Sandy Floors Vendor Partner Terms & Guidelines

Sandy Floors Vendor Partner Terms & Guidelines

Version 1.0 — September 2026

Sandy Floors is a family-oriented online farmers market and small-business marketplace built to help independent businesses and useful products get discovered. These terms explain the responsibilities of participating vendors and Sandy Floors.

1. Who May Apply

This vendor program is for the Sandy Floors Local Farmers Market. Florida-based independent brands, makers, artisans, family businesses, farms and growers, cottage and food businesses, artists, specialty retailers, pet businesses, home and lifestyle brands, and other established or growing locally rooted businesses may apply. Pinellas County and Tampa Bay-area businesses receive first priority, followed by other Florida businesses as space and category needs allow. Applicants must own the business or be authorized to represent it.

2. Family-Oriented Marketplace

Sandy Floors is a family-oriented marketplace. Products, images, descriptions, advertising and vendor conduct must be appropriate for our audience and consistent with our community. Sandy Floors may decline or remove products or vendors that are not appropriate for the marketplace even when the products are otherwise lawful.

3. Marketplace Role & Independent Vendors

Sandy Floors provides marketplace, merchandising, promotional and customer-facing storefront services. Unless separately agreed in writing, Sandy Floors does not manufacture, prepare, package, store, warehouse, handle, alter, inspect, transport, take possession of or ship vendor products. Vendors maintain possession and control of their products and remain responsible for sourcing or manufacturing, ingredients and materials, labeling, packaging, inventory, storage, safety, regulatory compliance, fulfillment and shipment.

Vendors remain independent businesses responsible for their products, employees, taxes, licenses, permits, insurance, regulatory obligations, representations and business practices. Participation does not create employment, agency, franchise, partnership or joint-venture status.

4. Product Standards & Restricted Products

Products must be lawful, safe, accurately described and retail-ready. Vendors are responsible for accurate ingredients, materials, dimensions, sizing, warnings, care instructions, age recommendations, allergens and required regulatory disclosures. Sandy Floors may decline or remove unlawful, unsafe, counterfeit, infringing, recalled, misleading, discriminatory, sexually explicit, illegal-drug-related or otherwise unsuitable products. Regulated products may require additional review and documentation.

5. Shopify & Collective Integration

Shopify integration is strongly preferred. Vendors operating a compatible Shopify store are expected to connect with Sandy Floors through Shopify Collective and maintain that connection while participating. Vendors remain responsible for their Shopify account, product information, inventory, pricing and fulfillment settings and do not provide Sandy Floors control of their store. Vendors without Shopify may still apply; Sandy Floors may work with approved vendors to establish listings and processes for orders, inventory, fulfillment, shipping and customer issues.

6. Inventory, Fulfillment & Shipping

Unless a separate written fulfillment arrangement exists, the vendor is responsible for fulfilling its orders. Vendors must maintain accurate inventory, pricing, variants, shipping information and availability; properly package products; purchase and provide required shipping; ship within stated processing times; provide tracking when available; and use the customer address supplied with the order. Delays, inventory discrepancies or inability to fulfill must be reported promptly.

The vendor is responsible for costs resulting from its fulfillment errors, including incorrect or missing items, inadequate packaging and vendor-caused shipping problems.

7. Returns, Refunds, Exchanges & Customer Issues

Sandy Floors may act as a customer-facing point of communication, but the fulfilling vendor is responsible for resolving issues involving its products. Vendors are expected to handle and bear applicable costs for approved refunds, exchanges, returns, replacements, incorrect or missing items, defective products and vendor-caused damage, including reasonable return or replacement shipping when the issue is attributable to the vendor. Discretionary customer returns are governed by the applicable published return terms.

8. Cottage, Homemade, Food & Higher-Risk Products

Vendors offering cottage food, homemade food, baked goods, beverages, consumables, cosmetics, bath/body, herbal or wellness products, pet products, children's products or other products with increased product-liability exposure are responsible for all applicable federal, state and local laws, registrations, licenses, permits, labeling, allergens, food safety, shipping restrictions and other requirements.

