Terms and Conditions

1. Acceptance of Terms

Using the platform means you agree to these Terms

By creating an account, you confirm you are a student of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and you accept these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the platform.

2. Platform Role

A student marketplace that connects buyers and sellers

3. User Responsibilities

Eligibility, lawful use, and honest listings

• Be a current HKUST student with a valid university email
• You are responsible for your own transactions and communications
• Comply with university policies and all applicable laws
• Do not list prohibited items (illegal goods, weapons, drugs, alcohol, stolen items)
• Keep your account credentials confidential and do not share, sell, or transfer your account
• Do not scrape, crawl, harvest, bulk-download, or otherwise collect other users’ personal data or contact details by automated or manual means
• Do not attempt to access accounts, data, or systems that do not belong to you, or circumvent any security, authentication, or rate-limiting measure
• Do not use another user’s contact information for unsolicited marketing, spam, harassment, or any purpose other than the specific transaction it was shared for

4. Data Collection & Privacy

Your privacy is important to us. The collection, use, and disclosure of your personal data is governed by our Privacy Policy. By using MatesMarket, you consent to the data practices described in the Privacy Policy, including the sharing of your contact information with sellers / buyers when you express interest in an item.

5. Account Suspension & Termination

When and why we may take action

We may suspend or terminate accounts that:

• Violate these Terms
• Engage in fraudulent or illegal activities
• Misuse the platform or harm other users

6. Limitation of Liability

We provide the platform “as is”; you assume transaction risks

• We are not liable for losses, damages, or disputes arising from transactions
• We are not liable for technical issues, data breaches, or service interruptions
• We are not liable for user conduct or content

7. Changes to Terms

We may update these terms and will indicate the change

We may update these Terms at any time. Continued use of the platform means you accept the revised Terms. When changes are significant, we’ll update the “Last updated” date and may provide a notice.

8. Security & Responsible Disclosure

How we protect data and how to report a vulnerability

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the platform, including authenticated access controls, rate limiting, and restricting the exposure of personal contact information to the specific buyer/seller interactions you initiate. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

You must not probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the platform, or breach security or authentication measures, except as part of a good-faith security report. If you discover a security vulnerability or data exposure, please report it promptly and confidentially to info@matesmarket.online and do not access, download, retain, or disclose any other user’s data beyond the minimum needed to demonstrate the issue. We will acknowledge good-faith reports and will not pursue action against researchers who act responsibly and within these Terms.

9. Independent Operation

We are not affiliated with or endorsed by HKUST

MatesMarket is an independent platform created by students and is not officially endorsed, administered, or affiliated with The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Use of the university email is solely for verification purposes to maintain a student-only community.