Terms of Service

1. What Vendor Highway is

Vendor Highway is an online marketplace that connects two kinds of users: Markets (organizers of markets, festivals, fairs, and similar events who are looking for vendors) and Vendors (businesses or individuals who sell goods or services and are looking for places to vend). The Service lets a Vendor build a profile once and apply to multiple Markets, and lets a Market review applications, collect an application fee and optional vendor (booth) fee, and manage its roster.

Vendor Highway is a platform that facilitates these connections and the associated payments. We are not a party to, and are not responsible for performing, any agreement between a Market and a Vendor — including whether a Vendor actually shows up, what happens at an event, or whether a Market's event happens as described. See Section 8 (Relationship Between Users).

2. Eligibility and accounts

You must be at least 18 years old, and able to form a binding contract, to create an account. You must provide accurate, current information when you register and keep it up to date. You're responsible for everything that happens under your account, including keeping your login credentials secure and telling us right away if you think your account has been compromised.

Each account is registered as either a Market or a Vendor account. The features available to you depend on which type of account you have.

3. Fees and payments

All payments on Vendor Highway are processed by Stripe. We never see or store your full card details. By making a payment through the Service, you also agree to Stripe's own terms governing the payment itself.

Application fees.

Each Market sets its own application fee (a minimum applies, shown on the Market's profile). A Vendor pays this fee at the time they apply. Vendor Highway keeps a commission on each application fee (currently 4%); the remainder is paid out to the Market via Stripe Connect.

Vendor (booth) fees.

A Market may optionally charge a separate vendor fee, payable only by Vendors it has approved. This is a second, separate payment from the application fee, made at the Vendor's choice once approved. The same commission structure applies.

Pro membership and marketing subscriptions.

Vendor Highway offers optional, auto-renewing monthly subscriptions: a Vendor "Pro" membership that provides a discount on application and vendor fees, and a Market marketing subscription that unlocks email-campaign tools. Subscriptions renew automatically each month at the then-current price until canceled. You can cancel anytime from your dashboard; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period, and we don't provide partial-month refunds except where required by law.

Discount and waiver codes.

A Market may create its own discount or fee-waiver codes for Vendors to redeem on that Market's application fee. These are set entirely by the Market — Vendor Highway doesn't guarantee their availability or terms, and a Market may change or deactivate a code at any time.

4. Refunds

Application fees paid on Vendor Highway are non-refundable, whether a Market approves or denies the application — the same practice used by film festival and juried-event submission fees, which are payment for consideration, not a deposit contingent on acceptance. Vendor (booth) fees, charged separately and only after approval, are likewise non-refundable once paid, except where a Market and Vendor agree otherwise directly.

5. Vendor responsibilities

As a Vendor, you're responsible for the accuracy of your profile and any documents you upload (such as insurance certificates, permits, or food-safety credentials), for holding whatever licenses, permits, and insurance a Market or applicable law requires, and for actually fulfilling your commitment if a Market approves you — showing up, as agreed, to the event you applied for.

6. Market responsibilities

As a Market, you're responsible for the accuracy of your listing (including your stated application fee, vendor fee, required documents, and event dates), for reviewing and deciding on applications in good faith, for actually holding the event as described, and for your own compliance with whatever permits, insurance, and local regulations apply to running your event. Vendor Highway does not vet, inspect, or guarantee any Market's event.

7. Content you provide

You keep ownership of what you upload — profile information, photos, documents, reviews, and campaign messages. By uploading it, you give Vendor Highway the right to store, display, and share it as needed to operate the Service — for example, showing your logo and gallery photos publicly, or sharing your uploaded documents with a Market you've applied to. You're responsible for having the rights to anything you upload, and for its accuracy.

Vendor Highway may remove content that violates these Terms or that we reasonably believe is false, misleading, or unlawful.

8. Relationship between users

Markets and Vendors deal with each other directly once connected through the Service. Vendor Highway is not responsible for the conduct of any Market or Vendor, the quality or safety of any event, product, or service, or whether either side follows through on what was agreed. Any dispute between a Market and a Vendor is between them — we may, but aren't obligated to, help mediate.

9. Marketing emails

A Market with an active marketing subscription can send email campaigns to Vendors through the Service. Vendors can opt out of these campaign emails at any time from their dashboard — this doesn't affect transactional emails about your own applications, decisions, or payments, which we'll always send.

10. Prohibited conduct

You agree not to:

• Provide false information, including about credentials, insurance, permits, or your identity
• Use the Service to attempt to avoid or circumvent Vendor Highway's fees
• Use another user's account, or let anyone else use yours
• Use the Service for anything illegal, or to list or apply on behalf of an illegal good or service
• Harass, threaten, or discriminate against another user
• Scrape, reverse-engineer, or interfere with the Service's normal operation
• Send marketing emails through the campaign tool to anyone who has opted out

11. Termination

You can stop using the Service and close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate an account that violates these Terms, or that we reasonably believe poses a risk to other users or to Vendor Highway. Fees already paid are handled per Section 4; active subscriptions are canceled and not charged going forward.

12. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is," without warranties of any kind. We don't guarantee that Vendors will be approved, that a Market's event will meet any particular standard, that the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free, or any particular outcome from using the Service.

13. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Vendor Highway isn't liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Service, or for the conduct of any Market or Vendor. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service is limited to the amount of fees you paid to Vendor Highway (not to another user) in the 12 months before the claim arose.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold Vendor Highway harmless from claims arising from your use of the Service, your content, or your violation of these Terms — including claims arising from your dealings with another user.

15. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms as the Service changes. If we make a material change, we'll post the updated Terms here with a new "last updated" date, and where practical, notify you by email. Continuing to use the Service after a change means you accept the updated Terms.

16. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Utah, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute not resolved informally will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Utah, and you consent to jurisdiction there.

17. General

If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest still applies. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, are the entire agreement between you and Vendor Highway regarding the Service. We may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets; you may not assign them without our consent.

18. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Reach us at support@myvendorhighway.com.