MAVENFAIR SELLER POLICY

Welcome to MavenFair an online marketplace where artisan, crafters, designers and makers living and creating in Canada can sell their handmade products,  small batch artisan foods, and craft supplies. We encourage you to read on to find out more about your rights, as well as what is expected of you as a MavenFair Maker.

This policy is part of our Terms of Use. By accessing our services, browsing or using the MavenFair.ca website and all subdomains, which are a service of MavenFair Artisans & Crafters Market Incorporated (“MavenFair”), you are agreeing to be bound by the following terms and conditions set out in our Terms of Use Agreement and the Privacy Policy, whether you are a registered member of MavenFair or a non-registered guest.

WHO CAN SELL ON MAVENFAIR

You must be living in and creating your handmade goods in Canada. We are very proud to support Canadian Makers.

• Canadian citizens who are living permanently out-of-country can not sell on MavenFair.
• Canadian citizens who are temporarily out-of-country can sell on MavenFair so long as they are able to run their Maker Shop effectively and efficiently and ALL good sold are shipped from their Canadian address. MavenFair includes an “On Vacation” feature for Maker Shops which allows you to keep your Maker Shop live while you are away and informs customers that you are away.

IMPORTANT:
If you are not based in Canada and open a Maker Shop you are in breach of our Terms of Use Agreement. MavenFair will remove your listings and suspend your account. You will not be refunded any fees payments made to MavenFair.

WHAT YOU ARE PERMITTED TO SELL ON MAVENFAIR

Acceptable items must be handmade products designed, developed and/or created by you, (the Maker) through various forms of recognized crafting techniques. View a list of Crafting Techniques List recognized by MavenFair. MavenFair monitors and polices the our handmade policy through post-monitoring, by sampling products and reviewing items that are reported.

MavenFair’s Basic Guidelines for Handmade

• An  item is considered handmade by you if it is created through a crafting technique, for example sewing, knitting (either using a pattern you have created or one that you have permission to use), sculpting or painting. Full list of recognized crafting techniques.
• Reproductions of original designs. Prints of illustrations or decals of original artwork are permitted; however, these must be your original design and not a copy of someone else’s work
• Jewellery designs using mass produced beads is permitted where more than one element is involved in the defining feature of the finished product.
• Upcycled Items are permitted but they must meet at least on of the following criteria:
  • Vintage, recycled and previously-used items can be used as an artistic canvas your own creations.
  • Vintage, recycled and previously-used items are used for a different purpose than originally intended. For example: handcrafted wind chimes made from antique cutlery

Canadian Artisan Foods

As of March 1, 2022, we welcome the sale of small batch Canadian artisan foods and beverages. There are a number of federal and provincial government regulations that determine how food is made, where food is made, and how it must be packaged. MavenFair Makers who sell artisan foods must be in compliance with all federal and provincial laws that apply to their food products. Below are the basic rules regarding the sale of artisan foods on mavenfair.ca. There are certain food products that are not allowed to be sold on mavenfair.ca. Read our Prohibited Food & Beverages List for details.

• You must be a Canadian small batch producer and your food items must be made in Canada.
• Food and beverage products must be made in compliance with all federal and provincial regulations
• Labelling must be compliant with all federal and provincial regulations.
• Food and beverage products must be non perishable .

Craft Supplies

We welcome you to sell craft supplies on MavenFair.

• Craft supplies must be handmade or produced by you.
• Craft supplies are anything that can be used for crafting so long as they don’t break any laws within the country of origin and the sales destination.

Examples of supplies:

• A handmade supply such as buttons, beads, fibres etc.
• A kit
• A pattern or tutorial

Small-scale craft supply resellers of purchased craft supplies must submit an application for review to sell on MavenFair. Use the Online Small-scale Craft Supply Shop Application Form.

WHAT IS PROHIBITED ON MAVENFAIR

Please be sure to read through this list of prohibited items.

