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 conduct that constitutes manipulation of search, browse, ranking, and placement on the Platform, and the enforcement that applies to such conduct. This Policy implements the Selling Terms of Service for search and ranking conduct. Pricing manipulation is governed additionally by the Seller Pricing Policy; review manipulation is governed additionally by the Product Review Policy for Sellers.
1.2 Products sold by the Company are "Sold by Pawz Shop." Products sold by a Seller are "Sold by {Seller name}." This Policy governs Seller conduct in relation to both first-party and third-party offers presented in search and browse.
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 Backend Search Terms: terms associated with a listing for indexing that are not presented as listing text, including synonyms, alternate spellings, and use-case terms that describe the Product.
2.3 Search Manipulation: conduct intended to cause a listing to rank, appear, or convert better than the listing's honest relevance warrants, by acting on the indexing, ranking, or placement mechanism rather than on the merits of the offer.
2.4 Velocity Gaming: inflating a sales-velocity or conversion signal that feeds ranking, including by a fictitious Order, a coordinated purchase-and-refund cycle, automated traffic, or an incentivized click.
Article 3: The Principle and Permitted Competition
3.1 Search and browse exist for Buyers. A listing ranks because the listing matches the Buyer's search, because Buyers purchase and keep the Product, and because the offer is genuinely competitive. A Seller shall earn a ranking position on those grounds only. Conduct that is Search Manipulation under Article 4 is prohibited whether or not the specific technique is named in Article 4, where the conduct falls within the definition in Article 2.3.
3.2 Permitted competition. A Seller may compete on every genuine attribute of the offer, including an accurate title under the Product Title Policy, an accurate description under the Product Description Policy, compliant images under the Product Image Policy, a competitive price under the Seller Pricing Policy, fulfillment speed, and service. Accurate titles, complete attributes, correct category placement, and genuine Backend Search Term synonyms are optimisation, not manipulation: a Backend Search Term that describes the Product is permitted; a term that describes another Seller's Product, or no Product, is Search Manipulation.
3.3 Advertising. Sponsored placement obtained through the Company's advertising program, presented to Buyers as sponsored placement, is disclosed placement and is not Search Manipulation. Undisclosed placement obtained by any other means is Search Manipulation.
3.4 Loss of a ranking position to genuine competition is not evidence of manipulation by another Seller. A report of manipulation shall state the evidence relied on, including the duplicate listings, the fictitious reviews, or the impossible stock position reported.
Article 4: Prohibited Conduct
4.1 Keyword stuffing. A Seller shall not repeat terms, load unrelated search terms, or place a competitor's brand name in a title, a description, Backend Search Terms, or a hidden attribute. Backend Search Terms shall describe the Product. A competitor brand name, a trending term unrelated to the Product, a holiday or celebrity name unrelated to the Product, and repeated variants of one term are prohibited in Backend Search Terms. Keyword stuffing in a title or description is additionally governed by the Product Title Policy and the Product Description Policy.
4.2 Duplicate listings for result-slot capture. A Seller shall not create two or more listings for the same Product to occupy multiple search-result positions, whether by slight title variation, by splitting variants, or by use of more than one Account. The conduct is a violation of the duplicate-listing prohibition in the Listing Accuracy Policy, and the purpose of capturing result positions aggravates the violation.
4.3 Misclassification for traffic. A Seller shall not place a Product in an unrelated high-traffic category or tag a Product with unrelated attributes to capture search traffic, as prohibited by the Category Placement Policy. Systematic misclassification across a catalog is charged under this Policy as Search Manipulation rather than as individual placement errors.
4.4 Click fraud and automated traffic. A Seller shall not generate a fictitious click, view, or add-to-cart event, whether by automated means, by a paid click service, or by the Seller's own devices, to inflate an engagement signal. Traffic fraud is a serious violation for which suspension is available on first finding.
4.5 Velocity Gaming. A Seller shall not engage in Velocity Gaming, including a fictitious Order, a coordinated purchase-and-refund cycle, a purchase scheme conditioned on a review, or any arrangement that manufactures sales history. A coordinated scheme is a serious violation for every participant Seller; a Buyer Account complicit in such a scheme is addressed under the Terms of Use.
4.6 Badge and recommendation gaming. A Seller shall not manipulate an input to a bestseller badge, a "frequently bought together" presentation, or a recommendation facility, including by coordinated cross-purchasing to force an association, a fictitious attach rate, or a review-velocity spike timed to a badge period.
4.7 Buy Box gaming. A Seller shall not falsify an input the Company weighs for the default offer position, including stock the Seller cannot ship, a handling time the Seller cannot meet, and a price the Seller does not intend to honor, as governed by the Product Detail Page Policy. Buy Box gaming is a serious violation on first finding.
4.8 Incentivized traffic. A Seller shall not offer or provide an incentive: including a discount, a refund, free product, or a contest entry: in exchange for a click, a view, a purchase made to inflate a ranking signal, or other traffic directed at a listing for the purpose of affecting rank. An incentive offered for a review is governed additionally by the Product Review Policy for Sellers.
Article 5: Pricing and Review Manipulation in Ranking
5.1 The pricing forms of manipulation: bait pricing, drip pricing, and a false reference price: are defined in the Seller Pricing Policy and are incorporated into this Policy by reference. A false reference price maintained to win a discount-based sort or a deal presentation is deceptive pricing under the Seller Pricing Policy and Search Manipulation under this Policy, and is enforced on both bases.
5.2 Cycling a price to trigger a price-drop notice or a deal ranking: including reducing a price for a short period with no genuine offer at that price and then restoring the price: is Search Manipulation where the reduced price was not honored on Orders placed during the period. Genuine repricing, including repricing under a Seller's own repricing rules, is permitted competition where each price is a genuine offer honored while the price is presented.
5.3 A fictitious, incentivized, or gated review posted to move a listing's rating, and therefore the listing's rank, is governed by the Product Review Policy for Sellers and is a serious violation under this Policy. On a finding under this Article, the manipulated rating is recalculated with the fictitious reviews removed.
5.4 Correction of the record. The Company corrects the record a manipulation created, and not only the Seller's conduct: a fictitious review is removed and a rating recalculated, manufactured velocity is excluded from ranking inputs, and a duplicate listing created for slot capture is merged or suppressed. A Seller does not retain a ranking gain obtained by manipulation during or after enforcement.
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, including traffic, order, and repricing records relied on by the Seller.
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, including click fraud and Velocity Gaming, counterfeiting, a risk to the safety of a person or an animal, unlawful conduct, or a violation that by its nature cannot be cured. Search Manipulation is intentional conduct; a first finding under this Policy is addressed by a measure under Article 8.4 and not by a warning alone.
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 or content, and merge or suppress a duplicate listing; (c) cancel an Order; (d) suspend the Account or a program participation, in whole or in part, including an account-level restriction for a pattern across a catalog, and suspension for a coordinated scheme, Velocity Gaming, click fraud, or a repeat violation; (e) terminate this Policy and the Account; and (f) exercise any other right or remedy available under the Company's documents or at law.
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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