List of Prohibited Content (Hong Kong)

There are certain items that are not allowed on Carousell at all. They may not necessarily be illegal, however, they do not fit our selling criteria, or are not in the spirit of Carousell.

Sellers are responsible for ensuring that the items they are selling complies with local laws and regulations.

Please find below a non-exhaustive guideline on prohibited and restricted items that are not allowed on Carousell:

1. Drugs & Tobacco
   ✘ E-vaporizers (e-cigarettes) and related products, such as vape juice/e-liquid, vape refills
   ✘ Tobacco products and other smokeable products
   ✘ Drugs and drug paraphernalia, such as pipes and bongs
   ✘ Smoking cessation products containing nicotine, such as patches and gum
   ✘ Products containing marijuana such as cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabinol (CBN), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and/or its derivatives, opioids and other illicit drugs
   ✘ Any products, related devices or products suitable for, intended to be used for taking, or injecting dangerous drugs or that violates any applicable law and/or regulation including but not limited to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance
   
   
2. Adult & Mature Content
   ✘ Pornography and adult material including, but not limited to, pornographic books, magazines, pictures and videos
   ✘ Adult toys, sexual wellness and enhancement products or services
   ✘ Adult industry services and jobs, including escort services and sensual massage services
   ✘ Used daily use intimate wear (e.g. bras, panties, boxers, briefs, etc)
   ✘ Listings that promote or position products or services in a sexually suggestive manner i.e. contains nudity, implied nudity
   ✘ Contraceptive products
   ✔ Novelty items, such as soft toys and plushies that are not for the use of sexual enhancement or pleasure
   
   
3. Animals & Animal Products
   ✘ Human beings, human remains, body parts and bodily fluids
   ✘ Live animals and insects
   ✘ Any items that are or are made from or include any part of an animal that is subject to regulations or laws for the protection of live animals, including endangered/exotic species and domesticated animals, including but not limited to, pangolin scales, ivory, rhinoceros horn, tiger bone, bear bile, bear paw
   ✔ Leather products
   ✔ Live insects used as bait or feed
   ✔ Taxidermy
   ✔ Wigs or hair extensions
   
   
4. Counterfeit & Replica Items 
   ✘ Counterfeit items
   ✘ Items and services that infringe any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary or intellectual property rights including, but not limited to, unauthorised sale of eBooks, films, video games, etc.
   ✘ Listings offering products that are likely to confuse other community members about the source or affiliation of the items i.e. "OEM", "factory direct", "overrun"
   
   
5. Weapons, Ammunition & Related Accessories
   In general, products intended for physical harm or could cause grievous harm are not allowed.
   ✘ Knives, swords and hand weapons, including but not limited to
             ✘ Machete, parang, sickle, kukri, axe, sword, bayonet, dagger, flick knife, karambit, katana, cane knife
             ✘ Any knife the blade of which is exposed by a spring or other mechanical or electric device
             ✘ Any bladed or pointed weapon designed to be used in a fashion whereby the handle is held in a clenched fist and the blade or point protrudes between the fingers of the fist
             ✔ Display or collectibles stated to be no longer functioning or harmful
             ✔ Domestic, culinary and kitchen knives
             ✔ Utility knives
             ✔ Swiss Army knives without spring
             ✔ Pen knives
             ✔ Fencing swords
   ✘ Firearms, ammunition and explosives, including but not limited to:
             ✘ All kinds of guns with lethal metal or bullets, such as artillery, shoulder-fire weapons, machine guns, submachine guns, cartridge guns, automatic rifles, ordinary rifles, carbines, pistols, pen guns, gas guns, anaesthesia guns, shotguns, air guns, spear gun, etc.
             ✘ Airsoft Gun
             ✘ Any form of modified toy guns, paintball guns, BB guns
             ✘ Paraphernalia that could be mistaken as firearm
             ✔ Toy guns e.g. Nerf Gun
   ✘ Other weapons (e.g. batons, handcuffs, nunchaku, tasers, imitation firearms, concealed weapons, knuckle dusters, blow pipe, bow & arrow)
   ✘ Related accessories
             ✘ Firearm-related accessories e.g. scope, silencer, magazine, carb stock
             ✘ Blank/dummy cartridges
             ✘ Steel helmet
             ✘ Bulletproof vest
   ✘ Any item that infringes or violates any applicable laws and regulations. For the avoidance of doubt, you shall obtain all authority, licences, permits and/or consents required and necessary
   
   
6. Government/Law Enforcement Issued Items 
   ✘ Any clothing article that closely resembles a government-issued uniform (e.g. police, traffic warden, government flying service)
   
