Community Guidelines
BikeZap is a public marketplace. Anyone can post a listing, and anyone can write to another user. That is the point — but it only works if people can trust what they read. These guidelines are the standard we hold every user to, and the basis on which we review, remove and act on content.
1. The four rules that matter most
Remember these four
- Be honest. Describe the item or service truthfully, including its defects.
- Be lawful. Only trade things you are allowed to trade.
- Be decent. Treat the person on the other side of the chat like a person.
- Stay on the platform. Do not move a conversation somewhere we cannot protect you.
2. What must never be listed
BikeZap is a general marketplace, so we have to be explicit about what we do not allow. The following may never be listed, sold, rented, offered, or advertised, in any category, at any price. The rules apply to the title, the description, the photographs, and the chat — removing a word from the title does not make it permissible.
| Category | Never allowed |
|---|---|
| Weapons | Firearms, pistols, rifles, air guns that fire, ammunition, gun parts, silencers, swords, daggers, brass knuckles, and any other weapon or weapon part — including for sport, decoration or collection |
| Drugs | Narcotics, psychedelics, steroids, hormones, medical or surgical drugs, and any substance prohibited under the NDPS Act, 1985, including injectable or inhalable forms and drug paraphernalia |
| Tobacco & nicotine | Cigarettes, bidis, cigars, gutka, pan masala, hookah and shisha products, e-cigarettes, vapes, nicotine pouches, e-liquids |
| Alcohol | Alcoholic beverages for sale, delivery or exchange |
| Counterfeits & replicas | Fake branded goods, replicas passed off as originals, counterfeit documents, currency or stamps, pirated software, films, music, e-books or textbooks, and imitation designer goods |
| Stolen or unprovable goods | Anything you cannot prove you own, including vehicles and parts without an invoice, RC book or bill of sale, and electronics with a blocked IMEI |
| Wildlife & protected species | Any animal or plant in the Schedules of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and products derived from them, including ivory, sandalwood and exotic hardwood |
| Live animals for trade | Commercial or breeding sales of animals, wild-caught or exotic animals, and animals that are pregnant, nursing, unweaned or unaccompanied by vaccination records |
| Human body parts | Organs, tissues, blood, or medical samples offered for sale |
| Surveillance & hacking tools | Spyware, stalkerware, keyloggers, hidden cameras, bugging equipment, and any hacked data, database dumps, or lists of login credentials or card numbers |
| Fake finance | Guaranteed-return schemes, Ponzi and pyramid / MLM schemes, recruitment-driven "business opportunities", unlicensed loan offers, and any "task-based" or "deposit and earn" earning scheme |
| Deceptive jobs | Any job, internship or course offer that requires a payment, deposit, security fee, kit or uniform fee, or purchase to participate — see section 4 |
| Adult & sexual | Pornographic, sexually explicit or nude content, escorts, dating or companionship services, and any listing arranged on a sexual basis |
| Hate & harassment | Content that is hateful, defamatory, or incites violence, communal disharmony, or discrimination against any community, caste, religion, gender, disability, age or nationality |
| Government & official items | Police or government uniforms, ID cards, ration cards, passports, voter ID, driving licences, official seals, stamps and records |
| Banned & unsafe goods | Anything banned, seized or restricted by a government authority, and radioactive, hazardous or toxic materials without the licences needed to handle them |
| False certification | Products that falsely claim a BIS, ISI, CE, FSSAI or other compliance mark, warranty, or country of origin |
| Betting & speculation | Betting, gambling, paid gambling, crypto, binary options, forex trading signals, and paid recharge or task scams |
| Misleading medicine | Prescription or Schedule H medical products, repackaged over-the-counter medicine, and any "miracle cure" or health claim |
If an item is legal to own but we cannot verify it is genuine, we will ask you for proof. If you cannot provide it, the listing comes down.
3. Standards for every listing
- You must own it, or have permission. No brokering or dropshipping a product you have never seen unless you say so plainly in the listing.
- Your photos must be your photos of the actual item. Stock photos, dealership catalogue images, and photos taken from another listing are not allowed — a buyer should be able to recognise what arrives.
- Describe the condition honestly, including scratches, dents, battery health, prior repairs, accident history, and anything that is not working.
- Price it honestly. No ₹1 bait pricing, no "DM for price", no "make an offer" on an item you have no intention of selling.
- One item, one listing. Do not post the same item repeatedly to push it to the top of search. Refresh a listing instead of duplicating it.
- Use the right category and write a title someone would actually search for.
