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Seller Terms of Service

SELLER Terms & Conditions

 

Welcome to Carve, a marketplace platform for independent ceramic artisans. By using our website (thecarve.co.uk), you're saying yes to the following user-friendly terms and conditions. Remember, we may update these conditions periodically to adapt to technological changes and other factors.

 

Definition & Notification of Changes

  1. By using co.uk (“Carve”) and all sub-domains, which are a service of Carve Home Ltd., you are agreeing to be bound by the following terms and conditions (the “Terms of Use” or “The Agreement).
  2. Carve trades in the United Kingdom.
  3. Carve may change these terms at any time by posting changes online.
  4. Carve acts as a platform for sellers to sell their products online within their own space. Carve is entitled to accept purchases on behalf of the seller. The service provided by Carve is limited to referring customers to the seller and accepting orders and payments on their behalf. In addition to this at Carve's discretion they may provide the seller with analytics about the performance of the Seller's products and additional marketing support via its social media channels.
  5. Carve is an online marketplace and all purchases made through Carve are made through the seller. The seller authorizes Carve to accept binding orders from customers on their behalf.
  6. Carve reserves the full right to use the images/content uploaded on the platform for marketing and promotional purposes.
  7. We do not handle any products, refunds or payments.
  8. Please review these terms regularly to ensure you are aware of any changes made by Carve.
  9. Your continued use of thecarve.co.uk, or any sub-domains, after changes are posted means you agree to be legally bound by these terms as updated and/or amended.
  10. Carve encourages regular participation on the platform, any seller discovered to be inactive for more than two months, Carve reserves the right to deactivate the account upon prior communication/notification.
  11. Carve not responsible for resolving any disputes. The parties are encouraged to resolve issues amicably.
  12. Carve reserves the right to terminate a seller on the basis of hate speech, or any reason that is not good for the community.
  13. By agreeing to these terms you are also agreeing to our other policies:

 

  • General Terms
  • Behaviour
  • Liability
  • Good for Sale
  • Sales & Returns
  • Data & Privacy
  • Fees
  • Change to Service

 

ROLE DEFINITIONS

  1. Marketplace Owner (Carve):

The marketplace owner is the entity that operates and manages this online platform, Carve. The owner's responsibilities include providing and maintaining the platform infrastructure, ensuring its performance and security, setting and enforcing platform policies and guidelines, and facilitating transactions between buyers and sellers. Carve does not take responsibility for the products or services sold by sellers on the platform, including any legal or regulatory concerns associated with them.

  1. Seller:

A seller is an individual or business entity registered on Carve that lists and sells products or services. They are responsible for accurately describing and pricing their offerings, managing their inventory, and handling customer queries and shipping related to their listings. They must adhere to the platform's policies and guidelines, and they are responsible for any legal or regulatory obligations associated with the products or services they offer, such as copyright or trademark concerns.

  1. Buyer:

A buyer is an individual or business entity that purchases products or services listed by sellers on the Carve platform. They interact with the platform by browsing or searching for items, placing orders, and making payments. Buyers are expected to comply with the platform's policies and and guidelines, and they are responsible for any legal or regulatory obligations associated with the products or services they offer, such as copyright or trademark concerns.

 

