care instructions, as well.

Intimates includes corsets, lingerie, and undergarments. When listing intimates, sellers must ensure that:

Images in listings must be acceptable for all audiences
Product images cannot include nudity of genitals, bare bottoms or female breasts, sheer or see-through clothing which exposes genital body parts.
Adult-only items and used undergarments cannot be sold on Tophatter.

We have two Apparel tiers, with varying listing requirements.

Fashion Brands – When listing fashion brands sellers must ensure that:

Each listing includes one of the following: a style number, model number, serial number, date code, or item number. If the manufacturer has not provided a style, model, serial or item number, then a model/style name and valid proof of purchase can be substituted.
Each listing includes at least one personal photo of the item.

These brands have established brick & mortar storefronts. Example fashion brands include, but are not limited to: Abercrombie & Fitch, Alexander McQueen, Alternative, American Apparel, Ann Taylor, Anne Klein, Arizona, Armani, Balenciaga, Banana Republic, Betsey Johnson, Bvlgari, Calvin Klein, Cartier, Céline, Chanel, Charlotte Russe, Chloé, Christian Dior, Christian Louboutin, Clarks, Coach, Coldwater Creek, Cole Haan, Diane von Furstenberg, Diesel, Dockers, Dolce and Gabbana, Donna Karan, Eddie Bauer, Escada, Express, Fendi, Forever 21, Fossil, Frye, Furla, Gap, Givenchy, Gucci, Guess, Hermès, Hollister, Hugo Boss, J.Crew, Jimmy Choo, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Kathy Van Zeeland, Kenneth Cole, Lane Bryant, Levi’s, Liz Claiborne, Longchamp, Louis Vuitton, Lululemon, Manolo Blahnik, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Miu Miu, Montblanc, Mossimo, New York & Company, Nike, Nine West, Old Navy, Omega, Pierre Cardin, Prada, Puma, Quicksilver, Ralph Lauren, Rampage, Rebecca Minkoff, Reebok, Roxy, Salvatore Ferragamo, Sears, Southpole, Stella McCartney, Tag Heuer, The North Face, Tom Ford, Tommy Hilfiger, Topshop, Tory Burch, True Religion, Tumi, UGG, Valentino, Vans, Vera Bradley, Vera Wang, Versace, Wet Seal, Yves Saint Laurent, Z. Cavaricci.

Unbranded & Wholesale Brands – There are no additional listing requirements for unbranded & wholesale brands. These items are typically sold at a lower price point and are mass-produced. These items do not usually have a serial number or special mark of authenticity. Examples include, but are not limited to: Cherokee, Merona, ModDeals, Mossimo, Mossy Oak, PattyBoutik, ROMWE, RoseGal, SAMMYDress, Treviso, Tyche Donca, White Stag.

Art

Art includes photographs, prints, and sculptures.

When listing items in this category, sellers must ensure that:

The artwork is the seller’s own original creation, or
The seller is authorized to resell the artwork.
If alterations, conservation, restoration, or other repairs have been made to the artwork, sellers must disclose this in the listing description.

When selling a reproduction:

The art must be identified as a ‘reproduction’ or ‘repro’ in the title and listing description.
Sellers can only sell a reproduction if it does not infringe on the intellectual property of others, including copyright or trademark.
Sellers can only name the original artist if the reproduction is an exact replica.

Beauty

Beauty includes products and tools used for beauty care and wellness such as bath gel, body lotion, cleanser, conditioner, cosmetics, dietary supplements, fragrances, hair styling tools including blow dryers, brushes, curling irons, flat irons, and roller sets, hair treatments, makeup brushes, manicure sets, moisturizers, nail art, nail polish, nail tools, nutritional supplements, over-the-counter drugs, shampoo, shaving items, and epilators, vitamins, heating pads, and braces.

In accordance with U.S. FDA Health and Safety regulations, sellers must ensure that:

All Beauty items that are applied to the skin, as well as dietary supplements and over-the-counter drugs taken internally must be unused, unexpired, and maintain intact original packaging.
Dietary or nutritional supplement packaging must be labeled in accordance with the US FDA Dietary Supplement Guidance & Regulation and must be in English.
Commercial bath, beauty, and cosmetics packaging must include all US FDA Labeling Requirements and must be in English.
Beauty items must be packaged securely and delivered before expiration.
Listings may not claim medical or health benefits, or assert a correlation between the product and a cure or relief of a health condition or illness.