- Do not put a phone number, email, QR code, social handle or website in the photo or the text to move the deal off-platform.
- Keep it legal. Any registration, permit, licence, tax or clearance the item needs must be valid, and you must be able to transfer it.
4. Category rules that exist for a reason
Jobs, internships and courses
These listings are the ones most often used to defraud people, so the rules are strict.
- You must be a genuine employer, recruiter, agency or registered training provider, and you must name the company or institution you are hiring for.
- You must not require, accept or benefit from any payment to process an application, attend an interview, start work, or receive a uniform, kit, ID card or vehicle. This is the single clearest sign of a scam, and we remove these listings immediately.
- Do not recruit for lending, gambling, adult content, crypto, MLM or pyramid schemes, or for any activity banned in section 2.
- Do not discriminate on the basis of religion, caste, gender, disability, age, marital status, pregnancy or sexual origin.
- Do not demand a bank account, card, or UPI handle at the application stage beyond what a genuine hiring process genuinely needs. Never ask for an OTP or a PIN.
- Interview and joining can happen off-platform, but no payment may ever be a condition of attending or completing one.
Property — rent, lease, sale
- You must own the property, be the owner's authorised agent, or be a tenant subletting with the owner's written consent.
- State clearly whether the deal is direct with the owner or whether you are a broker, and what fee the owner pays you.
- BikeZap never collects rent, deposit, brokerage, "token money" or a blocking amount. Every rupee goes to the landlord, tenant or the disclosed broker.
- Do not demand a booking or blocking amount to show a property, and do not list a property you have no authority to let or sell.
Vehicles, two-wheelers and parts
- You must be able to produce the RC book, insurance, purchase invoice, and a valid pollution certificate.
- Engine and chassis numbers must be original and unaltered, and the number plate must not be swapped. These are police-reportable offences; we cooperate with law enforcement.
- Describe accident history, and disclose a salvage or flood-damaged vehicle.
- Hand over in person, with papers and keys, and photograph the odometer and the vehicle at handover. Keep a written agreement.
Electronics and mobile phones
- IMEI and serial numbers must be genuine and must not be blocked or blacklisted.
- State clearly whether a device is new and sealed, refurbished, or used, and describe battery health honestly.
- Do not pass off aftermarket or refurbished parts as original OEM, and do not pass off replicas as genuine.
- Network-locked devices must be advertised as locked. Do not sell counterfeit or undeclared grey-market devices.
- Tell buyers to verify the IMEI on the brand's or the regulator's official site before paying.
Services
- Set out what the service includes and what it excludes, and give the customer a written or on-screen estimate they can accept before work starts.
- Do not demand full payment in advance for work not yet done, and do not stop halfway to force extra money.
- Licensed work — electrical, plumbing, gas, structural, vehicle servicing — must be done by a qualified professional.
- Do not take a deposit through BikeZap. We do not hold service deposits.
Pets and animals
- Pet accessories, food and equipment are welcome listings.
- You must follow the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and all state rules. Wild-caught, protected, exotic, pregnant, nursing or unweaned animals may not be listed.
- Live animal sales for commercial or breeding purposes are not supported.
- Always supply genuine vaccination records and a proper bill of sale. Ask buyers to inspect the animal before paying.
- If a delivered animal is sick, injured or dies, report it to us and to your local veterinary authorities. We remove fraudulent listings; we cannot adjudicate the sale itself.
Books, education and stationery
- Second-hand books are fine.
- Pirated textbooks, course material, question banks and study material that infringe a copyright are prohibited, as are notes copied from paid or subscription platforms.
- You must own the right to sell what you list.
Fashion, watches and jewellery
- State clearly whether an item is branded original, a replica, or unbranded. Selling a replica as an original is prohibited.
- For high-value items, meet in public, verify identity, and record a written bill of sale with the buyer's ID.
5. Talking to other users
- Treat people as people. No abuse, no slurs, no threats, no sexual advances, no targeting anyone for their religion, caste, gender, disability or language.
- Do not argue the listing down to nothing while pretending to be a buyer. Repeated lowballing and walking away is harassment.
- Do not ask another user to move to another app, number or platform to avoid our safety systems.
- Do not send unsolicited messages to people who have not engaged with your listing. Bulk or repeated messaging is spam.
- Keep it on the record. If a deal goes wrong, a written record protects both of you.
- Never send an OTP, PIN, password, card number or bank detail to anyone — including someone claiming to be BikeZap staff. BikeZap never asks for these. Anyone who does is trying to rob you.
