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API Terms

Thanks for your interest in Trade Me and our API. We want developers to use our API to build great applications, but we have a few terms and conditions (“Rules”) about how it is used.

The Rules on this page are the terms which apply to your access to our API. You must also comply with our regular Terms & Conditions, so please review these and contact us with any questions before you proceed.

You must agree to these Rules in order to access our API. Your use of the API constitutes your acceptance of these Rules and you must continue to comply with these Rules while using the API.

Breaching these Rules may result in restrictions being placed on your access to the API (such as reductions of rate limits), or revocation of access altogether. We can use our sole and absolute discretion in imposing restrictions or revoking access. If your access is revoked or restricted you acknowledge that we may directly contact any Users of your application to notify them of the breach and the action we have taken.

You must comply with the Rules relating to Users’ Data for as long as you hold User Data, even if you’ve stopped using the API.

Access to our API is not guaranteed. We reserve the right to allow or block or restrict any use of our API at our sole and exclusive discretion. We reserve the right to revoke or restrict any access we have allowed at any time at our sole and exclusive discretion.

If requested by you, and we believe it is justified, we may agree to vary these Rules as they apply to you. Any variation must be in writing to be valid. If you wish to request a variation, please contact us.

Registration and access

  1. Public, unregistered, access to the API is restricted to our Catalogue methods.
  2. To access all other endpoints, including member-specific end points and perform any operation which requires a User to be logged in to Trade Me, you must register your application with us and have it approved.
  3. To register, follow the instructions here on our Developer site.
  4. When you register, you must describe the purpose of your application. If your application is approved, the purpose you provide will define your application’s Approved Purpose – the scope within which your application may access the API and use Data. We may require you at any time to update or provide more information about your application’s purpose. We may (at our discretion) revoke or restrict API access for applications if we are not comfortable about their purpose or behaviour.
  5. If your access to the API is approved, you will not have to pay Trade Me an access fee but you must comply with these Rules.

Responsible use

  1. Once you are registered, you will be issued an access key to allow your application to access Trade Me.
  2. Approved applications may request higher rate-limits.
  3. The rate limits we grant your application are granted at our sole and absolute discretion. We may raise or lower the rate limits at any time, and we may raise or lower rate limits on a per-endpoint basis.
  4. Your application must only access the API for its Approved Purpose.
  5. You must ensure that your application complies with the Business Rules at all times.
  6. When using our API you must follow security best practice for your application and technologies, and be familiar with and take all reasonable steps to mitigate internet security risks. Good examples of what we expect (at a minimum) can be found in the OWASP Top 10. If we determine that your application or technologies are insecure or may pose a security risk we may, at our sole discretion, disable your access to the API with or without prior warning to you.
  7. You must not share your access key with any other person, or use it for any application other than the one it has been approved for.
  8. You are responsible for the security and confidentiality of your access key.
  9. You are responsible for the activity on Trade Me of any person accessing Trade Me using your access key or application.
  10. You and your application must not do anything that causes our tech people to stress out.
  11. You must comply with any policies, procedures, directions, or variations to these terms notified to you by us.
  12. You and your application must comply with all applicable law.
  13. Where Trade Me displays legal or consumer notices to Users you must display those same notices to Users at the same stage of the transaction process.

Following User directions

  1. You must not misrepresent any User.
  2. You and your application must not to do anything on behalf of a User unless it is authorised by that User.
  3. You and your application must not do or allow anything that could cause or enable any User to breach Trade Me’s terms and conditions or any applicable law.
  4. You must not use any User’s access to Trade Me for any purpose other than carrying out that User’s instructions.

