Terms of Service

Etalo (the “Platform”) is operated from Belgium. You can reach us at support@etalo.xyz. The operator’s registered legal entity name, company number, and registered address will be stated here once incorporation is finalised; until then, the operator acts as the controller and contact point above.

Etalo provides the technology that connects buyers and sellers and runs payments through audited smart contracts on the Celo blockchain. The sale contract is concluded directly between the buyer and the seller; Etalo is an intermediary and is not a party to that contract, not the seller, and not a custodian of funds.

Etalo is non-custodial: your funds are held by smart contracts, not by us. We cannot access, move, freeze, or reverse your funds outside the rules coded into those contracts.

You must be at least 18 and able to enter a binding contract. In this first version, Etalo supports intra-Africa trade only, with launch markets in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya; buyers and sellers transact within these markets.

Payments are made in USDT (a digital-dollar stablecoin) on Celo. When a buyer pays, the amount is locked in an escrow smart contract. The network fee is handled in USDT through MiniPay — you do not need any other token.

Etalo charges sellers a single commission of 1.8% of the order value (V1, intra-Africa), deducted automatically on-chain at release. The commission, the seller payout, and the release schedule are enforced by the smart contracts.

On-chain transactions are irreversible. Once confirmed, a blockchain transaction cannot be undone. Buyer protection is provided through escrow, auto-refund, and the dispute process described below — not by chargebacks.

Funds stay in escrow until the buyer confirms delivery, or until an automatic release timer elapses after the item is marked delivered. If a seller does not ship within the published seller-inactivity window, the buyer can reclaim a refund directly from the order page — no intervention from us is required.

If something goes wrong, the dispute process has three levels: (N1) an amicable resolution proposed between buyer and seller; (N2) mediation by an Etalo-approved mediator who reviews the evidence; and (N3) a community vote where applicable. Outcomes are enforced on-chain by the dispute contract. Deadlines and details are surfaced in the app on each order.

Nothing in these Terms limits any mandatory consumer-protection rights you have under the law applicable to you. Where EU consumer law applies, you keep your statutory rights, including any right of withdrawal and legal guarantees of conformity. Because items ship physically between buyer and seller, returns and refunds are handled through the order, refund, and dispute mechanisms above.

As a seller, you agree to:

• list only goods you are legally allowed to sell;
• describe products accurately, including price and stock;
• ship promptly within the published windows and provide truthful shipping information;
• respect intellectual-property and consumer-protection laws, and handle buyer delivery data only to fulfil the order.

You must not use Etalo to:

• list or trade illegal, counterfeit, stolen, or restricted goods;
• commit fraud, launder money, or finance illegal activity;
• infringe others’ rights or upload unlawful content;
• attempt to attack, manipulate, or circumvent the smart contracts or the Platform.

The Etalo name, logo, and software are ours or our licensors’. By uploading content (e.g. product photos, shop details) you grant Etalo a non-exclusive licence to host and display it for the purpose of running the marketplace. You keep ownership of your content.

The Platform is provided “as is”. Etalo is not responsible for the quality, legality, safety, or delivery of items sold by sellers, nor for losses arising from blockchain risks (e.g. wallet compromise, lost keys, network conditions, or smart-contract behaviour beyond our control). To the maximum extent permitted by law, Etalo is not liable for indirect or consequential damages. Nothing here excludes liability that cannot be excluded by law, including for fraud or for death or personal injury caused by negligence.

We may suspend or remove accounts or listings that breach these Terms or applicable law. You can stop using Etalo at any time; funds already in escrow continue to follow the contract rules until the relevant order completes, refunds, or resolves.

Because our operator is established in Belgium, these Terms are governed by Belgian and EU law. However, this never overrides the mandatory consumer-protection and data-protection rules of your own country — in our launch markets, that includes Nigeria (the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023), Ghana (consumer and electronic transactions law and the Data Protection Act 2012), and Kenya (the Consumer Protection Act 2012 and the Data Protection Act 2019). You keep every right those laws give you, and you may bring proceedings and complain to the authorities of your country.

EU-based users may also use the European Commission’s Online Dispute Resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

We may update these Terms; the “Last updated” date above will change and we will surface material changes in the app. Questions? Email support@etalo.xyz.