Terms of Service

1. What Rootly Is (and Isn't)

Rootly is a marketplace platform that connects local food producers (“Sellers”) with local buyers (“Buyers”). We provide the technology — the map, the listings, the checkout, the messaging — that lets Sellers and Buyers find each other and transact.

Rootly is not a food seller, producer, distributor, or retailer. We do not grow, raise, bake, prepare, store, handle, inspect, or deliver any food products listed on the Platform. We do not guarantee the quality, safety, freshness, legality, or accuracy of any product listing. Every product listed on Rootly is sold directly by an independent Seller, and that Seller is solely responsible for their products.

2. Who Can Use Rootly

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account, buy products, or sell on Rootly. By using the Platform, you represent that you are at least 18 and that the information you provide is accurate and complete.

If you use the guest checkout feature, you agree to these Terms by completing your purchase, even without creating a full account. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate any account that violates these Terms.

3. Accounts

3.1 Account Types

• Buyer: Anyone who creates an account or checks out as a guest. Buyers can browse, purchase, review, message, and follow Sellers.
• Seller: A Buyer who subscribes to a Seller plan. Sellers can list products, manage orders, receive payments, post updates, and host events.
• Guest: A temporary account created during guest checkout using your email and phone number. You can convert to a full account at any time.

3.2 Your Responsibilities

You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure and for all activity under your account. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at support@rootlymarket.com.

4. Buying on Rootly

4.1 How Orders Work

When you place an order, your payment card is saved securely through Stripe but is not charged immediately. The Seller reviews your order and may adjust quantities or weights. Once the Seller confirms your order, your card is charged for the final amount.

Each Seller in your cart creates a separate order. If you buy from three Sellers, you will have three separate orders and three separate charges.

4.2 Pricing and Fees

All product prices are set by Sellers. In addition to the product price, you will pay:

• Platform fee: 5.5% of the order subtotal plus $0.50 per order. This fee is added on top of the product price at checkout and is clearly displayed before you complete your purchase.
• Sales tax: Where applicable, sales tax is automatically calculated by Stripe Tax based on the product type and Seller location. Most fresh, unprocessed food is exempt from sales tax in Michigan.

The total you see at checkout is an estimate. The final charge may differ if the Seller adjusts quantities or weights before confirming.

4.3 Seller Adjustments

Because these are real agricultural and handmade products, final quantities may differ from what you ordered:

• Produce and general products: Sellers may adjust quantities down. You will never be charged more than you ordered for these products.
• Meat and weight-based products: Meat is sold by actual package weight. The final price may be adjusted up to 25% above or below the estimated total. By ordering weight-based products, you acknowledge and accept this adjustment range.

4.4 Pickup

Rootly is a pickup-only marketplace. You are responsible for picking up your order during the scheduled pickup window at the Seller's designated pickup location. If you do not pick up your order, it will automatically be marked as completed 24 hours after the pickup window ends, and you will be charged in full.

4.5 Cancellations by Buyers

• Before the Seller confirms: You may cancel your order at no charge.
• After the Seller confirms: Cancellation may be subject to a non-refundable deposit set by the Seller on a per-product basis. You will be refunded the order total minus any applicable deposit.

4.6 Rescheduling

You may request to reschedule your pickup once, within 24 hours of the original pickup window. The new time must fall within the Seller's available pickup times. The Seller must approve the rescheduled time.

5. Selling on Rootly

5.1 Seller Requirements

By becoming a Seller, you represent and warrant that:

• You have the legal right to sell the products you list.
• Your products comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including Michigan food safety laws, the Michigan Cottage Food Law (MCL 289.4102), and any MDARD licensing requirements.
• If you sell meat products, you hold a valid USDA or Michigan-inspected meat processing license and have been verified through our verification process.
• If you sell dairy products, you hold a valid Michigan dairy processing license and have been verified through our verification process.
• Your product listings are accurate, including descriptions, images, pricing, available quantities, and any allergen information.
• You will fulfill confirmed orders in a timely manner.
• You are solely responsible for the safety, quality, labeling, and legality of your products.

Rootly does not verify the accuracy of product listings, the safety of products, or compliance with food safety laws beyond confirming that meat and dairy Sellers have uploaded licensing documents.

5.2 Seller Subscriptions

To sell on Rootly, you must subscribe to one of our paid plans:

• Basic Seller: $9.99 per month, or $83.99 per year (approximately 30% savings).
• Verified Seller: $24.99 per month, or $209.99 per year (approximately 30% savings).

5.3 Free Trials

We may offer free trial periods for Seller subscriptions. If you sign up for a free trial:

• You must provide a valid payment method at signup. Your card will not be charged during the trial period.
• Your trial will automatically convert to a paid subscription at the end of the trial period at the plan rate displayed at signup, unless you downgrade or cancel before the trial ends.
• We will send you reminder notifications before your trial converts. It is your responsibility to cancel or downgrade if you do not wish to continue.
• You may cancel or downgrade at any time during the trial through your account settings on the Rootly website. No charges will apply if you cancel before the trial ends.