Where required by Sandy Floors, vendors must maintain appropriate commercial and/or product liability insurance and provide a current Certificate of Insurance (COI) naming Sandy Floors as an Additional Insured under the applicable policy or endorsement. A COI alone does not satisfy this requirement if the required Additional Insured coverage is not actually provided. Required coverage must remain active while applicable products are offered. Cancellation, expiration or material changes must be reported promptly. Affected products may be suspended until required coverage is restored.

Vendors must immediately report known or suspected contamination, foodborne illness, undeclared allergens, product recalls, regulatory actions, safety incidents or other significant safety concerns and cooperate with customer notification, removal, refunds, insurers and regulators as reasonably required.

9. Documentation & Compliance

Sandy Floors may request reasonable evidence of licenses, permits, registrations, COIs, Additional Insured endorsements, cottage-food compliance, ingredient or label information, testing or other documentation reasonably needed to verify compliance. Failure to provide required documentation may result in suspension or removal of affected products or the vendor.

10. Claims, Defense, Indemnification & Release

To the fullest extent permitted by law, vendors assume responsibility for claims, losses, injuries, regulatory violations, recalls, labeling issues, product defects, allergic reactions, contamination, intellectual-property claims, fulfillment errors and other matters arising from their products, representations, operations, acts or omissions.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the vendor agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Sandy Floors and its owners, officers, employees, representatives and affiliates from third-party claims, losses, liabilities, judgments, penalties, reasonable attorneys' fees, court costs, defense expenses and settlements arising from or relating to the vendor's products, preparation, manufacturing, ingredients, labeling, packaging, storage, advertising, fulfillment, shipping, regulatory compliance, infringement, acts, omissions, negligence, misconduct or breach of these terms. The vendor must promptly notify applicable insurers and cooperate in tendering covered or potentially covered claims, including Additional Insured protections. Sandy Floors may participate in its defense and no settlement may impose liability, obligations or admissions on Sandy Floors without its written consent.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, vendors release Sandy Floors from claims arising from the vendor's own products, operations, acts, omissions or legal noncompliance. Nothing here waives liability that cannot legally be waived. These obligations survive termination for matters arising during participation.

11. Marketplace Fee & Commercial Terms

Unless different written terms apply, Sandy Floors currently charges a 10% marketplace fee on sales. No sale means no percentage-of-sale marketplace fee. Applicable payment-processing, shipping, refund, chargeback or other transaction adjustments may also affect amounts due or payable as described by the applicable platform or agreed vendor terms.

New or increased monthly fees, marketplace commissions, selling fees or other recurring marketplace participation charges will receive at least 30 days' advance notice and will not be applied retroactively.

12. Monthly Vendor Membership Fees

Founding and initial Sandy Floors vendors are not currently charged a monthly vendor membership fee. Sandy Floors may introduce monthly membership fees in the future. Affected vendors will receive at least 30 days' advance notice before a fee becomes applicable.

When a monthly fee applies, it will be due on the 1st of each month and must be paid within 7 calendar days. Nonpayment may result in suspension or removal of the vendor and its products. Reinstatement may require payment of outstanding amounts and Sandy Floors approval.

13. Vendor Payments & Manual Payouts

Vendors using Shopify Collective automatic payments will generally be paid through Shopify Collective according to Shopify's applicable payment procedures.

Non-Collective/manual vendors will generally be settled monthly after applicable marketplace fees, vendor dues, refunds, returns, chargebacks and other proper adjustments. A $25 minimum payout threshold applies to manual payouts to reduce administrative and transaction costs. Balances below $25 carry forward until the threshold is reached. Vendors may request an earlier payout in certain circumstances; approval is case-by-case and does not create a continuing entitlement. Final amounts owed when participation ends will be settled regardless of the $25 threshold after applicable adjustments.

14. Optional Sandy Floors Store Credit

A manual vendor may voluntarily elect to receive all or part of an available payout balance as Sandy Floors store credit, including a Shopify gift card or other available store-credit method. There is no minimum amount or Sandy Floors administrative fee for this option. Once affirmatively elected and issued, the amount is treated as satisfied as a vendor payout and deducted from the outstanding cash balance, subject to applicable law and store-credit terms.

