Legal

Terms of Service

The ground rules for using AwaOwn as a shopper, merchant or affiliate, written clearly.

Effective date: June 4, 2026.

1. About these terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the AwaOwn marketplace, including the website at awaown.com, the merchant dashboard, the affiliate dashboard, and all associated services operated by AwaOwn ("we", "us", "AwaOwn"). By accessing or using any part of the platform, you enter into a binding legal agreement with AwaOwn.

These Terms should be read alongside our Privacy Policy, Refund Policy, and where applicable, the Vendor Agreement or Affiliate Terms. Together, these documents form the complete agreement between you and AwaOwn.

2. Accepting the terms

By creating an account, placing an order, listing a product, or generating an affiliate link, you confirm that:

  • You have read and understood these Terms.
  • You are at least 18 years of age, or have the consent of a legal guardian.
  • The information you provide during registration is true, accurate, and up to date.
  • You have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract under Nigerian law.

If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, please do not use the platform.

3. Account registration

To buy, sell, or earn on AwaOwn, you must create an account. When registering:

  • You must provide your real name, a valid email address, and a working phone number.
  • You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password. Never share it with anyone.
  • You are fully responsible for all activity that occurs under your account, whether or not you authorised it. If you suspect unauthorised access, notify us immediately at support@awaown.com.
  • Each person may hold only one account of each type (shopper, merchant, affiliate) unless AwaOwn has explicitly approved otherwise in writing.
  • AwaOwn reserves the right to suspend or close accounts that contain false information, are inactive for an extended period, or are used to violate these Terms.

4. Buying on AwaOwn

Placing an order

When you add items to your cart and complete checkout, you are making a binding offer to purchase those items from the relevant merchant. Your order is confirmed when you receive an order confirmation email from AwaOwn. AwaOwn acts as a marketplace facilitator, not the seller.

Prices and taxes

All listed prices are in Nigerian Naira (₦) unless otherwise stated. Prices include any applicable value-added tax (VAT) where the merchant is VAT-registered. Delivery charges, where applicable, are shown separately before you confirm payment.

Payment

We accept debit and credit cards (Mastercard, Visa), bank transfers, Paystack, and other local payment methods displayed at checkout. Payment is due at the time of order. If a payment fails or is reversed, your order will be cancelled.

Delivery

Delivery timelines are estimates provided by individual merchants based on their location, stock availability, and chosen courier. AwaOwn is not liable for delays caused by logistics partners, force majeure, or circumstances outside our or the merchant's control. You will receive tracking updates as your order progresses.

Returns and refunds

Our Refund Policy sets out your rights and the process for returns in full. In general, you have 7 days from delivery to request a return on eligible items.

5. Selling on AwaOwn

Merchants must complete identity and business verification before listing products. By selling on AwaOwn, you commit to:

  • The full terms of the Vendor Agreement and Merchant Guidelines.
  • Providing accurate, truthful product listings with real photographs.
  • Dispatching orders within the window you advertise on your store.
  • Handling returns in accordance with the Refund Policy.
  • Selling only products you legally own or are authorised to resell.
  • Maintaining a valid Nigerian bank account for receiving payouts.

AwaOwn charges a per-sale commission as published on the Commission Structure page. Commission is deducted automatically at payout time, there are no upfront listing fees.

6. Affiliate programme

Approved affiliates may generate tracked referral links for any product on AwaOwn and earn a commission on qualifying sales driven through those links. Participation in the affiliate programme is governed by the Affiliate Terms, which form part of this agreement by reference.

Affiliates may not purchase through their own referral links, manipulate tracking, or misrepresent AwaOwn or its products in their promotional content.

7. Payments & pricing

All transactions on AwaOwn are processed through our PCI-DSS-compliant payment partners. AwaOwn does not store your full card number or PIN. By completing a payment, you authorise AwaOwn and our payment partners to charge the specified amount to your selected payment method.

In the event of a payment dispute or chargeback initiated without merit, AwaOwn reserves the right to suspend your account pending investigation. Repeated abuse of the chargeback process may result in permanent account closure and recovery of costs incurred.

