Terms of Service

Last updated: 1 June 2026

About ExoMarket

ExoMarket is operated by ExoMarket Ltd (company number 12345678), a private limited company registered in England and Wales.

Registered office: 123 Example Street, London, EC1A 1AA, United Kingdom
Contact: legal@exomarket.example

These ExoMarket Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of ExoMarket, an online marketplace connecting independent sellers and buyers of exotic live animals. By using ExoMarket (including our website, apps, and services), you agree to these Terms. ExoMarket provides a platform for users to list, offer, sell, and buy live animals and related products; ExoMarket does not buy or sell animals itself, and is not a party to the sales contracts between users. All sales, payments, shipping, and permits are arranged directly between buyers and sellers outside ExoMarket.

Marketplace Role: ExoMarket’s role is strictly intermediary. We do not act as an escrow, payment processor, agent, or insurer for any transaction. Payment for animals occurs off-platform (e.g. bank transfer, PayPal); any payment status or history shown in the app is user-entered record-keeping, not proof of cleared funds. ExoMarket makes no guarantees or warranties regarding animals: their health, genetics, legality, or delivery. Buyers and sellers contract directly, and ExoMarket disclaims all liability for the care, transport, or condition of sold animals.
Binding Agreement: By creating an account or using ExoMarket, you represent that you are eligible to form binding contracts and agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, you must not use our services. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any posted policies (e.g. shipping, community rules), form the entire agreement between you and ExoMarket. We may update these Terms from time to time (see Changes below); continued use after updates means you accept the new terms.

Eligibility & Accounts

Registration: You must register an account to buy or sell. Each account is for one person or business, who must provide a valid email. You are responsible for keeping your account secure, including your login credentials. Sharing accounts or using automated bots is prohibited.
Age: You must be at least 18 years old (the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction) to use ExoMarket. By using ExoMarket, you warrant you are a legal adult and can enter contracts. Accounts of users who fail to meet age requirements will be terminated.
Legal Capacity and Compliance: You must comply with all applicable laws in your jurisdiction regarding buying, selling, breeding, and transporting live animals. This includes wildlife laws, import/export regulations (e.g. CITES), permitting and licensing. Buyers are responsible for verifying that any purchase (species, quantity, origin) is legal in their location. Sellers must not list any animal or related item that is illegal or prohibited by law. ExoMarket reserves the right to remove listings or accounts that violate laws or these Terms.
Account Actions: ExoMarket may suspend or terminate accounts at its discretion (e.g. for violations or inactivity). We may also refuse service or access to any part of the platform to anyone for any reason without liability (see Enforcement below). If your account is banned or restricted, you may not re-register without permission.

Account Registration and Data Use

Before you complete account creation, ExoMarket presents a Marketplace & Data Use Notice in plain language. You must actively confirm both of the following before your account can be created:

That you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy; and
That you understand your listings, images, and associated data may be used by ExoMarket for analytics, research, and commercial data products, including machine learning datasets.

We record the time of your acceptance and the version of our legal policies in effect at registration. This transparency supports fairness under UK GDPR alongside our lawful bases for processing, which include contract (operating the marketplace), legitimate interests (fraud prevention, analytics, service improvement), and legal obligations. The registration acknowledgments above do not replace those lawful bases; they ensure you are informed before you use the platform.

By creating an account, you also grant the content and data-use rights described in Content License and Listing Data and our Privacy Policy.