GENERAL TERMS

  1. You must be 18 years of age or older or you will not be able to enter into a legally binding contract to buy or sell via Carve.
  2. If you register membership as a business [as a sole trader or partnership] on Carve you must guarantee that you personally have the authority of the business to agree to the terms of use.
  3. These terms shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the law of England and Wales.
  4. You agree to pay the fee as per the terms you have selected.
  5. Carve is not responsible for the promotion of your shop and simply acts as a third-party platform for you to sell your products online via a secure payment partner.
  6. All products listed by Seller must comply with our Good for Sale policy and failure to comply could lead to your account being closed without notice. you as the seller to ensure they comply with all local and international laws.
  7. Carve does not have any legal responsibility for the product you have listed within your shop. The seller guarantees that information listed on Carve relating to his/her products satisfies all legal requirements, and in particular satisfies information requirements for consumer protection.
  8. All sellers must hold the trademark or copyright permission of the products they sell.
  9. If a seller is found to be using or breaching another party’s copyright or trademark they take full legal responsibility of doing so and can have their account closed without notice.
  10. Carve does not hold any legal responsibility over sellers selling or distributing products that contain another party’s copyright or trademark and this responsibility lies with the seller solely.
  11. Carve operates as a marketplace and provides sellers with an affordable online platform which they can sell their products from within their own space online (Carve does not guarantee sales).
  12. In order to maintain its reputation for quality and high standard of service, Carve reserves the right to terminate the relationship with the seller if the seller repeatedly receives bad reviews or complaints, or fails to comply with our recommendations.
  13. Carve reserves the right to cancel, close or amend a subscription period or fee at any time without explanation.
  14. All sellers are obliged to provide all the information necessary when listing a product on co.uk. This should include but is not limited to, product title, detailed product description, price, quantity, pictures and any care instructions. The seller must never knowingly deceive a potential customer by misrepresenting their product/s. The seller must update on thecarve.co.uk of any changes to the detail of their listings while uploaded on the site.
  15. The seller is entirely responsible for the quality, safety and the material of the products listed.
  16. The Seller is solely responsible for the accuracy of their listings.
  17. The seller will contact the customers no more than is necessary for processing the transactions referred to by Carve. In particular, the seller will not send any advertising email or other commercial advertisements to the customer without prior agreement from Carve or the expressed wish of the customer. When delivering products sold via Carve, the seller will not advertise any of Carve's competitors.
  18. Carve encourages all sellers to use sustainable packaging for their products and avoid using plastic.
  19. Any Seller who wants to leave the platform may write us at hello@thecarve.co.uk

 

COMMISSION

  1. The seller agrees to pay Carve a fixed percentage commission of 20% on each sales made through the platform. Depending on the category it may be appropriate to agree different commission percentages for certain items or product categories.
  2. Carve may start charging additional fees for the sale of goods through the Carve platform at any point. These may include but are not limited to, listing fees, multiple photos fees and enhanced marketing fees. In the event of the introduction of further fees, the seller will be notified prior to their commencement in writing, and they will have the option to opt out.
  3. Carve reserves the right to adjust the percentage commission, providing suitable notice is served in advance to the seller. Carve will give the seller adequate notice of any commission changes, in writing. This does not cover adjustments that constitute a material change of the contract terms, which would require an additional agreement on the change.
  4. The seller's earnings will be released after every two weeks into their nominated Bank accounts upon the deduction of the agreed commission.
  5. Seller agrees to pay the payment processing fees as outlined by our secure payment provider, Stripe.

 

BEHAVIOUR

  1. You must not use Carve for any illegal or unauthorised purpose and you agree to comply with all UK laws regarding online conduct and acceptable content.
  2. You must not breach any laws, sell any counterfeit items or otherwise infringe the copyright, trade mark or other rights of third parties.
  3. You must not threaten, intimidate, harass, slander, defame or otherwise abuse any other Carve user or employee on Carve, on any public or private forum or publicly including social media.
  4. You are responsible for maintaining that the content you submit is your own and is not owned by others.
  5. You are solely responsible for your behaviour and conduct on thecarve.co.uk including the use of all content and data including images (graphics and photos), audio and video clips, links and text (such as conversations) that you post to the thecarve.co.uk website and any sub-domains.
  6. You must not modify or adapt or ‘hack’ thecarve.co.uk or seek to create another website or communication to users that implies it is associated to thecarve.co.uk or any Sub-domains.
  7. You must not produce unwanted communications (spam) to other users of Carve.
  8. You are responsible for keeping your password secure.
  9. You must not transmit or seek to transmit any viruses or worms or any code that seeks to alter the behaviour of the And Carve site or that is in any way destructive.
  10. You must not use the Carve trademarked name without permission on any social media or internet groups or forums without explicit permission from us in writing, this includes using terms such as “Unofficial”.
  11. You must not join “Unofficial” forums or groups across the internet or social media using the Carve name.
  12. You must not pretend or impersonate that you are an employee of Carve or have an affiliation with Carve in anyway.