• products not handcrafted in Canada
• mass produced items or manufactured items
• vintage, recycled or refurbished items, please refer to our “Upcycled Items Section” in our  Basic Guidelines for Handmade for permitted vintage and recycled items usage
• handmade items that have NOT been made by you – we do not support resellers,  artist representatives, galleries or agents (multi-artisan groups or collectives are permitted as long as all items sold are handmade by artisans within the group/collective)
• food and beverages that are NOT small-batch Canadian artisan made (mass manufactured or imported or repackaged/relabeled)
• foods and beverages that are NOT compliant with regulations regarding production and packaging
• prohibited foods and beverages. See Prohibited Food & Beverages List
• music, film or mass-published books
• any goods, service, or content that violates the law or legal rights of others
• pirated material and products
• items that infringe on copyrights
• military items not demilitarized in accordance with Canadian law
• any products stemming from child labour are prohibited under all circumstances
• weapons; firearms/guns, ammunition, and components; including but not limited to pellet, stun, and spear guns
• illegal or dangerous items
• hazardous materials
• human or animal body parts
• prescription drugs, medical devices; controlled substances and related items
• drugs and drug paraphernalia (illegal or legal)
• alcohol or tobacco
• e-cigarettes and e-liquids
• unpackaged or adulterated cosmetics
• adult content; pornography; sexually explicit or offence items;
• endangered, imperiled and/or protected species and any parts thereof, example: ivory
• false, misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent content; bait and switch
• items containing or referencing offensive, obscene, defamatory, threatening, or malicious content
• anyone’s personal, identifying, confidential or proprietary information
• postings or email offering, promoting, or linking to unsolicited products or services
• affiliate marketing; network, or multi-level marketing; pyramid schemes

MavenFair reserves the right to remove any listings from our marketplace without prior notice should we determine that these listings are in breach of any law or MavenFair policy.  Multiple or excessive violations of our terms and conditions may lead to expulsion from our marketplace and potentially the taking of any necessary legal action against those who violate our  Terms of Use Agreement.

If you have read through our policies and are still not certain if your goods are permitted to be sold on MavenFair please complete our “ Handmade Item Verification Form ” and submit it. We will review your submission and respond within 5 business days.

DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL SELLING

MavenFair does not require that a MavenFair Maker sell internationally. You are welcome to sell only within Canada or only to countries you wish to sell to. We require that you outline clearly where you will sell and ship your goods to in your Shop Policies.

CANADIAN AND INTERNATIONAL SALES AND SERVICE TAXES

MavenFair Makers are responsible for complying with all Canadian Tax and International Tax laws on items that they are selling. Here is a great article outlining how sales and services taxes work for small businesses in Canada, it is a great starting point but we strongly recommend that you get full details from a reliable accounting firm or from the Government of Canada.

REPRESENTATION OF YOURSELF AND YOUR MAKER SHOP

Transparency and honesty are to key values to the success of MavenFair. This means that MavenFair Makers are required to represent themselves, their products, services and business practices with integrity, honesty and accuracy.

As a MavenFair Maker, you agree that you will:

• Sell only handmade items that comply with our Handmade Policy.
• Create straightforward Shop Policies and you will abide by and honour them.
• Provide accurate, clear and honest information about yourself and your business.
• Provide accurate, clear, honest details about and accurate photos of your listed goods.
• Respect the intellectual property of others, including other MavenFair Makers and those outside the MavenFair Community. If you believe that a MavenFair user has violated your intellectual property rights, please report it to MavenFair at enforcement@nullmavenfair.ca . For more information read our Intellectual Property Policy.
• You will maintain open communications with MavenFair staff and representatives as required.

OPENING MULTIPLE MAVENFAIR MAKER SHOPS

There is only one circumstance under which a MavenFair Maker can have more than one Maker Shop. If you create handmade goods AND you also sell craft supplies and you wish to do so under separate shops we will allow you to open a second shop account. MavenFair only permits ONE (for a total of TWO) Maker Shops to be opened by a member. At this time, you will require two different usernames and email addresses to open a second shop. Your shops can be different levels (eg. a Basic Shop & a Deluxe Shop). You can use the same PayPal account for both shops.

It is a breach of this Policy and our Terms of Use if you open a second shop under a different name selling the same or other handmade goods. This practice may result in the closing of one or both of your MavenFair Maker Shops. MavenFair will not refund any fees should this occur. If you believe that this is has occurred please contact us at enforcement@nullmavenfair.ca .

CONTENT CREATION AND UPLOADS

MavenFair Members are able to create and upload different forms of content, including as private messages and photos. Safety and respect of MavenFair users is of utmost importance to our online Community and it is expected that you agree that you will not upload content that is:

• Abusive, threatening, defamatory, harassing, or otherwise in violation of our Anti-Discrimination Policy;
• Obscene or vulgar;
• In violation of someone else’s privacy or intellectual property rights; or
• False, deceptive or misleading.

COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER MAVENFAIR MEMBERS

MAVENFAIR MEMBER PRIVATE MESSAGING

Being a registered member of MavenFair allows you the ability to use MavenFair’s Private Messaging to communicate directly with sellers or other MavenFair members. You must be a registered MavenFair member or seller to use Private Messaging you may not use it for following activities:

• Sending or distributing unsolicited advertising or promotions, requests for donations or spam;
• Any communications that violate our Anti-Discrimination Policy including but not exclusive to the harassment or defamation of another MavenFair user;
• Contacting someone who does not wish to communicate with you and has clearly asked you not to contact them; or
• Communications that cause interference with the activities of another MavenFair member or user.

PRIVACY POLICY

As a MavenFair Maker, you are responsible for protecting the privacy all users’ and members’ personal information you receive or process. You must comply with all legal requirements regarding to privacy that are relevant to these interactions. These include applicable data protection and privacy laws that govern the ways that you can use MavenFair user information. You agree to create your Maker Shop Privacy Policy. You agree to ensure that your Privacy Policy is compatible with MavenFair’s Terms of Use Agreement and this Seller Policy. You will make your Privacy Policy easily accessible to all MavenFair users who wish to interact with your Maker Shop.

Visit the MavenFair Maker Info & Tips page for assistance in creating your Privacy Policy. Please make yourself familiar with our Privacy Policy.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Great customer service is another key area contributing to the success of MavenFair. MavenFair Makers are expected to provide a high level of customer service. As a MavenFair Maker you agree that you will:

• Create straightforward Shop Policies and you will abide by and honour them.
• Complete a transaction with a buyer in a prompt manner, unless there is an exceptional circumstance. We expect you to honour your shipping and processing times that you have set out in your Shop Policies. Please read and comply with the MavenFair Shipping Policy.
• Respond to user and buyer inquiries in a timely manner.
• Do your utmost to resolve disagreements and disputes directly with the buyer.

If you are unable to deliver the goods or complete an order, you must notify the buyer and cancel the order. For assistance with cancelling an order read the Cancellation Procedures.

MANAGING CANCELLATIONS, RETURNS AND EXCHANGES

There are consumer protections laws in each country. MavenFair encourage you to become familiar with the Canadian Consumer Protection Legislation and with the consumer protection laws of your buyer’s countries.

RETURNS

We do not require MavenFair Makers to agree to accept returns. If your products are of a non-returnable nature or if you choose not to accept returns you must include this information in your Shop Return Policy. Please note that some countries, territories and provinces may have laws that require you to accept returns and as aforementioned, we encourage you to become familiar with the Canadian Consumer Protection Legislation and with the consumer protection laws of your buyer’s countries including Canada.

CANCELLATIONS

If you are unable to deliver the goods or complete an order, you must notify the buyer and cancel the order and refund the buyer in full.

A MavenFair Maker may cancel an order for the following reasons:

• The buyer cancelled their payment or did not pay.
• Both the Maker and the buyer have agreed to cancel the transaction prior to the goods being shipped. A full refund including shipping and handling fees has been agreed to be issued to the buyer. To issue a refund please read MavenFair’s Issuing Refunds Procedures.
• Both you and the buyer have agreed that the buyer can return the goods for a refund and you have received the item. To issue the agreed refund please read MavenFair’s Issuing Refunds Procedures.

BUYER CANCELLATION REQUESTS

Only MavenFair Makers may cancel transactions. Buyers may request that a Maker cancel an order. Please note that all cancellations must comply with our Anti-Discrimination Policy and with any cancellation policy that individual Maker may have outlined in their Shop Policies.

RETURNING AN ITEM

MavenFair sellers determine their own Return Policy, which is required to be outlined in their Shop Return Policy section. Makers are not required to accept returns but must comply with laws governing product sales in the country and region the items were purchased from.

RESOLVING PURCHASE DISPUTES

MavenFair is not directly involved in a transaction between a buyer and a seller; however, in the unlikely event that a dispute arises between a buyer and seller they are unable to reach an amicable resolution, MavenFair is here to assist you. MavenFair can only assist you if the dispute involves the non-delivery of an item or if the item you received is not what was described in the seller’s listing. Please contact us at resolutions@nullmavenfair.ca to start the resolution process.

There are certain dispute situations that MavenFair considers  non-qualifying purchases and we will not be able to assist you in reach a resolution.