   
7. Items that are illegal, unlicensed and/or unauthorised or may encourage illegal activities
   ✘ Stolen or illegal goods (in part or in whole)
   ✘ Items or listings that promote, support or seek to engage users in illegal activities
   ✘ Unlicensed or unauthorised transport and accommodation services
   ✘ Unlicensed lottery tickets and tickets offering illegal payouts
   ✘ Any unauthorised or unlicensed decoder or device designed or intended for the transmission or transmission of radio waves
   ✘ Items or articles belonging to or relating to any triad society
   ✘ Reselling tickets for more than face value
   
   
8. Medical & Healthcare Items
   ✘ Over the counter medicine
   ✘ Prescription drugs for humans and animals
   ✘ Injectable health or cosmetic substances
   ✘ Contact lenses
   ✘ COVID-19 test kits
   ✘ Government covid relief package or any free covid relief items distributed by the government
   ✘ Medicinal and healthcare products/services claiming to treat or cure any condition which requires the attention of a registered medical or other qualified practitioners
   ✘ Any products found to contain banned substances and/or are identified to cause adverse side effects. For the list of banned products, please click here
   ✘ Any drugs, poisons, antibiotics, pharmaceutical products that violates any applicable law and/or regulation including but not limited to the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance (Cap. 231), the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations, the Antibiotics Ordinance, the Chinese medicine ordinance
   
   
9. Offensive Materials
   ✘ Content that incite feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races and/or classes of the population
   ✘ Content that seeks to shame others and/or reveal personal information of others
   
   
10. Consumables of the following
    ✘ Food containing prohibited substances/substances in excess of permitted proportions
    ✘ Food unfit for human consumption (e.g. expired food)
    ✘ Opened or partially consumed food
    Sellers who list perishable food items should ensure that the goods are:
              ✔ Properly and safely packaged for
              ✔ Handled in accordance with local food hygiene practices & guidelines
    ✔ Alcohol and alcoholic beverages 
              ✘ Under the law of Hong Kong, intoxicating liquor must not be sold or supplied to a minor
    
    
11. Fireworks, explosives, or any hazardous material or restricted chemical
    ✘ Ammunitions & explosives, inclusive of display or collectibles – regardless if stated as no longer functioning or harmful 
    ✘ Fireworks & firecrackers
              ✘ Pop-pop
              ✘ All firecrackers fired from the ground – fireworks, cupolas, crackers, water mandarin ducks, and cannons
    
    
12. Religious products of the following supernatural claims
    ✘ Containing animal or human remains as outlined in prohibited items point (3)
    ✘ Products or services promoting supernatural claims and/or acts of the following nature:
              ✘ Ability to manipulate or gain control over someone else
              ✘ Betting and gambling
              ✘ Cause harm against others
              ✘ Religious products-related testimonial listings are not allowed – listing should have a purpose of selling an item/service
             ✘ Use of listing images relating to money/gambling
    ✔ Foresight abilities (i.e. sense and avoid danger)
    ✔ Fortune telling or prediction
    ✔ Relationship attraction
    ✔ Wealth attraction (i.e. windfall luck, make you rich etc.)
    Products or services promoting supernatural claims and/or acts of the following nature are allowed if they do not make any definitive statements/claims (e.g. ✔ "believed to xxx",  ✔ "known to be xxx", ✘ "will bring about xxx")
    
    
13. Beauty & Aesthetic Services
    ✘ Genital modification
    ✘ Bust enlargement, toning, lifting, firming
    ✘ Crash diets
    ✘ Slimming services
    ✘ Any invasive procedures
    ✔ Body and facial whitening
    ✔ Eyebrow embroidery
    ✔ Eyelash extensions
    ✔ Tattoo services
    
    
14. Others
    ✘ Pesticides
    ✘ Any sale, resale or sharing of digital subscriptions and accounts for streaming services, including, but not limited to Cable TV, Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, YouTube etc.
    ✘ Services relating to the receiving and/or sending of OTPs (one-time passwords)
    ✘ Listings seeking to look for personal relationships
    ✘ Money lending services
    ✘ Bank transfer, top-up and payment helper services
    ✘ Recalled items
    ✘ Unauthorised reproduction of currencies
    ✘ Shares, stock and other securities
    ✘ Cryptocurrencies
    ✘ Listings promoting Multi-Level-Marketing programs, Get-Rich-Quick schemes, Investment schemes, Pyramid selling schemes, Fast cash schemes, Commission-only schemes, gambling
    ✘ Content that exaggerates beneficial/health effects of a product
    ✘ Content that misleads or misrepresents a product
    ✘ Resale or encashment of government-issued consumption vouchers
    ✘ COVID-19 testing queueing tickets / queueing services
    ✘ Subletting or booking services for quarantine hotels  
    ✘ Any listing or item that violates any applicable law and/or regulation or which Carousell determines is inappropriate for sale through the services provided by Carousell

Carousell reserves the rights to update this guideline from time to time where necessary. Please visit this page regularly to stay informed.