 LIABILITY

Under no circumstances will Carve be liable for any of the following losses or damage (whether such losses where foreseen, foreseeable, known or otherwise): (a) loss of data; (b) loss of revenue or anticipated profits; (c) loss of business; (d) loss of opportunity; (e) loss of goodwill or injury to reputation; (f) losses suffered by third parties; or (g) any indirect, consequential, special or exemplary damages arising from the use of Carve regardless of the form of action.

Carve has no Liability (and there is no basis for any present or future action, suit, proceeding, hearing, investigation, charge, complaint, claim, or demand against any of them giving rise to any Liability) arising out of any injury to individuals or property as a result of the ownership, possession, or use of any product sold through the site.

 GOODS FOR SALE

  1. You must be a self-representing artist, designer or maker and resident in the UK to sell on Carve.
  2. Everything listed as handmade must be made and/or designed by you, the seller. Products listed as handmade must not be deemed to have been produced through “mass production” methods and must be the original design or produce of the seller.
  3. You must not list prohibited items.
  4. You, [the vendor], are solely responsible for ensuring your products comply with british trading standards regulations. Carve reserves the rights to remove listed items that have been proved not to be compliant with trading standards.
  5. You are responsible for ensuring your products are safe for consumers and where necessary, carry the UKCA/CE marking with appropriate testing.
  6. Carve does not have any legal responsibility for the product you have listed within your shop and by agreeing to these terms you are legally responsible for ensuring it meets all legal requirements.
  7. All sellers must hold the trademark or copyright permission of the products they sell. If a seller is found to be using or breaching another parties copyright or trademark they take full legal responsibility of doing so and can have their account closed without notice. Carve does not hold any legal responsibility over sellers selling or distributing products that contain another parties copyright or trademark and this responsibility lies with the seller solely.

 

Handmade Ceramics Category Guidelines

 

Handmade Creations:

Every item listed on our platform must be handcrafted by you, predominantly through techniques like hand-building, wheel-throwing, or slip-casting. The essence of craftsmanship should be evident in each ceramic piece.

Original Artistry:

Your submission should represent original art created by you. This could be a ceramic sculpture, a hand-painted vase, or even intricately carved pottery. Reproductions of your own artwork (for instance, ceramic prints) is acceptable as long as you have created the original piece.

Distinctive Designs:

The items you list must showcase your unique design vision. While we appreciate the use of molds or templates for production, these should be of your own design and not copies or adaptations of someone else’s work. If you collaborate with others in the physical creation process, you must be able to demonstrate that the design is exclusively yours.

 

YOUR STOREFRONT

  1. We have absolute discretion as to:
  2. The look, feel and content of the Site (including all Storefronts);
  3. The inclusion, positioning, content, location and all other presentation of Seller Information (including in our sole discretion the right to remove any Seller Information from the Site at any time during the Term); and
  4. The Product set live on the Site (including in our sole discretion the right to remove any Product from the Site in line with one or more of our Policies (such as the Inventory Management Policy), or not allow a Product to be set live for sale on the Site).

When you close your Storefront:We agree to ensure that that all payments we determine to be owing to you have been paid before closing your Storefront;b) you will delete or deal with any Shared Personal Data in accordance with the Data Sharing Policy; andc) you agree to ensure that negative balances are paid to us in full prior to closing your

Storefront and agree to remain liable to pay any valid requests for refunds and associated Refund Fees which are received following such closure.

Quality of Presentation

  1. You agree to: ensure that your Storefront maintains a high standard of presentation and at all times accords with any applicable guidelines notified to you from time to time by us, including in relation to the form and content of copy and product imagery; and  comply with reasonable instructions from us concerning your Storefront. Any failure to maintain suitably high standards of page presentation may result in the deactivation of the relevant Product Page(s) in the first instance.