5.4 Subscription Changes

• Upgrades (Basic to Verified): Take effect immediately. You will be charged a prorated amount.
• Downgrades (Verified to Basic): Take effect at the end of your current billing period. Meat or dairy listings will be automatically unpublished.
• Annual to Monthly: Change takes effect at the end of your current annual term.
• Cancellation: Takes effect at the end of your current billing period.
• No refunds are issued for subscription payments, including partial billing periods, downgrades, or cancellations. All subscription sales are final.

5.5 Closing Your Store

You may close your store at any time, provided all active orders have been fulfilled or cancelled. Closing your store cancels your subscription at the end of your billing period. Your store data is retained for 30 days, during which time you may reactivate. After 30 days, your store data is permanently deleted.

5.6 Payment Failures

If your subscription payment fails, your store will remain active during a grace period of up to 11 days. You will receive escalating notifications. If payment is not resolved, your store will be deactivated and listings hidden.

5.7 How Sellers Get Paid

Sellers receive payments through Stripe Connect. When a Buyer's card is charged:

• Platform fee (5.5% + $0.50): Retained by Rootly.
• Stripe processing fee (2.9% + $0.30): Deducted by Stripe from the Seller's portion.
• Remaining balance: Transferred to the Seller's connected Stripe account.

5.8 Seller Cancellations

If a Seller cancels a confirmed order, the Buyer receives a full refund. Cancellation by a Seller after confirmation negatively affects the Seller's reliability score, which may influence search ranking.

6. Refunds

• Seller-Initiated: Sellers may issue full or partial refunds at their discretion. The Buyer is made fully whole — the refund includes both the product amount and the platform fee.
• Admin-Initiated: Rootly administrators may issue refunds in connection with dispute resolution.
• Processing Fees: Stripe does not refund its processing fees (2.9% + $0.30) on refunded transactions. This cost is absorbed by the Seller.
• Timing: Refunds typically appear on the Buyer's statement within 5–10 business days.

7. Disputes

If you experience a problem with an order, you may report an issue during the pending confirmation period (the 24 hours after pickup). This immediately pauses the auto-confirmation timer and opens a dispute conversation with a 72-hour resolution window.

If no resolution is reached within 72 hours, the dispute is escalated to Rootly's admin team for a final, binding resolution.

8. Events and Tickets

Verified Sellers may create ticketed events. Event tickets are charged immediately at purchase (unlike product orders). Ticket purchases are subject to the same platform fee (5.5% + $0.50). Cancellation and refund policies are set by the individual event Seller.

9. Messaging

You agree not to use Rootly's messaging features to harass or threaten users, send spam, attempt to complete transactions outside of Rootly, or share illegal content. We reserve the right to monitor messages and suspend violating accounts.

10. Reviews

Buyers may leave one review per completed order. Reviews must be honest and based on actual experience. Sellers may respond to reviews publicly. Rootly does not remove reviews except for violations of these Terms.

11. Intellectual Property

The Rootly name, logo, website, and applications are property of Rootly Marketplace, LLC. You retain ownership of content you post. By posting, you grant Rootly a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use your content in connection with operating the Platform.

12. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to violate any applicable law, post false or misleading information, sell illegal or unsafe products, circumvent platform fees, interfere with the Platform's operation, scrape data, create multiple accounts for deceptive purposes, or impersonate any person or entity.

13. Affiliate and Referral Programs

Rootly may offer affiliate programs that allow third parties to earn commissions by referring new Sellers. Participation is governed by our Affiliate Referral Agreement. Affiliates must comply with FTC disclosure requirements and provide a W-9 form for tax reporting.

14. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ROOTLY MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE SAFETY, QUALITY, LEGALITY, FRESHNESS, OR ACCURACY OF ANY PRODUCTS OR LISTINGS ON THE PLATFORM. THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND.

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO ROOTLY IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Rootly Marketplace, LLC from any claims arising from your use of the Platform, violation of these Terms, or products you sell.

15. Account Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time for violations of these Terms. You may close your account at any time by contacting support@rootlymarket.com.

16. Privacy

Your use of Rootly is also governed by our Privacy Policy.

17. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan. Any legal dispute shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Michigan. Before filing any legal claim, you agree to attempt informal resolution by contacting us.

18. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes at least 14 days before they take effect.

19. Contact Us

Rootly Marketplace, LLC
Email: support@rootlymarket.com
Website: rootlymarket.com

20. Miscellaneous

• These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any Seller or affiliate agreements, constitute the entire agreement between you and Rootly.
• If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.
• Our failure to enforce any provision does not constitute a waiver.
• You may not assign your rights under these Terms. Rootly may assign its rights at any time.
• Rootly is not liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control.