Acceptable Use Policy

1. Introduction

This Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) describes activities, products, and behavior that are not permitted on the Shopa Platform (shopa.sh). It supplements our Terms and Conditions and forms part of the agreement between you and Shopa.

Shopa is committed to maintaining a safe, lawful, and trustworthy marketplace for African merchants and their customers. Violations of this AUP may result in account suspension, termination, removal of listings, withholding of funds, and where appropriate, reporting to law-enforcement authorities.

2. Who Must Comply

This AUP applies to all Users of the Platform, including:

• Merchants and any team members or staff invited to manage a Merchant account.
• Buyers, with or without a registered account.
• Visitors browsing storefronts or any public area of the Platform.
• Developers and integrators using any present or future Shopa APIs.

3. Prohibited Products

The following may not be listed, sold, promoted, or advertised on the Platform under any circumstances:

• Illegal drugs, controlled substances, narcotics, or related paraphernalia.
• Firearms, ammunition, explosives, weapons, or instructions for manufacturing them.
• Counterfeit, replica, or pirated goods of any kind.
• Stolen goods or items obtained through fraud.
• Human remains, body parts, organs, or bodily fluids.
• Endangered species, protected wildlife, or products derived from them (ivory, rhino horn, etc.).
• Hazardous chemicals, toxic substances, radioactive materials.
• Pornographic, obscene, or sexually explicit material.
• Material depicting or facilitating child exploitation in any form.
• Items that promote hate, terrorism, violence, or discrimination based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected characteristic.
• Personal data, identity documents, account credentials, or login access for any service.
• Multi-level marketing (MLM) starter kits, pyramid schemes, or get-rich-quick offerings.
• Devices or software designed to bypass copyright protection or device security.
• Government-issued documents (passports, IDs, currency, stamps) for fraudulent purposes.
• Items recalled by regulatory authorities or banned for sale in Nigeria.

4. Restricted Products

The following categories require strict compliance with applicable laws and may require Merchants to hold valid licenses. Shopa may remove listings if compliance cannot be demonstrated:

• Alcoholic beverages — only by Merchants with the required license; must verify Buyer age at delivery.
• Tobacco, e-cigarettes, vaping devices — restricted; must comply with NAFDAC and local regulations.
• Prescription medications — only by licensed pharmacies; over-the-counter drugs allowed only with NAFDAC registration.
• Cosmetics, supplements, herbal products — must be NAFDAC-registered where required.
• Electronics with safety certifications — must meet SON standards.
• Used vehicles, vehicle parts — must comply with title and roadworthiness requirements.
• Financial products, securities, cryptocurrencies — only by entities licensed by the SEC, CBN, or applicable regulator.
• Live animals — subject to veterinary, transport, and animal-welfare regulations.

5. Prohibited Conduct

You may not, in connection with the Platform:

• Violate any applicable law, regulation, or third-party rights.
• Use the Platform for money laundering, terrorism financing, sanctions evasion, or any other illicit purpose.
• Misrepresent your identity, affiliation, age, or location.
• Create or operate multiple accounts to evade restrictions, manipulate reviews, or abuse promotions.
• Sell prohibited products (Section 3) or restricted products (Section 4) without authorization.
• Manipulate or attempt to manipulate the Platform’s commission, payment, or settlement systems.
• Encourage or transact business off-platform to avoid commission, taxes, or accountability.
• Threaten, harass, intimidate, defame, or stalk any other User, Shopa employee, or third party.

6. Fraud & Financial Abuse

The following are strictly prohibited and may result in immediate termination, asset freeze, and law-enforcement reporting:

• Using stolen, fraudulent, or unauthorized payment instruments.
• Coordinating fake orders or fake reviews.
• Initiating chargebacks without legitimate cause (“friendly fraud”).
• Submitting false KYC information or impersonating another individual’s identity.
• Operating a business that exists primarily to convert payments into cash via fictitious goods (“transaction laundering”).
• Abusing coupon, promotion, or referral systems through fake accounts or coordinated activity.
• Attempting to withdraw funds from a wallet that does not belong to you.