8. Delivery & fulfilment

Merchants are responsible for the accurate packing, labelling, and dispatch of their orders. AwaOwn facilitates the connection between buyer and merchant but does not operate its own logistics network. Delivery is handled by third-party courier partners. In the event of a lost shipment, AwaOwn will mediate between the buyer and merchant to reach a fair outcome.

9. User content

You retain ownership of any content you upload to AwaOwn, including product photos, descriptions, store profiles, and customer reviews. By submitting content, you grant AwaOwn a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display, reproduce, and use that content solely for the purpose of operating and promoting the marketplace, for example, showing your product photos in search results or marketing campaigns.

You must not upload content that infringes third-party intellectual property rights, is defamatory or false, contains malware, or violates any applicable law. AwaOwn reserves the right to remove any content that breaches these Terms without prior notice.

10. Prohibited conduct

The following are strictly prohibited on AwaOwn. Violations may result in immediate account suspension, legal action, or both:

  • Listing, selling, or promoting counterfeit, stolen, illegal, or restricted goods.
  • Attempting to direct buyers off-platform to circumvent AwaOwn's commission.
  • Fraud, identity theft, phishing, or impersonating another user, merchant, or member of AwaOwn staff.
  • Chargeback fraud, affiliate click fraud, or any other form of payment manipulation.
  • Creating fake reviews, inflating ratings, or bribing buyers to leave reviews.
  • Sending unsolicited commercial messages (spam) to other users.
  • Using automated scripts, bots, or scrapers to access the platform without prior written consent.
  • Attempting to access, alter, or disrupt another user's account or AwaOwn's systems.
  • Harassing, threatening, or abusing other users, merchants, or AwaOwn staff.

11. Intellectual property

The AwaOwn name, logo, brand identity, platform design, software, and all original content created by AwaOwn are our exclusive intellectual property and are protected under Nigerian and international copyright and trademark law. You may not copy, reproduce, republish, or reverse-engineer any part of the AwaOwn platform without our express written permission.

If you believe that any content on AwaOwn infringes your intellectual property rights, please contact us at legal@awaown.com with full details of your claim and the specific content in question.

12. Third-party services

AwaOwn integrates with third-party services, including payment processors (Paystack), logistics providers, and analytics tools. These services are governed by their own terms and privacy policies. AwaOwn is not responsible for the practices, failures, or content of third-party services. Links to external websites do not constitute endorsement by AwaOwn.

13. Warranties & disclaimers

AwaOwn provides its platform on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by Nigerian law, we disclaim all implied warranties, including fitness for a particular purpose and uninterrupted or error-free operation. We do not warrant the accuracy of any product listing, which is the merchant's sole responsibility.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for death, personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by law.

14. Liability limitation

AwaOwn acts as a marketplace facilitator. Each merchant is independently responsible for the products they sell, including product safety, legality, and accurate description. AwaOwn does not manufacture or inspect products listed by merchants.

Subject to clause 13, our total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of AwaOwn is limited to the greater of: (a) the total amount you paid through your account in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) ₦50,000.

AwaOwn is not liable for indirect, consequential, or incidental losses such as loss of profit, loss of data, or reputational damage, to the extent permitted by law.

15. Dispute resolution

If you have a complaint about an order, product, or transaction, contact our support team first at support@awaown.com. We aim to resolve all disputes within 5 business days.

For disputes between a buyer and merchant that cannot be resolved directly, AwaOwn will review the available evidence (order history, photographs, delivery confirmation, communications) and issue a determination. AwaOwn's determination in marketplace disputes is final and binding on both parties.

For legal disputes between you and AwaOwn that cannot be resolved through our internal process, both parties agree to attempt mediation before initiating formal legal proceedings. If mediation fails, disputes shall be resolved by the courts of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria.

16. Governing law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, including the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018, the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, and other applicable Nigerian legislation. You irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Nigerian courts for any dispute arising from or related to these Terms or your use of AwaOwn.

17. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our services, business practices, or applicable law. When material changes are made, we will notify you by email and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. If you continue to use AwaOwn after the updated Terms take effect, you accept the changes. If you do not agree, you must stop using the platform and may close your account.

18. Contact us

For questions about these Terms:

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