Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") form a legally binding agreement between you and AETHER LTD, the company that owns and operates HUP. By accessing or using HUP ("the Platform"), you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform. These Terms apply to all sellers, customers, and visitors.

2. Definitions

• "Platform" refers to HUP, the e-commerce product owned and operated by AETHER LTD and accessible at hup.rw and its subdomains
• "Seller" refers to businesses or individuals who create shops on HUP
• "Customer" refers to individuals who purchase from seller shops
• "Shop" refers to a seller's online storefront on HUP
• "We," "Us," "Our" refers to AETHER LTD

3. Seller Accounts and Shops

3.1 Account Registration

• You must be at least 18 years old to create a seller account
• You must provide accurate and complete information during registration
• Email verification via OTP is required to activate your shop
• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials
• You must provide a valid Rwanda Development Board (RDB) business registration certificate. Shops are reviewed and approved before they go live.
• One shop per seller (subject to change)

3.2 Shop Subdomain

• Your shop will be accessible at yourshop.hup.rw
• Subdomains must be unique, DNS-safe (3-63 characters, alphanumeric + hyphens)
• We reserve the right to reclaim inactive or inappropriate subdomains
• You may add up to 1 custom domains with proper DNS verification

3.3 Seller Responsibilities

As a seller, you agree to:

• Provide accurate product descriptions, pricing, and availability
• Fulfill orders in a timely manner
• Respond to customer inquiries professionally
• Comply with all applicable Rwandan laws and regulations
• Not sell prohibited, illegal, or counterfeit products
• Maintain accurate inventory and stock levels

4. Prohibited Activities

You may NOT use the Platform to:

• Sell illegal, stolen, or counterfeit goods
• Engage in fraudulent or deceptive practices
• Violate intellectual property rights
• Harass, threaten, or abuse other users
• Distribute malware, viruses, or harmful code
• Attempt unauthorized access to the Platform or other accounts
• Scrape, copy, or reverse-engineer the Platform
• Use the Platform for money laundering or terrorist financing

5. Products and Listings

5.1 Product Content

• You own all rights to your product content (images, descriptions, etc.)
• You grant AETHER LTD a non-exclusive license to host, display, and distribute your content only as needed to operate and promote your shop through HUP
• Product images must not violate copyright or trademark laws
• Up to 10 images per product; images are automatically optimized to WebP

5.2 Pricing and Currency

• All prices must be in Rwandan Francs (RWF) with no decimal places
• You are responsible for setting accurate prices and shipping costs
• Prices displayed to customers include any applicable taxes (if configured)

6. Orders and Payments

6.1 Payment Methods

• Mobile Money (MoMo): Payments are confirmed automatically

Mobile Money is currently the only payment method supported on HUP.

6.2 Order Fulfillment

• Sellers are responsible for order fulfillment and delivery
• Order status must be updated promptly (Pending → Confirmed → Preparing → Ready → Completed)
• Customers receive email notifications on status changes
• Sellers must honor delivery dates and time windows selected by customers

6.3 Refunds and Cancellations

• Sellers set their own refund and return policies
• Orders can be cancelled at any stage by the seller
• Stock is automatically restored upon order cancellation
• Disputes between sellers and customers must be resolved directly

7. Fees and Pricing

7.1 Plans and Transaction Fees

Free: 0 RWF per month, with a transaction fee of 8% on each sale.
Starter: 25,000 RWF per month, with a transaction fee of 5% on each sale.

7.2 Future Pricing

We may change plan prices or transaction fees. Existing sellers will be notified at least 30 days before any increase takes effect.

7.3 How You Get Paid

Through HUP, AETHER LTD collects customer payments using approved Mobile Money payment providers and pays the balance to you after deducting the transaction fee for your plan. AETHER LTD pays the payment gateway charges and the Mobile Money withdrawal charges on payouts and does not pass them on to sellers.

8. Intellectual Property

8.1 AETHER LTD and HUP Intellectual Property

HUP, including the Platform's design, code, features, trademarks, and branding, is owned by AETHER LTD or used by it under licence and is protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, or distribute the Platform without permission.

8.2 Your IP

You retain ownership of your shop content, product listings, and branding. By using HUP, you grant AETHER LTD a non-exclusive licence to host, display, and distribute that content only as needed to operate and promote your shop through the Platform.

9. Data and Privacy

AETHER LTD processes personal data generated through your use of HUP as described in our Privacy Policy. By using the Platform, you acknowledge those data-processing practices.

• Complete data isolation between shops (multi-tenant architecture)
• Enterprise-grade security (Argon2id, HTTPS/SSL, JWT authentication)
• We do not sell your data to third parties

10. Platform Availability and Uptime

• We target 95% uptime SLA but do not guarantee uninterrupted service
• Scheduled maintenance will be announced in advance when possible
• We are not liable for downtime, data loss, or service interruptions

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

• HUP is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind
• We are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages
• Our total liability is limited to the fees you paid in the past 12 months
• We are not responsible for disputes between sellers and customers
• We are not liable for third-party services (Cloudflare, Postmark, etc.)

12. Account Termination

12.1 By You

You may delete your account at any time. Data will be retained for 30 days for recovery, then permanently deleted.

12.2 By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account if you:

• Violate these Terms or applicable laws
• Engage in fraudulent or abusive behavior
• Fail to pay fees (if applicable)
• Remain inactive for an extended period

We will provide notice before termination unless immediate action is required for legal or security reasons.

13. Dispute Resolution

• Disputes between sellers and customers must be resolved directly
• Disputes with AETHER LTD relating to HUP should be reported to [email protected]
• These Terms are governed by the laws of Rwanda
• Any legal disputes will be resolved in Rwandan courts

14. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. Continued use of HUP after changes constitutes acceptance. Material changes will be communicated via email.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms and Conditions, contact us:

• Legal entity: AETHER LTD
• Product: HUP
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: +250 786 407 823
• Website: https://hup.rw