Vendor Terms & Listing Standards

Last updated: April 19, 2026

Overview

These Vendor Terms ("Vendor Terms") apply to sellers using the MineralCache marketplace. They form part of our Terms of Service and incorporate our Shipping Policy, Returns & Refunds Policy, Copyright & IP Policy, and Privacy Policy. By listing items or accepting orders, you agree to these Vendor Terms.

Eligibility & onboarding

• You must be 18+ and able to enter binding contracts.
• Provide accurate business and contact information and maintain it up to date. We may require identity, address, phone number, and tax verification.
• All prospective vendors must apply for approval to sell on MineralCache. Vendor approval is a manual review process and is granted at the sole discretion of MineralCache.
• Submission of an application does not guarantee approval. MineralCache reserves the right to approve, deny, suspend, or revoke vendor status at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including compliance with marketplace policies, legal requirements, or quality standards.

Account, fees & payouts

• You authorize MineralCache to deduct applicable marketplace fees and payment processing fees from each transaction total.
• Payout timing and methods are subject to MineralCache's Accounts, Fees, & Payouts Policy and applicable payment provider policies. MineralCache may delay, withhold, net, retain as a rolling reserve, or recover negative balances, refunds, chargebacks, reversals, fees, or other amounts owed.
• Payouts (less current vendor fees of 10% + $0.30 payment processing) will be initiated within seven (7) business days following the item(s) being accurately marked delivered through the vendor dashboard or other accepted delivery confirmation path. Vendors are responsible for ensuring delivery status is updated truthfully and promptly.
• MineralCache reserves the right to adjust payout timelines for new vendors, high-risk accounts, or where dispute activity exceeds acceptable thresholds.
• Vendors authorize MineralCache to charge the vendor's connected payment account for amounts owed where permitted by applicable payment processor policies.
• MineralCache processes customer payments, refunds, disputes, and chargebacks through its payment processor. Vendors remain financially responsible for refunds, chargebacks, reversals, and associated fees arising from vendor-related issues, including misrepresented listings, damaged items, incorrect items, non-delivery, shipping-documentation errors, customs noncompliance, or failure to fulfill an order.
• If refunds, disputes, fees, or reversals exceed a vendor's available balance, the vendor agrees to remit the outstanding amount within seven (7) business days of notice. Failure to do so may result in suspension, additional collection actions, or recovery through lawful means.
• Vendors acknowledge that MineralCache may act as a marketplace facilitator for tax purposes in certain jurisdictions and may calculate, collect, and remit sales or similar transaction taxes as required. Vendors remain solely responsible for all other taxes, including income, franchise, use, customs-related, import, export, or taxes arising from sales made outside the MineralCache platform.
• If there is any issue with payouts, vendor dashboard, Stripe, or other anomalies, contact vendors@mineralcache.com immediately.

Listing standards & authenticity

• Listings must be accurate and not misleading, including species, locality, dimensions/weight, condition, treatments, and any restorations or repairs.
• Condition assessments may involve reasonable vendor judgment and opinion. Vendors must still describe condition in good faith, disclose known issues, and avoid material misrepresentation.
• Provide clear photos of the actual item for sale. Watermarked photos are prohibited. Do not use images or text without rights; see our Copyright & IP Policy.
• Disclose provenance when known, do not guess, and list as unknown if necessary. Do not imply certifications you do not have.
• Each listing must reflect current availability and price; promptly remove or update sold-out items.
• Comply with all applicable laws, including wildlife and cultural heritage protections.

Shipping destinations and cross-border sales

• You are responsible for selecting only those listing destination countries you can lawfully and operationally serve.
• If a listing allows international destinations, you represent that you can ship the item into each selected destination in compliance with applicable law, carrier rules, and destination-country restrictions.
• You are responsible for required permits, accurate customs declarations, truthful descriptions and values, tariff or classification information where required, and any other shipping documentation needed for the selected destination countries.
• You are responsible for ensuring your listing is not offered into countries where the item is prohibited, restricted, embargoed, or otherwise noncompliant.
• If a shipment fails, is delayed, is seized, is rejected by customs, or generates extra costs because of the vendor's documentation, declaration, classification, compliance, or destination-selection error, the vendor remains responsible for resulting refunds, reversals, fees, and losses.

GeoCache responsibilities

• If you create or manage a GeoCache, you are solely responsible for its lawful placement, safety, accuracy, and ongoing compliance with applicable laws, land-use rules, and private-property restrictions.
• Do not place, direct users to, or maintain GeoCaches in unsafe, prohibited, environmentally sensitive, or unauthorized areas.
• You are responsible for accurate cache details, clue content, specimen descriptions, and claim-code handling. MineralCache may remove, limit, disable, or investigate any GeoCache at any time for safety, accuracy, fraud, or policy concerns.

Product availability

Vendors are responsible for ensuring that all listed items are accurately represented and available at the time of listing. While cross-posting items on other platforms is not prohibited, vendors must maintain accurate availability across all channels. If an order cannot be fulfilled for any reason, email vendors@mineralcache.com immediately; repeated occurrences may result in suspension or removal from the platform. If a product is unavailable after a purchase is processed, the vendor may be responsible for any associated processing or transaction costs in the event the purchase amount is refunded.

Prohibited items & activities

• Illegal items, stolen property, or items sourced in violation of law or permits.
• Specimens restricted by law or treaty, including CITES-listed materials, without proper documentation.
• Counterfeit, misidentified, or materially misrepresented items.
• Harmful, hazardous, or improperly packaged materials.
• Spam, fee avoidance, off-platform transactions for items discovered on MineralCache, manipulation of reviews or auctions, or abusive conduct toward users.

Orders, shipping & delivery

• Accept and fulfill orders promptly. Ship within the time indicated in the listing and our Shipping Policy, provide tracking, and package to prevent damage.
• Ship to the address on the order. Changes require buyer confirmation on-platform.
• Risk of loss transfers to the buyer upon confirmed carrier acceptance unless otherwise required by law.
• If an order cannot be fulfilled for any reason, email vendors@mineralcache.com immediately; repeated occurrences may result in suspension or removal from the platform.
• If an item is falsely marked shipped or delivered, this may result in suspension of the account.

Returns, refunds & disputes

• Honor our Returns & Refunds Policy, including evidence and timelines.
• For damage in transit, cooperate with carrier claims and keep packaging available for inspection.
• When a refund is approved, it will be issued to the buyer's original payment method. Payment processing fees may be retained or reversed in accordance with the applicable payment provider's policies.
• Vendor fees may be refunded, partially refunded, or retained at MineralCache's discretion based on the nature of the customer return and the applicable transaction circumstances.

Communications & off-platform conduct

• Currently all customer-vendor communication will be done through MineralCache as a third-party facilitator, including order-related communications and returns. Do not solicit off-platform transactions to avoid fees.
• Maintain professional, non-harassing communications with buyers and staff.

Data protection

• Use buyer data only to fulfill orders, support the transaction, comply with law, and meet marketplace requirements.
• Protect buyer data with reasonable security measures and do not use or disclose it for unrelated marketing, resale, profiling, or other unauthorized purposes.

Intellectual property

• You grant MineralCache a non-exclusive, worldwide license to host, display, and promote your listings and media on the Services.
• You represent and warrant that your listings and media do not infringe third-party rights.

Sanctions, export & compliance

• Comply with applicable trade sanctions, export controls, wildlife and cultural heritage protection laws, and postal or carrier rules.
• Do not offer, sell, or ship items into countries or to persons where the transaction would violate sanctions, export controls, import restrictions, or marketplace policy.

Independent contractor

Vendors operate as independent contractors and are not employees, partners, joint venturers, agents, or representatives of MineralCache, LLC. Vendors have no authority to bind or act on behalf of MineralCache, LLC, and no provision of this Agreement shall be construed to create any employment, partnership, joint venture, or agency relationship.

Insurance recommendation

Vendors are responsible for maintaining appropriate commercial liability insurance, at their own expense, sufficient to cover claims arising from their products, services, and business operations.

Suspension & termination

We may suspend or terminate vendor access for policy breaches, excessive disputes or chargebacks, fraud risk, or legal or regulatory reasons. We may remove or edit listings that violate these standards.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, MineralCache, LLC shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill, arising out of or related to the Services. MineralCache's total aggregate liability for any claim shall not exceed the amounts paid to MineralCache by the claimant in the six (6) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

Sellers indemnification

Sellers agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless MineralCache, LLC from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of or related to the seller's listings, products, services, representations, conduct, or violation of applicable law.

Survival clause

Sections relating to fees, refunds, chargebacks, tax obligations, indemnification, limitation of liability, dispute resolution, and governing law shall survive termination of a vendor's account.

Disputes; governing terms

Dispute resolution, governing law, and limitations are as stated in our Terms of Service. If these Vendor Terms conflict with the Terms of Service, these Vendor Terms control for seller-specific matters.

Changes

We may update these Vendor Terms from time to time. Material changes will be posted; continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

Contact

MineralCache, LLC · P.O. Box 5, Llano, TX 78643, USA · support@mineralcache.com