Terms of Use

1. Who we are

SokoVerse is a social commerce platform operated from Dar es Salaam, in the United Republic of Tanzania. Where these terms say "we", "us" or "SokoVerse", they mean the operator of this platform. Where they say "you", they mean the person using it.

You can reach us at any time on customerCare@sokoverse.co.tz.

2. Agreeing to these terms

By creating an account, or by continuing to use SokoVerse, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree with them, please do not use the platform.

You do not need an account to browse. An account is needed to save things, follow businesses, comment, or sell.

3. Who may use SokoVerse

You must be at least 18 years old to hold an account or to sell on SokoVerse. If you are between 13 and 17, you may browse only with the knowledge and permission of a parent or guardian. SokoVerse is not intended for children under 13.

You must give accurate information about yourself, keep it up to date, and keep your password to yourself. Anything done through your account is treated as done by you, so tell us immediately if you think someone else has got in.

4. What SokoVerse does — and does not do

SokoVerse is a marketplace and a discovery feed. Businesses publish their own listings; we show them to people who might want them.

This matters, so it is worth being blunt about it:

• We do not own, stock, inspect or ship the goods you see. The seller does.
• The contract of sale is between you and the seller, not between you and SokoVerse.
• We do not currently process payments. Money moves directly between you and the seller, by whatever method you both agree.
• A verified badge means we have checked certain details about a business. It is a signal of effort, not a guarantee of quality, honesty or delivery.
• Prices, stock and descriptions are supplied by sellers and can be wrong or out of date.

5. Buying safely

Because deals happen directly between you and the seller, a little care goes a long way.

• Meet in a public, busy place in daylight where you can.
• Inspect the item before you pay for it.
• Be wary of a price far below the going rate, or of pressure to pay quickly.
• Never send a deposit to someone you cannot verify, and never share your bank or mobile money PIN with anyone.
• Report anything that feels wrong. The report button is on every listing and every comment.

6. What you post

You keep ownership of the photos, listings, comments and reviews you post. By posting them, you give SokoVerse a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, display, resize and promote that content on the platform and in our own marketing, for as long as you keep it posted. Delete it and that licence ends, except for copies already made in backups or required by law.

You confirm that what you post is yours to post, and that it does not infringe anyone else's rights.

7. What is not allowed

SokoVerse should feel like a good market: busy, friendly and safe. These things will get content removed and can get an account suspended.

• Anything illegal under the laws of the United Republic of Tanzania.
• Firearms, ammunition, explosives, illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia.
• Ivory, rhino horn, and any product from protected or endangered wildlife.
• Counterfeit or stolen goods, and pirated media or software.
• Prescription medicines, unapproved health cures, and human remains or bodily fluids.
• Government identity documents, other people's personal data, or account credentials.
• Sexual content, content that sexualises anyone under 18, and any material that exploits or endangers a child.
• Harassment, threats, hate speech, or attacks on a person's tribe, religion, gender, disability or origin.
• Scams, deceptive pricing, fake reviews, vote manipulation, spam and bulk unsolicited messaging.
• Scraping, reverse engineering, probing our security, or any attempt to disrupt the service for others.

8. Reports, moderation and suspension

Anyone can report a listing, a comment or a business. We review reports and may remove content, limit an account's reach, or suspend or close an account where these terms or our Community Guidelines have been broken.

Where we can, we will tell you what happened and why, and you may reply to us at customerCare@sokoverse.co.tz. Serious cases — anything involving a child's safety, credible threats of violence, or a crime — may be acted on immediately and referred to the authorities.

9. Our brand and our platform

The SokoVerse name, wordmark, design, code and the arrangement of the platform belong to us. You may not copy them, or present yourself as SokoVerse, without our written permission.

Nothing here transfers a seller's brand or product rights to us beyond the licence described in section 6.

10. Availability and changes

SokoVerse is offered as it is. We work hard to keep it fast and available, but we cannot promise it will never be interrupted, and we may add, change or withdraw features as the platform grows.

We may end or suspend your access if you break these terms, or if we have to stop offering the service.

11. Our responsibility

We are responsible for running the platform honestly and carefully. We are not responsible for the goods themselves, for what a seller does or fails to do, or for a deal that goes wrong between you and another user.

To the fullest extent Tanzanian law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, lost profits, or loss of data arising from your use of SokoVerse. Nothing in these terms limits any liability that cannot lawfully be limited, including liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud.

12. Changes to these terms

We will update these terms as SokoVerse grows. Every version carries a date, and the current one is shown at the top of this page.

When we make a change that materially affects you, we will ask you to accept the new version the next time you open SokoVerse, and we will say plainly what changed. Small corrections take effect when published.

13. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the United Republic of Tanzania, including the Electronic Transactions Act, Cap. 442, and the courts of Tanzania have jurisdiction over any dispute arising from them.

Before going to court, please write to us at customerCare@sokoverse.co.tz. Most problems are quicker to fix that way, and we would rather fix them.

14. Contact

SokoVerse, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania. Email customerCare@sokoverse.co.tz. We aim to answer within two working days.