15. Optional Marketplace Advertising Credit

A manual vendor may voluntarily apply all or part of an unpaid payout balance toward Marketplace Advertising Credit instead of cash. There is no minimum amount and no Sandy Floors administrative fee. Authorization must be affirmative and recorded. Advertising Credit may support marketplace-wide advertising, individual or grouped vendor promotions, products, categories, events or other Sandy Floors promotional initiatives. Sandy Floors does not guarantee that a vendor's credit will be spent exclusively on that vendor. Advertising Credit is optional, is not a charitable donation, and does not affect acceptance, standing or ordinary placement.

16. Taxes, Chargebacks & Fraud

Vendors remain responsible for their own income, business, licensing and other taxes and obligations not collected or remitted by the marketplace platform. Marketplace sales-tax collection and remittance will follow applicable law and the platform's operation. Vendor-caused chargebacks or losses, including nonshipment, materially inaccurate listings, counterfeit goods or vendor fulfillment failures, may be charged or deducted from amounts otherwise payable to the vendor where permitted. Payment fraud not caused by the vendor will be handled according to the applicable platform and payment-provider rules.

17. Promotions & Pricing

Sandy Floors may fund marketplace promotions without reducing a vendor's agreed payout. A promotion or discount that would reduce the vendor's agreed proceeds requires vendor agreement unless already authorized by separate written or platform terms.

18. Promotion, Cross-Promotion & Growing Together

Vendors are strongly encouraged, but not required, to promote their Sandy Floors products, the Farmers Market, fellow vendors and new businesses joining the marketplace when reasonably possible. Promotion of the market and new members makes the marketplace stronger as we grow.

There is no exclusivity requirement. Vendors may continue selling through their own websites, stores, physical locations, markets or other channels. Vendors without an online store may be assisted with Sandy Floors listings. Sandy Floors may also carry competing businesses and similar product categories; no category exclusivity exists unless agreed in writing.

19. Online Marketplace & Future Events

As of September 2026, Sandy Floors operates as an online marketplace and does not currently operate regularly scheduled physical or pop-up markets. Future farmers markets, pop-ups, showcases or community events may be offered as the marketplace grows. Future physical events may have separate terms covering fees, insurance, permits, weather, attendance, setup, sales and liability. Online participation does not automatically require participation in physical events.

20. Brand Content, Intellectual Property & Listings

Vendors confirm they have rights to product photos, descriptions, logos, stories, trademarks and other materials supplied to Sandy Floors and authorize Sandy Floors to use, resize, crop, format and make reasonable non-substantive edits to those materials for listing, merchandising, advertising and promotion while the relationship is active. Vendors remain responsible for the accuracy and legality of product claims.

21. Reviews

Vendors may not fabricate, purchase, manipulate or improperly suppress customer reviews. Sandy Floors may moderate review content for legitimate marketplace, safety, privacy or legal reasons but does not promise removal of unfavorable reviews merely because they are negative.

22. Customer Information & Privacy

Customer information received for fulfillment or customer service may be used only as reasonably necessary to fulfill and service Sandy Floors orders and comply with law. Vendors may not sell customer information or add Sandy Floors customers to independent email, SMS or other marketing lists without the customer's appropriate consent.

23. Transparency, Vendor Data & Proprietary Information

Sandy Floors intends to be as transparent as reasonably possible while protecting confidential and proprietary aspects of a marketplace concept being developed and tested for potential broader use. Internal systems, algorithms, source code, technical configurations, testing methods, advertising strategies, conversion methodologies, vendor-selection processes, unreleased programs, business plans, internal financial information and other commercially sensitive information may be withheld.

Participating vendors may request available information relating specifically to their business or products, such as product views, marketplace traffic, visits, referrals, orders or sales, by writing to hello@SandyFloors.com. Available detail depends on Shopify, Shopify Collective, advertising and analytics systems, privacy requirements and other providers. Sandy Floors may provide summaries or aggregated information rather than raw internal data and will not disclose another vendor's confidential information, customer-identifying information where inappropriate, trade secrets or proprietary internal systems.