- Never click a link, download a file, or scan a QR code sent by a stranger to "verify" or "confirm" something.
- Do not post another person's private information, or use it for marketing.
6. Ratings and reviews
- Only review someone you have actually interacted with in a chat on BikeZap. The app enforces this.
- Write what happened, honestly and specifically. No fake reviews, no paid or incentivised reviews, no reviews written for or against a competitor, no review bombing.
- No threats, no offensive content, and no personal information about the person reviewed.
- Do not offer anything of value in exchange for a rating.
- A rating is one person's opinion. It is not a fact, and it is not a guarantee.
7. Recognising a scam
These patterns account for almost all fraud on classifieds sites. If a message matches one, stop.
| The pattern | What is really happening |
|---|---|
| A "buyer" wants to pay you more than your price and asks you to refund the difference | The "payment" is fake. You will be asked to send a small amount first, and the real loss follows |
| You are asked to "verify" your card, bank account or UPI by entering a code, or to install an app or APK | Straightforward account takeover or fraud. BikeZap never asks for this |
| A landlord or employer asks for an advance, deposit, booking amount, or "registration fee" before you meet | You will not get the property, the job or the item |
| Someone sends you a QR code or a link to "collect" money or a refund | A common phishing route to your UPI or bank credentials |
| Contact moves to another number, another app, or a personal email very quickly | Our safety systems and your transaction record have been deliberately bypassed |
| A deal is far better than the market, with a reason not to meet, and pressure to act now | There is no deal |
| Photos of goods are unusually polished, or a brand-new item is being sold at a giveaway price | Counterfeit goods, stolen goods, or a bait to collect your payment details |
Two habits that prevent almost everything: keep the conversation in BikeZap chat, and never send money until you have physically seen and verified the item, the person, and the paperwork.
8. Reporting content or a user
- In the app: open the listing, the chat, or the seller's profile and use the report option. Tell us what is wrong and attach a screenshot if you have one.
- By email: microuserme@gmail.com with the listing link or ID, what is wrong, and any evidence.
- Blocking: you can block a user so they can no longer message you. Blocking is silent — the other person is not told.
- Urgent cases: if someone is in immediate danger, or you are reporting weapons, drugs, counterfeits, stolen goods, child safety or an active fraud ring, put "URGENT" in the email subject line.
You do not need to be certain before reporting. We would rather investigate a fair report than miss a serious one.
9. How we moderate
We review listings at publication and when they are reported, and we prioritise by risk. Depending on what we find, we may:
- remove or hide a listing, or drop it out of search results;
- ask you for proof of ownership or identity before restoring a listing or a verified badge;
- issue a warning, remove the verified badge, or lower your listing limits;
- suspend your account for a period;
- ban your account permanently, with no refund of any fee paid;
- keep the evidence and report it to law enforcement, or to a platform or regulator, where the law requires it.
For illegal content, weapons, drugs, counterfeits, trafficking, child safety, hate speech and active scams, we may act immediately without notice. Where the law requires notice or a hearing, we will provide it. Every moderation and administrative action we take is recorded in an internal audit log.
We may also act on a pattern rather than a single instance. A first serious offence may mean a warning; the same behaviour after a warning means removal or suspension.
10. Appealing a decision
If your listing or account was actioned, you can appeal once. Email microuserme@gmail.com with the listing ID or account email and a short explanation of why you think the decision is wrong. Where possible, a different person from the original reviewer will consider it, and we will respond within 15 working days.
11. Safety tips that actually work
- Meet in a public, well-lit place during daylight. Bring a friend. Do not go to a private address alone.
- Verify identity before handover — a government photo ID, with a copy kept by both sides.
- Photograph everything at handover: the item, the odometer, the serial number, existing damage, and the paperwork. For a rental, photograph again at return.
- Get it in writing. For a rental, a vehicle sale, a property agreement or a service job, a short written agreement signed by both parties is worth more than any amount of chat.
- Test the item before you pay. For a vehicle, take a short test ride. For electronics, check the IMEI and switch it on.
- Do not send a deposit to "hold" something unless you have met the person and verified them.
- Do not carry large amounts of cash. Use a traceable method where you can.
- Trust your gut. If something feels off, walk away. There is always another listing.
12. What these guidelines mean in practice
These guidelines are a plain-language summary of the rules in our Terms & Conditions. Where this page is easier to read, follow it — but the Terms are the binding document, and they are what we enforce against.
We wrote these to be short on purpose. Rules that nobody reads do not make a marketplace safer.