Collectibles

Collectibles includes antiques, currency, dolls, glassware, limited edition items, memorabilia, militaria, stamps trading cards and vintage items. This category does not include new jewelry.

When listing items in this category, sellers must ensure that:

If an item is described as antique or vintage, an estimated age (within a decade) is provided.
Items are described accurately. Reproductions and vintage-inspired items must clearly be labeled as such.
If text is included on the listing's images, the text should also be clear about whether or not the coin is a copy or original.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, on Tophatter:

An antique is an item that’s at least 100 years old.
A vintage collectible is an item that is at least 50 years old.
Items newer than 50 years old may be described and sold as collectibles.

Currency – Sellers located outside the United States cannot sell collectible coins. When listing any currency, sellers must ensure that:

Photos are clear, personal (non-stock photos).
Photos must show both the reverse and obverse sides of the coin and/or paper bills.
All information known about the item, such as origin, date of issue and condition are specified.
Paper currency must show the serial number that the buyer will receive. Please note that this may require multiple listings to allow for different serial numbers.

Any plated bar or round that is stamped with a metal content must also include a stamp that the item is PLATED or CLAD. If the stamp is not included, the item is considered counterfeit and cannot be sold on Tophatter.

When listing coins as authentic sellers must also include:

Seller must guarantee that the coin being sold matches the certification or serial number in the description.
Grade of coin using industry standard grades (ie. MS – 60).
Certification or serial number of coin must be in the description.
Coins must be certified by a recognized grading company and the company must be listed in the description. Acceptable grading services are as follows:
- The Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS)
- The Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC)
- Independent Coin Graders (ICG)
- ANACS

Raw Coins – Coins that have not been graded or have been graded by an unapproved grading company cannot include:

A numeric grade (ie. MS – 65) anywhere in the title, description or elsewhere in the listing.
Any estimate of value (even of opinion) or reference to price.

Replicas and coin-like items

Replicas must include the word “COPY” at the beginning of both the title and the description.
If a coin is a copy the listing must include “not for investment purposes” in clear, legible, easily visible text.
Replica coins must also be stamped “COPY” on the back of the coin.

Precious Metals, Bullions & Rounds

Gold of 10 karats or higher
Silver of 925 parts per 1000 pure silver or above
Platinum group metals of 850 parts per 1000 pure platinum or above
Precious metals cannot be plated or filled; they are solid.

If an item doesn’t qualify as a precious metal as described above, sellers must include the following information in their listing:

Plated/Filled Metals: listings must include these qualifying words after any use of the words “gold,” silver,” or “platinum” to accurately identify the item. For example, in cases where the alloy used for plating meets the precious metal requirements above, then the listing can say “gold-plated”, silver-plated” or “platinum-plated”.
Abbreviations used to describe these listings may include “GF” (gold-filled), “GP” (gold-plated), and “GEP” (gold-electroplated). Similar abbreviations can be applied to other metals where applicable.
Items cannot be described as “sterling silver” unless they have the “.925” stamp.
Items which have a .925 marking must be solid sterling silver.
If a bar/bullion/round does not qualify as precious metal the listing must include “not for investment purposes” in clear, legible, easily visible text.
All precious metals listed to be sold on Tophatter must abide by the US Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Jewelry, Gemstones, Precious Metals and Pewter Industries guidelines as indicated here.

Stock Certificates and Bonds

Listings for stock certificates must include an image showing the cancellation mark on the back side of the certificate.

Cards – When listing cards as authentic, sellers must ensure that:

They have been graded by one of the following organizations:
- Professional Sports Authenticators (PSA)
- Beckett Grading Services (BGS)
- Sportscard Guaranty (SGC)
- International Sports Authentication (ISA)

Replicas must include the word “COPY” at the beginning of both the title and the description.

Edibles

Edibles includes any edible or consumable item such as coffee, condiments, confections and desserts, gourmet foods, healthy snacks, homemade treats, mixes, non-alcoholic beverages, preserves, retail food products, spices and teas

Consumable items listed on Tophatter must comply with your own state and local laws and regulations regarding the sale of food and U.S. FDA regulations & guidelines, in addition to the following requirements.

We have two Edibles tiers, with varying listing requirements.

