B2B Service Terms

These terms describe the commercial and operational rules of the returns-management service provided by Auctum GmbH under the Returned brand (returned.online) to business customers (B2B). Individual written agreements between Auctum GmbH and the client take precedence over these terms.

• Return: for billing purposes, one return means one physically separate inbound parcel, carton, pallet, or other handling unit received by Returned. Multiple physical units are billed separately even if they belong to the same customer order, carrier shipment, removal order, or master shipment reference — unless otherwise agreed in writing. Examples: one customer order arriving in three cartons counts as three returns; a removal order arriving in 12 cartons counts as 12 returns; a freight shipment of five pallets counts as five returns.
• Parcel / handling unit: the physically separate unit received by Returned (parcel, carton, pallet, or comparable unit), whether or not it carries its own tracking number.
• Item: an individual product unit inside a return. Item counts are established only where the selected processing level includes opening (Standard+ and Grading).
• Processing level: the service selected per shipment — Basic (receive, log, notify; parcel not opened), Standard+ (adds opening, inspection, photos, item-level reporting), or Grading (adds A/B/C condition grading, functional checks where feasible, and resale recommendations).
• Storage unit: one box or one pallet held in storage.

• Monthly subscription €31.50 and one-time setup fee €31.50.
• Processing is billed per return at the selected level: Basic €1.65, Standard+ €2.29, Grading €2.75 — Standard+ and Grading include the first item.
• Each additional item in the same return: €0.40 (Standard+) or €2.39 (Grading). Basic returns are not opened, so no item-level fees apply.
• Oversized surcharge €1.89 per item (per unopened parcel on Basic) over 5 kg or 1.20 m — added on top of the processing fee.
• Storage: €0.69 per box per week, €6.30 per pallet per week (see section 5).
• Consolidation: €3.79 per outbound box up to 20 kg, €4.45 above 20 kg, including the new carton and standard packing. Pallet preparation €26.00 per pallet including a standard Euro pallet, building, strapping, wrapping, and labelling.
• Standard disposal €0.49 per item (see section 7). Outbound shipping is always billed separately (see section 6).
• Value Recovery commission is agreed per product in advance (see section 9).

Dispositions (restock, consolidate, reship, store, recover value, dispose) are carried out on the basis of the client's instructions given by email or another agreed channel. Instructions become binding when confirmed by us and are executed at the published rates applicable at that time. Standing written rules agreed in advance (for example "dispose of all grade-C items") are treated as instructions.

The first 14 calendar days after arrival of a return are free of storage charges while the client decides on next steps. From day 15, storage is billed per started week per box or pallet at the published rates: the first chargeable week runs from day 15 to day 21 after arrival, and each further started 7-day period counts as one week. Storage continues until the client issues a disposition instruction and it is completed.

Outbound shipping and freight are not included in any processing, consolidation, or pallet-preparation fee. They are billed separately based on the actual carrier and service selected, or quoted to the client for approval before dispatch when required. The client's reship or consolidation instruction — including the chosen carrier/service or the approval of a quote — constitutes approval of the resulting freight charges. The client bears outbound freight costs.

Goods are disposed of only on the client's explicit instruction or under a pre-agreed written rule. The standard disposal rate of €0.49 per item covers goods that can be handled through ordinary commercial waste under applicable rules. Hazardous or specially regulated goods (for example damaged batteries or chemicals) require special treatment; the disposal is paused until the client approves the quoted cost — only immediate safety measures required by law are reserved. See the Restricted Goods Policy.

If goods remain without a disposition instruction, storage continues to accrue at the published rates. If no instruction is received despite at least two written reminders over a period of no less than 90 days, and outstanding charges remain unpaid, we may — after a final written notice with a reasonable deadline — arrange documented disposal or resale of the affected goods to cover accrued costs, to the extent legally permissible. We never dispose of goods without this notice process.

• Value Recovery includes an initial resale-suitability assessment only. Opening, item-level reporting, photos, functional checks, and A/B/C Grading are separate paid services at the published rates where applicable.
• Resale is not guaranteed, and no sale price or recovery rate is guaranteed.
• The commission is agreed per product in advance; nothing is sold without the client's approval.
• Any paid processing or grading (for example full A/B/C Grading) is charged at the published rates and is separate from the commission.
• Clients receive a transparent statement per settlement showing sales proceeds, agreed deductions (commission, fees, outbound costs where applicable), and the resulting net recovery amount, together with payout reporting.
• Unsold items remain the client's property and can be consolidated, stored, or disposed of at the published rates.

