Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Sellers who offer Products or Services through the Platform.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This document states the standard of customer service a Seller shall provide for the Seller's Orders: answering pre-purchase questions, keeping the Buyer informed during fulfillment, resolving shipment problems, handling returns, and issuing refunds within the periods this document states. This document states the Seller's service obligations under the Buyer-Seller Communication Policy and the Selling Terms of Service.
1.2 If a provision of this document conflicts with the Terms of Use, this document controls for the subject it governs. If a provision of this document 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 document; they do not amend it, and in any conflict this document prevails.
Article 2: Definitions
2.1 The definitions in the Selling Terms of Service are incorporated into this document by reference and apply to this document. This article defines only the additional terms used in this document, in alphabetical order.
2.2 First-Contact Resolution: resolution of a Buyer's issue in the Seller's first substantive response, or a commitment in that response to a dated next step that the Seller then keeps.
2.3 Seller-Resolvable Issue: an issue concerning a return, a refund, a shipment problem on a Seller-fulfilled Order, or a listing question, where the Seller has access to the Order, the tracking record, and the refund facility for that Order.
Article 3: The Service Standard
3.1 Customer service for the Seller's Orders is the Seller's duty. The Company's support service handles issues caused by the Platform and escalations under Article 5. Every other service duty for a Seller's Order rests with the Seller.
3.2 The standard is First-Contact Resolution. A response that states only that the Seller is checking an issue, without a follow-through commitment, does not meet the standard.
3.3 In each response the Seller shall: (a) acknowledge the problem as the Buyer described the problem; (b) examine the Order, the tracking record, and the return record before responding, and shall not request information from the Buyer that the Seller can already obtain in Seller Center; (c) commit to a remedy, stating the amount where relevant and the date of performance; and (d) perform the commitment on the stated date, or inform the Buyer before that date if performance cannot occur as committed. Failure to perform a commitment without prior notice to the Buyer is a separate service failure.
3.4 Response windows, resolution duties, language, and conduct in Buyer communications are governed by the Buyer-Seller Communication Policy, which the Seller shall comply with in performing this document.
Article 4: No Deflection and Resolution Duties
4.1 The Seller shall not direct a Buyer to the Company's support service for a Seller-Resolvable Issue. A direction to contact the Company in place of a resolution is not a response and counts against the Seller's response rate in the same manner as silence.
4.2 The Company is responsible for checkout failures, payment processing errors, incidents of the Platform, and escalations that the Seller has attempted to resolve and has documented. Where the Seller cannot resolve an issue, including a refund that the Company must initiate and a suspected fraud pattern, the Seller shall escalate the issue to the Company through the support facility in Seller Center and shall remain the Buyer's point of contact throughout.
4.3 The Seller shall meet the following periods, which state minimum duties and not targets for routine delay: (a) a response to a return request within two (2) business days; (b) a return label within one (1) business day of approval of the return; (c) initiation of a refund within two (2) business days after inspection of the returned Product; and (d) completion of the refund to the Buyer's original payment method within ten (10) business days of initiation. Returns and refunds are otherwise governed by the Return and Refund Policy: Sellers (Return and Refund Policy — Sellers).
4.4 Where a Buyer escalates an issue to the Company directly, the Seller shall cooperate by producing Order records, tracking evidence, and the Message history within the dispute response period, and shall comply with the outcome within two (2) business days. The Seller shall respond to a dispute within three (3) business days after the dispute is opened. Slow or partial cooperation during a dispute is a separate violation of this document.
Article 5: Escalation Cooperation and Service During Disruption
5.1 Escalation by the Seller is conducted through the support facility in Seller Center, under the communication section for support. The Seller's sign-in shall be linked to the Seller's store profile so that the request attaches to the correct store.
5.2 When the Seller knows that normal service cannot be met, including because of a carrier outage, a warehouse problem, or a staffing gap, the Seller shall state that fact proactively in each affected Thread and shall adjust the published handling time for future Orders. Proactive disclosure does not waive the periods and standards in this document.
5.3 For an Order fulfilled under Fulfillment by Pawz Shop: Program Terms (Fulfillment by Pawz Shop — Program Terms), a fulfillment problem caused by the fulfillment facility, including a lost shipment, warehouse damage, and shipment of the wrong item from the facility, is resolved by the Company, and the Seller does not bear the refund cost of a facility error. The Seller remains the Buyer's first contact for such an Order: the Seller shall acknowledge the issue within the response period in the Buyer-Seller Communication Policy, shall open the escalation with the Company, and shall follow up until the Buyer is made whole. For a Seller-fulfilled Order, the Seller shall not route a fulfillment question to the Company on the ground that the Company's name appears at checkout.
Article 6: Measurement
6.1 Customer service is measured through the response standards in the Buyer-Seller Communication Policy, the return and refund periods in Article 4, dispute outcomes and dispute response periods, and Buyer satisfaction measures, including a negative feedback rate at or below two percent (2%). Measurement and account consequences are governed by the Performance and Account Health Policy.
6.2 Measurement is based on the records of the Channel, support requests filed by the Seller, dispute records, and Order records for the Seller's Orders.
6.3 A pattern of deflection, stated as three or more documented instances of directing a Buyer to the Company's support service for a Seller-Resolvable Issue in a rolling sixty (60) day period, is a repeat violation for purposes of Article 8.
Article 7: Liability
7.1 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 document, even if the party has been advised of the possibility of those damages.
7.2 To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company's total liability arising out of or relating to this document shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts the Seller paid to the Company under this document in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).
7.3 This article does not limit (a) a party's indemnification obligations under this document; (b) liability for fraud or willful misconduct; (c) amounts the Seller owes for Orders, fees, chargebacks, or refunds under this document; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
7.4 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 8: Indemnification
8.1 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 document; (b) the Seller's Products, Services, listings, or User Content; (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 this document.
8.2 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.
8.3 This article survives the termination of this document.
Article 9: Enforcement and Appeals
9.1 The Company may investigate any suspected violation of this document. The Seller shall cooperate with an investigation and shall produce the records this document requires the Seller to keep.
9.2 If the Company determines that the Seller has violated this document, 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.
9.3 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.
9.4 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; (c) cancel an Order or a booking; (d) suspend the Account or a program participation, in whole or in part; (e) terminate this document and the Account; and (f) exercise any other right or remedy available under this document or at law.
9.5 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.
9.6 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.
9.7 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 10: Term and Termination
10.1 This document takes effect when the Seller accepts it and continues until terminated under this article.
10.2 The Company may terminate this document and the Account on thirty (30) days' written notice for any reason, and immediately on written notice if the Seller materially breaches this document, engages in fraud, or becomes ineligible to participate.
10.3 The Seller may terminate this document on thirty (30) days' written notice to support@aapawz.com, provided the Seller has no Order, booking, or investigation outstanding.
10.4 On termination: (a) the rights granted under this document 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 this document, within thirty (30) days, except amounts held in connection with an open investigation or dispute.
10.5 The Definitions, Fees (for accrued amounts), Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions articles survive termination.
Article 11: Dispute Resolution
11.1 Any dispute arising out of or relating to this document, or to the relationship it governs, is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy, which is incorporated into this document by reference.
Article 12: General Provisions
12.1 The Company may amend this document by posting the amended document 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. If the Seller does not accept an amendment, the Seller's remedy is to terminate under the Term and Termination article before the amendment takes effect.
12.2 Legal notices under this document 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. Notices under the DMCA and Copyright Policy are given as provided in that policy, to the designated agent at legal@aapawz.com.
12.3 This document 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 document shall be brought in the state or federal courts located in Shelby County, Tennessee, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction there.
12.4 If any provision of this document is held unenforceable, the provision shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted, and the remaining provisions continue in full effect.
12.5 This document, 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.
12.6 The Seller shall not assign this document 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 document to an affiliate or in connection with a sale of all or part of its business, on notice to the Seller.
12.7 A waiver of any provision of this document is effective only in writing and only for the instance stated. No waiver is a waiver of any other provision or instance.
12.8 Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation." This document shall not be construed against a party on the ground that the party prepared this document. The English-language text controls over any translation.
Related articles