Seller and Product Information

  1. You agree to ensure that all Seller Information provided about you and the Products on your Storefront is and remains true, accurate, current and complete.
  2. Without undermining your obligation to comply with any Policies, you commit to ensure that none of your Seller Information nor any of your activities (including your personal conduct outside of being a Seller including, for example, on social media accounts) or use of the Site (including your use of your Storefront), will:

a) be false, inaccurate or misleading;

b) be offensive, indecent, obscene, pornographic, menacing, abusive or defamatory;

c) be in breach of any applicable law or regulation;

d) adversely affect our reputation or the Carve brand;

e) create, or be likely to create, liability for us or cause us to lose (in whole or in part) the services of our internet service or other suppliers;

f) contain any Virus; and

g) cause the Site or the CMS or their functionality to be interrupted, damaged or impaired in anyway.

 

Stock Information

  1. You agree to accurately display stock availability for all Products and to update such stock availability regularly using the 'out of stock' and 'is available' options on the CMS.
  2. You agree to only mark a Product as ‘out of stock’ where new stock for the ‘out of stock’ Product is due to be available to the Customer within four weeks.
  3.  You agree to suspend Products from your Storefront that are awaiting stock for more than four weeks until they become available again.
  4. If the final piece of stock of any Product has been sold and will no longer be available, you must mark that item as discontinued on your Storefront.
  5. If a Customer places an order for an item which is in fact out of stock and has not been displayed as such and the Customer consequently requires a refund, then we will charge you the Refund Fee on that order.

Pricing

  1. Your prices must be fully inclusive of all taxes and additional charges (including any VAT that may be chargeable by us if sales are deemed for VAT purposes to be made by us, and not by you, even if you are not VAT registered). The only exception to this is (i) customs duties and (ii) postage and packing which, if such postage and packaging charges apply in accordance with our Delivery and Fulfilment Policy, you must show these separately.
  2. If you are VAT registered, you agree to set the VAT rate at the appropriate level which is currently applicable with respect to your Products.
  3. You are solely responsible for ensuring that you fully comply with your current VAT registrations and accounting for VAT correctly in any country that you sell to.
  4. You have complete discretion over how you wish to price your Products.

PRODUCT LISTING & APPROVAL

  1. You agree to upload your Product range and work cooperatively with our onboarding team so that we are able to set your Storefront live on the Site.
  2. To ensure the highest quality of listings on our platform, each submission will undergo a review process before appearing on your storefront. You can expect approval within 48 hours. Should your listing be rejected, Carve will offer constructive feedback and suggestions to enhance your submission.

PROCESSING CUSTOMER ORDERS

  1. We will notify you by email of any order awaiting your acceptance. You acknowledge that we do not promise the reliability of email communications and you must check the CMS daily for alerts of new orders.
  2. Following receipt of such notification you agree to, within a maximum of two (2) Working Days.
  3. Following acceptance of an order through the CMS, you agree to:

a) fulfil the Customer order as soon as reasonably possible;

b) confirm to the Customer the time and method of dispatch;

c) dispatch the Customer order to ensure that it reaches the Customer within the timelines advertised on the relevant Product page and/or in accordance with any subsequent correspondence with the Customer;

d) notify the Customer promptly through the CMS at each of the following stages:

- receipt of order notification, with an estimated dispatch date;

- dispatch of an order with an expected delivery date;

- any enquiries relating to the order;

- receipt of an item that has been returned to you; and

- processing of an exchange or refund.

BRAND MATERIAL

  1. You agree to include with all orders the appropriate CARVE co-branded dispatch letter, and such additional documentation or material as may be required and/or provided by us.
  2. You agree to write the name of the buyer, on the Carve branded postcard provided to you. 

