Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Sellers who offer Products through the Platform.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This Policy states the parent-and-child variation rules for the catalog: what constitutes one product family on one Detail Page, the prohibited variant practices, the Seller's right to contribute catalog data, and the Company's right to merge and edit catalog data. This Policy implements the Listing Accuracy Policy for catalog structure.
1.2 The Detail Page is a shared catalog asset, not the property of the Seller who contributed to the page. Products sold by the Company are "Sold by Pawz Shop." Products sold by a Seller are "Sold by {Seller name}." The catalog rules in this Policy apply to the shared page for both kinds of offer.
1.3 If a provision of this Policy conflicts with the Terms of Use, this Policy controls for the subject it governs. If a provision of this Policy 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 Policy; they do not amend it, and in any conflict this Policy prevails.
Article 2: Definitions
2.1 The definitions in the Selling Terms of Service apply to this Policy. The following additional terms apply to this Policy only.
2.2 Catalog Data: the shared product record for a Product, including the family-level identity, attributes, variant family structure, and category placement for the Product.
2.3 Option Signature: the combination of variant axis values that identifies one variant within a family. Two variants with the same Option Signature are the same variant.
2.4 Variant: one member of a Variant Family, carrying its own axis values, identifier, Seller SKUs, price, inventory, and image set.
2.5 Variant Axis: a dimension along which variants of a Product legitimately differ, as published for the category, including size, flavor, colour, count, and scent.
2.6 Variant Family: all the sellable versions of one Product that differ only along defined Variant Axes, presented as one catalog product record on one Detail Page. The family level is the parent; each Variant is a child of the family.
Article 3: The Family Rule
3.1 Products that differ only by defined Variant Axes belong to one Variant Family on one Detail Page. A dog bed in three sizes and four colours is twelve Variants in one family on one page, not twelve listings. Each Variant carries its own identifier, price, inventory, and image set; the family shares the Product's core data, including brand, product type, and the description of what the Product is.
3.2 The family test. With the axis values removed, what remains shall be one Product. Offerings that remain two different products after the axis values are removed: by reason of a different formulation, a different brand, a different species suitability, or a difference between a supplement and a shampoo: are not Variants of each other and require separate family records and separate Detail Pages.
3.3 Permitted axes. The Variant Axes for a category are the axes the Company publishes for that category, and the published set is closed. A Seller shall not invent an axis to justify splitting or merging Products. An attribute that changes the identity of the Product is never a Variant Axis, including formulation, brand, species suitability, active ingredients, and prescription status as against non-prescription status.
3.4 Variant-level price and inventory. Price and inventory are facts of the Variant, not of the family. A family presentation that states availability by reason of stock held for a different Variant is an Accuracy Failure for the Variant presented as available, under the Listing Accuracy Policy.
3.5 Building a family. A Seller creating a family shall: (a) create or match the family record, stating the family-level facts: brand, product type, core description, and category placement; (b) add each Variant with its axis values; (c) check the Option Signature before adding a Variant, and, where the combination already exists in the family, treat the addition as a duplicate and not as a new Variant: a Seller who imports Variants in bulk shall remove signature duplicates before import; and (d) state, for each Variant, a title that names the Variant under the Product Title Policy, the Variant's Genuine Identifier under the Product Identifiers Policy, complete attributes, and an image set that depicts that Variant, including a primary image that follows the Variant selected.
3.6 Supply sources. The same Variant sourced from two suppliers is one Variant with two supply sources and, where applicable, two supplier SKUs. Two supply sources do not create two Variants, two families, or two listings.
3.7 Reformulations and multipacks. A reformulated Product is a separate family where the formulation change is material, including a change to ingredients or guaranteed analysis, and is the same family with updated attributes where the change is not material, including a packaging refresh. A Seller in doubt shall disclose the change and obtain the Company's catalog determination before presenting the reformulated Product under an existing family; presenting a reformulation under an existing family without disclosure is a safety misrepresentation where the change is material. A multipack of units of the same Product is a count Variant of the single-unit family. A kit that combines different Products is a bundle, not a Variant.
3.8 Discontinued Variants. A discontinued Variant shall be removed from the family and shall not be retained at zero stock indefinitely. Reviews for the family remain attributed to the Detail Page, and Order history for the Variant remains under the Variant's SKU.
Article 4: Prohibited Variant Practices
4.1 Duplicate listings. A Seller shall not split a Variant Family into separate listings, whether to avoid the duplicate-listing rule, category placement, review aggregation, or price competition on the shared page. The duplicate-listing prohibition in the Listing Accuracy Policy applies to a split family in full.
4.2 Variant stuffing. A Seller shall not add an unrelated Product as a Variant of a family: including adding a different product type to a high-traffic family page. The family test in Article 3.2 determines stuffing. Variant stuffing is a serious violation on first finding.
4.3 Variant hijacking. A Seller shall not attach the Seller's Variant to another brand's family. Hijacking is brand impersonation, governed additionally by the Intellectual Property Policy (Sellers) (Intellectual Property Policy (Sellers)).
4.4 Phantom Variants. A Seller shall not maintain a Variant with no inventory and no restock intent to capture search traffic or to hold a low starting price on the family page. A Variant at zero stock with no inbound purchase order for thirty (30) days is presumed to be a phantom Variant; the Seller shall restock the Variant, document a restock plan, or remove the Variant. A starting price held by a phantom Variant is bait pricing under the Seller Pricing Policy.
