Moderation & takedowns

Gate + Gather isn't a marketplace with a public discovery feed, so moderation looks different here than on the big platforms. There are no "reviews", no ratings, and no visible reports on a seller's Gate. When something needs attention, we handle it quietly — usually with a short message to the seller and, where necessary, by hiding a listing while we sort it out.

Every Gate carries a discreet Something wrong with this Gate? link in the footer. Tapping it opens a short form asking for one of the following reasons and any details you want to share:

• Prohibited or unsafe product
• Biosecurity concern (pest plant, unwanted organism, unlawfully imported material)
• Misleading listing (photos, descriptions, quantities, condition)
• Suspected scam or non-fulfilment
• Intellectual property concern (unauthorised photos, protected cultivar rights)
• Other — tell us what's on your mind

A person from the Gate + Gather team reviews each report. We look at the listing, the seller's history on the platform, whether we can independently verify the concern, and whether the issue looks like an honest mistake, a policy question, or a serious safety or legal problem. In most ordinary cases the fastest path is to get in touch with the seller and ask a question. Sellers almost always fix things quickly once they know something has been flagged.

Our default ladder, in order of severity, stays:

Hide product → suspend Gate → request information → reinstate → permanently close Gate

We aren't forced to follow every step sequentially. Where necessary for safety, legality, fraud prevention, biosecurity, platform integrity or compliance with law, Gate + Gather may immediately hide a listing or suspend a Gate before contacting the seller. That's the exception, not the norm — we would rather ask a question first.

When we do need to hide a listing, we say so plainly. Something like:

Sellers can respond, provide information, correct the listing, or ask for the issue to be reviewed. If a decision goes against a seller, we'll explain why in writing. If a decision needs to be revisited later, get in touch and we'll take another look — a Gate that was closed for a serious issue can be reinstated once the underlying problem is fixed and enough time has passed that we're comfortable it won't recur.

Most Gates never encounter the top of the ladder. Permanent closure is reserved for cases involving serious biosecurity risk, fraud, repeated deception, refusal to fulfil paid orders, or listing prohibited material. In those cases we retain a record so the same operator can't quietly reopen under a new name.