1. Terms and Conditions of use for vendors
1A. What we do for our vendors
The Hive NZ provides businesses from New Zealand a marketplace to sell products or services. We vow to support and motivate small business owners where we can. Consequently, our focus remains firmly on community and information sharing.
1B. Who our vendors are
We allow any type of small business to join us on our website. Your business must be located in and selling from New Zealand. Although the majority of our vendors (approx 95%) sell handmade goods, this is not a requirement to join. We believe any type of small business is worth supporting.
1C. Seller’s Responsibility
Obviously, any products or services our vendors put on our website should be legal to sell within New Zealand. We expect our vendors to abide by all applicable local laws.
Operating In Trade
By selling on The Hive, you acknowledge that you are IN TRADE as required by law. Furthermore, this status applies to all wholesale buying and selling transactions, which we have offered since June 2025. Please read our Wholesale Selling Information Page for extra details.
Service Expectations
Our vendors are expected to provide excellent customer service at all times. Communication is key in any business relationship. Your behaviour reflects on all our vendors and The Hive’s reputation. Therefore, we expect and will enforce high standards of service.
1D. Listing Requirements
The cohesive look, reliable content, and integrity of product listings are paramount to The Hive NZ. All listings must adhere to our standards to ensure a high-quality marketplace.
Product Standards and Guides
You must follow the most up-to-date requirements outlined in our Product Listing Guide. As a vendor, you operate as an independent seller. You are exclusively permitted to list and sell your own products on our platform.
Ownership and IP Responsibility
The Hive NZ does not claim ownership of any intellectual property (IP) listed by vendors. We are not responsible for verifying product origins or brand claims. Each vendor holds sole responsibility for ensuring their content complies with local and international laws.
Brand Function and Liability
The ‘brand’ function is a utility to help structure the marketplace. It does not constitute an endorsement or verification by The Hive NZ. Using trademarked names or copyrighted imagery without permission violates intellectual property law. This includes items made from licensed fabrics, such as Disney-branded materials.
Monitoring and Dispute Resolution
We reserve the right to monitor listings and advise vendors on IP issues. However, the vendor remains ultimately responsible for every bit of their content. If a rights owner believes a listing violates their rights, they will be directed to you first. We may remove disputed listings or suspend accounts to protect the platform.
1E. Regulated Products (Vaping & Restricted Items)
The Hive NZ is committed to total compliance with the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990. To protect the integrity of our marketplace, strict rules apply to all restricted items.
Prohibited Items
The sale of vaping devices (e-cigarettes) and flavoured e-liquids is strictly prohibited on The Hive NZ. Consequently, any breach of the Smokefree Act is the vendor’s legal and financial responsibility.
Permitted Accessories and Manual Approval
Vendors may list non-regulated components and accessories, such as standard batteries or chargers. However, these items are subject to mandatory manual listing approval. We reserve the right to decline or remove any listing at our sole discretion.
Content Restrictions and Liability
Listings for permitted accessories must not include images of prohibited devices. Do not use enticing branding or marketing language that promotes regulated vaping products. While we monitor for compliance, the vendor remains solely liable for ensuring their products adhere to New Zealand legislation.
1F. Food Sales and High-Risk Goods
The Hive NZ requires total compliance with the Food Act 2014 and the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Selling food products online comes with significant legal obligations to ensure consumer safety.
Mandatory Registration and Verification
If you sell food items, you must be a registered food business with your local council or the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). You must operate under an approved Food Control Plan or National Programme. Furthermore, you must provide proof of your valid MPI public register status to Admin upon request.
Label and Listing Requirements
All packaged food items listed on our platform must display clear, accurate information in legible English. Consequently, your physical product labels and online store descriptions must explicitly include:
- An accurate name and clear description of the food.
- Your New Zealand business name and physical address (a PO Box or website alone is legally insufficient).
- A clear batch or lot identification for product recall tracing.
- An explicit date mark (“Use By” or “Best Before”) along with required storage instructions.
- A comprehensive ingredient list and an accurate Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) where legally required.
Allergen Declarations (PEAL Standards)
Undeclared allergens pose severe life-threatening risks. Therefore, you must strictly follow the Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL) requirements. You are legally required to explicitly declare any of the ten primary New Zealand allergens (including milk, egg, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, lupin, fish, and shellfish). These must be formatted in bold text within the ingredient list and summarized in a distinct “Contains” warning statement.
Prohibited and Banned Goods
No alcoholic beverages may be sold on our platform. Additionally, food items must not make unauthorised medicinal, health, or therapeutic claims. Other high-risk, non-food goods are also strictly banned. These include firearms, prohibited parts, and illegal knives.
Safety Standards and Content Removal
Products subject to mandatory New Zealand safety standards must meet all legal requirements. This includes children’s nightwear, toys for ages 0-3, and baby cots. Furthermore, we reserve the right to remove any food or high-risk listing immediately if it fails to comply with MPI rules, lacks legal certification, or poses an immediate safety risk.
1G. Order/Sales Requirements
You must have a Stripe account for your business to receive payments automatically. This service is free and easy to set up over at www.stripe.com.