Seller Responsibilities & Listings

Accurate Listings: Sellers must provide complete, truthful descriptions of animals. This includes correct species, sex, count, origin (e.g. wild-caught, captive-bred), pricing, and condition. Photos should represent the actual animal; if using an example photo, you must clearly disclose it. Sellers must not make misleading or unverified claims about health, genetics, or rarity. ExoMarket is not responsible for verifying listing accuracy.
Inventory & Offers: When a buyer submits an offer or uses Buy It Now, it is subject to seller acceptance. A pending offer does not reserve or reduce inventory until the seller accepts it. Once a sale is accepted (either through Buy It Now or accepted offer), the seller’s inventory count is reduced and the sale is considered contracted in ExoMarket’s system. Sellers cannot decline a committed sale except for legitimate reasons; any cancellations should follow the seller’s own return/refund policy.
Permits and documentation: Sellers are solely responsible for obtaining, maintaining, and presenting any permits, licences, certificates, registrations, or documentation required for the possession, breeding, sale, transport, export, or import of animals offered through ExoMarket.
Shipping & Pickup: Sellers set available shipping options (and costs) on each listing. Buyers choosing shipping must provide a valid address; this address is stored and shared with the seller for fulfilling the order. If pickup is chosen, no shipping info is collected. Sellers must comply with all regulations for shipping live animals (e.g. carrier rules, packaging, temperature). ExoMarket provides no shipping service; carriers and shipping agreements are directly between buyer and seller.
Store Policies: Sellers may publish a store policy (e.g. about returns, DoA guarantees, payment instructions). Such policies are the seller’s own terms for the sale. ExoMarket does not endorse or guarantee seller store policies. If there is any conflict between a seller’s policy and these Terms, these Terms control to the extent allowed by law.
Subscriptions & Listing Priority: ExoMarket offers paid seller subscriptions (via Polar) that grant higher listing allowances and search visibility (“weighting”) according to tier. Sellers with subscriptions may list more animals, more photos, and have their listings ranked more prominently. Paid ranking: We disclose that subscription status affects how listings appear in search results (a form of paid promotion).

Content License and Listing Data

You retain ownership of content you submit to ExoMarket, including listing descriptions, photographs, taxonomic information, reviews, and other user-generated content.

By submitting content to ExoMarket, you grant ExoMarket a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, display, distribute, analyze, aggregate, commercialize, create derivative works from, and otherwise use such content for any lawful business purpose.

To the extent permitted by applicable data protection law, this license expressly includes the right to:

Operate, improve, and promote the ExoMarket platform;
Create and publish marketing materials, advertisements, social media content, and promotional campaigns;
Display listing photographs, taxonomic information, and associated listing data on and off the platform;
Create, analyze, aggregate, license, sell, or otherwise commercialize datasets, market intelligence products, research outputs, machine learning datasets, artificial intelligence training datasets, and related products or services;
Permit third parties, affiliates, partners, customers, and service providers to use such content under licenses granted by ExoMarket.

If you delete a listing, ExoMarket may remove the listing from public display and active marketplace functionality. However, ExoMarket may retain copies of the listing, associated photographs, metadata, taxonomic information, moderation records, analytics data, backups, and related materials for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in these Terms and our Privacy Policy, including business, legal, compliance, fraud prevention, research, security, archival, or commercial purposes.

You represent and warrant that you possess all rights necessary to grant the foregoing license.

Buyer Responsibilities & Purchases

Due Diligence: Buyers must research laws and requirements for exotic animals in their jurisdiction before purchasing. This includes checking if a species is regulated (e.g. venomous, endangered, CITES-listed) and whether you have proper permits and housing. Buyers assume the risk of legal or health issues after purchase.
Offers and Orders: Placing an offer or clicking “Buy It Now” is an offer to contract with the seller. Offers can be withdrawn any time before the seller accepts. Once the seller accepts your offer or the Buy It Now is confirmed, a binding contract (subject to these Terms) is formed even if payment is arranged off-platform. Buyers agree to contact the seller promptly to arrange payment and delivery.

Payment Methods and Buyer Protection

All payments for animals are arranged directly between buyers and sellers outside ExoMarket.

Sellers may not require buyers to use payment methods that eliminate or materially reduce buyer protections, including but not limited to:

PayPal Friends & Family;
Venmo payments made without purchase protection;
Zelle;
Gift cards;
Similar irreversible or protection-limited payment methods.

Buyers and sellers remain responsible for evaluating payment risks and selecting appropriate payment methods. ExoMarket does not process, verify, guarantee, insure, or escrow any payment.

ExoMarket does not offer buyer protection, transaction protection, dispute resolution services for payments, or any form of payment guarantee.

ExoMarket is not liable for payment disputes, chargebacks, fraud, payment reversals, or failed transactions.

