Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Sellers who communicate with Buyers in connection with Orders through the Platform.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This document governs every communication between a Seller and a Buyer in connection with an Order, a prospective Order, or a delivered Order, including pre-purchase questions, shipment updates, return instructions, and refund confirmations. The Seller is bound by this document in addition to the Selling Terms of Service.
1.2 If a provision of this document conflicts with the Terms of Use, this document controls for the subject it governs. If a provision of this document conflicts with the terms of a program in which the Seller participates, the program terms control for that program. Policies and help pages explain this document; they do not amend it, and in any conflict this document prevails.
Article 2: Definitions
2.1 The definitions in the Selling Terms of Service are incorporated into this document by reference and apply to this document. This article defines only the additional terms used in this document, in alphabetical order.
2.2 Channel: the Buyer-Seller messaging facility provided in Seller Center for communication about an Order.
2.3 Message: a single item of communication sent by a Buyer or a Seller within a Thread.
2.4 Response Clock: the period that begins when a Buyer's Message is received in a Thread and ends when the Seller sends the first Substantive Reply in that Thread, subject to Article 7.
2.5 Substantive Reply: a Message that addresses the Buyer's issue with an action taken, a committed date, or a concrete next step. A placeholder, an acknowledgement without a committed time, and an automated reply are not a Substantive Reply.
2.6 Thread: one Order-scoped conversation between one Buyer and one Seller in the Channel.
Article 3: The Channel as the Only Order Conversation
3.1 The Seller shall conduct every communication with a Buyer about an Order through the Channel. The Seller shall not conduct Order communication through personal email, telephone, text message, social media, or any other means outside the Channel.
3.2 Where a Buyer initiates contact outside the Channel without any invitation from the Seller, the Seller shall answer the substance of the inquiry and shall then record the contact in the Thread, stating the date, the medium, and the substance of the exchange, so that the record of the Order is complete. The record forms part of the Seller's compliance record.
3.3 The Channel is a facility for resolving Orders and is not a marketing facility. The Seller shall not send through the Channel: (a) marketing Messages, including coupon codes, new-Product pitches, and links to the Seller's own store or social pages; (b) a solicitation of a review outside the post-purchase review flow the Company authorizes, including a conditional offer tied to a rating; (c) a request for payment outside the Platform; or (d) an attempt to move a transaction off the Platform.
3.4 A Message that diverts payment or a transaction off the Platform is a serious violation of this document and of the Selling Terms of Service, and is not treated as a minor communication failure.
3.5 After an Order is delivered and the return period has closed, the Seller may send one Order-summary Message through the Channel, limited to a statement of thanks and care instructions for the Product. Any further Message beyond that summary is marketing and is prohibited under clause 3.3.
3.6 During an open dispute or chargeback concerning an Order, the Seller may use the Channel for factual coordination concerning that Order and shall not use the Channel to negotiate outside the dispute process or to pressure the Buyer to withdraw a dispute or chargeback.
Article 4: Response Duties
4.1 The Seller shall send a Substantive Reply within twenty-four (24) hours during the Seller's published business hours. The Company gives a warning at twelve (12) hours without a Substantive Reply, and the duty is breached at twenty-four (24) hours.
4.2 The Seller shall send a Substantive Reply within forty-eight (48) hours outside the Seller's published business hours. The Company gives a warning at thirty-six (36) hours without a Substantive Reply, and the duty is breached at forty-eight (48) hours.
4.3 The Seller shall maintain a response rate at or above ninety-five percent (95%) across the rolling period stated in the Performance and Account Health Policy. The Company gives a warning at ninety-two percent (92%), and the duty is breached at ninety percent (90%).
4.4 Business hours are the hours the Seller publishes in Seller Center for the Account. A Seller that publishes no business hours is measured against all hours as business hours.
4.5 An automated reply, a statement of thanks, and a statement that the Seller is reviewing an issue, in each case without a committed time, do not stop the Response Clock. The Response Clock stops only at the first Substantive Reply.
4.6 The response rate is computed as Substantive Replies divided by Buyer Messages that require a reply across the rolling period. A Thread in which the Buyer states that an issue is resolved still requires a reply; the Seller shall at minimum confirm that the issue is closed.
4.7 A pre-purchase question carries the same Response Clock and counts toward the response rate in the same manner as a Message concerning an existing Order.
