BookAuth Seller Agreement

1. Overview

This Seller Agreement ("Agreement") governs your use of BookAuth's selling platform. By accepting this Agreement, you agree to sell products (books, ebooks, and related merchandise) through the BookAuth marketplace in compliance with these terms. This Agreement is separate from and supplemental to the BookAuth Terms of Service.

You are the merchant of record for all sales you make on BookAuth. BookAuth provides the technology platform — storefront, payment processing, delivery infrastructure, and customer communication tools — but is not a party to the transactions between you and your buyers.

2. Seller Responsibilities

As a seller on BookAuth, you agree to:

• Provide accurate product descriptions, pricing, and availability information
• Fulfill orders within your stated processing time
• Maintain adequate inventory for listed offers, or update stock levels promptly
• Respond to buyer messages within 48 hours
• Ship physical orders with valid tracking numbers via supported carriers
• Honor your stated returns and refund policy
• Comply with all applicable local, state, national, and international laws
• Maintain a valid Stripe Connect account in good standing
• Report and remit any applicable taxes on your sales

3. Fees and Payments

3.1 Platform Fees

BookAuth charges a platform fee on each completed sale. Current rates by subscription tier:

BookAuth reserves the right to update platform fees with 30 days' written notice.

3.2 Payment Processing Fees

Stripe payment processing fees (currently 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) are passed through to you. These fees are deducted from your payout along with the platform fee.

Stripe's per-transaction fee applies to the total charge, including the book price and any shipping the buyer pays. In other words, the card-processing fee is calculated on (book price + shipping + tax), not on the book price alone. This means the effective cost of accepting a card payment increases with the shipping amount collected. BookAuth's shipping-rate engine applies a minimum markup to your shipping charges to recover this card-fee overhead (see Section 3.4) so that shipping collection covers both the carrier cost and the associated processing fee.

3.3 Payouts

Payouts are processed via Stripe Connect on a rolling basis. You are responsible for maintaining accurate banking information in your Stripe account. BookAuth is not responsible for payout delays caused by incorrect banking details or Stripe account issues.

3.4 Shipping Revenue, CC-Fee Recovery, and Markup Obligations

You retain the shipping amount each buyer pays for your physical offers. To keep the marketplace solvent, BookAuth enforces a minimum shipping markup so that the amount collected covers the carrier rate plus the card-processing overhead described in Section 3.2. Concretely, the buyer is charged at least carrierRate × 1.12 / 0.971 + $0.30. The 12% markup absorbs the Stripe percentage; the $0.30 fixed component and the 2.9% divisor (1 / (1 − 0.029)) recover the card fee on the full charge.

• You may charge more than this floor (e.g., to cover packaging or handling), but you may not configure rates below it.
• BookAuth's admin may adjust the global markup floor from the shipping-economics settings page.
• The shipping charge is stored on each purchase and is reflected in your payout breakdown.

3.5 Label Costs and Payout Deductions

When you purchase a shipping label through BookAuth, the label cost is deducted from your payout for that order. The label cost is shown to you in a confirmation modal before you commit to buying the label; by confirming, you authorize the deduction.

• Because you reviewed and approved the exact label cost at purchase time, you cannot later dispute the label-cost deduction for that order.
• If you void a label before it is used, any label-postage refund our shipping provider issues is credited back to your next payout.
• If you ship using your own carrier (manual tracking), no label cost is deducted by BookAuth; you bear your own carrier costs directly.

3.6 Chargeback Liability

You are financially responsible for chargebacks and payment disputes on your sales. When a buyer initiates a chargeback:

• BookAuth will notify you and provide an opportunity to submit evidence (tracking, delivery confirmation, communications) to dispute the chargeback.
• If the chargeback is upheld, the disputed amount plus any chargeback fee is deducted from your next payout.
• You indemnify BookAuth against chargebacks arising from your products, fulfillment, or misrepresentation.
• A high chargeback rate may result in account restrictions, holds, or termination.

4. Fulfillment Methods

4.1 Digital Auto-Delivery

For digital-auto offers, BookAuth delivers the file immediately upon confirmed payment. You must upload at least one file (EPUB, PDF, or MOBI) before activating the offer. You are responsible for ensuring uploaded files are complete, accessible, and free of malware.

4.2 Digital Manual Delivery

For digital-manual offers, you are responsible for delivering the file to the buyer within 24 hours of confirmed payment. Failure to deliver within the stated timeframe may result in automatic refund eligibility for the buyer.

