Seller Membership Agreement and Cancellation Policy
This Seller Membership Agreement and Cancellation Policy explains the expectations, membership terms, cancellation rules, seller responsibilities, optional ME Market checkout terms, and participation guidelines for sellers approved to participate in ME Market by Mercha Exchange.
By applying for, joining, paying for, using, or maintaining a ME Market seller membership, the seller agrees to follow the terms below, along with all applicable ME Market policies, including Seller Standards, Buyer Trust Policy, Outside Seller Purchase Disclaimer, Prohibited Items Policy, ME Market Days Vendor Rules when applicable, and any other seller-related policies provided by Mercha Exchange.
This policy may be updated as ME Market grows, including updates related to seller dashboards, product listings, marketplace checkout, payment processing, payout terms, and ME Market Days opportunities.
1. Membership Purpose
ME Market by Mercha Exchange is designed to help small businesses, makers, creators, vendors, service providers, and independent sellers gain more visibility online and in person.
Seller memberships may include access to seller profile opportunities, ME Directory placement, website or shop links, social media links, product or service listing opportunities, promotional consideration, ME Market Days opportunities, discounted booth pricing when applicable, and seller visibility support.
Membership does not guarantee sales, buyer traffic, event approval, booth placement, specific results, social media performance, website clicks, market attendance, or revenue.
2. Membership Levels
ME Market may offer different seller membership levels, including Starter, Growth, and Featured memberships.
Membership benefits may vary depending on the selected membership level.
Current membership levels may include:
Starter Membership
Growth Membership
Featured Membership
Benefits may include seller directory placement, seller profile page, website/shop/social links, active listing opportunities, visibility snapshots, market event opportunities, discounted booth pricing when available, seller spotlight consideration, featured directory opportunities, or enhanced promotional support.
Mercha Exchange may update membership benefits, pricing, features, limits, or availability as ME Market grows.
3. Seller Approval
All seller applications are reviewed on a pre-approval basis.
Submitting a seller interest form, application, or payment does not guarantee acceptance, membership approval, directory placement, marketplace access, product approval, promotional placement, event participation, or ME Market Days booth placement.
Mercha Exchange may approve, deny, pause, or remove seller participation based on marketplace fit, product or service type, seller conduct, incomplete information, prohibited items, buyer trust concerns, or overall platform standards.
4. No Listing Fees
ME Market does not charge a separate listing fee for sellers to be included in the ME Directory or to have approved listings as part of their membership level.
Sellers should not have to pay a separate fee every time they want to be seen.
Membership listing limits may vary by membership level.
5. Active Listing Limits
Approved sellers may receive active listing opportunities depending on their membership level.
Starter Membership may include up to 5 active listings.
Growth Membership may include up to 50 active listings.
Featured Membership may include unlimited active listings, subject to review and platform standards.
An active listing may include a product, service, offer, or approved seller listing shown through ME Market, depending on the current platform setup.
Mercha Exchange may review, reject, pause, or remove listings that are incomplete, misleading, prohibited, inappropriate, outdated, or inconsistent with ME Market standards.
6. Seller Dashboard and Product Uploads
As ME Market grows, Mercha Exchange may provide approved sellers with access to a seller dashboard, vendor portal, or marketplace tools through Shopify, PuppetVendors, or another approved platform system.
Seller dashboard access may allow approved sellers to upload products, set prices, manage listing details, update inventory, view orders, manage fulfillment, and submit information needed for marketplace participation.
Sellers are responsible for keeping their seller dashboard, product listings, inventory, pricing, photos, descriptions, shipping information, and business information accurate and up to date.
Mercha Exchange may review seller-uploaded products, services, photos, descriptions, categories, pricing, or listing information before or after publication.
Access to a seller dashboard is a privilege of approved participation and may be paused, limited, or removed if the seller violates ME Market standards or fails to meet seller responsibilities.
7. Outside Website Sales
If a shopper discovers a seller through ME Market and completes a purchase through the seller’s own website, shop, social page, order form, marketplace page, or outside checkout link, Mercha Exchange does not take a transaction fee from that outside sale.
Purchases completed outside ME Market are handled directly by the seller.
The seller is responsible for their own checkout process, payments, shipping, fulfillment, refunds, returns, exchanges, customer service, business policies, taxes, buyer communication, and any issues related to outside purchases.
Mercha Exchange is not responsible for outside seller checkout experiences, outside payment processing, outside refunds, outside shipping issues, or customer service handled outside the ME Market platform.
8. ME Market Checkout Option
Mercha Exchange may offer ME Market Checkout for approved sellers who do not have their own online checkout or who want shoppers to purchase directly through the ME Market platform.
ME Market Checkout is optional and separate from outside seller checkout. Sellers may choose to use their own website, shop, social page, order form, marketplace page, PayPal link, Square link, Etsy shop, Shopify store, or another approved outside checkout option.
Sales completed through a seller’s outside checkout are processed directly by the seller. Mercha Exchange does not collect a transaction fee on sales completed through a seller’s outside checkout.