Homemade items – When listing homemade items, sellers must ensure that:

The item must include a clearly marked expiration date
The item must be stored and packaged safely before & during shipment, and delivered to the buyer before it expires
The listing must state known allergens and ingredients

Commercial Products – When listing commercial products, sellers must ensure that:

Products must be unopened in original packaging
Ingredients should be clearly listed on the item packaging in English
The item must be stored and packaged safely before & during shipment, and delivered to the buyer before it expires

Electronics

Electronics includes items that have an electronic or computerized component and corresponding accessories for these items such as camcorders, cameras, chargers, earbuds, game consoles, headphones, home theater systems, laptops, MP3/4 players, speakers, smartphones, software such as Blu-ray, CDs, DVDs, video games, storage cases, tablets, and televisions.

When listing items in this category, sellers must ensure that:

All items must be in working condition and usable.
All items must have a clear condition specified – new, used, refurbished, etc. with any additional notes regarding product defects.
All listings include a model number and/or generation number.
Retail Price, if listed, should reflect the item’s current value.
The serial number of the actual item being sold must be included in the item description to quality for Seller Protection.

The listing should include all parts necessary for it to be fully functional. This includes hard drives, batteries, charging cables, ink, etc.

Products listed in a manner to deceitfully inflate their true value, capacity, or interactive capabilities cannot be sold on Tophatter. This includes, but is not limited to y-pads/hi-pads, flash drives with an actual capacity less than what is advertised, robotic vacuum cleaners/sweepers, and any variations thereof.

Jewelry

Jewelry includes completed jewelry items such as anklets, body jewelry, bracelets, ear cuffs, earrings, handmade jewelry, jewelry sets, necklaces, rings, pendants, and vintage jewelry.

We have two Jewelry tiers, with varying listing requirements.

For all jewelry, sellers must ensure that:

The setting material and metal are accurately described in accordance with the US Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Jewelry, Gemstones, Precious Metals and Pewter Industries guidelines as indicated here.
- If the product is plated, both the title and the description must clearly state that it is plated.
- If the metal type is unknown, sellers should describe the metal as alloy metal or other.
- If the gemstone is lab-created, both title and description must note that the gemstone is lab-created.
- If the setting material is unknown, sellers should describe the setting by color instead.
Stickers, tags, or cards indicating a retail price are not permitted in listing images or videos.
Text is not allowed on images or videos for Jewelry listings. The only exceptions permitted are numerical dimensions of the product and or seller/store watermarks.
Tophatter reserves the right to request samples to test for authenticity and may test-purchase items, or test buyer-returns at random, or if an item is suspected of being misleading or counterfeit.
Items described in a misleading way will result in penalty fees, account warnings, and may result in suspension.

Fashion jewelry is not made of precious metals, except for precious metal plating over a base metal, and does not include precious gemstones or pearls except when set within a non-precious or plated setting.

Fine jewelry is defined on Tophatter as either:

A product constructed primarily from precious metals and not plated or filled. Precious metals are gold, silver, and platinum. These items can include gemstones, quality crystals, or CZ. They cannot include glass or plastic.
Plated or filled base metal products can only be considered fine jewelry if they contain a genuine precious gemstone. They cannot include crystals, CZ, glass, or plastic.

Tophatter defines precious stones as only the following:

Alexandrite, Amber, Amethyst, Ametrine, Aquamarine, Citrine, Diamond, Fancy Color Diamond, Emerald, Garnet, Iolite, Jade, Kunzite, Lapis Lazuli, Moonstone, Morganite, Opal, Pearl, Peridot, Rose Quartz, Ruby, Sapphire, Spinel, Sunstone, Tanzanite, Topaz, Tourmaline, Turquoise, Zircon

Note:
- Cubic Zirconia is not in the Zircon family and is not considered a precious stone.
- Lab-created and synthetic opal is not considered a precious stone.

Tophatter defines quality crystals as only the following:

Swarovski crystals or Preciosa crystals

In addition, there are specific listing guidelines when listing diamonds, gemstones, and metals:

Diamond is a natural mineral with the chemical composition C, essentially pure carbon crystallized in the isometric system. It is found in many colors. Its hardness is 10; its specific gravity is approximately 3.52, and it has a refractive index of 2.42. For diamonds, sellers must ensure that:

Any treatment, enhancement, or dye is disclosed
Manufactured diamonds are accurately described as “manufactured or “lab-created.” Lab-created gemstones have identical optical, physical, and chemical compositions to their natural, mined counterparts and are manufactured in a lab.
“Diamond accent” is accurately described. This is jewelry that has one or more diamonds with a combined carat weight of less than one-fourth of a carat.
Any material which does not meet the definition of a natural or manufactured genuine diamond cannot be described using the name “diamond”. Instead, these materials should be described as what they are. Examples include but are not limited to Briolite, crystalline glass, plastic or lead crystal, Cubic Zirconium (CZ), Diamonique, moissanite, quartz, rhinestone, and strontium titanate.

