Why there are limits
Customers pay before they receive anything, so every campaign must be a real thing a verified seller can lawfully deliver by a date they set. These rules sit alongside Stripe’s list of restricted and prohibited businesses, which also applies; where they differ, the stricter rule wins.
Not a purchase
Investments of any kind: equity, shares, debt, revenue or profit shares, tokens, NFTs sold as investments, or any promise of a financial return.
Donations, pledges, tips, fundraising, charity collections, or “support” with nothing specific promised in return. Earlybirdo is not crowdfunding.
Raffles, lotteries, sweepstakes, contests with a purchase, mystery boxes sold on chance, and gambling of any kind.
Gift cards, store credit, prepaid cards, currency, cryptocurrency and anything else that is stored value.
Subscriptions or memberships with no defined end, or perks with no specific thing to deliver.
Regulated, dangerous or illegal
Weapons, firearms and their parts, ammunition, explosives and fireworks.
Drugs and drug paraphernalia, cannabis and CBD products, tobacco, nicotine and vaping products, and alcohol unless you hold the licence to sell and deliver it where your customers are.
Prescription medicines, medical devices that need approval you don’t have, and health products that claim to cure, treat or prevent disease.
Supplements, cosmetics or food sold without meeting the safety and labelling rules that apply to them.
Live animals, and products made from endangered or protected species.
Hazardous materials, recalled products, and anything unsafe to use as intended.
Counterfeit or replica goods, and anything that infringes someone’s copyright, trademark or other rights.
Personal data, accounts, followers, reviews or other things that aren’t yours to sell.
Anything illegal where you or your customers are, or that needs a licence, permit or insurance you don’t hold.
Harmful or deceptive
Adult content and sexual services, and anything sexualising minors.
Hate, violence, or content that promotes harm to people or animals.
Get-rich-quick schemes, multi-level marketing, “passive income” courses, credit repair, debt relief and similar offers.
Products whose main purpose is to deceive: fake documents, academic cheating, review or engagement manipulation, spyware or tools for breaking into systems.
Political campaign contributions, and anything impersonating a person, brand, charity or government body.
Things you can’t deliver
A product you have no realistic plan to make, a service you aren’t qualified or licensed to provide, or an event without a venue you can secure.
Campaigns that resell someone else’s pre-order or product as your own, or that are a placeholder to test demand with no intention of delivering.
Delivery more than 18 months away, or a local campaign shown to customers outside the area you serve.
If you’re not sure
Write to hello@earlybirdo.com before you publish. A campaign that breaks these rules is removed and its orders refunded in full from the seller’s Stripe balance; a seller who knowingly lists a prohibited campaign may be suspended.