Stripe Connectivity and Admin Fees
If you do not connect a Stripe account, payments go to The Hive NZ Admin. We will then transfer the funds to your bank account weekly. However, a $5 admin fee applies to these manual transfers. You must not delay shipping while waiting for these manual payments.
Communication Rules
Keep all communication with customers within The Hive’s system. Do not refer buyers to external links, social media, or private email addresses. Our admin team monitors the message system to ensure safety. Ultimately, breaching these terms may result in account suspension.
Service Expectations
We care about the reputation of our marketplace. Your behaviour reflects on all our vendors. We expect you to uphold excellent service and clear communication at all times. Please read our Orders, Payments and Disputes Guide for more details.
1H. Success Fees and Tiers
We offer different contract options to suit your business scale. Each plan comes with specific features, success fees, and listing limits.
Starter Plan
When you choose our Starter plan, you pay nothing for your yearly contract. Instead, you pay a 15% success fee when you make a sale. Additionally, Stripe transaction fees apply to these orders. We calculate all fees based on the total order amount, excluding postage. This plan allows you to publish a maximum of 3 listings.
Pro Plan
Alternatively, our Pro plan offers a balanced option for growing businesses. For a low fee of $5 a month, your success fee drops to just 8% per sale, excluding postage. With this plan, you can list up to 15 products on your store.
Pro+ Boost Plan
For maximum features, you can select the Pro+ Boost plan. This tier costs $20 a month, $95 six-monthly, or $170 yearly. Crucially, you pay absolutely no success fees on your sales. Stripe transaction fees still deduct automatically when an order is placed. Furthermore, this plan allows you to publish an unlimited number of listings.
If you choose to downgrade your plan, you will be expected to reduce your total number of listings to the number your new plan allows.
Listing and Image Fees
The Hive NZ does not currently charge any extra fees to list an individual product. Your listing stays valid until you choose to remove it. Currently, we also do not charge fees for adding categories or images to your store dashboard. There is a limit to the number of images you can add to a listing, based on the plan you are on. For more details, please read our Orders, Payments, and Disputes Guide.
1I. Order Payments
How you get paid depends entirely on whether you have connected your Stripe account. For a detailed explanation of the payment process, please read our Orders, Payments, and Disputes Guide. By agreeing to these terms, you accept the requirements listed in that guide.
1J. Disputes
If a customer wants a refund or replacement, you must uphold excellent customer service. We expect great communication and full compliance with the Consumer Guarantees Act.
Internal Communication Requirements
The customer will contact you directly through our message system. You need to reply to them directly within our system too. Otherwise, no attempt to mediate will be made by The Hive NZ if communication happens externally.
Processing Refunds
If complete or partial refunds need to be given, you can process them directly within your account. You can read a more detailed explanation in our Orders, Payments, and Disputes Guide.
1K. Changing Contracts / Closing Accounts
The below rules apply to ALL our plans, including our free Starter option.
Upgrading and Downgrading
Your subscription is set up and managed directly through your vendor dashboard. You will receive an email warning when your contract is due to end. You can change contract types or delete your account at any time. When downgrading specifically, you must always cancel your Pro or Pro+ Boost plan first.
Product Cap Compliance on Downgrades
Importantly, if you choose to downgrade your plan, you must manually reduce your product numbers. Your active items must fit within the maximum limit allowed on your new plan. Failure to reduce your listings in a timely manner may result in manual removal of your oldest listings by admin.
Refund Policy
No refunds are given on contract or subscription fees. Our terms and conditions clearly state all our processes upfront. Please contact Admin if you experience any technical issues.
1L. Holiday Mode – Empty Store Pages – Sold Out Products
We want our customers to find active seller profiles with live products. Nothing is as annoying as browsing store pages and finding zero items available to buy. Therefore, we enforce strict store maintenance limits.
Holiday Mode Limits
You can put your store page on Holiday Mode directly from your settings. However, this is limited to no longer than 21 days and no more than twice a year. Please contact Admin if you require an emergency exception.
Store Visibility and Inventory
Your store page must have active products within any given two-week period. Without active products, your store will not show on our main vendors page.
Sold Out and Draft Items
Products showing as ‘sold out’ or in ‘draft’ are invisible to customers on the live site. Please take this into account to keep your page active. If you intend to restock an item later, use draft mode, but always ensure you keep at least one active listing live. You can edit or delete listings anytime from your dashboard.
1M. Account Management
Platform Uptime and Maintenance
The Hive NZ relies on complex digital infrastructure to host your shop. Therefore, we cannot guarantee uninterrupted website availability or continuous uptime. Technical updates, server upgrades, or unexpected host outages may cause temporary downtime.
System Outages and Fixes
Please rest assured that our team works tirelessly to resolve any technical issues immediately. However, you acknowledge that system outages are an inherent risk of online trading.
No Refunds for Downtime
Importantly, platform downtime does not entitle you to any financial compensation. We do not issue partial or full refunds on contract fees if the site goes down. Additionally, The Hive NZ is not liable for any temporary loss of sales or reduced traffic during an outage. By maintaining a vendor account, you explicitly accept these technical operational risks.