List of Prohibited Content (Singapore)
The following products and services are strictly not allowed on the Carousell marketplace in Singapore. To provide guidance on some common areas of confusion, examples of products/services that can be listed for sale (indicated with a green tick) are included in this article.
1. Drugs & Tobacco
✘ E-Vaporizers (E-Cigarettes) and related products
✘ Tobacco products and other smokeable products
✘ Items that resemble smoking products or promote smoking
✘ Drugs and drug paraphernalia, such as pipes and bongs
✘ Smoking cessation products containing nicotine, such as patches and gums
✔ Clothing or apparel items that feature cigarette brands
2. Adult & Mature Content & Services
✘ 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
✘ Preloved undergarments or intimate items such as panties and underwear
✘ 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, Humans or Human Remains
✘ Human beings, human remains and body parts
✘ Live animals and insects
✘ Items made from endangered animals
✘ Pangolin scales
✘ Animal parts
✘ Ivory
✘ Fur
✘ Pet food imported without an import permit
✘ Sale of animals without a valid license
✔ Food and pet food
✔ Leather products
✔ Taxidermy
✔ Animal cages
✔ Products for animals (toys, collars etc.)
✔ Veterinary, grooming and boarding services
✔ Wigs or hair extensions
4. Counterfeit & Replica Items
✘ Counterfeit items
✘ Items that infringe copyright laws including, but not limited to, unauthorised copies of copyrighted works such as 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”
5. Weapons & Ammunition
✘ Knives, swords and hand weapons, unless determined to be used for non-lethal sports or dress-up purposes
✘ Butterfly knives
✘ Nunchaku
✘ Throwing knives
✘ Firearms, imitations firearms, firearm accessories, ammunition and explosives
✘ Modified toy guns, paintball guns, BB guns
✘ Airguns and airsoft guns
✘ Fireworks and firecrackers
✘ Pepper spray
✘ Tasers and stun guns
✘ Handcuffs
✔ Domestic, culinary and kitchen knives
✔ Utility knives, camping knives and swiss army knives
✔ Pen knives, credit card knives
✔ Fencing swords
6. Illegal Items or Encouraging Illegal Activity
✘ Stolen or illegal goods
✘ Listings that promote, support or seek to engage users in illegal activity
✘ Listings promoting Multi-Level-Marketing programs, Get-Rich-Quick schemes, Investment schemes, Pyramid selling schemes, Fast cash schemes, Commission-only schemes, gambling
7. Medical & Healthcare Items
✘ Prescription drugs or any drugs containing substances prohibited and controlled by the HSA
✘ Injectable health or cosmetic substances
✘ COVID-19 test kits
✔ Whitening pills
Medical devices and equipment
✔ Bandages and braces for physical injuries
✔ Thermometers
✔ Testing kits for medical conditions or diseases
✔ First-aid kits
Optometry products
✘ Contact lenses
✔ Eyedrops
✔ Contact lens solutions
✔ Glasses and frames
✔ Health supplements and vitamins, unless they fall into the above categories
8. Offensive Materials
✘ Content that promotes, supports or glorifies acts of violence, seeks to discriminate and/or demean on the basis of race, religion, gender, gender identity, disability or sexual orientation
✘ Content that seeks to shame others and/or reveal personal information of others
9. Consumables of the following
✘ Food containing prohibited substances
✘ Food unfit for human consumption (e.g. expired food)
✘ Perishable food (e.g. fruits and vegetables, dairy products, frozen meat)
✔ Alcohol and alcoholic beverages
10. Controlled goods that are not affixed with the SAFETY mark as determined and notified by Enterprise Singapore
11. 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
✘ Harm against others
Products or services promoting supernatural claims and/or acts of the following nature are allowed if they do not make any definitive statements/claims (for e.g. ✔ "believed to xxx”, ✔ “known to be xxx”, ✘ “will bring about xxx"
✔ Foresight abilities (i.e. Sense and avoid danger)
✔ Fortune telling or prediction
✔ Sexual attraction
✔ Wealth attraction (i.e. Windfall luck, make you rich etc.)
12. Political or seditious materials
13. Beauty and aesthetic services
✘ Genital modification
✘ Bust enlargement, toning, lifting, firming services
✘ Crash diets
✘ Slimming services
✔ Body and facial whitening
✔ Eyebrow embroidery
✔ Eyelash extensions
✔ Tattoo services
14. Medicinal and healthcare products/services claiming to TREAT or CURE any condition which requires the attention of a registered medical or other qualified practitioners
✘ Listings with claims on preventing infections, coronavirus or any reference to COVID-19
15. Others
✘ Digital licenses and product keys (e.g. Microsoft Office, Adobe software)
✘ Digital subscriptions and accounts for streaming services, including, but not limited to cable TV, Netflix, Spotify, Hulu etc.
✘ Listings that contain any content that are discriminatory, objectifying or insensitive against one or a group of individuals
✘ Job listings that do not comply with the applicable laws, regulations, guidelines or policies and any notices issued by the Ministry of Manpower of Singapore including the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices and the Tripartite Guidelines on Non-Discriminatory Job Advertisements.
✘ Listings promoting referral programs to re-post online advertisements
✘ Moneylending services
✘ Bank transfer and payment helper services
✘ Recalled items
✘ Unauthorised reproduction of currencies
✘ Listings where photographs of the currency are depicted in whole and flat to the camera but do not have the word “Specimen”
✘ Listings seeking to look for personal relationships
Restricted items, services and content
The sale of the following items are not allowed on the marketplace unless you are a licensed merchant or business owner that has been approved by Carousell and the relevant authorities:
1. Medical, beauty and aesthetic products and services approved by the respective registries
a. Pills, food and drinks for weight loss or weight management approved by the HSA
b. Plastic surgery services approved by the SAPS
If you would like to apply as a merchant or business owner, please contact our team at sales@thecarousell.com