Acceptable Use Policy

This policy sets the rules that every seller, and every member of their team, follows on MonEtalo. It is part of the Terms of Service and Sale and applies to everything published or sold on a store: products, services, text, images, pages and messages. It protects your customers, other sellers and everyone’s trust in MonEtalo. This English version is provided for convenience: if it differs from the French version, the French version prevails.

1. Principles#

• The law comes first. Only sell products and services that are lawful in the country where you are established, in your customer’s country and in the country of delivery. Where these rules differ, the strictest one applies.
• Honesty with your customers. What you show and describe is what you deliver.
• Respect for people. Your content does not hurt, threaten or exploit anyone.
• Fair use of the platform. You use MonEtalo to run your store, not to harm the service or others.

The lists below are examples, not an exhaustive list. If you are unsure about a product, write to support@monetalo.com before listing it.

2. Prohibited products and services#

The following products and services may not be offered on MonEtalo, however they are presented.

2.1 Weapons and dangerous goods#

• firearms, firearm parts and accessories (magazines, silencers, conversion kits), and replicas that could be mistaken for real weapons;
• ammunition, gunpowder, explosives, and unauthorised fireworks and firecrackers;
• bladed or blunt weapons designed to injure (brass knuckles, switchblades, batons), stun guns, and pepper or tear gas where prohibited;
• dangerous or toxic chemicals, and precursors of drugs or explosives;
• products recalled or declared dangerous by an authority.

2.2 Drugs and health#

• narcotics, psychotropic substances, synthetic drugs and so-called “legal highs”;
• drug paraphernalia;
• medicines, including over-the-counter ones, if you are not authorised to sell them (licensed pharmacy);
• products presented as curing or preventing a serious disease (cancer, HIV, diabetes, malaria…) without authorisation;
• doping products, anabolic steroids, and slimming products containing banned substances;
• skin-lightening products containing banned substances (for example mercury, hydroquinone or corticosteroids above permitted levels);
• human organs, tissue, blood or bodily fluids.

2.3 Illegal goods and fraud#

• stolen goods or goods of doubtful origin;
• forged documents: identity papers, diplomas, licences, certificates, invoices, prescriptions;
• fraudulent means of payment: stolen or cloned bank cards, hijacked mobile money accounts, counterfeit banknotes;
• personal data, customer lists, hacked credentials or accounts;
• malware, hacking tools and services for bypassing security;
• services designed to deceive: fake reviews, fake followers, fake certificates, exam fraud.

2.4 Wildlife, plants and heritage#

• protected animal or plant species, alive or dead, and products derived from them (ivory, pangolin scales, skins, horns, sea turtle shells…);
• cultural or archaeological goods illegally removed from their country.

2.5 Adult content and gambling#

• pornographic or sexually explicit content, sexual or escort services;
• any content sexualising minors, without exception (it is immediately reported to the authorities);
• unauthorised gambling, betting, lotteries and paid raffles.

2.6 Finance and promises of earnings#

• financial investments, savings or credit products offered without a licence;
• cryptocurrencies, tokens and “investment plans”;
• pyramid schemes, chain selling, unauthorised online savings circles, Ponzi schemes;
• methods or courses promising quick, guaranteed earnings;
• unauthorised currency exchange, money transfer or debt collection services.

2.7 Infringing the rights of others#

• counterfeits and unauthorised copies of brands, designs or products (“replicas”, “1:1 copies”);
• illegal copies of films, music, books, software, games, or shared streaming accounts;
• products using a person’s name, image or voice without their consent.

2.8 Other prohibitions#

• tobacco products and e-cigarettes where online sale is prohibited in the country concerned;
• occult services promising a result (wealth, healing, bringing back a lover) for payment;
• human beings, forced labour, paid adoption;
• more generally, any product or service prohibited in the country of sale or delivery.

3. Regulated products allowed under conditions#

Some products are allowed provided you follow the rules that govern them. You are responsible for holding the required authorisations and for showing them to us if we ask.

We may ask for supporting documents, limit a product’s visibility or remove it until the conditions are met.