User information and Data

  1. You must never, whether through your application or otherwise, ask for, use, collect or store any User’s password for Trade Me.
  2. In dealing with Users’ personal information, you agree to comply with: (a) the Privacy Act 2020; (b) your own privacy policy; and (c) (at least) our Developer Minimum Privacy Standards.
  3. You must follow our instructions in relation to Data.
  4. You must take all reasonable steps to keep Data secure from unauthorised use or access.
  5. You agree to delete all Data:
    • when this agreement is terminated; or
    • when it’s no longer required for your application’s Approved Purpose; or
    • as required by any Business Rule; or
    • as we might otherwise direct you.
  1. You must only use Data for the Approved Purpose.
  2. You must take all reasonable steps to keep all Data up to date. If there’s a delay or other inaccuracy associated with any Data you’re displaying, be honest and tell your Users.
  3. You must ensure that any Data your application submits to Trade Me is accurate and that you have the right to send it to us and for us to use it.
  4. For each use of Data or action your application performs on Trade Me, your application must access the API to obtain that Data or perform that action.
  5. You and your application must not reuse or resupply any Data obtained from Trade Me or combine Data obtained from Trade Me with other information of any kind without Trade Me's consent. See our business rules for more information about where Trade Me is likely to give consent.
  6. You must not market, supply, resupply, rent, lease, re-sell, sub-license, lend, assign, transfer, or otherwise provide any Data in any way whatsoever to any third party, or make or retain copies of any Data, except as expressly permitted under these terms or with our express written consent.

Play nicely

  1. Remember that you’re writing software to interact with our production system. Please act responsibly and professionally, test your software, and don’t do anything to put Trade Me, our systems, or Users at risk.
  2. Without limiting clause 34, you agree not to:
    • surprise users by using Data in a way that they wouldn’t expect;
    • spam Trade Me members; or
    • use Data to establish any User’s identity or to retrieve personal information about a User, or enable others to do so.

Intellectual property

  1. Data remains our property or our Users’ property, as the case may be. We ask you to respect that.
  2. You acknowledge that you obtain no right to the Data beyond that which is contemplated by this agreement. If you create derivative information from the Data, you agree that the rights to such information will belong to us unless we have agreed otherwise in writing.
  3. You agree to comply with our guidelines on using our trade marks in applications. In particular, applications must not use “Trade Me” in their name or use any trade mark of Trade Me Limited.
  4. We reserve the right to develop and run an application similar to or in competition with yours.

Updates to the API and these terms

  1. We will continue to update the API from time to time and may not notify you when we do. Although we’ll do our best to avoid making breaking-changes, sometimes the changes we do make may result in you needing to make changes to your application at your own cost.
  2. You agree to do all things (including signing documents) reasonably required by us to give effect to the Rules of this agreement.
  3. We will continue to update these Rules as our API evolves and developers come up with new ways to use it. When we do this, we will update the Rules here, and may make a site announcement directing you to the updated version. You or your application’s continued use of the API will constitute your acceptance of the updated terms.

General

  1. We give no warranties about our API or the Data.
  2. Access to our API is at our discretion. We are free to permit, restrict or exclude your use of our API in any way we see fit regardless of whether you’re in breach of these Rules or not.
  3. To the maximum extent permitted by law, all liability of Trade Me Limited to you or any other person under these Rules, or in connection with the API, is excluded regardless of whether such liability arises in contract, tort (including negligence), equity, breach of statutory duty or otherwise.
  4. No failure by us to enforce any provision of these Rules, or forbearance granted to any person using the API does not operate as a waiver.
  5. To the extent that Trade Me Limited’s liability cannot be excluded it is limited to $100.00.
  6. You agree to release, indemnify and keep Trade Me Limited indemnified from and against all actions, claims, costs (including legal costs and expenses), losses, proceedings, damages, liabilities, or demands suffered or incurred by us to any person arising out of or in connection with your failure to comply with these Rules, your application, or any use of your application.
  7. These Rules are governed by the laws of New Zealand. You submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of New Zealand.
  8. You agree that the following provisions survive termination of this agreement: this clause 50, together with clauses 41, 37, and 25 and any other provision which by its nature is intended to continue beyond termination.

Glossary

API means the application programming interface provided by Trade Me.

Approved Purpose means the purpose of your application as submitted by you (in the “Description” field of the registration form) and approved by us at the time of your registration for your application, or subsequently amended by agreement between us.

Business Rules means the business rules set out on our developer site.

Data means any information which is made available by Trade Me via the API.

Rules means these API terms and conditions together with any exceptions or special conditions that Trade Me has agreed with you in writing.

Trade Me means the marketplace and classified listing service made available at trademe.co.nz by Trade Me Limited.

User means a user of Trade Me, whether registered or otherwise.

We, our, etc means Trade Me Limited.

You, your, etc means you, the developer whose application utilises the Trade Me API.