DATA AND PRIVACY

  1. You must not collect information about users, including email addresses, without their express consent.
  2. You must not hold multiple accounts in order to sell the same goods as this constitutes ‘spam’ and unfair manipulation of the Carve service.
  3. You must not solicit for new business on Carve or use Carve to send unsolicited communications except to ask or inform others about Carve business (items, postage etc.). Any such action will result in your account being deleted and possible action taken with your company or ISP (internet service provider).
  4. You must agree to the terms of the Privacy Policy.

 

CHANGES TO THE SERVICE

  1. Carve retains the right to terminate or change the service for any reason at any time without notice.
  2. Carve retains the right to modify the Terms of Use at any time. Carve will inform registered users by email and through the site blog of any changes to the Terms of Use.
  3. Carve retains the right to refuse service to anyone at any time and to terminate accounts if in breach of the Terms of Use.

MARKETING AND LINKING

You shall not link out from Carve to your own shop or other selling platform. Carve is to be primarily used as a platform for selling and not as a lead generator / marketing platform for your own site or other services and platforms.

POLICIES

 The Terms of Use covers acceptance of the following discrete policies:

  • The Fees Policy
  • The Privacy Policy
  • Sales and Returns Policy
  • Community Policy

If you break the above terms then your account will be suspended and possibly terminated. Carve seeks to promote legal activity and well-behaved conduct on its site however, you understand and agree in using the site that Carve is a ‘place’ and is not responsible for the content posted on the site and that you may be exposed to content and behaviour that contravenes the above Terms and as such you use the Carve service at your own risk.

If you have any questions relating to our Terms of Use or suggestions on how to improve them please contact us via email at hello@thecarve.co.uk.

THE PRIVACY POLICY 

Carve complies with the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation when dealing with all data received from visitors to the site. We only hold the data necessary to offer services provided on our website namely to allow users of the service to buy and sell and also message one another. We also keep user data to allow us to contact you in the advent of account withdrawal or new passwords being provided.

We only hold personal data for as long as necessary. Once data is no longer needed it is deleted from our files. If you delete your account then all your personal data will be deleted too. We regularly email news and information updates to those customers who have specifically subscribed to our email service. We will never add you to our email service without express consent from you. All subscription emails sent by us contain clear information on how to unsubscribe from our email service. We never sell, rent or exchange mailing lists. We may however share commercial and technical data with our partners where a customer has accessed and used our website. This data would not be personal data but would be anonymised [for example the kind of data you see in “Google Analytics”.

 In accordance with General Data Protection Regulation, we never send bulk unsolicited emails, (popularly known as Spam) to email addresses. All emails sent by us will be clearly marked as originating from us. All such emails will also include clear instructions on how to unsubscribe from our email service and any future emails. Such instructions will either include a link to a page to unsubscribe or a valid email address to which you should reply, with “unsubscribe” as the email subject heading.

Cookies

Our website may use “cookies” to track use and allow customers to purchase from our website. Please note that these cookies do not contain or pass any personal, confidential or financial information or any other information that could be used to identify individual visitors or customers purchasing from our website. Please note that you are free to refuse cookies. However, for purely technical reasons this may prevent you from purchasing from our website. This is because anonymous cookies are commonly used to keep track of the contents of customers’ shopping baskets or trolleys during the checkout process. This

facility ensures that the items added to (or removed from) your basket are accurately stated when you go to pay. For more details please see our Cookie Policy.

 

SELLER CODE OF CONDUCT (MORE SOFTER GUIDELINES)

At CARVE, it’s important to us that we’re well-loved and trusted – by our customers, our colleagues and the small businesses who call our marketplace home. So we’ve created this code of conduct – a set of guidelines that help our Partners know what’s expected of them. If that’s you then you agree to comply with what you read here. Because making sure we’re ethical, lawful and responsible as a business is top of our priority list (this may be updated from time to time.)

 

Environmental & Sustainability Guidelines for Our Partners

 

●      Considerate Business Operations:

We urge our Partners to prioritize the environment and sustainability in every aspect of their business operations. This extends from mindful selection of your supply chain partners to the materials used in your pottery and packaging.

