Merchant Quality Guidelines

Last updated: September 6, 2026

avnu, LLC

These Merchant Quality Guidelines (“Guidelines”) describe the standards required to participate in the avnu marketplace (the “Platform”). These Guidelines are incorporated by reference into the Merchant User Agreement.

avnu is a curated marketplace. Participation is selective and ongoing eligibility is contingent upon maintaining the standards described below.

avnu reserves the right to approve, reject, suspend, or remove any merchant at its sole discretion.

1. Brand & Business Eligibility

To qualify for participation, merchants must:

  • Be headquartered in the United States
  • Operate as a legally formed U.S. business
  • Ship all products from within the United States
  • Maintain direct operational control over the products sold

avnu may request business verification documentation at any time. Merchants must maintain accurate legal and trading names, business and return addresses, customer-service contacts, and information needed for legally required seller verification and disclosures. Material changes must be reported promptly.

2. Brand Integrity, Originality & Control

Merchants must demonstrate:

  • Meaningful product differentiation, original design, or distinctive brand positioning
  • Transparent and accurate representation of product sourcing
  • Direct control over product quality and fulfillment

The following are not permitted:

  • Retail arbitrage or reselling products purchased from other marketplaces
  • Selling generic catalog products widely available without meaningful differentiation
  • Listing products where the merchant does not exercise quality control oversight
  • Manufacturer-direct fulfillment where products ship directly from overseas suppliers to customers without the merchant maintaining inventory control

Drop Shipping Prohibition

avnu does not permit drop shipping arrangements where products are fulfilled by third-party retailers, marketplaces, or manufacturers that are not under the merchant’s operational control.

However, merchants may use third-party logistics providers (3PLs) or fulfillment centers, provided:

  • Inventory is owned or controlled by the merchant
  • The merchant maintains quality oversight
  • Products ship from within the United States

3. Visual & Presentation Standards

Because avnu is discovery-driven, presentation quality is critical.

Merchants must maintain:

  • High-resolution, professionally styled product photography
  • Accurate, detailed product descriptions
  • Clear materials and sizing information where applicable
  • Transparent pricing

Listings that fail to meet presentation standards may be removed. Product pages, inventory feeds, advertisements, and checkout must agree on the item and variant, price, availability, condition, shipping charges and timing, and return terms. Merchants must promptly correct discrepancies, identify themselves accurately, substantiate advertising claims, and never claim platform or Google approval they do not have.

4. Operational Reliability

Merchants must demonstrate consistent operational performance, including:

  • Tendering shipments to the merchant’s chosen carrier within its own published handling timeframe, as clearly disclosed at checkout before payment; there is no uniform five-business-day dispatch deadline or UPS-only outbound-carrier requirement
  • Maintaining accurate inventory availability
  • Responding to customer inquiries within two (2) business days
  • Inspecting returned goods and communicating a policy-based refund decision within five (5) business days of receipt, or sooner when required to meet an applicable refund deadline

Merchants must keep their shipping policies and rates accurate and accessible, including handling and transit estimates, delivery restrictions, carrier or service details, and any free-shipping conditions. Terms must be clearly shown at checkout before payment and reflected in the applicable product and advertising shipping data. Merchants must notify avnu promptly if an order cannot ship as promised, cooperate with legally required delay notices and cancellation/refund rights, and provide genuine carrier tracking. Creating a label is not proof of carrier acceptance. Repeated operational failures may result in suspension or removal.

5. Customer Experience Standards

Merchants must maintain performance consistent with a high-quality retail experience.

avnu may review trends including:

  • Complaint patterns
  • Order cancellation frequency
  • Fulfillment accuracy
  • Communication quality

Excessive or recurring issues may result in corrective action, suspension, or removal.

avnu retains discretion in evaluating overall merchant performance.

6. Compliance & Legal Standards

Merchants must:

  • Comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws
  • Avoid selling prohibited or regulated products
  • Accept return requests within at least 30 calendar days after delivery for products in new condition with original tags (if originally supplied with tags), and for damaged, defective, incorrect, or misdescribed products; new-condition and tag requirements do not apply to the latter claims. Do not impose a shorter reporting deadline or final-sale restriction that reduces this minimum
  • Maintain commercially reasonable insurance coverage appropriate to their products

Merchants are responsible for product compliance and safety. They must follow the Shipping and Returns policy and cooperate with customer return requests submitted on avnu’s website using labels provided by avnu. Merchants must disclose responsibility for return-shipping costs before purchase, including any differences by return reason, and honor any legally required cost coverage. No restocking fees are allowed. More generous return terms and optional exchanges must be clearly disclosed and honored; a provided label does not necessarily mean free return shipping. Merchants must cooperate with avnu in resolving customer complaints and protect customer information as required by the Acceptable Use Policy. No provision excludes obligations imposed on avnu by law.

7. Brand Values Alignment

avnu is built on trust, integrity, and thoughtful curation.

Merchants may not:

  • Promote hate speech or discriminatory messaging
  • Engage in deceptive or misleading marketing
  • Misrepresent product origin or materials

Violations may result in immediate removal.

8. Ongoing Review & Removal

Participation on avnu is not permanent.

avnu may:

  • Conduct periodic reviews
  • Request documentation
  • Remove listings
  • Suspend or terminate merchant participation at its sole discretion

Failure to maintain these Guidelines may result in removal without prior notice where reasonably necessary to address safety, fraud, legal, or material operational risk. Existing orders, refunds, recalls, and payment obligations survive removal. Merchants may request review at info@shopavnu.com.

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