7. Platform Integrity

Do not interfere with the technical operation, security, or availability of the Platform. This includes:

• Hacking, probing, scanning, or otherwise testing the Platform’s vulnerabilities without our written permission.
• Introducing malware, viruses, worms, ransomware, or destructive code.
• Bypassing or attempting to bypass authentication, authorization, or rate-limiting controls.
• Scraping, harvesting, or otherwise extracting data without our written permission.
• Reverse engineering, decompiling, or disassembling any part of the Platform.
• Conducting denial-of-service attacks or other actions that overload Platform infrastructure.
• Using automated tools (bots, crawlers) outside published, allowed integrations.

If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it responsibly to support@shopa.sh. We do not currently operate a paid bug-bounty program but appreciate good-faith disclosures.

8. Intellectual Property

You may not:

• List or sell counterfeit goods or replicas of branded products.
• Use trademarks, logos, or brand names you do not own or are not authorized to use.
• Copy product photos, descriptions, or storefront content from other Merchants without permission.
• Distribute pirated digital content (films, music, books, software).
• Misuse Shopa’s name, logo, or trademarks in a manner suggesting endorsement or affiliation that does not exist.

9. Harmful & Offensive Content

Content posted anywhere on the Platform — including product listings, storefront bios, community ideas, comments, and support communications — must not:

• Promote violence, terrorism, or self-harm.
• Contain hate speech, slurs, or discriminatory content.
• Sexualize, exploit, or endanger minors in any form.
• Disclose another person’s personal information without consent (“doxxing”).
• Make false or defamatory claims about other Users, businesses, or individuals.
• Misrepresent product safety, health benefits, or origin.

10. Spam & Unsolicited Communications

Do not use the Platform to send spam or unsolicited communications. This includes:

• Sending bulk marketing messages to Buyers without their consent.
• Posting promotional content in community features.
• Misusing order or invoice channels to send marketing material.
• Repeatedly contacting other Users after being asked to stop.
• Listing the same product multiple times solely to gain visibility.

11. Buyer Conduct

As a Buyer, you must not:

• Place orders with no intention of paying or receiving them.
• File false damage or non-receipt claims.
• Threaten or harass Merchants or their staff.
• Abuse the refund or chargeback process (see also our Refund Policy).
• Resell items obtained through fraudulent refunds.

12. Merchant Conduct

As a Merchant, you must not:

• List products you do not actually possess or have rights to sell.
• Misrepresent product condition, origin, or specifications.
• Engage in bait-and-switch pricing or hidden fees.
• Discriminate against Buyers on the basis of protected characteristics.
• Refuse refunds where clearly warranted under our Refund Policy.
• Misuse Buyer personal data for purposes beyond fulfilling the order (see Privacy Policy §10).
• Encourage Buyers to transact off-platform to avoid commission.

13. Reporting Violations

If you encounter a violation of this AUP, report it to:

• support@shopa.sh for general violations, prohibited listings, fraud, harassment, or abuse.
• privacy@shopa.sh for misuse of personal data.

Please include the offending storefront URL or username, a description of the issue, and any supporting evidence (screenshots, order numbers, message excerpts). Reports may be made anonymously, though we may not be able to follow up if we cannot contact you.

14. Enforcement Actions

Where a violation is confirmed, Shopa may take one or more of the following actions, depending on severity:

• A formal warning.
• Removal or hiding of specific listings or content.
• Temporary restriction of Platform features (e.g., listing, withdrawals).
• Account suspension, pending investigation.
• Account termination and permanent ban.
• Withholding or reversal of pending payouts where funds are linked to disputed activity.
• Reporting to Paystack, banks, payment networks, regulators, or law-enforcement authorities.
• Legal action to recover damages or seek injunctive relief.

For severe violations — including child exploitation, terrorism, or imminent harm — we may act immediately and without prior notice.

15. Appeals

If you believe an enforcement action against your account was made in error, you may appeal by emailing support@shopa.sh within fourteen (14) days, including:

• Your account username and contact details.
• A clear explanation of why you believe the action was incorrect.
• Any supporting evidence.

We will review the appeal and respond within fourteen (14) business days. Where possible, suspended accounts will be restored if an error is confirmed; permanent decisions may be reversed only in exceptional circumstances.

16. Cooperation with Law Enforcement

Shopa cooperates with lawful requests from regulators, courts, and law-enforcement agencies. Where served with valid legal process, we may be required to disclose User information, transaction records, and content. We will only disclose what the law requires and will, where lawful and appropriate, notify affected Users.

17. Contact