If a seller chooses to use ME Market Checkout, purchases are processed through the ME Market platform. The seller remains responsible for the product or service sold, accurate listing information, fulfillment, shipping, returns, replacements, customer service, and buyer communication unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Any ME Market Checkout transaction fees, processing fees, payout terms, refund rules, order responsibilities, and related requirements will be explained before a seller activates or uses ME Market Checkout.
9. ME Market Checkout Transaction Fee
For sales completed through ME Market Checkout, Mercha Exchange may charge a marketplace checkout transaction fee.
The planned ME Market Checkout transaction fee is 5% of the sale processed through ME Market Checkout.
This fee helps cover payment processing costs, platform administration, checkout tools, transaction handling, marketplace operating costs, and related business expenses associated with processing marketplace transactions.
This fee applies only to sales completed through ME Market Checkout. It does not apply to sales completed through the seller’s own website, shop, social page, order form, marketplace page, or outside checkout link.
Seller membership fees and ME Market Checkout transaction fees are separate. Membership fees cover seller participation, directory placement, visibility, and access to ME Market seller opportunities. The 5% marketplace checkout transaction fee applies only to sales processed through ME Market Checkout.
Mercha Exchange is not designed to create heavy transaction fees for sellers. ME Market’s primary revenue model is based on seller memberships, seller visibility opportunities, and ME Market Days opportunities.
Mercha Exchange reserves the right to update the ME Market Checkout transaction fee if payment processing rates, platform costs, payment gateway fees, marketplace app fees, or marketplace operating costs change.
Mercha Exchange will make reasonable efforts to notify active sellers before major fee changes take effect.
10. Seller Payouts for ME Market Checkout
For sales completed through ME Market Checkout, seller payouts may be managed through the marketplace platform, payment provider, vendor dashboard, or another approved payout method.
Seller payout timing, payout method, processing fees, refund holds, chargeback holds, reserve periods, or payout delays may vary depending on the payment provider, marketplace app, seller status, order status, refund risk, or platform requirements.
Mercha Exchange may hold, delay, adjust, or pause a seller payout if there is an unresolved buyer issue, refund request, chargeback, seller violation, suspicious activity, unfulfilled order, missing tracking information, incorrect payout information, or unresolved customer service concern.
Sellers are responsible for providing accurate payout information when required.
Mercha Exchange is not responsible for payout delays caused by incorrect seller information, payment provider delays, banking delays, seller noncompliance, chargebacks, disputes, or platform processing requirements.
11. Shipping, Fulfillment, and Customer Service
Sellers are responsible for shipping, fulfillment, delivery, tracking, customer service, returns, replacements, exchanges, and buyer communication for their own products or services.
This responsibility applies whether the sale is completed through the seller’s outside checkout or through ME Market checkout, unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Sellers are expected to provide accurate shipping information, reasonable processing times, clear product details, and timely buyer communication.
If a seller fails to ship an order, provide tracking, respond to buyer concerns, or resolve a valid issue, Mercha Exchange may review the seller’s standing and take marketplace action.
12. Buyer Trust and Issue Escalation
Sellers are expected to take buyer trust seriously.
If a buyer contacts a seller with a concern, the seller should make a reasonable effort to respond and resolve the issue directly.
For ME Market checkout purchases, buyers should contact the seller first regarding shipping, returns, replacements, product concerns, or customer service questions.
If a buyer has attempted to resolve an issue with the seller and has not received a response or reasonable resolution, Mercha Exchange may review the concern.
Mercha Exchange may request documentation from the buyer and seller, including order details, messages, tracking information, photos, screenshots, or proof of attempted communication.
Mercha Exchange may step in when a seller is not responding, refuses to address a valid concern, repeatedly fails to meet seller responsibilities, or harms buyer trust.
13. Refunds, Returns, Replacements, and Chargebacks
Sellers are responsible for their own return, refund, replacement, and exchange policies, as long as those policies comply with applicable laws and ME Market standards.
For purchases completed through ME Market checkout, Mercha Exchange may have the ability to issue refunds, hold funds, adjust payouts, or take marketplace action when a seller fails to resolve a valid buyer issue.
If a buyer files a payment dispute, chargeback, or claim related to a seller’s product, shipping, service, or failure to respond, the seller may be responsible for the amount of the refund, chargeback, fees, penalties, or related costs.
Mercha Exchange may deduct unresolved buyer-related amounts from pending seller payouts when allowed by the marketplace system, payment provider, or applicable agreement.
14. Monthly Membership Billing
Monthly seller memberships are billed on a recurring monthly basis unless canceled according to this policy.
Monthly members may cancel before their next billing period to stop future charges.
To avoid the next billing charge, sellers should submit cancellation requests at least 3 business days before the next billing date.
Cancellation stops future billing but does not automatically refund the current billing period.
15. Annual Membership Billing
Annual seller memberships are paid upfront and may be offered at a discounted rate compared to paying month-to-month.
Annual memberships are intended for sellers who want to commit to a full year of participation and receive annual membership value.