4.3 Physical Author Inventory

For physical offers fulfilled from your own inventory, you are responsible for:

• Maintaining accurate stock levels on the platform
• Packaging and shipping orders within your stated processing time
• Providing valid tracking numbers for all shipments
• Ensuring products match the description and quality shown on the listing

Inventory is tracked in real time. BookAuth reserves stock when a buyer adds an item to their cart (30-minute hold) and allocates it upon confirmed payment. Overselling due to inaccurate inventory may result in account restrictions.

4.4 Print on Demand (POD)

For POD offers, print jobs are submitted to your connected print provider automatically upon confirmed payment. Production typically takes 3-5 business days before shipping. You are responsible for maintaining your print provider account and ensuring print files meet the provider's specifications.

5. Shipping

You set your own shipping rates and policies. BookAuth provides shipping rate calculation tools to help you configure accurate rates. You are responsible for:

• Configuring accurate shipping profiles for each physical offer
• Choosing supported carriers and package types
• Ensuring shipping costs are fair and accurately reflect actual shipping expenses
• Shipping to all destinations specified in your shipping profile

BookAuth is not responsible for carrier delays, lost packages, or shipping damage. You must work with the carrier to resolve delivery issues.

5.1 Non-Refundable Shipping

Shipping charges are non-refundable by default once a shipping label has been purchased and the order has shipped. When you issue a refund after shipment, the buyer's refund covers the book price only; the original shipping charge and any return postage are retained/deducted accordingly. This protects you and the platform from absorbing carrier costs on returned orders. Shipping may only be refunded when an order is cancelled before the label is purchased.

5.2 Country and Destination Restrictions

You may restrict which destinations you ship to. You can:

• Set your store to domestic-only with a single toggle.
• Configure per-country shipping zones with distinct rates and methods.
• Allow a specific list of countries and exclude all others.

In addition, BookAuth maintains a global list of prohibited destinations(Section 12) that includes OFAC-sanctioned and embargoed countries. You may not ship to prohibited destinations even if configured in your shipping profile; such orders will be blocked at checkout. You are responsible for any customs duties, taxes, or import restrictions in the destinations you choose to serve.

6. Returns and Refunds

You set your own returns policy per offer. The returns policy is displayed to buyers at checkout before purchase. By listing an offer, you agree to:

• Honor the stated returns window for physical products
• Process approved refunds within 5 business days
• Clearly communicate returns policy changes to existing buyers

Digital Auto-Delivery: Returns are not available after delivery due to the nature of digital content.

BookAuth reserves the right to issue refunds on your behalf in cases of clear non-delivery, fraud, or as required by applicable consumer protection laws. Such refunds will be deducted from your next payout.

6b. Physical Returns Procedure

For physical returns under your stated returns policy, you agree to follow this procedure:

1. Acknowledge return requests promptly — respond to a buyer's return request within 2 business days.
2. Approve or deny based on your stated returns policy. If you deny, communicate the reason to the buyer.
3. Provide a return address and instructions upon approval. Do not require the buyer to ship before receiving approval.
4. Inspect the returned item upon receipt. If received in original condition, issue the refund (book price only — shipping is non-refundable per Section 5.1) within 5 business days.
5. Document the condition of any item you refuse to refund (damaged, used, incomplete) and communicate this to the buyer.

Failure to follow this procedure, or refusing legitimate returns within your stated window, may result in BookAuth issuing the refund on your behalf (deducted from your payout) and may affect your seller standing.

7. Prohibited Activities

The following activities are strictly prohibited and may result in immediate account suspension:

• Selling counterfeit or unauthorized copies of any work
• Listing products you do not have the legal right to sell
• Inflating prices artificially or engaging in price manipulation
• Failing to ship paid orders without issuing a refund
• Creating fake buyer reviews, ratings, or feedback
• Misrepresenting product condition, format, or availability
• Soliciting buyers to complete transactions outside of BookAuth
• Using BookAuth's platform to sell prohibited or illegal items
• Harassing or threatening buyers who request returns or leave negative reviews

8. Account Suspension and Termination

BookAuth reserves the right to suspend or terminate seller accounts that violate this Agreement. Actions may include:

• Warning: For first-time or minor violations
• Temporary Suspension: For repeated violations while under review
• Permanent Termination: For severe violations (fraud, counterfeit, illegal activity)

You may deactivate your offers at any time. All outstanding orders must be fulfilled before account closure. Unfulfilled orders at the time of closure will be automatically refunded to buyers.