4.5 Cross-species Variants. A Product formulated for dogs and a Product formulated for cats are not Variants of each other, even with identical branding and packaging. Species suitability changes the identity of the Product under Article 3.3, and the rule in this Article is a safety rule as well as a catalog rule.
Article 5: Catalog Contributions and Company Control
5.1 A Seller may propose a new family record, a new Variant Family, and a catalog correction: including a wrong attribute, a wrong family combination, or a misidentified Product: through the catalog contribution process. A contribution is a proposal, not a publication. The Company may accept, modify, or reject a contribution, and a Seller shall not list against a proposed family record until the Company accepts the record.
5.2 The Company may merge, split, edit, and correct Catalog Data, including data a Seller contributed, and may merge duplicate pages and duplicate Variants. Catalog Data is a shared catalog asset; no Seller acquires a property right in Catalog Data, in a Detail Page, or in the placement of a family the Seller contributed.
5.3 Contribution quality. A Seller whose contributions are repeatedly rejected for inaccuracy, including wrong identifiers, wrong category placement, or invented attributes, may lose contribution privileges under Article 8. A deliberate corrupt contribution: including a false attribute, a wrong identifier stated knowingly, brand impersonation, or an alteration directed at a competitor's family: is governed by the Intellectual Property Policy (Sellers) (Intellectual Property Policy (Sellers)) and the Fraud and Abuse Policy (Fraud and Abuse — Zero Tolerance), and catalog sabotage is a serious violation for which suspension is available on first finding.
5.4 Supplier-driven change. Where a supplier changes a Variant's specification without changing the SKU, the Seller shall update the Variant's attributes, images, and title on the day stock of the new specification begins to ship, and shall address in-flight Orders under the correction duties in the Listing Accuracy Policy.
Article 6: Liability
6.1 Exclusion of certain damages. 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 Policy, even if the party has been advised of the possibility of those damages.
6.2 Cap. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company's total liability arising out of or relating to this Policy shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts the Seller paid to the Company under this Policy in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).
6.3 Carve-outs. This Article does not limit (a) a party's indemnification obligations under this Policy; (b) liability for fraud or willful misconduct; (c) amounts the Seller owes for Orders, fees, chargebacks, or refunds under the Company's documents; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
6.4 Essential purpose. 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 7: Indemnification
7.1 Duty. 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 Policy; (b) the Seller's Products, Services, listings, or content, including product liability claims, intellectual property infringement claims, and product recall costs; (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 the Company's documents.
7.2 Procedure. 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.
7.3 Survival. This Article survives the termination of this Policy.
Article 8: Enforcement and Appeals
8.1 Investigation. The Company may investigate any suspected violation of this Policy. The Seller shall cooperate with an investigation and shall produce the records this Policy requires the Seller to keep.
8.2 Notice. If the Company determines that the Seller has violated this Policy, 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.
8.3 Opportunity to cure. 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.
8.4 Measures. 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, a Variant, or content, or remove a phantom Variant; (c) cancel an Order; (d) suspend the Account or a program participation, in whole or in part, including a restriction on variant creation and on catalog contributions, and including, for a second phantom-Variant finding within one hundred eighty (180) days, an account-level restriction on variant creation; (e) terminate this Policy and the Account; and (f) exercise any other right or remedy available under the Company's documents or at law. A variant-structure failure is addressed, where practicable, by suppression of the offending Variant, with the family page remaining available for compliant Variants.
8.5 Disbursement hold. 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.
8.6 Appeal. 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.
8.7 No waiver by delay. 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 9: Term and Termination
9.1 Term. This Policy takes effect when the Seller is accepted to offer Products through the Platform and continues until terminated under this Article.
9.2 Termination by the Company. The Company may terminate this Policy and the Account on thirty (30) days' written notice for any reason, and immediately on written notice if the Seller materially breaches this Policy, engages in fraud, or becomes ineligible to participate.
9.3 Termination by the Seller. The Seller may terminate this Policy on thirty (30) days' written notice to support@aapawz.com, provided the Seller has no Order or investigation outstanding.
9.4 Effect of termination. On termination: (a) the rights granted under this Policy 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 the Company's documents, within thirty (30) days, except amounts held in connection with an open investigation or dispute.
9.5 Survival. The Definitions, Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions Articles survive termination.
Article 10: Dispute Resolution
10.1 Any dispute arising out of or relating to this Policy, or to the relationship it governs, is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy, which is incorporated into this Policy by reference.
Article 11: General Provisions
11.1 Amendments. The Company may amend this Policy by posting the amended Policy 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. A Seller that does not accept an amendment may terminate under Article 9 before the amendment takes effect.
11.2 Notices. Legal notices under this Policy 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.
11.3 Governing law. This Policy 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 Policy shall be brought in the state or federal courts located in Shelby County, Tennessee, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction there.
11.4 Severability. If any provision of this Policy is held unenforceable, the provision shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted, and the remaining provisions continue in full effect.
11.5 Entire agreement. This Policy, 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.
11.6 Assignment. The Seller shall not assign this Policy 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 Policy to an affiliate or in connection with a sale of all or part of its business, on notice to the Seller.
11.7 Waiver. A waiver of any provision of this Policy is effective only in writing and only for the instance stated. No waiver is a waiver of any other provision or instance.
11.8 Interpretation. Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation." This Policy shall not be construed against a party as its drafter. The English-language text controls over any translation.
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