Terms and Conditions

1. What Ocean Hotspot Is

Ocean Hotspot is a curated maritime marketplace. We connect vendors who sell maritime products and services with buyers who need them. We are not a party to the transaction between vendor and buyer. We provide the platform, the tools, and the trust infrastructure. The sale is between you and the other party.

2. Accounts

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. You are responsible for keeping your login details secure. If you suspect unauthorised access to your account, contact us immediately at oceanhotspotservices@gmail.com.

One account per person or business. We reserve the right to close duplicate accounts.

3. For Vendors

Registration and Verification

All vendors must complete our Know Your Customer (KYC) verification before listing products. Identity verification is required during seller onboarding. Verification methods may include payment instrument checks. Additional verification is required for higher-value listings, as described in our verification tiers.

You must provide accurate business information. If your details change, you must update them within 14 days. Providing false information is grounds for immediate account suspension.

Listings

You are responsible for the accuracy of your product listings, including descriptions, images, specifications, and pricing. Listings must not include products that are illegal to sell in the United Kingdom, counterfeit, stolen, or misrepresented.

We reserve the right to remove any listing that breaches these terms, is reported by a buyer, or that we reasonably believe is inaccurate or harmful.

Commission

Ocean Hotspot charges a commission on completed sales, starting at 10% of the product price (excluding shipping and taxes). Commission is charged after the buyer confirms acceptance of the product. Full details of the commission model are set out on our Pricing page.

Any changes to your commission rate will be proposed, explained, and agreed with you before taking effect. We will never impose a rate change without your agreement.

Subscriptions

The Open plan is currently the only plan available and is free. Paid subscription tiers with advanced features are in development and will be offered in the future.

Payouts

Vendor payouts are processed through Stripe Connect. Payout timing is governed by Stripe's standard terms.

Your Obligations

As a vendor, you agree to fulfil orders promptly and accurately, respond to buyer enquiries within a reasonable time, comply with all applicable laws including consumer protection, product safety, and tax obligations, maintain any insurance required for your products or services, and not use the Platform to harvest buyer data for purposes unrelated to completing transactions.

4. For Buyers

Purchasing

When you place an order, you are entering into a contract with the vendor, not with Ocean Hotspot. We facilitate the transaction and provide buyer protection, but the vendor is responsible for the product, its quality, and its delivery.

Payment

Payment is taken at checkout via Stripe. Secure payment processing via Stripe with buyer protection measures being enhanced throughout 2026.

Buyer Verification

For orders above £100, we may contact you to verify the order before it is processed. This is a trust and fraud prevention measure. If we cannot verify the order, it will be cancelled and you will receive a full refund.

Your Obligations

As a buyer, you agree to provide accurate delivery and contact information, confirm receipt and acceptance of products within a reasonable time, raise any disputes or returns promptly and honestly, and not use the Platform to gather competitive intelligence on vendors.

5. Buyer Protection

Payments are processed securely via Stripe. We are building an enhanced buyer protection system with payment holding and verified delivery confirmation, launching soon.

If a product does not arrive, arrives damaged, or is significantly not as described, you may raise a dispute. We will review the dispute and, where appropriate, arrange a refund. Our decision on disputes is final, though this does not affect your statutory rights.

6. Returns and Refunds

Our Returns and Refunds Policy is set out on a separate page and forms part of these terms. In summary, buyers may return products within 14 days of delivery for a full refund, provided the product is unused and in its original condition. Vendors may set their own more generous returns policies.

7. Prohibited Conduct

You must not use the Platform to sell or buy illegal products or services, commit fraud or misrepresent yourself or your products, harass, threaten, or abuse other users, attempt to circumvent platform fees by completing transactions outside the Platform, scrape, harvest, or systematically download data from the Platform, upload malicious code or attempt to compromise Platform security, or create fake reviews or artificially manipulate search results.

Breach of these terms may result in account suspension or permanent removal from the Platform.

8. Intellectual Property

Vendors retain ownership of their product content, images, and branding. By listing on Ocean Hotspot, you grant us a licence to display your content on the Platform and in marketing materials for the purpose of promoting your products and the Platform. This licence ends when you remove your listing or close your account.

Ocean Hotspot's own branding, design, software, and AI systems are our intellectual property and may not be copied, reproduced, or reverse-engineered.

9. Data and Privacy

We collect and process personal data as described in our Privacy Policy. By using the Platform, you consent to this processing. We comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

For vendors, we are required by law to collect certain information for KYC, anti-money laundering, and tax reporting purposes. This data is retained for the periods required by law (typically 5 years after account closure).

10. Liability

Ocean Hotspot provides the platform and tools. We do not manufacture, store, or ship products. We are not liable for the quality, safety, legality, or accuracy of products listed by vendors, the performance or conduct of vendors or buyers, any loss arising from transactions between vendors and buyers, or any indirect, consequential, or incidental loss.

Our total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of the Platform is limited to the amount of commission or subscription fees you have paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by law.

11. Disputes Between Users

If a dispute arises between a vendor and a buyer, we will attempt to help resolve it through our dispute resolution process. Our decision is made in good faith based on the evidence available. While our decision on refunds is final within the Platform, this does not affect either party's legal rights.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by email and by posting a notice on the Platform. Continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

13. Suspension and Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account if you breach these terms, if we are required to do so by law, or if we reasonably believe your account poses a risk to other users or the Platform. We will give you reasonable notice where possible.

You may close your account at any time. Outstanding orders, payouts, and disputes must be resolved before account closure is complete.

14. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

15. Contact

Ocean Prime Industries Ltd
Email: oceanhotspotservices@gmail.com
Vendor enquiries: oceanhotspotservices@gmail.com

Company registered in England and Wales.