Annual members may cancel to stop future renewal, but annual membership payments are generally not refundable after membership benefits, seller profile setup, promotional support, directory placement, listing access, dashboard access, or other services have begun.
Refund requests may be reviewed by Mercha Exchange on a case-by-case basis.
To avoid an annual renewal charge, sellers should submit cancellation requests at least 10 business days before the renewal date.
16. Cancellation Requests
Sellers may request cancellation by contacting Mercha Exchange through the contact page or email address listed on the website.
A cancellation request should include:
Seller name
Business name
Email address connected to the membership
Membership level
Reason for cancellation, if the seller chooses to provide one
Mercha Exchange may confirm cancellation by email.
17. Refunds for Membership Fees
Monthly membership fees are generally non-refundable once a billing period has started.
Annual membership fees are generally non-refundable after seller benefits or services have begun, including profile setup, directory placement, listing access, promotional work, market opportunity access, dashboard access, or other membership-related support.
Mercha Exchange may review refund requests on a case-by-case basis, especially in situations involving duplicate charges, billing errors, accidental payments, or special circumstances.
Approved refunds, if any, may take time to process depending on the payment provider.
18. No Guaranteed Results
ME Market is designed to create visibility and opportunity, but results are not guaranteed.
Seller results may vary based on product type, pricing, photos, customer demand, seller communication, market participation, location, outside promotion, buyer interest, seasonality, and other factors.
Mercha Exchange does not guarantee sales, revenue, profits, website clicks, buyer inquiries, social media engagement, event attendance, business growth, product approval, featured placement, or buyer traffic.
19. Seller Responsibilities
Sellers are responsible for operating their own business professionally.
This includes providing accurate business information, honest product or service descriptions, clear pricing, accurate inventory, professional communication, timely responses, responsible fulfillment, appropriate customer service, and compliance with applicable laws, taxes, permits, licenses, and regulations.
Sellers are also responsible for making sure they have the right to sell or promote their products, services, designs, images, logos, content, and materials.
Sellers may not upload, sell, promote, or list products or services that violate intellectual property rights, laws, platform rules, ME Market standards, or prohibited item policies.
20. Taxes, Permits, and Legal Compliance
Sellers are responsible for understanding and meeting their own tax, permit, license, insurance, and legal obligations.
This may include sales tax, income tax, business licenses, product safety requirements, food permits, handmade product rules, service-related regulations, insurance requirements, or local/state/federal compliance.
Mercha Exchange does not provide tax, legal, licensing, or financial advice.
Sellers should consult appropriate professionals for tax, legal, licensing, or compliance questions.
21. Seller Standing and Marketplace Action
Mercha Exchange reserves the right to review seller participation and take action if a seller violates ME Market standards, fails to communicate professionally, provides misleading information, receives repeated unresolved complaints, sells prohibited items, acts unprofessionally, fails to fulfill orders, violates buyer trust, or harms the marketplace experience.
Marketplace action may include:
Seller warning
Request for updated information
Temporary pause of seller profile
Temporary pause of seller dashboard access
Temporary pause of product listings
Removal of featured placement
Loss of market or event privileges
Removal from ME Market Days
Membership review
Membership cancellation
Removal from ME Market
22. ME Market Days Participation
Seller membership does not automatically guarantee acceptance into every ME Market Days event.
Event participation may depend on space availability, category balance, vendor approval, deadlines, venue requirements, event rules, and seller eligibility.
Eligible members may receive discounted booth pricing, early access to event opportunities, or priority notice depending on membership level and event availability.
ME Market Days participation may require separate approval, separate event fees, vendor rules, permits, proof of insurance when applicable, and compliance with venue requirements.
23. Use of Seller Information for Promotion
By participating in ME Market, sellers may allow Mercha Exchange to use approved business names, logos, product photos, descriptions, social links, website links, seller-provided content, and approved listing information for directory listings, seller spotlights, event promotion, website features, social media posts, email updates, and marketplace marketing.
Sellers should only provide content they have the right to use and share.
Sellers may request updates to their profile or listing information, but changes may be subject to review and processing time.
24. Changes to Membership Terms
As ME Market grows, Mercha Exchange may update membership features, policies, pricing, benefits, cancellation rules, checkout options, seller dashboard access, payout terms, transaction fees, listing limits, or seller requirements.
Mercha Exchange will make reasonable efforts to communicate major changes to active sellers.
Continued participation after updates may be considered acceptance of the updated terms.
25. Agreement to ME Market Policies
By joining ME Market as a seller, the seller agrees to follow applicable ME Market policies, including but not limited to:
Seller Standards
Buyer Trust Policy
Outside Seller Purchase Disclaimer
Prohibited Items Policy
ME Market Days Vendor Rules, when participating in events
Fair Market Promise
Seller Membership Agreement and Cancellation Policy
26. Our Commitment
Mercha Exchange is committed to building ME Market with fair fees, simple rules, seller visibility, buyer trust, and community support.
Our goal is to help sellers feel seen, supported, and respected while keeping the marketplace professional, transparent, and trustworthy.