Authentication Services Terms
Hifiverse.io — Last updated: 7 May 2026 · Version 1.0
Quick summary
- Hifiverse Certified is an inspection service — not a warranty, not insurance, not a guarantee of future performance, and it does not transfer with the item to a later owner.
- Three tiers: Standard €99 (10-day turnaround); Expedited €149 (5-day turnaround); Vintage €299 (white-glove, 14–21 days, for items more than 25 years old).
- Inspections are performed by Hifiverse Authentication Partners — independent, brand-authorised technicians in our network.
- We pay shipping in both directions through an insured courier.
- Hifiverse's liability for any error in an inspection is capped at the fee you paid for that inspection. We are not liable for the price of the item or any consequential loss. EU consumer mandatory rights are unaffected.
- Refunds are full before dispatch; partial after dispatch but before inspection; nil after inspection is complete.
1. About these Terms
These Authentication Services Terms govern the Hifiverse Certified inspection service offered through hifiverse.io. The Authentication Service is operated by Timelapse Games EOOD. The inspection itself is performed by Hifiverse Authentication Partners — independent technicians and authorised service centres — on Hifiverse's behalf. Hifiverse remains your contracting party for the service.
2. What an Authentication is — and what it is not
An Authentication is:
- A visual and functional inspection of the item against the manufacturer's reference characteristics.
- A check of serial-number traceability and a search against publicly available stolen-item registers and manufacturer-published warning lists.
- A working-state test of the item's primary functions.
- A condition grading on the Hifiverse 1-to-10 scale, with photographs.
- A signed PDF report issued by the inspecting technician through Hifiverse, with a unique Hifiverse certificate ID.
An Authentication is not:
- A warranty or guarantee of future performance.
- An insurance policy or a valuation for insurance purposes.
- A guarantee of authenticity that survives the moment of inspection.
- A long-term reliability assessment. Standard and Expedited tiers do not include disassembly.
- A legal opinion on title, ownership history or the lawfulness of past transactions.
- An audit of frequency response, distortion or other measured performance characteristics.
The Authentication report does not transfer with the item. If you sell the item, the buyer should obtain a fresh inspection.
3. The three tiers
| Tier | Price (VAT inclusive in EU) | Turnaround | Suitable for | Inspection scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | €99 | 10 business days from receipt | Items €1,000–€5,000 | Visual + serial verification + functional test + 1-to-10 grade + PDF report |
| Expedited | €149 | 5 business days from receipt | Items where speed matters | Same as Standard but priority routing |
| Vintage | €299 | 14–21 business days from receipt | Items more than 25 years old | All Standard checks plus parts-originality assessment, period-correct configuration check, restoration history review, detailed PDF with restoration recommendations |
Items above €50,000 may require additional handling and insurance; we may quote a custom fee.
4. The Authentication Partner network
Authentications are performed by Hifiverse Authentication Partners who:
- Are authorised service centres for the relevant brand, or hold equivalent technical qualifications.
- Carry professional indemnity insurance of at least €1 million per occurrence and €1 million annual aggregate.
- Have signed our Authentication Partner Agreement setting out the inspection protocol, reporting standards and quality controls.
- Pass periodic quality audits we conduct.
The partner who performs your inspection is identified in the report.
5. How an Authentication works step by step
- You book the inspection through your Hifiverse account, select the tier, upload preliminary photos, declare the item's claimed condition and serial number, and pay the fee through Stripe.
- We send a courier label for an insured shipment to the assigned Authentication Partner. Shipment is insured up to the declared value, with a per-item ceiling of €50,000 for Standard/Expedited and €150,000 for Vintage.
- You package the item and hand it to the courier.
- The partner inspects the item on receipt.
- The report is uploaded to your account and emailed to you. It includes photographs, the partner's signed conclusions, the Hifiverse certificate ID and a unique verification URL.
