Important reminder of your obligations as an international seller

When selling on our website as an international seller, there are important requirements you must follow to ensure a great experience for customers. Understanding and complying with these requirements is essential for successful international selling and is required for your participation in Totaram's international selling programs.

Before you begin selling on an Totaram marketplace website in a country outside your business location, you need to provide a bank account in a country supported by Totaram in order to get paid. In addition, you should understand the laws that apply to you as a seller on our website, and you must only list and sell products that comply with those laws. You should consult with your legal and tax advisers who understand the requirements that may apply to you so that you only offer products on the Totaram marketplace website that:

• You are permitted to sell,
• You are able to deliver to the customer on time, every time with no customer surprises, and
• You are able support after the sale.

The following apply for each product you offer, promote or sell on an Totaram marketplace website:

• Customer Expectations. You will provide customers with accurate information about the country from which you are shipping your product.

  You need to state the "shipping from" country accurately in your seller profile and manage customer expectations by stating the actual shipping times from your country. You will be responsible for meeting the shipping expectations for all orders you receive.

• Delivery to the Customer. You must use a reliable shipping method so customers receives their purchases on time, every time.

  Do not expose customers to customs delays and additional duties and taxes on their purchases. You are responsible for complying with all import and export obligations and for payment of all applicable duties and customs fees. In short, customers must receive exactly what they order without any additional charges or fees and within the estimated delivery date posted with your offer on the Totaram marketplace website.

  Important notice for international sellers shipping from the United States to Mexico: Not all shipping options deliver the transit speeds that Totaram customers worldwide have come to expect. For example, a recent study of orders fulfilled by sellers shipping from the United States to Mexico showed that approximately 69% of orders shipped via United States Postal Service (USPS), which uses Correos de México/Servicio Postal Mexicano (SEPOMEX) for delivery within Mexico, did not meet Totaram's international shipping transit time requirements. To provide a great customer experience on shipments from the United States to Mexico, we strongly recommend that you use other carriers (e.g., FedEX, DHL, UPS).
• Customer Service. You must be prepared to respond quickly to customer contacts in the language of the Totaram marketplace website in which you are registered to sell.

  Customers expect prompt, helpful service when they have questions or concerns about your products. You should have customer service specialists who (i) understand your products, (ii) know where the customer's product is and when it will be delivered, and (iii) are able to respond quickly (but in any case within 24 hours) to customer e-mail contacts in the language of the Totaram marketplace website in which you are registered to sell.

  Note: If you provide phone support, you are required to do so in the language of and within the business hours of the time zone of the Elected Country.

  When you interact with Totaram Customer Service or Seller Support, you are required to communicate in the language of the applicable Totaram marketplace website in which you are registered to sell.

• Right to Sell. You must be permitted to offer, promote and sell the product on that website.

  The laws of each country are different (and laws may vary within countries). As the seller of your products, it is your responsibility to ensure that you do not present customers with offers for your products unless you have confirmed that you are permitted, under all applicable laws, to sell and deliver the product to all potential customers.

  For example, you should confirm that:   

  • Applicable export and import laws permit the delivery of that product to each potential customer,
  • Your product meets local consumer protection, product compliance and environmental regulations. For example, the product should comply with local age restrictions, usability requirements (e.g., have accompanying product documentation in the local language) and product safety requirements and certifications (e.g., comply with all hazardous materials restrictions, include required labeling on the product), and
  • Sale and delivery of your product will not violate the intellectual property rights of others (e.g. the product manufacturer).
• Listings. You will list your products using the primary language and currency of the Totaram marketplace website in which you are registered to sell.
• Customer charges. Your listing will include all applicable charges and taxes (including VAT, customs duty, excise taxes, etc. as applicable). You will provide VAT invoices to the customer upon the customer's request, if applicable.
• Returns.

  For Totaram.com's international return policy, visit Customer returns for international sales page.

• Taxes. You are solely responsible for (i) determining whether any taxes apply, (ii) accounting for any taxes due, and (iii) Intrastat reporting to the appropriate tax authority. You are responsible for meeting any VAT obligations that apply, including VAT obligations in the Elected Country, the country to which you deliver your products, and any other applicable countries.
• Your Selling Agreement. You will, at all times, comply with the terms and conditions of your selling agreement.

Important reminder of your obligations when using Fulfillment by Totaram

Before you begin using Fulfillment by Totaram (FBA) in an Elected Country outside your business location, you need to provide a bank account in a country supported by Totaram in order to get paid. In addition, please carefully consider the following matters with your legal and tax experts (as you deem necessary) and only participate in the FBA service when you comply with all of the following:   

Delivery of Inventory.

If you choose to send inventory directly to Totaram from outside your Elected Country, you must use an import broker (either one of your own choosing or one designated by Totaram). All inventory sent directly to Totaram from outside the Elected Country must be sent under "Delivery Duty Paid destination" freight terms with all relevant import duties and other taxes paid. Totaram will not be responsible for any import duties, taxes, collect freight or miscellaneous charges associated with importation into the Elected Country.

Surety Bond.

If you choose to send inventory directly to Totaram from outside the Elected Country, you will need to obtain an import surety bond.

Importer and Consignee.

If you choose to send inventory directly to Totaram from outside the Elected Country, you will list yourself as the importer and consignee, will not mention Totaram as the importer or consignee, and will register as a non-resident importer as necessary. Totaram will not act as importer of consignee of this inventory.

Return Shipping Address.

Totaram is currently unable to return FBA inventory to an address outside of the Elected Country. Furthermore, the FBA service does not currently support pick-up options for sellers at our fulfillment centers. If you wish to have your inventory returned to you, you must supply a return address in the Elected Country.

Taxes.