Article 5: Conduct and Use of Buyer Information
5.1 Every Message shall be professional, factual, and complete. The Seller shall state the facts known, the facts not known, and the next step with a date. A statement concerning a refund shall state the amount and the date the refund was initiated and the period within which the refund reaches the Buyer's original payment method.
5.2 The Seller shall not engage in harassment, threats, abuse, discriminatory language, insults, or pressure concerning a review, and shall not misrepresent an Order, a Product, or a policy of the Platform, including by stating a rule of the Platform that does not exist in order to avoid a refund or another duty. Returns are governed by the Return and Refund Policy: Sellers (Return and Refund Policy — Sellers), not by a statement of the Seller in a Message.
5.3 The Seller shall not refer to enforcement measures or to the consequences to the Seller of a Buyer's act in a Message to the Buyer. A statement that a Buyer must act in a stated manner to prevent a violation against the Seller is coercion and is a conduct violation regardless of the underlying facts.
5.4 The Seller shall use a Buyer's personal information, including name, address, telephone number, and Order details, only to fulfill that Buyer's Order, as required by the Data Protection Policy for Sellers. The Seller shall not forward that information, quote that information in another channel, or use that information for any purpose outside the Order.
Article 6: Language
6.1 The Seller shall communicate in a language the Buyer can reasonably understand for the transaction. English is the default language for Orders in the United States.
6.2 Every Order-critical statement, including a delivery commitment, a refund amount and date, and return instructions, shall appear in a language the Buyer used in the Order or the Thread.
6.3 Machine translation is permitted for content that is not Order-critical. For a material statement, including a delivery date, a refund promise, and a safety warning, the Seller shall review the translation for accuracy before sending the Message. An inaccurate translation is not a defense after the Buyer has acted on the statement.
Article 7: Response Clock Pauses and the Support Distinction
7.1 The Response Clock pauses only for: (a) a force majeure event affecting the Seller's operations; (b) a verified incident of the Platform that made the Channel unavailable; and (c) a Buyer's request that the Seller wait before acting. The Response Clock does not pause for a weekend or a holiday; the business-hours rule in Article 4 governs those periods.
7.2 A paused Response Clock resumes where the period stopped. The Company records the reason for a pause. A pause claimed after the fact without a contemporaneous record is measured on the unpaused clock.
7.3 The Channel is the facility for Seller-to-Buyer communication. Communication between the Seller and the Company is conducted through the support facility in Seller Center. A Seller that cannot resolve a Buyer's issue shall open a support request with the Company and shall remain the Buyer's point of contact; the Seller shall not direct the Buyer to contact the Company in place of the Seller.
7.4 A forum or other facility for communication among Sellers is not a substitute for answering a Buyer, and the Seller shall not post Buyer-specific details in such a facility.
Article 8: Liability
8.1 To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither party is liable to the other for indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages, or for lost profits, lost revenue, or loss of goodwill, arising out of or relating to this document, even if the party has been advised of the possibility of those damages.
8.2 To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company's total liability arising out of or relating to this document shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts the Seller paid to the Company under this document in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).
8.3 This article does not limit (a) a party's indemnification obligations under this document; (b) liability for fraud or willful misconduct; (c) amounts the Seller owes for Orders, fees, chargebacks, or refunds under this document; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
8.4 The parties agree that this article allocates risk between them, that it is an essential part of the basis of their bargain, and that it applies even if a limited remedy fails of its essential purpose.
Article 9: Indemnification
9.1 The Seller shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company and its members, managers, employees, and agents from and against every claim, demand, action, loss, liability, judgment, settlement, cost, and expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) the Seller's breach of this document; (b) the Seller's Products, Services, listings, or User Content; (c) the Seller's violation of any law or of the rights of any person; and (d) taxes for which the Seller is responsible under this document.
9.2 The Company shall give prompt written notice of a claim under this article. The Seller shall control the defense with counsel reasonably acceptable to the Company. The Company may participate in the defense at its own expense. The Seller shall not settle a claim in a manner that imposes any obligation or restriction on the Company, or that does not release the Company fully, without the Company's prior written consent.
9.3 This article survives the termination of this document.
Article 10: Enforcement and Appeals
10.1 The Company may investigate any suspected violation of this document. The Seller shall cooperate with an investigation and shall produce the records this document requires the Seller to keep.