Reviews: After a completed sale, buyers and sellers may leave reviews (ratings and comments). Reviews must be honest and based on the transaction; false, defamatory, or retaliatory reviews are prohibited. By posting a review, you grant ExoMarket a license to display it publicly. ExoMarket reserves the right to remove reviews that violate these rules or applicable law.

Prohibited Conduct and Listings

Illegal or Dangerous Items: You must not use ExoMarket to trade animals or products that are illegal or prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, selling endangered or threatened species without proper permits, trafficking wildlife that violates any law (federal, state, international), or misrepresenting wild-caught animals as captive-bred. Users must have all necessary legal permits for any sale or purchase; listing a CITES Appendix I or II species without required documentation is prohibited. Importing or exporting animals contrary to law is strictly forbidden.
Venomous and Dangerous Species: ExoMarket includes categories for venomous snakes, large cats, primates, and other high-risk animals. If you sell or buy such animals, you acknowledge the inherent dangers. ExoMarket does not verify your qualifications or facilities. You assume all risk of injury or death to yourself or others from owning or handling dangerous species.
General Harassment and Fraud: You must not harass, threaten, or defraud other users. Off-platform contact information (personal email, phone, social media) is not collected or verified by ExoMarket; while you may exchange it at your discretion, any off-platform deals are at your own risk. Using ExoMarket communications to scam others (e.g. fake payment links, phishing, impersonation scams, fake payment instructions) is prohibited. Users are solely responsible for verifying the identity of other users and the authenticity of any payment instructions received through the platform (see Messaging Privacy). Spamming, hate speech, or posting illicit content in messages or listings is forbidden.
Prohibited Listings: Do not list non-living items outside ExoMarket’s categories, nor advertise restricted goods (e.g. firearms, drugs, pornography). Listings must match the chosen animal category; for example, you cannot list pet supplies in the animal-for-sale section. Manipulating listings (e.g. using unrelated keywords or linking to other sites) to deceive search engines or users is not allowed.

Messaging Privacy

Not confidential from ExoMarket: Messages on ExoMarket are not end-to-end encrypted. They are stored on our systems and should not be considered private from authorized ExoMarket personnel acting within the scope of their duties.
Not a secure payment channel: ExoMarket messaging is for negotiation and coordination only. It is not a secure or verified payment channel. ExoMarket does not process payments, guarantee transactions, or verify payment instructions sent in messages.
Staff access: Authorized staff, moderators, administrators, contractors, and service providers may access, review, monitor, and disclose messages where reasonably necessary to investigate disputes, fraud, scams, safety concerns, abuse, policy violations, legal issues, customer support, or to protect platform integrity and security — including after transactions have completed.
Your responsibility: Users are solely responsible for verifying the identity of other users and the authenticity of any payment instructions received through the platform. ExoMarket is not liable for losses arising from scam messages, impersonation scams, fake payment instructions, or similar conduct communicated through the platform.
Prohibited messaging conduct: You must not use ExoMarket messaging to distribute payment links, payment requests, QR codes for off-platform payment, bank details intended to bypass profile fields, or instructions that impersonate ExoMarket or redirect users to external payment systems. Using messaging to defraud, impersonate, or mislead other users (including phishing or fake payment links) is prohibited under Prohibited Conduct and Listings above.

Platform Rights & Moderation

Our Control: ExoMarket reserves the right to remove or hide any listing, message, or review at our discretion (e.g. if it violates rules or is flagged). We may refuse, suspend, or terminate any user account or access at any time for any violation. We do not routinely pre-screen content; however, we respond to user reports and may take action against repeat offenders.

Staff Access, Account Review, and Investigations

Authorized ExoMarket staff, moderators, administrators, contractors, and service providers may access account information, listings, transaction records, messages, uploaded content, and other platform data when reasonably necessary to:

Investigate disputes between users;
Review allegations of fraud, scams, abuse, harassment, or policy violations;
Respond to customer support requests;
Protect the safety, integrity, reputation, or security of the platform;
Comply with legal obligations;
Diagnose technical issues and platform errors.

