Terms and Conditions

1.Agreement to these terms

These terms form a binding legal agreement between you and TAF Marketplace Limited (“TAF Marketplace”, “we”, “our”, or “us”). They cover browsing the platform, acquiring artwork, and onboarding/listing work as a verified seller or creator. By creating an account, onboarding as a merchant, or placing an order, you accept them in full.

If you are accepting these terms for a business, gallery, or institutional entity, you confirm that you are legally authorized to bind that entity.

2.Accounts and eligibility

• Age Requirement: You must be at least 18 years old to hold an account or transact on the platform.
• Account Security: You are responsible for the accuracy of your details, maintaining password confidentiality, and all activities conducted through your account.
• Verification & Identity (KYC): We may ask buyers to verify their email address and identity. Sellers must complete mandatory Know-Your-Customer (KYC) verification, submit government-issued identification, and provide business registration documents prior to account activation or payout eligibility. Tell us immediately if you suspect unauthorized use of your account.

3.What TAF Marketplace does

TAF Marketplace is the official economic partner of the National Gallery of Art and the sovereign digital trade infrastructure for African art.

We provide digital verification, cryptographic TAF IDs, and state-backed pre-clearance frameworks. While sellers own the artwork they list, write their descriptions, and set their prices, TAF Marketplace conducts mandatory merchant onboarding, quality inspections, and authenticity reviews before listings go live. Where an artwork carries an official TAF ID or National Gallery Certificate of Authenticity (CoA), that provenance is digitally anchored and recorded on our immutable provenance tracking ledger.

4.Buying on TAF Marketplace

• Pricing & Duties: Prices shown include the seller’s listing price and standard platform processing fees. Delivery charges, customs duties, international logistics, and import taxes are itemized at checkout or explained separately and are payable by the buyer.
• Order Confirmation: An order is an offer to buy. It is accepted as soon as your payment is confirmed through our secure payment gateway, at which point the order is placed with the seller and verification/fulfillment begins.
• Payment Security: Payments are processed securely via PCI-DSS compliant payment partners (e.g., Stripe, Paystack). We do not store full payment card details.
• Price Errors & Availability: If a listing displays an obvious pricing error or becomes unavailable prior to fulfillment, we reserve the right to cancel the order and issue a full refund.
• Ownership & Risk: Ownership and risk of loss pass to the buyer upon physical delivery to the destination address recorded on the order.

5.Selling on TAF Marketplace

Sellers must apply, undergo verification, and receive explicit approval before listing artwork. By listing work on TAF Marketplace, you agree to the following merchant terms:

• Ownership & Authenticity Warranties: You confirm that you own the artwork or are legally authorized to sell it, that all descriptions and provenance details are completely accurate, and that the sale complies with all local and international laws.
• Commission Structure: TAF retains a 22% platform commission on completed sales, which covers your storefront management, digital verification, payment security, state pre-clearance integration, and global buyer outreach. You receive 78% of your listing price.
• Export & Verification Fees: Applicable export pre-clearance fees or physical certification costs (such as $30 NGA export pre-clearance fees where applicable) will be itemized during intake or deducted in accordance with operational workflows.
• Payout Schedule & Zero Third-Party Payout Policy: Payouts become eligible for release once the order is physically delivered and the 5-day buyer dispute window closes. TAF enforces a strict Zero Third-Party Payout Policy: funds will only be remitted directly to the verified bank account or settlement profile matching the approved seller’s legal identity. Payouts to third-party bank accounts are strictly prohibited.
• Listing Integrity & Shipping: Sellers must keep stock levels current, ship within the stated timeframe using tracked logistics, and provide physical access for TAF ID tagging or NGA inspection where required.
• Merchant Conduct: Respond to buyer inquiries in good faith and adhere strictly to anti-duplication guidelines.

6.Things you must not do

You agree strictly not to:

• List counterfeit, stolen, looted, or illegally exported cultural property, or copy/duplicate works registered to another creator's TAF ID.
• List protected wildlife products, weapons, or items prohibited under Nigerian law or international trade treaties.
• Falsify or misrepresent the maker, age, materials, condition, or provenance of an artwork.
• Direct buyers off TAF Marketplace to complete transactions offline or avoid platform commissions (Non-Circumvention).
• Interfere with platform operations, scrape data at scale, probe system security, or attempt unauthorized access to platform databases or merchant accounts.
• Use TAF Marketplace for money laundering, sanctions evasion, or fraudulent activities.

7.Content and intellectual property

• Seller Content: Creators and sellers retain intellectual property ownership of photographs, descriptions, and media uploaded to their storefront. By uploading content, you grant TAF Marketplace a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, display, resize, promote, and archive that content in connection with the marketplace, social channels (including Founders Diary features), and state partner programs.
• TAF Intellectual Property: The TAF Marketplace name, logo, software code, cryptographic TAF ID systems, interface, and branding belong exclusively to TAF Marketplace Limited. Nothing in these terms grants you ownership of our intellectual property.

8.Delivery, returns, and refunds

• Delivery Estimates: Delivery timeframes are estimates provided by logistics partners (e.g., DHL, GIG Logistics).
• Disputes & Damaged Items: Where an artwork arrives damaged, is materially different from its verified listing, or fails to arrive, the buyer must notify TAF Support within 5 calendar days of the recorded delivery date. We will hold escrow payouts and work directly with the seller and courier to arrange repair, replacement, or a refund.
• Escrow Release: Once the 5-day window closes without a dispute, the transaction is finalized, and funds are queued for merchant payout.
• Handmade & Natural Variations: Because works are handmade or unique originals, minor variations in color, texture, or natural medium finish are expected and do not constitute defect or misrepresentation.

9.Suspension, enforcement, and termination

• Account Closure: You may request account closure at any time, provided all open orders and pending fulfillment obligations are resolved.
• Enforcement Actions: TAF Marketplace reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts, delist artworks, withhold pending payouts, or cancel orders if we reasonably suspect a breach of these terms, copyright infringement, off-platform circumvention, or fraudulent activity.
• Legal Reporting: Violations involving stolen art, forged documentation, or money laundering will result in immediate termination, forfeiture of fees, and formal reporting to state regulatory authorities and law enforcement.

10.Disclaimers and limits on liability

• As-Is Basis: The platform is provided on an "as-is" and "as-available" basis. While we enforce state-backed verification frameworks, we do not warrant that platform access will be uninterrupted or completely error-free.
• Limitation of Liability: To the maximum extent permitted by law, TAF Marketplace Limited's total financial liability for any claim arising out of these terms or a transaction is limited to the platform fees earned by TAF on that specific transaction. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential losses, including lost profits or lost career opportunities.

11.Resolving disputes

If an issue arises, please contact us first. Most transaction or listing disputes can be resolved quickly once our support desk reviews the order reference, TAF ID tracking history, and condition reports. Disputes that cannot be settled informally will be governed by the laws stated below.

12.Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as our platform features grow or regulatory frameworks evolve. The date at the top indicates the latest revision. Material changes will be communicated via email or site banner. Continued use of TAF Marketplace following notice constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

13.Governing law

These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The courts of Nigeria shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any legal dispute arising under or in connection with these terms.

14.Contact us

Questions regarding these terms, merchant onboarding, or order support can be sent to:

• Email: support@tafmarketplace.com
• Platform Operations: TAF Marketplace Limited, Lagos, Nigeria