Terms of Service

Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and capable of forming a binding contract under the laws of Ontario, Canada to use MarketMates. By creating an account, you represent that you meet these requirements.

Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at legal@marketmates.ca if you suspect unauthorized access. MarketMates will never ask for your password by email.

Accurate Information

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when creating your account and profile, and to keep that information up to date. Providing false or misleading information is grounds for account suspension.

Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Violate any applicable Canadian federal or provincial law
• Impersonate another person or entity
• Scrape, crawl, or extract data from MarketMates without written permission
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other accounts or our systems
• Use the platform to send spam or unsolicited commercial messages
• Post content that is defamatory, harassing, obscene, or fraudulent
• Circumvent or disable any security or access control features
• Use MarketMates to facilitate illegal transactions

Listing Requirements

• Your market listing must accurately represent the market you operate, including location, schedule, and fees
• You must have the legal authority to operate and represent the farmers market listed
• Market descriptions, photos, and event information must be truthful and current
• You must promptly update your listing to reflect closures, schedule changes, or other material changes
• You are responsible for complying with all municipal permits, zoning bylaws, and provincial regulations applicable to your market

Vendor Application Management

Operators may accept, reject, or waitlist vendor applications at their discretion, provided decisions do not violate the Canadian Human Rights Act or applicable provincial human rights legislation. Operators must process applications in a timely manner and communicate decisions through the platform.

Prohibited Content

Operators may not use the platform to:

• Discriminate against vendors based on race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or any other protected ground
• Charge vendor application fees outside of the MarketMates payment system
• List a market that does not exist or is not currently operational
• Solicit or collect personal information from vendors outside the platform

Product Requirements

• All product listings must accurately describe the product, including ingredients, allergens, and origin where relevant
• Prices listed must reflect the actual price at the market booth and in pre-orders
• Products sold at farmers markets must be your own produce, preparation, or craft — not reselling mass-produced goods unless permitted by the market
• Product photos must genuinely represent the item being sold
• You must promptly remove or update listings for products that are out of season, discontinued, or unavailable

Canadian Food Safety Compliance

Vendors selling food products are solely responsible for compliance with all applicable Canadian food safety laws and regulations, including but not limited to:

• The Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations (SFCR)
• Provincial food premises and cottage food regulations
• Municipal health and safety requirements for food vendors
• Allergen labelling requirements under the Food and Drug Regulations
• Any licensing or certification required by your province (e.g., Ontario Safe Food Handler certification)

MarketMates does not verify food safety compliance. Providing false compliance documentation is grounds for immediate account termination.

Insurance Requirements

Many farmers markets require vendors to carry commercial general liability insurance (typically $2 million per occurrence) before participating. Vendors are responsible for obtaining any insurance required by the markets they apply to and for keeping certificates up to date. MarketMates is not liable for losses arising from a vendor’s failure to maintain adequate insurance.

Pre-Orders

When a vendor enables pre-orders, they commit to having the ordered product available for pickup at the specified market date and location. Vendors are responsible for communicating cancellations or shortages to shoppers promptly and processing any applicable refunds.

Pre-Order Terms

• Pre-orders are a commitment to pick up your order at the market. If you cannot attend, contact the vendor directly as early as possible.
• Pre-orders may be subject to market-day availability — vendors sell on a best-efforts basis and fresh produce can be affected by weather or supply.
• Payment for pre-orders is collected at the time of ordering.
• Refunds for pre-orders not picked up are at the vendor's discretion, unless the vendor fails to provide the item.

Product Quality and Safety

MarketMates does not inspect, certify, or guarantee the quality, safety, or fitness for purpose of any product sold by vendors. Shoppers purchase from vendors at their own risk. If you believe a product is unsafe, please report it to your local public health authority and contact us at legal@marketmates.ca.

Stripe Connect

MarketMates uses Stripe Connect to process payments between shoppers and vendors. By using payment features on MarketMates, you agree to Stripe’s Connected Account Agreement, which includes the Stripe Services Agreement. Vendors must complete Stripe’s onboarding and identity verification to receive payouts.

Platform Fees

MarketMates charges a platform fee on transactions processed through the marketplace. Current fee rates are displayed during vendor onboarding and in your account settings. Fees are deducted from vendor payouts automatically by Stripe. MarketMates reserves the right to update fee rates with 30 days’ notice to affected vendors.

Refund Policy

Refund eligibility depends on the circumstances:

• Vendor cancels or cannot fulfil the order:

  Full refund issued automatically

• Market is cancelled or rained out:

  Full refund issued; check market-specific policy

• Shopper does not pick up the order:

  Refund at vendor's discretion only

• Product quality dispute:

  Contact vendor directly; escalate to legal@marketmates.ca if unresolved

Stripe’s standard chargeback and dispute process applies to all transactions. Platform fees are non-refundable except where MarketMates is at fault.

Taxes

Vendors are solely responsible for determining, collecting, and remitting all applicable Canadian sales taxes (GST/HST, QST, PST) on products they sell. MarketMates does not collect or remit tax on behalf of vendors. You should consult a tax professional regarding your obligations.

MarketMates IP

The MarketMates platform, including its software, design, trademarks, logos, and content created by MarketMates, is owned by MarketMates Technologies Inc. and protected by Canadian copyright and trademark law. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from MarketMates’ intellectual property without our written consent.

Your Content

You retain ownership of content you submit to MarketMates (photos, descriptions, documents). By submitting content, you grant MarketMates a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use, display, and distribute that content as necessary to operate the platform and provide the service. This licence ends when you delete your content or account.

User Content Standards

You warrant that content you submit does not infringe any third-party copyright, trademark, or privacy right, and does not contain defamatory, obscene, or illegal material. MarketMates may remove content that violates these Terms without notice.

Acceptable Use

In addition to the prohibited conduct listed in User Accounts & Responsibilities, you agree not to use MarketMates to:

• Upload or share content containing malware, viruses, or harmful code
• Conduct coordinated inauthentic behaviour, including fake reviews, inflated follower counts, or misleading ratings
• Harass, threaten, or target other users in a manner that interferes with their use of the platform
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers, crawlers) to interact with the platform without our prior written consent
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the MarketMates software
• Circumvent rate limits, authentication mechanisms, or access controls
• List or represent a market or business you do not have legal authority to represent
• Use MarketMates in any way that could damage its reputation or undermine the trust of other users

Reporting Violations

If you believe content on MarketMates violates these Terms — including listings for prohibited goods, inaccurate market representations, or harassing material — please report it to legal@marketmates.ca with the subject line “Content Report.” Include the URL or listing name and a description of the concern.

Takedown Procedure

Upon receiving a content report, MarketMates will:

1. 1.Acknowledge receipt within 2 business days
2. 2.Review the reported content against these Terms and applicable law
3. 3.Take appropriate action — which may include removing the content, suspending the account, or referring the matter to law enforcement
4. 4.Notify the reporting party of the outcome within 10 business days where feasible

MarketMates may remove content or suspend accounts that we believe in good faith violate these Terms, without waiting for a formal report. We are not liable for any delay in or failure to act on a content report.

Account Suspension and Termination

MarketMates may suspend or terminate any account, with or without notice, for violations of these Terms, fraudulent activity, or conduct we determine in good faith poses a risk to the platform or its users. Fees outstanding at the time of termination remain payable. You may appeal a suspension by emailing legal@marketmates.ca within 14 days of the suspension notice.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless MarketMates and its officers, directors, and employees from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from your use of the platform, your content, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any third-party right.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force.

Entire Agreement

These Terms and our Privacy Policy constitute the entire agreement between you and MarketMates regarding the platform and supersede all prior agreements.

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