Grading terms & disclaimer

Card identification & chain of custody

Every card you submit must be photographed front and back at drop-off — you take these photos in store when you hand your cards over (or upload them during the online submission flow if posting). These photos are stored against your submission record and used to resolve any dispute about identity or condition.

• You must upload clear photographs of every card during the submission flow. We will not begin processing without them.
• If the cards we receive don't match the cards in your submission photos, we will pause processing and contact you within 2 business days to resolve it.
• Cards are tracked by certificate-style sleeves and a unique submission number from the moment we open your parcel until the moment we ship them back graded.
• Claims of swapped cards will only be considered if accompanied by your own original photographs taken before posting. Without intake photos from you, we have no basis to investigate a swap claim.

Grading is subjective and final

• Grades are assigned by the grading company at their sole discretion. We do not influence, negotiate, or guarantee any specific grade.
• A lower-than-expected grade is not grounds for a refund. Authentication and encapsulation have value independent of the final number.
• We do not offer grade guarantees, “pre-grade” opinions, or refunds based on grade outcome.
• If you believe a grade is wrong, you may submit it for the grading company's own review/regrade service — at your cost.

Turnaround times are estimates only

• Published turnaround times are estimates supplied by the grading company. They start when your cards arrive at the grader's facility, not when you post them to us.
• Travel time to and from the grader, customs, holidays, surges and grader backlog can extend the total time.
• We do not offer compensation, refunds or expedited upgrades because a published estimate was missed.

Shipping, loss & insurance

• You are responsible for getting your cards to us. We strongly recommend insured, tracked postage for any submission.
• Once cards arrive at our facility, they are insured under our policy through their entire journey to the grader and back to you (Pickup or Delivery).
• If a card is lost or destroyed while in our care, we will refund the declared value up to the tier's declared-value cap, or the proven replacement cost, whichever is lower.
• We are not responsible for delays, loss or damage caused by Australia Post, the grader, customs, or any third party once cards leave our facility on the way back to you — though we will assist with any insurance claim.

Upcharges & declared value

• Each tier has a maximum declared value. Cards graded above that cap incur upcharges set by the grading company, payable before your cards are released back to you.
• You will receive an invoice for any upcharges with 15 days to pay. Cards held for unpaid upcharges beyond 60 days may be sold to recover costs.
• Once we have received your cards, the grading service fee is non-refundable. See the refund policy for the limited exceptions.

Submittable condition

By submitting, you confirm that each card is:

• Genuine, lawfully owned by you, and not subject to any third-party claim;
• Free of moisture damage, residue, glue or sticker damage that would reasonably preclude grading;
• Not previously trimmed, recoloured, restored or otherwise altered.

If a card is flagged by the grading company for an authenticity, alteration or evidence-of-tampering issue, it will be returned ungraded. The service fee for that card is not refundable.

Customer-supplied photographs & evidence

We strongly recommend you photograph every card front and back, in clear lighting, immediately before sealing your parcel. These photographs are the strongest possible evidence in any future dispute about identity or condition — without them, we have very limited ability to investigate.

Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, House of Cards N Collectables' total liability for any single submission is capped at the lesser of:

• the declared value of the card(s) at submission; or
• the actual proven market value of the card(s) at the time of loss.

We are not liable for indirect, consequential, or speculative losses including (without limitation) lost resale profits, lost grading bumps, or emotional distress.

Acceptance

Ticking the acknowledgement checkbox in the submit flow records your acceptance of these terms with a timestamp. The acceptance is also written to your order's line-item properties so it appears on your order confirmation email.

Questions?

Email sales@houseofcardsnco.com.au or call +61 2 8201 3367 before you post your cards. Once we've received them, these terms apply.