Seller Requirements Policy

1.1 During sign-up, and whenever you add a new category, you select the categories you want to sell in.

1.2 Food categories are locked (unavailable for adding listings) until we have verified your food business registration. Once verified, all your food categories are unlocked together — you don't need to verify separately for each one. Non-food categories don't require registration.

1.3 If your registration lapses or can't be reconfirmed (see Clause 5), your food categories are locked again and any live listings in them are hidden until it's resolved.

1.4 We may ask you to reconfirm your registration at any time, and may carry out spot checks to confirm registrations remain valid.

Regardless of category, every seller must provide:

• Your name and contact details — we do not currently require government-issued identification as part of our own verification process. Identity checks necessary for payments are carried out by our payment provider.
• Location — a pickup point or general location shown to customers (you do not have to share your exact home address; you can set a separate collection point)
• Agreement to our Terms of Service, including the indemnity in Clause 8.4 — you remain fully responsible for the goods you sell regardless of what we check

By listing goods on NearBuyYou, you confirm and warrant that:

• All information you provide to us and to Buyers is accurate, complete, and kept up to date.
• You have the legal right to sell the goods you list.
• Your listings comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
• Your goods match their descriptions, photographs, quantities, and any other information shown in the Listing.
• Where required by law, your goods have been produced, prepared, stored, labelled, transported, and supplied in accordance with all applicable legal requirements.
• You will promptly correct or remove any Listing that you become aware is inaccurate, misleading, unlawful, or unsafe.

If you sell any food item, you must be a registered food business. That's the requirement.

There are no tiers, no different document sets per category, and no branching questions. The only distinction is food vs. non-food:

Requirements:

• Baseline requirements only (Clause 2)

No food business registration is required, as these are not food.

Approval: Instant, or same-day manual review.

Requirements:

• Baseline requirements (Clause 2)
• Food business registration with your local authority. You must provide the local authority you registered with, your registration number, and the date you registered, along with supporting evidence.

The same Platform verification requirement applies to every food category. Regardless of what food you sell, our verification process is limited to confirming that you are a registered food business. Different food categories may have different legal requirements, but complying with those remains solely your responsibility.

Approval: We verify your registration details against the relevant public register (and, where needed, with your local authority) before the category unlocks. The category is held inactive until approved.

That is the only thing we check. We do not ask for hygiene certificates, insurance, pH records, traceability paperwork, or any other document, and we do not inspect your premises, produce, or practices.

Registration unlocks your categories. From that point on, complying with the law for what you sell is entirely yours to manage. That includes, but is not limited to:

• Food hygiene, storage, temperature control, and safe preparation
• Labelling, allergen information, ingredients, and best-before or use-by dates
• Weights, measures, and accurate pricing
• Keeping whatever records your local authority expects of you
• Deciding whether to obtain insurance, training, or certification — none of which we require or check
• Meeting any category-specific legal requirement that applies to you

Two points are worth highlighting, not because we check them, but because they affect whether you are trading lawfully at all:

• Meat. Certain meat sellers may rely on exemptions within applicable food hygiene legislation. Whether any exemption applies depends entirely on the Seller's individual circumstances. Sellers are solely responsible for ensuring they comply with all applicable legal requirements before listing meat on NearBuyYou, including obtaining any approvals required by law. In practice this generally means animals slaughtered at a licensed, approved abattoir, and sales only to final consumers rather than to other businesses. NearBuyYou's Terms restrict all purchases to personal/household use, which supports this — but it remains your responsibility to confirm that your own setup qualifies, and to obtain Approved Premises status if it doesn't.
• Low-acid preserves. Products such as flavoured oils and some pickled vegetables carry a botulism risk if not correctly acidified and stored. Making sure your process is safe is yours to manage.

If you are unsure whether something applies to you, speak to the environmental health team at your local authority — they advise food businesses directly and will tell you what you need.

Sellers must not list, advertise, or attempt to sell any goods that:

• Are illegal to sell or possess.
• Have been recalled or withdrawn from sale by a regulator or manufacturer.
• Infringe another person's intellectual property rights.
• Are counterfeit, stolen, or otherwise unlawfully obtained.
• Require a licence, approval, or authorisation that the Seller does not hold.
• Are unsafe, contaminated, or otherwise present an unacceptable risk to Buyers.
• Breach these Terms of Service or any other NearBuyYou policy.

We reserve the right to remove any Listing, suspend any category, or suspend or terminate any Seller account where we reasonably believe a Listing breaches this Clause or presents a risk to users, regulators, or the reputation of the Platform.

The following categories are not open at launch and will be added in a later phase, each with their own published requirements: Dairy, Meals. Dairy in particular is likely to need the fuller Approved Premises regime given raw/unpasteurised milk carries its own specific, tighter restrictions.

5.1 Annual reconfirmation and ongoing verification. Once a year we may ask Sellers with food categories to reconfirm that they remain a registered food business. We may also carry out verification checks at any other time, including following complaints, regulatory enquiries, changes to your account information, or random compliance checks. If you do not respond, or we cannot confirm your registration remains valid, the affected food categories may be locked until the matter is resolved.

5.2 Document expiry. Any document with an expiry date (e.g. a registration certificate, once these carry one) is tracked by us. We'll remind you before it lapses. If it expires without a renewal being provided, the affected category is automatically locked and related listings are hidden.

5.3 You must tell us promptly if any information you've provided changes or is no longer accurate — don't wait for a check-in or reminder.

6.1 A "registered food business" badge or similar label on your profile means one thing only: we checked that you gave us valid food business registration details, at the time we checked. It is not an inspection of your premises, produce, or practices, and not a guarantee by NearBuyYou of food safety or quality. We check nothing else.

6.2 You remain solely responsible for complying with all applicable law for the goods you sell, regardless of what we have or haven't checked. See the indemnity clause in our Terms of Service.

6.3 Nothing in our verification process, Verification Badges, or any communication from NearBuyYou should be interpreted as legal, regulatory, or food safety advice. Sellers remain responsible for obtaining their own professional advice where necessary and for ensuring that their business complies with all applicable legal requirements.