• Providing accurate product, account, and contact information, and keeping the return address and account reference assigned at onboarding in use as instructed.
• Ensuring goods sent to us are legally owned or controlled by the client and are not prohibited under the Restricted Goods Policy.
• Accurate customs and product declarations for cross-border shipments where required; tax and customs obligations remain the client's responsibility.

Stated timeframes (such as logging within one business day) describe our normal operational practice and are not contractual guarantees unless expressly agreed in writing. Liability is governed by statutory law; nothing in these terms excludes liability where it cannot legally be excluded.

The subscription runs month-to-month and can be cancelled to the end of a billing month. Fees already incurred (processing, storage, shipping, disposal) remain payable. After cancellation, remaining goods are handled per the client's instructions at the published rates; section 8 applies if no instructions are received.

• Free Forfeit Returns is a separate B2B service arrangement operated by Auctum GmbH. It applies only after Auctum GmbH has accepted the application and onboarding has been completed. The receiving address and shipping instructions are issued only after completed onboarding; goods must not be sent before then. Auctum GmbH may impose operational routing, labelling, packaging, or advance-notice requirements. The Restricted Goods Policy applies in full.
• Under Free Forfeit there is no setup fee, no subscription, no per-return or per-handling-unit fee, no storage fee, and no disposal fee. No deposit, prepayment, or payment method is required. This exemption covers the service charges of Returned only: inbound carriage, customs, duties, taxes, and other third-party costs remain the responsibility of the merchant.
• The definition of a return in section 2 governs counting and receipt confirmations under Free Forfeit; no billing takes place under this option.
• The merchant warrants that it owns the goods or is fully authorised to transfer them. Legal title to each handling unit received under Free Forfeit transfers irrevocably to Auctum GmbH upon physical receipt at the assigned location. The transfer is permanent: the merchant retains no ownership, recovery right, or claim to proceeds, and Auctum GmbH owes no purchase price, payout, commission, revenue share, credit, or accounting. Auctum GmbH may keep, inspect, resell, donate, recycle, destroy, or otherwise dispose of the goods at its sole discretion. Title does not transfer for goods that Auctum GmbH is legally unable to accept; such goods are handled under the Restricted Goods Policy and applicable law.
• Free Forfeit includes no item-level inspection or grading, no item-level inventory or condition report, no storage service, no consolidation, no return shipment or retrieval after receipt, and no value-recovery reporting or proceeds. The only output is the receipt confirmation described below.
• For each physically separate handling unit received, Returned sends a receipt confirmation by email to the designated contact, containing the receipt timestamp and one exterior photograph of the received unit. It is normally emailed within two business days after physical receipt. A receipt confirmation is evidence of physical receipt only: it does not certify contents, condition, or authenticity, and Auctum GmbH does not warrant that any marketplace, carrier, payment provider, or other third party will accept it or decide a dispute in the merchant's favour.
• Shipments under Free Forfeit must be genuine e-commerce returns that comply with the Restricted Goods Policy and were accurately described during onboarding. Hazardous, prohibited, recalled, illegal, counterfeit, contaminated, or perishable goods, and shipments that are not genuine e-commerce returns (including unrelated waste), may be refused, isolated, or lawfully disposed of. Sending goods for the purpose of transferring disposal or regulatory liabilities is prohibited. Costs caused by prohibited, hazardous, deceptive, or abusive shipments may be recovered from the merchant. The arrangement does not authorise the merchant to describe Auctum GmbH or Returned as an approved, certified, or official partner of any marketplace.
• Auctum GmbH may refuse individual shipments and may suspend or terminate the Free Forfeit arrangement prospectively at any time; capacity or perpetual availability of the option is not guaranteed. Termination does not reverse the ownership of goods already received. After termination the merchant must stop using the assigned address and redirect future returns; unauthorised post-termination shipments may be refused or handled as permitted by law.
• Receipt emails and photographs may contain shipping-label and related personal data; they are processed in accordance with the privacy notice.