4. Prohibited content#

On your store (products, pages, images, published reviews, store or domain names), content is prohibited if it:

• incites hatred or discrimination based on origin, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability or nationality;
• harasses, threatens or humiliates a person;
• is sexually explicit or exploits minors;
• glorifies violence, terrorism or crime, or shows real violence;
• spreads dangerous misinformation, especially about health, elections or safety;
• violates privacy: publishing someone’s contact details, photos or personal information without their consent;
• copies without permission photos, text, videos, music or brands belonging to others (including photos from other stores);
• impersonates a person, a brand, a public authority or MonEtalo, or suggests a partnership that does not exist;
• contains malicious code, phishing links or deceptive redirects.

5. Prohibited commercial practices#

• Fake reviews: publishing made-up reviews, paying for positive reviews, deleting genuine negative reviews to mislead, or writing reviews about competitors.
• Misleading crossed-out prices: showing a “was” price that was never actually charged, or a fake permanent sale.
• False urgency: untrue countdowns or “last items left” claims.
• False advertising: untrue claims about a product’s origin, composition, effectiveness, brand or certifications.
• Non-delivery: taking payments with no intention or ability to deliver.
• Hidden terms: fees added without being announced, unjustified refusal to honour legal warranties.
• Spam: mass unsolicited messages (email, WhatsApp, social media) to promote your store or MonEtalo.
• Pyramid selling: earnings based on recruiting new participants rather than on genuine product sales.
• Abusive data collection: asking your customers for information unrelated to the order (PINs, mobile money codes, ID documents without need), or using their data for anything other than what you told them.
• Circumvention: steering your customers to pay outside the store to avoid checks, or using the store to disguise another activity.

6. Prohibited technical use#

You must not:

• try to undermine MonEtalo’s security: looking for vulnerabilities without written consent, intrusion, bypassing access controls, denial-of-service attacks;
• try to access other sellers’ or customers’ accounts, stores or data;
• use bots, scripts or automated tools abusively (mass scraping of stores, automated account creation, flooding with requests);
• inject code, scripts or content designed to get around the protections of the editor or themes;
• create several accounts to get around a suspension, plan limits, the free trial or the referral rules;
• resell, rent or make the Service available to third parties without our written consent;
• use MonEtalo to host files unrelated to your store or to send mass messages.

If you find a security vulnerability, report it to support@monetalo.com without exploiting or disclosing it: thank you for helping us protect everyone.

7. Reporting abuse#

Anyone (customer, seller, rights holder, authority) can report a product, content or store that breaks this policy through the “Report” link at the bottom of every store (monetalo.com/en/report) or by email to support@monetalo.com. To help us act quickly, include:

• the exact address of the page concerned;
• the nature of the problem and, if possible, the rule involved;
• for an infringement of your rights (trademark, photo, text): proof of your rights and what is being copied;
• your contact details, so we can reply.

We acknowledge receipt, review every report seriously and impartially, and prioritise clearly unlawful or dangerous content. A deliberately abusive or false report may itself make its author liable.

8. Measures we may take#

Depending on the severity, repetition and the seller’s good faith, we may:

• ask you to correct or remove a product or content within a set time;
• hide or remove the product or content ourselves;
• restrict certain features (online payment, publishing new products);
• temporarily suspend the store or account;
• permanently close the account and refuse a new sign-up;
• withdraw referral rewards obtained in breach of the rules;
• keep relevant records and cooperate with the competent authorities, in particular by providing information they lawfully request or by reporting seriously unlawful content.

Except in an emergency, we notify you by email, explaining the measure and the reason, and give you a chance to fix the situation. In an emergency (danger to people, fraud, clearly unlawful content), we act immediately and inform you afterwards. The consequences for your subscription are set out in the Terms of Service and Sale.

9. Your right to appeal#

If you think a measure was taken by mistake, write to support@monetalo.com within 30 days explaining your situation and attaching any useful evidence (authorisations, purchase invoices, proof of your rights). Your request is reviewed by someone other than the person who made the original decision, and we reply as quickly as possible. If we find a mistake, the measure is lifted right away.

This internal appeal does not prevent you from asserting your rights under the “Governing law and disputes” section of the Terms of Service and Sale.

10. Changes to this policy#

We may update this policy to reflect changes in the law, in risks and in the Service. Significant changes are announced in advance by email and in your back-office. If a product you sell becomes prohibited, we give you a reasonable time to remove it, unless the law requires immediate action.