Gemstones are generally crystalline mineral or organic compounds formed in the earth or as a process of living organisms, as in the case of amber and pearl. For gemstones, sellers must ensure that:

Any treatment, enhancement, or dye is disclosed
Manufactured gemstones are accurately described as “manufactured or “lab-created.” Lab-created gemstones have an identical consistency and chemical composition to their natural, mined counterparts and are manufactured in a lab.
Any material which does not meet the definition of a natural or manufactured genuine gemstone cannot be described using the gemstone names “ruby,” “sapphire,” “emerald,” “topaz,” etc. Instead, these materials should be described as what they are.
Any material which does not meet the definition of a natural or manufactured genuine gemstone cannot be described as “birthstone,” “gemstone,” or “stone”.

Precious metals include gold, silver, and platinum group metals, which include palladium and rhodium. Metal content must be described accurately. Any markings inscribed on jewelry must accurately represent the metal content of the item.

Gold sellers must ensure that:

When using the word “gold” or any abbreviation for gold without a qualifier, the metal must be composed throughout of fine 24 karat gold.
All other uses of the word “gold” must be qualified with the actual karat measurement of purity preceding it. For example 14 karat gold is 58.3% pure.
Items described as “gold-plated” indicate the base metal contains a surface-plating of gold alloy applied by any process. To be considered gold-plated, gold with a purity of at least 14-karat must make up at least 1/20th of the weight of the total metal.
Items described as “gold-filled” indicate the base metal contains a surface-plating of gold alloy applied by a mechanical process. To be considered gold-filled, gold with a purity of at least 14-karat must make up at least 1/20th of the weight of the total metal.
Items with a layer of gold plating covered by a base metal having just a thin wash of gold should not be described as “gold-plated” or “gold-filled” and should be described as an alloy or other.

Silver sellers must ensure that:

When using the words “silver,” “sterling,” “Ster.,” “.925,” or any other abbreviation for silver, the metal content of the item must be composed throughout of at least 925 parts per thousand (92.5%) of pure silver.
Items described as “silver-plated” indicate the base metal is plated with a coating of pure silver that is of a substantial thickness.
Items with a layer of silver plating that is less than 92.5% pure silver, or which are composed entirely of less than 92.5% pure silver is silver alloy should be described as alloy metal or other.

Platinum sellers must ensure that:

When using the word “platinum,” “Plat.,” “Pt.,” or any abbreviation for platinum without a qualifier, the metal must be composed throughout of at least 950 parts per thousand (95%) of pure platinum.
When using the word “palladium,” “Pal.,” “Pd.,” or any abbreviation for palladium without a qualifier, the metal must be composed throughout of at least 950 parts per thousand (95%) of pure palladium.
Items described as “platinum-plated” indicate the base metal is plated with a coating of at least 95% pure platinum.
Items with metal that have a purity of less than 95% pure platinum is platinum alloy, and should be described as alloy metal or other.

Examples:

Do call blue-colored cubic zirconia “Blue CZ”. Don’t call the blue-colored cubic zirconia “Sapphire CZ”.
Do call white cubic zirconia “CZ”. Don’t call white cubic zirconia “Simulated Diamond”.
Do call a reconstituted, dyed turquoise compound “Imitation Turquoise”. Don’t call the reconstituted, dyed turquoise compound “Turquoise”.
Do call an opalescent polymer “Imitation Opal”. Don’t call the opalescent polymer “Opal”.
Do call a fashion ring “Alloy metal with red setting” or “pretty red ring”. Don’t call the fashion ring “gold and ruby”.
Do call an item “silver-plated”. Don’t call the item “sterling silver-plated” or “925 plated”.
Do call an item “14K gold”. Don’t call the item “gold”.

Supplies

Supplies include beading, charms, chains in individual or multiple quantities, craft kits and tools, fabric, findings, jewelry-making supplies and tools, loose gemstones, paper, scrapbooking, sewing notions, shipping supplies, and yarn.

Jewelry-making supplies should comply with the Jewelry guidelines. When listing loose gemstones, sellers must ensure that:

A detailed list of the gemstones included in the purchase is specified
The total carat weight of the gemstones is specified

We also recommend that sellers add:

An image showing the scale of the items being sold is included