Terms of Service

These terms form a binding agreement between you and VeraSource. You accept them by creating an account or by using the platform, whichever happens first. If you do not accept them, do not use the service.

1.1 — Who may use VeraSource

• You must be at least 18 years old.
• You must be acting for a business, not as a consumer. This is a trade platform.
• If you accept on behalf of a company, you confirm you are authorised to bind it — and “you” then means that company.
• You must not be subject to trade sanctions that would make it unlawful for us to deal with you.

This is the most important clause in the agreement, so it comes early rather than buried at the end.

• Give accurate information when you register, and keep it current.
• Keep your password confidential. You are responsible for what happens under your account.
• Tell us promptly if you believe someone else has access to it.
• One account per business. Do not share logins across organisations or sell an account.

Verification is our product, so unlike most marketplaces we do not disclaim it entirely. We make a positive commitment about what we will do, and we state its boundaries precisely. Both halves are binding.

4.3 — If a verification turns out to be wrong

Tell us and we will follow this sequence.

1. Acknowledge — 2 working daysWe confirm we have your report and tell you who is handling it.
2. Provisional flag — immediately, where the evidence is credibleThe listing shows that a verification is under review, so no other buyer relies on it while we look.
3. Re-examine — 15 working daysWe repeat the check, request fresh evidence, and contact the issuing authority where one exists.
4. Publish the outcomeIf the check failed, the listing says so. We do not quietly delete a failed verification — the record stays visible, because a trust record you can erase is worthless.

• Everything you submit for verification must be genuine, current, and yours.
• Your listings must accurately describe what you can actually produce. Do not list goods you intend to source from an unnamed third party as your own manufacture.
• You must hold the rights to every image, drawing and description you upload.
• You must tell us promptly if a certification lapses, is withdrawn, or your registration changes.
• You must respond to buyer inquiries you receive, or mark yourself unavailable.

• Do your own due diligence proportionate to the size of the order. Verification is a starting point, not a conclusion.
• Inspect goods, or appoint an inspector, before releasing final payment.
• Put your commercial terms in writing with the manufacturer — specification, quantity, price, Incoterms, lead time, remedies.
• Reviews you publish must describe a transaction that actually happened, and must be honest.
• Do not use the directory to harvest contact details for bulk marketing.

In summary, you may not:

• Provide false information, impersonate anyone, or misrepresent your business.
• List goods that are illegal to trade, counterfeit, or subject to sanctions or export control you do not hold a licence for.
• Send bulk unsolicited messages, or scrape the directory by automated means.
• Attempt to gain access to another account, or probe the security of the platform.
• Post reviews for transactions that did not occur, or pay anyone to do so.
• Use the platform to arrange a transaction that circumvents a sanction or embargo.

You keep ownership of everything you upload. To display your listing we need your permission to use it, so you grant us a licence — limited to that purpose.

8.1 — The licence you give us

A non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, resize and display your content for the purpose of operating and promoting the directory, including in search-engine results. It ends when you remove the content, except for copies already cached by third parties and for the verification record described in clause 4.

8.2 — Our content

The VeraSource name, the shield mark, the platform software, the verification methodology and the directory as a compiled work are ours. You may link to listings and quote reasonable extracts. You may not copy the directory, in whole or in substantial part, or use our name to imply we endorse you beyond the verification badge you have actually earned.

Using VeraSource is currently free for both buyers and manufacturers. We take no commission on any transaction, and we do not charge for verification.

If we introduce fees, we will give at least 30 days' notice before they apply to you, and you may close your account before they take effect. We will never charge retroactively.

10.1 — By you

Close your account at any time from your settings, for any reason or none.

10.2 — By us

We may suspend or close an account if:

• you breach these terms or the Acceptable Use Policy;
• we have credible evidence of fraud, forgery, or a serious safety risk to other users;
• we are required to by law or by a sanctions regime;
• you have been inactive for more than 24 months.

Except where the breach is serious or we are legally required to act immediately, we will tell you what the problem is and give you 14 days to fix it before closing the account.

10.3 — What happens afterwards

• Your listings leave the public directory immediately.
• You have 30 days to export your data before it is deleted, subject to the Privacy Policy.
• The verification record survives, as described in clause 4 and the Privacy Policy.
• Clauses 8, 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16 survive termination.

Other than the specific commitments we make in clause 4, the platform is provided as it is. We do not warrant that it will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that it will meet your particular requirements. To the extent the law allows, we exclude implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

We make no warranty about any user, any goods, or any transaction. We do not endorse any manufacturer beyond stating the verification result on the date shown.

Subject always to clause 11's carve-outs, which are never limited:

If someone brings a claim against us because of something you did, you cover our reasonable costs. Specifically, you indemnify us against claims arising from:

• content you uploaded, including any infringement of someone else's rights;
• documents you submitted for verification that turn out to be false or forged;
• your breach of these terms or the Acceptable Use Policy;
• your dealings with another user, including any dispute over goods.

We will tell you promptly about any such claim, will not settle it without asking you first, and will let you take over the defence if you want to.

We may update these terms. For any change that materially affects your rights or obligations, we will email you at least 30 days before it takes effect. Continuing to use the platform after that date means you accept the change; if you do not, close your account before it applies.

Changes required by law may take effect sooner, and we will say so when we notify you.

15.1 — Talk to us first

Before starting any formal proceeding, contact us and give us 30 days to resolve it. Most disputes end here, and it costs neither side anything.

15.2 — Governing law and forum

• Whole agreement. These terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between us and replace anything said beforehand.
• Severability. If a court finds one clause unenforceable, the rest continues in force.
• No waiver. If we do not enforce something immediately, we have not given up the right to enforce it later.
• Assignment. You may not transfer this agreement without our consent. We may transfer it if the business is sold, and will tell you.
• Events outside our control. Neither side is liable for failure caused by something genuinely beyond its control — but this does not excuse a failure to pay.
• Notices. We contact you at your registered email; you contact us at the address in clause 17. Keep your email current.
• No partnership.Nothing here makes either of us the other’s agent, partner or employee.
• Language. The English version governs if a translation differs.

Legal notices and questions about these terms go to the founders directly. The people who built this answer the email.