●      Eco-Conscious Packaging:

We strongly encourage you to avoid the use of plastic and instead opt for eco-friendly, sustainable packaging solutions. By doing so, you're not only reducing your environmental impact but also contributing to a greener, more sustainable marketplace for our buyers.

●      Resource Efficiency:

We recommend that you focus on efficient consumption of energy, water, and other natural resources throughout the crafting process. This includes the responsible sourcing of clay and materials, as well as the efficient use of kilns and other equipment.

●      Waste Minimization:

Please strive to minimize waste and divert materials from landfills whenever possible. Consider repurposing clay scraps and recycling excess materials as part of your workflow.

●      Reduced Chemical Footprint:

We encourage you to limit the use of harmful chemicals in your production process. Opt for natural, non-toxic glazes and finishes that are better for the environment and safer for the consumer.

By incorporating these practices, we can collectively make a meaningful impact on our environment and create a more sustainable and responsible marketplace.

 

UNFAIR OR MISLEADING PRACTICES

What are misleading practices?

You must avoid misleading practices. Misleading practices can be anything related to the selling of your products. For example: Misleading pricing (ie if your lead image shows a more expensive, enhanced version of your product alongside a base price relating to a less expensive, less enhanced version);

 Misleading product descriptions or false claims about your product (such as unsupported ‘eco-friendly’ claims); Important product information which is missing, exaggerated or prevents a customer from making an informed decision about buying a product (i.e, the product/material list)

Partners must:

  • Ensure that products listed for sale on the Carve website do not materially mislead customers.
  • Ensure that the correct details are given online for the main characteristics of the product (the description, including the imagery of the product), the price of the product, the makeup of any product/material (for example, an ingredients list), any delivery fees and the Partner’s contact details and address.
  • Ensure that price statements do not mislead customers. The price must relate to the product listed for sale on the Carve website

 

COMMUNITY POLICY

  1. You must not threaten, intimidate, harass or otherwise abuse any other Carve user.
  2. You are responsible for maintaining that the content you submit is your own and is not owned by others.
  3. You are solely responsible for your behaviour and conduct on Carve including use of all content and data including images [graphics and photos], audio and video clips, links and text [such as conversations] that you post to the Carve website.
  4. You must not modify or adapt or ‘hack’ Carve or seek to create another website or communication to users that implies it is associated to Carve.
  5. You must not produce unwanted communications [spam] to other users of Carve.
  6. You are responsible for keeping your password secure.
  7. You must not transmit or seek to transmit any viruses or any code that
  8. We want to encourage a positive and supportive community. To promote a healthy and supportive space for people to discuss relevant issues the following behaviour is not permitted (including on our social media pages).
  9. No personal attacks.
  10. No “calling out” (identifying someone you are claiming to have breached the terms of use).
  11. No personally identifying information that cannot be found publicly elsewhere.
  12. No racist, sexist or hateful content.
  13. No spam or promotion of other competitor services.
  14. No vulgarity.
  15. No “trolling” (inflammatory or off-topic messages – for a definition of troll see this wikipedia entry).
  16. No defamation of others and no bringing Carve into disrepute.
  17. If anyone is found to be behaving in ways described above their account may be suspended or deleted and their content removed.

OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS

  1. If a single clause in this agreement is invalid, both parties will endeavor to replace the invalid clause by a valid one that reproduces as closely as possible the intended economic meaning of the invalid clause. The validity of the rest of the agreement remains unaffected. This applies in particular if the agreement is found to be incomplete.
  2. Carve reserves the right to modify his general terms and conditions without giving any justification. In that case, Carve will give the Seller adequate notice via email. The notice will contain advice on the right and period of objection to the changes, and on the consequences of leaving unexercised the right to object.
  3. The changed terms and conditions are considered agreed by the Seller if he does not object to them in writing within 2 weeks of receiving notice of the changes.
  4. Any terms and conditions of the Seller are not part of this agreement unless Carve expressly agrees to adhere to them in writing.

 

These terms were updated on 21st May, 2024.