You or your company is considered to be an, 'Internet auction provider' if you run an Internet auction website and provide Internet auction services.
Internet auction providers do not have to be licensed or certified, but they do have to fulfil certain requirements imposed on them by the Secondhand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act 2004.
Record keeping
All Internet auction providers must keep an 'Internet auction providers record'.
Your record must show the following details about every person offering secondhand 'articles' or scrap metal for sale on your website:
- full name
- date of birth
- contact address and phone number
- email address.
Items defined as articles.
Storage of Internet auction providers record
You must keep your Internet auction providers record for 12 months from the date the bids closed for any sale or attempted sale of articles. You must also, when required to do so by a member of Police:
- show the Police officer your record or any information contained in it
- make a copy of all, or part, of your record and give it to Police.
Offences relating to promoters
As an Internet auction provider you commit an offence and, on conviction, be fined up to $10,000, if you:
- failed to record all the details required in your record
- made a false entry in your record
- failed to show or give Police a copy of your record or any part of it.