10.2 If the Company determines that the Seller has violated this document, the Company shall give written notice stating the provision violated and the facts relied on, except where notice would compromise an investigation of fraud, a safety risk, or a legal obligation.
10.3 Where a violation is capable of cure, the Seller has ten (10) business days from notice to cure it and to confirm the cure in writing. No cure period applies to fraud, counterfeiting, a risk to the safety of a person or an animal, unlawful conduct, or a violation that by its nature cannot be cured.
10.4 If a violation is established and is not cured within the period allowed, the Company may, proportionate to the violation: (a) issue a written warning; (b) remove or suppress a listing or content; (c) cancel an Order or a booking; (d) suspend the Account or a program participation, in whole or in part; (e) terminate this document and the Account; and (f) exercise any other right or remedy available under this document or at law.
10.5 The Company may hold disbursements to the Seller while an investigation under this article is pending, and shall release amounts not required to satisfy the Seller's obligations when the investigation closes.
10.6 The Seller may appeal a measure under this article by written notice to legal@aapawz.com within thirty (30) days of the measure, stating the grounds and attaching the records relied on. The appeal is decided by a person who did not make the original decision. The Company's decision on appeal is final. A measure remains in effect during an appeal unless the Company directs otherwise in writing.
10.7 The Company's delay in acting on a violation is not a waiver of the violation or of any later violation of the same kind.
Article 11: Term and Termination
11.1 This document takes effect when the Seller accepts it and continues until terminated under this article.
11.2 The Company may terminate this document and the Account on thirty (30) days' written notice for any reason, and immediately on written notice if the Seller materially breaches this document, engages in fraud, or becomes ineligible to participate.
11.3 The Seller may terminate this document on thirty (30) days' written notice to support@aapawz.com, provided the Seller has no Order, booking, or investigation outstanding.
11.4 On termination: (a) the rights granted under this document end; (b) obligations that arose before termination: including payment, refund, chargeback, record-keeping, and indemnification obligations: survive until satisfied; and (c) the Company shall disburse amounts owed, less amounts the Company may set off under this document, within thirty (30) days, except amounts held in connection with an open investigation or dispute.
11.5 The Definitions, Fees (for accrued amounts), Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions articles survive termination.
Article 12: Dispute Resolution
12.1 Any dispute arising out of or relating to this document, or to the relationship it governs, is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy, which is incorporated into this document by reference.
Article 13: General Provisions
13.1 The Company may amend this document by posting the amended document in the Document Center and giving notice to the Seller at the email address in the Account. An amendment that materially increases the Seller's fees or obligations takes effect thirty (30) days after notice; other amendments take effect on posting. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of an amendment is acceptance of it. If the Seller does not accept an amendment, the Seller's remedy is to terminate under the Term and Termination article before the amendment takes effect.
13.2 Legal notices under this document shall be sent to legal@aapawz.com. Operational notices and all other communications shall be sent to support@aapawz.com. A notice to the Company is effective when the Company acknowledges receipt or, for email, one business day after sending, whichever is earlier. Notices to the Seller are effective when sent to the email address in the Account or posted to the Account's notice facility in the portal, whichever occurs first. The Seller shall keep the email address in the Account current. Notices under the DMCA and Copyright Policy are given as provided in that policy, to the designated agent at legal@aapawz.com.
13.3 This document is governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Subject to the Dispute Resolution Policy, any proceeding arising out of this document shall be brought in the state or federal courts located in Shelby County, Tennessee, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction there.
13.4 If any provision of this document is held unenforceable, the provision shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted, and the remaining provisions continue in full effect.
13.5 This document, together with the documents it incorporates by reference, is the entire agreement between the Company and the Seller for the subject it governs and supersedes every prior or contemporaneous statement, communication, or agreement on that subject, whether written or oral.
13.6 The Seller shall not assign this document or any right or obligation under it without the Company's prior written consent, and an assignment without consent is void. The Company may assign this document to an affiliate or in connection with a sale of all or part of its business, on notice to the Seller.
13.7 A waiver of any provision of this document is effective only in writing and only for the instance stated. No waiver is a waiver of any other provision or instance.
13.8 Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation." This document shall not be construed against a party on the ground that the party prepared this document. The English-language text controls over any translation.
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