By having inventory within the Elected Country, you may be liable for certain taxes in the Elected Country.

Returns, Refunds, & Cancellations

Here are some situations when you may need to refund, accept returns or cancel orders:

• You can't fulfill an order.
• The buyer doesn't receive your order.
• The buyer decides to return an item.
• The buyer files a credit card chargeback or an A-to-z Guarantee claim.
• The buyer requests you cancel an order.
• The buyer is unable to receive the order at the address provided.

Before you issue a refund, consider the following:

• After you authorize a return request, you can wait until you receive the item back from the buyer before you issue a refund. If you prefer, you can allow the buyer to keep or discard the item even if you decide to issue a refund.
• If the buyer returns the item to you damaged, or in a condition that is different from the condition in which you sent it, you have the option to issue a partial refund. If you decide to issue a partial refund, we recommend explaining this to the buyer in advance to help avoid misunderstanding or a possible A-to-z Guarantee claim.
• If you described and listed the item accurately, but the buyer simply no longer wants it, you have the option to refund the item price but not refund the shipping costs.

You can't fulfill an order.

Sellers are required to  have their items on hand and ready to ship. That said, if you sell often enough,  it's inevitable that at some point you'll sell an item only to discover it's  out of stock--or broken on the kitchen floor. If  you will not be able to ship an item within 2 business days, you should cancel  the order.

The buyer doesn't receive your order.

Work with the buyer to reach a mutually agreeable solution in regard to this transaction. How you decide to proceed is ultimately determined by you and your customer service policy, but all sellers are expected to demonstrate a high level of customer service.

Your options include:

• Refunding the buyer. This is generally the most customer-friendly resolution. If the order eventually arrives, Totaram.com can recharge the buyer with their explicit authorization. 
• Shipping or drop-shipping the order at your cost. While this may be a financial loss for your business, it is generally a customer-friendly solution. 
• Asking the buyer to wait a bit longer for their order to arrive.

The buyer decides to return an item

If you described and listed the item accurately, but the buyer simply no longer wants it, you have the option to refund the item price but not refund the shipping costs. Please see the Totaram Product Return Policies.
In cases where you are not responsible for the return, where no defect has been reported and the buyer simply no longer wants the item, the return shipping costs should be borne by the buyer. Upon receipt, you must issue a refund to the buyer within five days. If you did not provide a return address within the applicable Elected Country or a prepaid return shipping label to the buyer, the refund to the buyer should also include their international return shipping costs.

Baby products: If you fulfill your own orders, you are expected to accept returns in accordance with your own posted return policies at the time of the applicable order. If you use Fulfillment by Totaram (FBA) to fulfill your orders for baby products, returns will be processed in accordance with Totaram's return policy for baby products.
Note: If you refuse to accept the return of an item that had a purchase price less than $300 and Totaram.com determines that it is materially different, you may be held responsible for any A-to-z Guarantee claim or chargeback dispute filed for the transaction.
As with the Totaram.com retail returns policy, there are no returns of hazardous items that are gas-powered or contain flammable liquids, or of computer laptops or desktops more than 30 days after delivery to the buyer.
You may choose to issue a concession in addition to or as an alternative to refunding order amounts. Learn more about concessions.

The buyer files a credit card chargeback.

When a buyer files an A-to-z Guarantee claim or a chargeback with their credit card company, Totaram.com will contact the seller to request additional information about the transaction. Though these claims may appear similar, there are several key differences between guarantee claims and chargebacks.

For instance, buyers are working directly with their credit card companies when they file a chargeback. Buyers can file chargebacks with their credit card companies at any time, from one day after the transaction has taken place to months later. Sellers are responsible for service chargebacks. Though Totaram.com does request information in the process of investigating a chargeback, the final outcome of a chargeback request will be determined by the buyer's financial institution.

When a buyer files an A-to-z Guarantee claim, they are dealing directly with Totaram.com. Buyers can only file claims within a specific time frame, and the decision about whether to grant a claim is made by Totaram.com. We encourage buyers to file A-to-z Guarantee claims rather than chargebacks, but ultimately it's the buyer's decision how to proceed.

The buyer requests you cancel an order.

There  is no mechanism available for buyers to cancel Marketplace orders once they have been completed. In those cases, the buyer will sometimes contact you  directly to request that the order be cancelled. If you haven't shipped  the item, simply cancel  the order. If you have already shipped,  request that the buyer return the item, and issue a refund if you had  confirmed the shipment.

The buyer is unable to receive the order at the address provided.

If the buyer  cannot receive the item at the address submitted (or if the address is  obviously invalid), please cancel  the order.

You  may want to contact the buyer to inform them of this situation, but you should  not ship to another address if they ask you to. For reasons of account  security, we cannot permit buyers to change their shipping addresses after an  order is placed. Feel free to  ask the buyer to place a new order with a valid shipping address. The order should be cancelled even if you are not able to  reach the buyer by e-mail.

Out-of-policy return requests

Occasionally a buyer's return request does not fit within the parameters of the Totaram.com return policies. This can include return requests submitted after the return time-frame has passed, items that are not eligible for return, and items with issues related to a manufacturer's warranty.
It is up to you to decide how to proceed with these requests, either to approve or close (decline) them. If you decide to close a request, we encourage you to tell the buyer the reason, providing as much detail as possible.
Keep in mind that the buyer may decide to file an A-to-z Guarantee claim if you close the return request or issue a partial refund. The buyer's claim will be reviewed, and you will be asked to provide additional information.
For most items, the return request must be submitted within 30 days after the order is delivered. Learn more about category-specific return policies.

Restocking fees

In some cases, a reasonable restocking fee may be charged to a buyer for returned items.

Limited License Agreement