ExoMarket may provide authorized staff with read-only account view mode (support access mode) that allows them to view an account substantially as the user sees it for troubleshooting and investigative purposes.

Such access does not permit staff to send messages or conduct transactions as the user through the read-only account view mode (support access mode). However, authorized staff may separately modify, remove, recategorize, restrict, or otherwise administer listings, accounts, reviews, or platform content as part of their moderation and operational responsibilities.

For how messages are stored, accessed, and your responsibilities when messaging, see Messaging Privacy.

Cooperation with Law Enforcement: We will cooperate with legal authorities to enforce wildlife protection laws and other legal obligations. We may provide user information (account details, messages, listings) to authorities in response to valid legal requests.

Fees, Payments, and Taxes

Seller Subscriptions (Polar): ExoMarket offers paid subscription plans (managed by Polar) for sellers. Subscribers pay recurring fees for enhanced features (more listings, priority, etc.). Each plan’s terms (fees, cancellation, refunds) are governed by Polar’s terms. ExoMarket reserves the right to change subscription pricing or features with notice.
Transaction Fees: Currently, ExoMarket does not charge a commission or fee on the sale of animals. All sale proceeds go directly between buyer and seller. ExoMarket is not liable for collection, remittance, or failure to collect any sales taxes or other taxes on your transactions. Sellers and buyers are individually responsible for their tax obligations.
Refunds: ExoMarket does not process refunds for animal sales (refunds, returns, or disputes must be resolved between buyer and seller). Subscription fee refunds, if any, follow the terms of the subscription provider (e.g. Polar’s refund policy).

Account Termination & Data

User-Initiated Deletion

You may delete your account at any time through account settings.

Deleting an account removes public access to your profile and active listings. However, ExoMarket may retain messages, transaction records, listings, uploaded content, account identifiers, IP logs, moderation records, fraud-prevention records, reviews, payment notes, and related information after account deletion where reasonably necessary for security, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, legal compliance, platform integrity, analytics, research, business operations, enforcement of these Terms, or other legitimate business purposes.

Deleted accounts may remain associated with retained records where necessary to identify repeat offenders, investigate misconduct, prevent ban evasion, protect users, or comply with legal obligations.

We may retain information associated with a deleted account for as long as reasonably necessary for the operation and protection of the platform, where retention is permitted by law.

Platform Termination: If ExoMarket terminates or suspends your account (for violation or legal reasons), ExoMarket may remove public access to listings and account information following suspension or termination. However, ExoMarket may retain records associated with the account in accordance with these Terms and our Privacy Policy. We will notify you of suspension or termination by email if possible. Termination does not release you from any obligations incurred prior to termination, including unpaid fees or legal compliance.
Data Export: Before deletion, you may export your data in machine-readable format. The export will include your account info, listings, orders, payment notes, messages, reviews, etc. (Media files like photos are referenced by URL, not included.)

Intellectual Property

User Content License

You retain ownership of the content you post to ExoMarket.

By posting content on ExoMarket, you grant ExoMarket the perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable right to use, reproduce, display, distribute, modify, adapt, analyze, aggregate, commercialize, create derivative works from, and otherwise exploit such content for any lawful purpose, including platform operations, advertising, marketing, and analytics. To the extent permitted by applicable data protection law, this grant also includes research, machine learning, artificial intelligence development, dataset creation, and commercial licensing activities.

This license survives deletion of content, deletion of accounts, termination of accounts, and termination of these Terms.

Trademarks and Copyright: Do not upload content that infringes others’ intellectual property. If you believe content on ExoMarket infringes your intellectual property rights, contact us using the details in Contact below. We reserve the right to remove allegedly infringing content and take appropriate action against repeat infringers. When you submit user content (photos, descriptions), you represent that you own the rights or have permission to use them.
Platform IP: ExoMarket and its logos, design, and software are our intellectual property. You may not copy or use our brand or proprietary materials except as explicitly allowed (e.g. citing our name in your listing).