Participation does not grant ownership or rights in Sandy Floors branding, business models, software, systems, processes, marketplace data or future concepts.

24. No Guaranteed Results

Sandy Floors does not guarantee any particular sales, customers, visits, product views, advertising impressions, search position, marketplace placement, revenue, profit or business result. Placement, collections, advertising and marketplace presentation may change as Sandy Floors tests and develops the marketplace.

25. Accuracy, Communication & Vendor Representations

Vendors must provide truthful information, maintain reliable contact information and promptly report material changes affecting ownership, fulfillment, safety or availability. Vendors represent that they are authorized to sell their products and that products are not counterfeit, stolen or infringing.

26. Acceptance, Suspension & Termination at Will

Applications are individually reviewed and do not guarantee acceptance, product count, placement or continued participation. Participation is voluntary and at will. Either Sandy Floors or the vendor may end the marketplace relationship at any time, with or without cause, subject to outstanding orders, refunds, returns, exchanges, claims, payments, fees and obligations arising before termination. Sandy Floors may immediately suspend products or vendors for safety, suspected fraud, unlawful activity, intellectual-property concerns, repeated fulfillment failures, nonpayment, platform restrictions or material violations.

A vendor may not transfer or assign its Sandy Floors participation to another person or business without Sandy Floors approval.

27. Dispute Resolution & Florida Law

The parties will first attempt in good faith to resolve disputes informally. Written notice should describe the issue and requested resolution, and the parties will generally have 30 days to attempt resolution unless immediate action is reasonably necessary for safety, fraud, legal compliance or preservation of rights. These terms are governed by Florida law, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Unless otherwise required by law or agreed in writing, legal proceedings relating to the vendor relationship will be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in Pinellas County, Florida.

28. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Sandy Floors will not be liable to a vendor for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages, including lost profits, opportunities, goodwill or anticipated sales. Nothing excludes liability that legally cannot be excluded.

29. Agreement Review, Updates & Notice

These terms will be reviewed regularly and may be updated as Sandy Floors grows, programs change, laws or platform requirements change, or operational needs arise. Material changes will be sent to the vendor's current email address on file. Unless a different effective date is stated, updated non-financial terms become effective following the stated notice/effective date, and continued participation after that date constitutes acceptance.

A vendor who objects to or does not understand a change may contact Sandy Floors so the parties can work toward clarification, resolution or an orderly mutual separation. Ending participation does not erase obligations arising before termination.

Financial changes will receive at least 30 days' advance notice. New or increased monthly fees, marketplace fees, commissions, selling fees or recurring participation charges will not take effect immediately or apply retroactively.

30. Electronic Acceptance & Notices

Electronic communications and acceptance may be used for this agreement. By affirmatively agreeing to these terms and participating after acceptance, the vendor acknowledges the current Vendor Partner Terms & Guidelines. Vendors are responsible for keeping their email and business contact information current.

31. Force Majeure & Platform Interruptions

Neither party will be treated as breaching these terms solely because performance is prevented or materially delayed by circumstances beyond reasonable control, including severe weather, disasters, government action, carrier disruptions, internet or utility failures, Shopify or payment-platform outages or similar events, provided reasonable efforts are made to address affected obligations.

32. General Contract Terms

If a provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect. Failure to enforce a provision once is not a permanent waiver. These terms, together with applicable accepted application terms, Shopify/Collective arrangements and any separate written vendor agreement, constitute the parties' marketplace terms. Where a specific separately signed written agreement expressly conflicts with these general terms, the specific written provision controls for that subject.

33. Questions

Questions, clarification requests and vendor-data requests may be sent to hello@SandyFloors.com.

These terms are intended to document the Sandy Floors vendor relationship and should not be understood as legal or tax advice to vendors. Vendors remain responsible for obtaining professional advice appropriate to their businesses.