Rules and ethics
Part of UK marketplace seller software rules and ethics: controls
Marketplace seller software advertising rules checklist
Marketplace seller software advertising rules: a checklist for substantiation, software claims, pricing, data use, endorsements and correction.
This checklist gives non-compensating evidence gates, not a compliance verdict. Marketplace seller software advertising rules depend on the communication and actor, not on the tool that published it; it was researched on 6 September 2026 for an England seller using one marketplace account.
What to take away
- Marketplace advertising rules follow the communication and the actor, not the software that published it.
- A platform label alone does not settle whether a marketing communication is obviously identifiable.
- Substantiation must match the named product, model, condition, population and period.
- A corrected headline can leave old images, comparisons or reviews live in other placements.
Classify the communication
- Name the legal seller, advertiser, publisher, marketplace and any commercial partner.
- Mark seller-supplied catalogue fact, editorial material, paid placement, affiliate content, sponsorship, review or endorsement separately.
- Record the audience, territory, channel, product population, publication date and expiry.
CAP Code recognition rules say non-broadcast marketing communications must be obviously identifiable. The Code is self-regulatory; legal duties and marketplace terms need separate review. A platform-provided label does not decide every context.
Classify the communication
- Name seller, advertiser, publisher, marketplace
- Mark catalogue, editorial, paid, affiliate, endorsement
- Record audience, territory, channel, product population
- Record publication date and expiry
- Check obvious identifiability under CAP Code
Substantiate the claim
- Copy the exact objective claim and overall impression into a claim register.
- Attach evidence for the named product, model, condition, population and period.
- Record the evidence owner, limitations, permitted channel and recheck trigger.
- Hold comparative, performance, safety or savings language that lacks matching support.
A worked example: if a hypothetical Helium 10 advert claims that a feature increases sales on Amazon, enter the exact claim and identify the feature, plan, seller population, period and conditions. Require evidence that supports that outcome for the named product and context; if the evidence supports only a narrower result, rewrite the claim to match, and if it supports none, withdraw it. A disclaimer cannot replace missing substantiation.
CAP Code rule 3.1 on misleading advertising, explained in CAP's March 2026 misleading-advertising advice, covers overall impression, omissions and objective substantiation. It also states that the advice is not legal advice and does not bind the ASA or CAP panels. Product-safety counsel must review safety statements independently.
Apply the checks to seller software offers
Use named seller tools such as Helium 10, Jungle Scout or sellerboard as examples to review; this does not assert any current feature, plan, price or performance for them. Identify the exact product and plan, intended marketplace (such as Amazon or eBay), territory, account type and channel before assessing an advert.
- For uptime or availability claims, record the measured period, exclusions and supporting service records.
- For security claims, define what is protected and retain evidence for the stated scope; hold unsupported absolute promises.
- For integration claims, name the marketplace or platform and check the supported functions, plan and account requirements. Distinguish direct connections from partner connections.
- For performance benchmarks, record the metric, baseline, population, period, test method and limitations alongside the underlying evidence.
- For subscription prices and free trials, check the plan, billing interval, unavoidable charges, renewal and cancellation terms, and what happens when a trial ends against the customer-facing offer.
Inspect price and customer choice
- Check the invitation to purchase, total-price field and unavoidable charges at the point shown.
- Keep mandatory and optional amounts in separate evidence fields.
- Preserve the customer's positive choice for an optional extra.
- Reconcile the displayed offer with the order and correction record.
The CMA's price-transparency guidance, updated 7 January 2026, covers mandatory charges and pricing presentation. GOV.UK says optional extras require express consent. Consumer counsel must assess the actual facts and any exceptions.
Keep promotion settings visible
- Record whether a marketplace placement is organic, seller-paid, supplier-funded or controlled by another commercial party.
- Capture the exact placement label as presented, not only the back-office campaign setting.
- Check whether targeting or personalisation introduces a separate data purpose or device operation.
- Keep audience exclusions, product restrictions and channel expiry with the claim record.
Test the consumer-facing rendering with synthetic or specifically authorised content. A dashboard setting does not prove that a person saw a clear label beside the claim. Where an offer involves cookies or similar tracking technologies, or personal-data processing, check the applicable requirements under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, using ICO guidance and the privacy adviser. Advertising approval cannot authorise tracking or establish that a restricted product may be promoted.
Review the whole offer after a change
A corrected headline can still leave an old image, comparison, delivery statement or review in another placement. Search by product identifier and claim ID across the listing, advert, affiliate material and saved campaign variants. Record the checks, who checked them and when, and each channel's acknowledgement of withdrawal.
Keep ordering disabled during synthetic checks. Cover a rejected optional choice, corrected product fact and expired endorsement without charging a customer or generating a public review.
Control reviews and endorsements
- Separate genuine customer evidence from seller or supplier statements.
- Record incentives, commercial interests, permission and the relevant experience.
- Do not convert a review about one product or period into a broader claim.
- Preserve screening, removal, correction and complaint evidence.
CAP's July 2026 testimonials and endorsements advice addresses genuineness, documentary evidence and commercial interests. The DMCC unfair-practice provisions also include specific review practices. Advertising and consumer-law reviewers must each sign their own gate.
Correct promptly without erasing history
- Pause the ad or listing when evidence expires, a price changes or a safety issue appears.
- Retain the old version, reason, authoriser and affected placements.
- Confirm correction or withdrawal in each channel and accessible format.
- Recheck any tracking or audience-list processing with the privacy adviser.
For each affected placement, pause the campaign using the relevant advertising controls, edit or unpublish the marketplace offer, disable affected affiliate or partner feeds, and replace creative assets you control. Search again by product identifier and claim ID, verify the live result and retain channel acknowledgements. Keep ordering disabled until every placement is corrected or withdrawn; record and escalate any placement you cannot control.
A disclosure cannot cure an unsupported claim, hidden charge or unsafe product. Publication remains on hold until named reviewers approve the exact communication and evidence version.
Common questions
Does a platform-provided label make an advert obviously identifiable?
No. The article says a platform label does not decide every context, and the CAP Code recognition rules require non-broadcast marketing communications to be obviously identifiable. The Code is self-regulatory, so legal duties and marketplace terms still need separate review.
What must be attached to an objective claim in the claim register?
The article says to attach evidence for the named product, model, condition, population and period. It also says to record the evidence owner, limitations, permitted channel and recheck trigger, and to hold comparative, performance, safety or savings language that lacks matching support.
What should happen to a listing while synthetic checks are run?
Keep ordering disabled during synthetic checks. Cover a rejected optional choice, a corrected product fact and an expired endorsement without charging a customer or generating a public review. Publication stays on hold until named reviewers approve the exact communication and evidence version.
