Terms and conditions

1. About the platform

Arab Local Market (arablocalmarket.com) is an online platform connecting local shops with the people who live around them: every shop has a page and a QR code, and customers can browse and order. The platform is a technical intermediary; in every order the seller is the shop itself, not the platform.

2. Accepting these terms

By creating an account or using the platform you agree to these terms and to the privacy policy. If you do not agree, do not use the platform.

3. Your account

Accounts are created with a phone number verified by a code sent on WhatsApp. The same account lets you order and open a shop.

• The information you give must be accurate and kept up to date.
• You are responsible for everything done through your account and for keeping your sign-in codes private.
• The platform may suspend any account that breaks these terms or is used for fraud or abuse.

4. Orders and payment between customer and shop

When you order from a shop, the agreement is directly between you and that shop.

• Prices, availability and fees are set by the shop and may change before an order is confirmed.
• The shop may accept or decline an order, and delivery is the shop's responsibility.
• Payment is currently cash on delivery, paid directly to the shop.
• Complaints about a product's quality, freshness or delivery go to the shop first; contact us if they are not resolved.

5. Shops and sellers

Any account can open a shop. The shop owner alone is responsible for:

• The accuracy of product names, photos, prices and quantities.
• Holding the licences their trade requires and complying with local law, safety and health rules.
• Fulfilling the orders they accept and delivering them as described.
• Listing anything illegal, counterfeit, stolen or harmful is forbidden, and the platform may remove such content without notice.

6. Plans and subscription

Using the platform as a customer is free. Running a shop requires one of these plans:

• Free: 30 days, once per account, starting when the first shop is opened, with up to 10 products on sale and one shop.
• Starter: $9 a month or $90 a year, up to 200 products on sale and one shop.
• Growth: $30 a month or $300 a year, unlimited products and up to 3 shops.
• Payment is in cash, by transfer or by mobile wallet after we contact you, and the plan is switched on once payment is confirmed.
• There is no automatic renewal, and nothing is ever charged without your request.
• Renewing the same plan before it ends adds to the time left; moving to another plan starts from the day it is switched on.
• Payments are not refundable once a plan is active, unless we are unable to provide the service for reasons on our side.
• The platform may change prices and limits in future; no change applies to a period already paid for.

7. When a plan ends

If a plan ends and is not renewed:

• The shop and its products are hidden from the public at once, and no new orders can be placed.
• The control panel becomes view-only: the shop cannot be edited, products cannot be added and the till cannot be used.
• You can still follow orders placed before the end through to delivery.
• Your data is not deleted automatically, and everything returns as it was the moment you renew.

8. Content and ownership

Shop owners keep ownership of the photos and text they upload and grant the platform a non-exclusive licence to display and publish them on the platform and in promoting it. The Arab Local Market name, logo and site design belong to the platform.

9. Ratings

Only customers who have actually ordered from a shop can rate it. Ratings must be honest and not abusive, and the platform may remove abusive or misleading ones.

10. What is not allowed

You may not use the platform for any of the following:

• Fake orders, fraud or impersonating someone else.
• Automated scraping, or attempting to break into or disrupt the platform.
• Abuse or harassment in chats or ratings.
• Selling any product or offering any service that breaks the law.

11. Limits of liability

The platform is provided “as is”. It is not responsible for the quality or freshness of products, for late deliveries, for any dispute between a customer and a shop, or for indirect losses arising from use. In every case the platform's liability to a shop owner is limited to the amount they paid it in the three months before the claim.

12. Ending an account

You may stop using the platform at any time. The platform may suspend any account or shop that breaks these terms, telling its owner where possible.

13. Changes to these terms

We may change these terms from time to time and will announce significant changes on the platform. Continuing to use it after a change means you accept it.

14. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Syrian Arab Republic, and the courts of Damascus have jurisdiction over any dispute arising from them.

15. Contact

For any question about these terms, write to us from the Contact page or through the chat on the site.