9. Fund Holds, Reserves & Compliance

To protect buyers, the platform, and payment partners, BookAuth may hold, delay, or place reserves on your payouts, and may reverse or claw back payouts, based on: (a) a filed or anticipated dispute, chargeback, or buyer-protection claim; (b) suspected fraud or policy violation; (c) unusually high sales volume or rapid change in activity; (d) identity, bank, or tax verification (KYC/AML) checks; (e) payment- processor or legal requirements; or (f) a high chargeback or refund rate. We will release holds as soon as the underlying concern is resolved, subject to our Terms of Service. We are not liable for delays caused by Stripe, banks, or your account information.

10. Taxes, Information Reporting & Identity

• You are the merchant of record for your sales and are solely responsible for determining, collecting, reporting, and remitting any sales, use, VAT/GST, or other taxes on your sales. Stripe Tax (where enabled) assists with calculation and collection on your Stripe account, but tax liability remains yours.
• Income tax & information reporting. You are responsible for your own income taxes on earnings. Depending on your jurisdiction, BookAuth and/or Stripe may be required to issue information returns (for example, IRS Form 1099-K for U.S. sellers meeting thresholds) and to collect tax forms (such as W-9 or W-8BEN). You agree to provide complete and accurate tax information and to keep it current.
• Identity & sanctions. You agree to verification (KYC) and sanctions/OFAC screening performed by BookAuth or Stripe, and to provide accurate identity and banking information.
• Marketplace-facilitator laws. Some jurisdictions may treat the platform (rather than you) as the collector/remitter of sales tax for marketplace facilitator purposes. Where applicable law so requires, BookAuth (or Stripe on its behalf) will handle the affected tax obligations; you will cooperate and provide required information.

11. Newsletter Use & Data Processing

If you use BookAuth's newsletter or email features, you are the controller of your subscribers' data and must comply with our Newsletter & Sending Terms and Data Processing Addendum, including obtaining valid consent for every recipient. You indemnify BookAuth against claims arising from your sending activity.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless BookAuth and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to:

• Your products, content, listings, and advertising;
• Product liability — any injury, damage, or defect caused by a physical product you sell, or any failure to warn, recall, or comply with product- safety law;
• Your infringement of any third-party intellectual property or other rights;
• Your breach of this Agreement or any applicable law;
• Your failure to collect, report, or remit taxes;
• Any chargeback, dispute, or fraud related to your sales;
• Your use of newsletter/sending features (see Section 11).

We may seek reimbursement for our reasonable costs (including attorneys' fees) if we are required to respond to or defend claims covered by this section.

13. Dispute Resolution & Governing Law

The dispute-resolution, governing-law, and arbitration provisions (including the informal-resolution period, Florida governing law, binding arbitration, and class- action waiver) of our Terms of Service apply in full to this Seller Agreement and are incorporated by reference. If a court of competent jurisdiction holds any part unenforceable, the remainder survives.

14. Limitation of Liability

BookAuth provides the selling platform as-is. We are not responsible for:

• Disputes between buyers and sellers
• Lost, damaged, or delayed shipments
• Quality of products sold by authors
• Author compliance with tax obligations
• Carrier performance or delivery failures

Our total liability is limited to the greater of (a) the platform fees we collected from your sales in the twelve months preceding the claim, or (b) USD $100. Nothing here limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

15. Modifications

BookAuth may update this Agreement with 30 days' notice. We will notify you of material changes via email and/or in-platform notification. Continued selling after the modification date constitutes acceptance of the updated Agreement.

If you do not agree with the updated terms, you must deactivate your offers before the effective date.

16. OFAC / Sanctions Compliance

You agree to comply with all applicable economic sanctions and export-control laws, including those administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and any equivalent authority in your jurisdiction.

• You will not sell or ship to any individual, entity, or country subject to OFAC sanctions, embargoes, or other trade restrictions.
• BookAuth maintains a prohibited-destinations list (referenced in the Terms of Service, Section 5.8) that blocks checkout for sanctioned countries. You must not attempt to circumvent this list by accepting off-platform payments or shipping to intermediaries for forwarding to prohibited destinations.
• You are responsible for screening your buyers and destinations as appropriate for your products and jurisdiction.
• Violations may result in immediate account termination, forfeiture of pending payouts, and referral to authorities where required by law.

The list of prohibited destinations includes, but is not limited to, countries under comprehensive OFAC sanctions (e.g., Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine). BookAuth updates this list as sanctions change.

17. Contact

For questions about this Seller Agreement, please contact us: