Every marketplace business needs Terms of Service and Privacy Policy agreements. However, these legal documents can be fairly difficult to write, especially when you're just getting started.
To help you launch your marketplace faster, we've compiled two templates you can use as a baseline for the agreements between your online marketplace business and its users.
We've relied on TermsFeed's expertise to create these templates and can recommend their service if you want to create more legal agreements and policies for your online business. We've even partnered with them to offer you a 50% discount on any premium agreement TermsFeed offers.
Disclaimer
We've put a lot of work and attention into the templates we share with you. Still, these templates are not legal advice and by using them you agree to the disclaimer below.
The provided agreements are for informational purposes only and do not constitute advertising, solicitation, or legal advice. You should consult independent legal advice before publishing these agreements. The information contained is provided only as general information and may or may not reflect the most current legal developments.
How to use the Terms of Service template for your marketplace business
These instructions are focused on Sharetribe Go.
Log in to your Sharetribe marketplace. You must be logged in as an administrator.
Open your Admin panel.
Select "General / Static content" from the left-hand menu.
Click "Edit" next to "Terms of Service" (this opens the "Terms of Service" page in Edit mode, in a new tab).
Delete all the content on the page (make sure you have a copy somewhere if you want to keep it). To make sure you've removed everything, you can click the "<>" icon in the bottom tool row of the text editor to open the HTML editor, remove all the content there, and click "Save and Replace."
In another tab, open this Google Docs document where you’ll find the Terms of Service template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-tX6RznVYRQx8s0mxW_JdjElYL_-93njhAiNRvs4Zno/edit?usp=sharing.
Select and copy all the content in the template, except the disclaimer (start from "Terms of Service").
Go back to the tab to edit your own "Terms of Service" page.
Paste the content you've copied from the template.
Go through the document and replace parts marked with {{-- INSERT HERE XXX --}} with the correct content. This is to add today's date, your marketplace name, your contact details, etc. You can use the search feature in your browser to look for all "{{-- INSERT HERE" occurrences.
Click "Save" on the top left of the text editor toolbar.
If you have enabled multiple languages on your marketplace, change the language from the top bar and add the content (or its translated version) again, for each language.
Voilà! Your marketplace visitors will be able to access your Terms of Service and will be able to review them when creating an account.
How to use the Privacy Policy template for your marketplace business
These instructions are focused on Sharetribe Go.
Log in to your Sharetribe marketplace. You must be logged in as an administrator.
Open your Admin panel.
Select "General / Static content" from the left-hand menu.
Click "Edit" next to "Privacy Policy" (this opens the "Privacy Policy" page in Edit mode, in a new tab).
Delete all the content on the page (make sure you have a copy somewhere if you want to keep it). To make sure you've removed everything, you can click the "<>" icon in the bottom tool row of the text editor to open the HTML editor, remove all the content there, and click "Save and Replace."
In another tab, open this Google Docs document where you’ll find the Privacy Policy template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Mg0kfSorErOXsu5FlLm1rtPGGONw4-Jv6FG4U4Ylt1Y/edit?usp=sharing.
Select and copy all the content in the template, except the disclaimer (start from "Privacy Policy").
Go back to the tab to edit your own "Privacy Policy" page.
Paste the content you've copied from the template.
Go through the document and replace parts marked with {{-- INSERT HERE XXX --}} with the correct content. This is to add today's date, your marketplace name, your contact details, etc. You can use the search feature in your browser to look for all "{{-- INSERT HERE" occurrences.
Click "Save" on the top left of the text editor toolbar.
If you have enabled multiple languages on your marketplace, change the language from the top bar and add the content (or its translated version) again, for each language.
Voilà! Your marketplace visitors will be able to access your Privacy Policy and will be able to review it when creating an account.
What is not part of the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy templates
The templates cover the most important things to protect your business and your marketplace members. Still, your documents will likely need some customization to fit your unique business.
In particular, you should pay attention to:
Country-specific regulation compliance details. The country you’re operating in may have specific rules for online businesses and marketplaces. If that’s the case, you should contact your tax office or local legal state service to learn more and adjust your terms and privacy policy accordingly.
Industry-specific compliance details. If you operate in an industry that has specific rules and regulations, it may be important to take them into account in your terms.
Service fees. If your service fee structure is complex and isn't fully detailed during the checkout or on a listing page, you should explain it in detail in your terms.
Refund Policy. Once you have defined your refund policy in detail, it's a good idea to add it to your terms.
Listing fields. If you ask providers for something beyond the general listing information when they post a new listing, it's a good idea to write it down in your terms.
Access restriction. If you decide to restrict access to your marketplace (based on users’ age, location, background checks, or something else), you should list these criteria in your terms.