- The item is returned to you by insured courier. Return shipping is included in the fee for EU and UK addresses.
The Hifiverse Certified badge — if the item passes — is added to any current or future listing you associate with the report. The badge expires 12 months after issuance.
6. Use cases
Buyer-paid pre-purchase inspection. A buyer in negotiation on a listing can purchase an inspection, with the seller's cooperation, before completing the purchase. If the buyer cancels the purchase after the report is delivered, the inspection fee is not refundable.
Seller-paid pre-listing certification. A seller can certify the item before listing and add the Hifiverse Certified badge. This often justifies a higher asking price.
Standalone certification. A collector who wants documentation for personal records, future resale or insurance purposes can purchase an inspection without an active sale.
7. Outcomes — what the report can say
- Authentic and as described. The item matches the manufacturer's reference characteristics and is in the condition declared. The Hifiverse Certified badge is issued.
- Authentic with discrepancy. The item is genuine but differs from what the seller declared. The report records each discrepancy with photographs and a revised condition grade. The badge is issued only if the buyer (where inspection was buyer-paid) accepts the discrepancy.
- Inconclusive. The technician cannot reach a confident conclusion. A partial refund may apply.
- Not authentic, or materially misrepresented. The item is counterfeit or in a substantially worse condition than declared. The badge is not issued.
In a not authentic case, Hifiverse may decline to ship the item back to the seller until the seller acknowledges the report, alert the buyer, contact the manufacturer or relevant law-enforcement authority, and suspend the seller's listings.
8. Refunds and cancellation
| Stage | Refund |
|---|---|
| Before dispatch | Full refund |
| After dispatch, before partner receipt | Fee less €25 administrative charge |
| After partner receipt, before inspection begins | Fee less €25 admin charge plus outbound courier cost |
| After inspection begins or completes | No refund — the work has been done |
| Partner unavailable | Full refund or free reschedule, your choice |
| Inspection inconclusive due to partner limitations | 50% refund or free re-inspection by a different partner, your choice |
The 14-day right of withdrawal applies to EU consumers. By choosing to start the service before the 14-day window expires — which most customers do because the service is time-sensitive — you waive the right of withdrawal. The waiver is a separate checkbox at checkout.
9. Liability
9.1 Mandatory consumer rights. If you are an EU/EEA/UK consumer, mandatory rights apply in full.
9.2 What we are liable for. We accept liability without limit for fraud, gross negligence, wilful misconduct, death or personal injury caused by our or the partner's negligence.
9.3 Liability cap for inspection errors. Subject to section 9.2, Hifiverse's aggregate liability for any error or omission in the Authentication Service is strictly limited to the fees paid by you for that specific service — €99, €149 or €299. We are not liable for the purchase or resale price of the item, lost profits, lost resale value or any indirect or consequential damages.
9.4 Liability for shipment. Where the item is lost or damaged in transit on a courier we booked, our liability is limited to the insured value declared in the booking.
9.5 No liability for buyer-seller transactions. The Authentication Service is a separate contract for inspection. Hifiverse is not liable to refund the purchase price or to enforce a refund from the seller.
9.6 No transfer to subsequent owners. The Authentication report and any rights arising from these terms are personal to the customer who booked the service.
10. Intellectual property
The Hifiverse Certified badge, the certificate format and the Authentication report template are Hifiverse's intellectual property. You may use the report for your own legitimate purposes. You may not modify or fabricate a report, use the badge for items that have not been authenticated, or imply that Hifiverse warrants the future performance of the item.
11. Data protection
Personal data is governed by the Privacy Policy. Authentication reports are retained for 7 years from issuance.
12. Changes to these terms
For inspections already booked, we apply the version in force at the time of booking. For future bookings, we publish the updated version with a 30-day change notice.
Contact
- Email: info@hifiverse.io (subject: "Authentication", "Authentication — Refund", "Partner Network")
- Postal: Timelapse Games EOOD, Bulgaria