Courtyard.io

I bought a Pokémon booster pack on Courtyard.io and later decided to sell it back through the platform's own marketplace. The sale went through fine and I received a $12.10 balance in my account. When I tried to withdraw it, I found out I needed to complete government ID verification, something that was never mentioned before I deposited money or made purchases.

I explained to support that I didn't have an ID available. I then told them directly that I'm a minor, which means I didn't meet Courtyard's own 18+ age requirement from their Terms of Service. They confirmed in writing that my account shouldn't have existed and said they'd restrict it. Instead of refunding the $12.10, they told me to just spend the balance on the platform before the account got closed, since withdrawing without ID verification wasn't an option.

I tried to do that, but checkout asks for the exact same ID verification as withdrawal. So neither option they gave me actually works. I went back to support and pointed this out, and their final answer was that their "original resolution remains unchanged" and that they had nothing else to offer.

At this point Courtyard is holding onto $12.10 that's mine, on an account they themselves admit shouldn't have existed, with no real way for me to get it back or use it. I've also filed reports with the BBB and the FTC about this same issue.

Whether or not this policy is standard, it should be made clear before users deposit money, not discovered only when trying to withdraw. Disappointing experience overall.