Disclaimers & Risk

Live Animal Risks: By using ExoMarket, you acknowledge that buying and selling live exotic animals involves risks. Animals can carry disease, behave unpredictably, or suffer injury. Pets may die during transport or show unforeseen health issues. Especially for venomous or dangerous species, there is risk of bodily harm. ExoMarket expressly disclaims all liability for injury, death, or disease of animals or people, and for any property damage caused by animals. You assume the entire risk of any harm from these activities.

No Guarantees: ExoMarket provides the platform “as is” and “as available”. We make no warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee continuous operation or error-free service. We are not liable for delays or interruptions in the website, and we do not guarantee the accuracy of user-provided content (listings, messages).

Off-Platform Payments: ExoMarket does not handle payments. We are not responsible for any chargebacks, fraud, or disputes arising from off-platform transactions. Any payment method or reference notes you see on our site are informational; ExoMarket is not verifying or holding funds.

Legal Compliance: It is your responsibility to comply with all laws. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and all applicable UK animal welfare legislation. If your use of the platform leads to any legal action (e.g. fines, seizure of animals), ExoMarket is not responsible. By using ExoMarket, you agree not to hold us liable for any losses or damages from legal or regulatory penalties you may incur from your transactions.

No Professional Advice: ExoMarket does not provide veterinary, breeding, husbandry, legal, import/export, or animal welfare advice. Any information presented on the platform is provided by users and should not be relied upon as professional advice.

Verification and reputation indicators: Verification status, badges, reviews, ratings, and reputation indicators (if offered) are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute a guarantee of identity, trustworthiness, legality, or transaction performance.

Limitation of Liability and Indemnity

To the fullest extent allowed by law, ExoMarket and its officers, employees, agents, and partners are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or lost profits, revenue, data or use, even if we were advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event will our total liability to you exceed the greater of £100 or the subscription fees you paid to ExoMarket during the 12 months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim (if any).

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we exclude all implied terms, conditions, and warranties relating to our services.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

You agree to indemnify and hold ExoMarket harmless from any claims or losses arising out of your breach of these Terms, violation of any law, or infringement of any third-party rights. Specifically, sellers agree to indemnify for issues related to their listings (e.g. animal harm, false claims, permits), and buyers agree to indemnify for unlawful import or handling of animals.

Dispute Resolution

Between Users: Any dispute between you and another user (buyer–seller disagreement) is between those parties alone. ExoMarket may offer support or mediate on a voluntary basis, but we are not obligated to resolve private sales disputes. Both parties may use their transaction messages and reviews to support claims. ExoMarket has no responsibility to enforce buyer refunds or hold inventory.
With ExoMarket: These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms, except where applicable consumer protection laws provide otherwise. If you are a consumer resident in Scotland, you may also bring proceedings in the Scottish courts. You agree to try resolving disputes informally by contacting us first at legal@exomarket.example.

Communications and Marketing

Service emails: We may send emails necessary to operate your account, including magic-link sign-in, security alerts, transaction and offer notifications, and important policy updates.
Marketing and platform news: We may send emails about ExoMarket features, promotions, and platform news to account holders where permitted by applicable law (including legitimate interests or soft opt-in rules in the UK). You may opt out of marketing emails at any time by contacting privacy@exomarket.example. Opting out of marketing does not affect essential service communications. Account settings for marketing preferences may be added in future.
No separate marketing checkbox at signup: Marketing preferences are not collected via a separate checkbox during registration; see our Privacy Policy for how we handle communications data.

Other Matters

Third-Party Links: ExoMarket may link to third-party services (e.g. Polar for billing, social media). We are not responsible for their content or privacy practices.
No Waiver: No failure by ExoMarket to enforce any part of these Terms will waive our right to later enforce it.
Severability: If any part of these Terms is invalid, the rest remain in force.
Changes to Terms: We may update these Terms by posting a revised version on our site with a new effective date. Significant changes will be notified by email or prominent notice. Your continued use after changes means acceptance.
Contact: For questions about these Terms, contact ExoMarket Ltd at legal@exomarket.example or write to the registered office address above.

Policy version: 82eeabbaf28e932c0c1e5d7466213e3474cb80f06139b9a425b6ec466b4c7bde