Marketplace Policy
Effective date: 6 November 2026
1. Marketplace roles Lighthouse helps users discover professionals, products and suppliers and coordinate RFQs and orders. The seller identified in the accepted quotation supplies the goods unless a specific contract identifies Lighthouse as seller. A separate professional appointment governs design or execution services. Lighthouse remains responsible for its own representations, platform services and applicable marketplace obligations. This policy does not transfer all legal responsibility to users.
2. Seller information and buyer decisions Before a buyer makes a binding purchase commitment, provide the seller’s business identity, address and required contact/registration details, relevant ratings, product description, full price components, delivery, warranty and return/refund terms. Supplier identity may be masked during a preliminary comparison only to the extent lawful. “Award” must not be a binding acceptance while the contracting seller is concealed. Reveal required seller details before the final acceptance step and retain that record. A brand catalogue is not proof that every dealer stocks the item or is authorised for that brand. A verified badge states a limited check and does not guarantee fulfilment.
3. Prices, rankings and sponsored placement Clearly distinguish indicative catalogue prices, MRPs, seller quotations and final accepted prices. Disclose taxes, freight, installation and other mandatory charges before acceptance. Do not use fabricated discounts, false scarcity, hidden additions or misleading countdowns. Explain the actual main ranking parameters in plain language and their relative importance. [CONFIRM the production ranking factors and order before publication.] Sponsored placements must be labelled separately and must not silently replace relevance with undisclosed paid preference. Any future related-party seller or private-label activity requires specific disclosure and lawful data-use controls. No blanket permission to exploit confidential buyer or competitor data is created.
4. Quotes and order formation RFQs invite offers. Quotations should state validity, stock basis, product/variant, quantity/unit, tax, delivery, exclusions and payment conditions. An order forms at the explicit acceptance event displayed after all required disclosures. Multi-supplier or multi-item purchases may create separate orders. The accepted terms for each item control, subject to mandatory rights. No substitution or adverse change is binding without approval.
5. Payments and fulfilment Use the disclosed payment route and verify the legal recipient. Lighthouse does not promise escrow, credit protection, guaranteed delivery or insurance unless expressly offered in writing. Sellers must issue the appropriate invoice, deliver agreed goods, provide warranty information and keep fulfilment evidence. Buyers should inspect delivered goods and report issues promptly. A delivery acknowledgement or “Completed” status does not extinguish latent-defect or statutory claims.
6. Complaints and remedies The Returns & Replacement, Refund and Warranty Policies govern their respective subjects. A seller must not refuse a remedy required by law for defective, deficient, spurious, misdescribed or improperly delivered goods by relying on a blanket “no return” statement. Lighthouse receives and routes complaints, maintains records and fulfils its own grievance duties. Seller disputes do not remove the buyer’s right to complain about Lighthouse’s own conduct.
7. Integrity and enforcement Counterfeit goods, false certifications, bid rigging, fabricated reviews, misleading authorisations and deceptive fees are prohibited. We may pause a listing or seller, seek evidence and act under the moderation process. Honest negative feedback is not removed merely because a partner pays.
Launch checks Engineering must confirm the binding order event and pre-acceptance seller disclosure. Operations must validate complaint intake, full-price displays, seller records and ranking explanations. The review tab identifies the 2026 e-commerce amendment checks that require final Gazette validation before launch.
8. Seller onboarding and ongoing duties Sellers must supply their legal identity, relevant registrations, address, grievance contact, invoicing information, brand authority where claimed and the bank details used for collection. Information must be checked to the extent required by the applicable marketplace regime and kept current. A payment account change may be paused for independent verification; an email request alone is insufficient authority to divert funds. A seller must not list counterfeit, recalled, stolen, prohibited or unsafe goods; conceal used, refurbished or damaged condition; invent a compliance certificate; or advertise supply beyond its lawful authority. Sellers must retain traceability to the manufacturer or upstream supplier and cooperate with complaints, recalls and lawful requests.
9. Order record, delivery and allocation of roles The buyer must receive a durable record of the accepted item, seller, amount, currency, taxes, delivery address, dispatch or delivery commitment, payment stages and remedy terms. Separately identify installation, unloading, hoisting, civil work and disposal. The party responsible for each service must be clear. Risk and title pass as specified in the lawful accepted order; mandatory consumer rules prevail. A courier tracking event, OTP or photograph is evidence of a stated event, not conclusive proof of full quantity, quality or acceptance. Partial deliveries require line-level records and must not automatically close undelivered items. Where Lighthouse arranges logistics or takes payment, the related responsibilities must be expressly disclosed. Lighthouse must not describe itself as a passive introducer for conduct it actually controls. An optional collection service is not escrow, deposit insurance or a lending arrangement.
10. Unsafe products and recalls A seller learning of a credible safety defect, recall, counterfeit batch or false certificate must immediately notify Lighthouse and stop affected offers and shipments. Identify models, batches, affected orders, risk, protective instructions and the corrective action. We may disable affected listings, warn buyers and preserve records while assessing the issue. Recall communications must not require a positive review, secrecy promise or account waiver. Responsibility for collection, repair, replacement, refund and necessary costs follows law and the parties’ actual roles. A disagreement over reimbursement between businesses must not delay an urgent consumer-safety measure.
11. Ranking, conflicts and commercial influence Ranking disclosures must explain the material factors actually used and how paid placements differ. A supplier must not buy a verification outcome, suppress competing quotations, arrange sham bids or demand removal of truthful negative reviews. Lighthouse staff and agents must disclose relevant financial conflicts before influencing a procurement decision. A relationship with a brand or affiliate must not be represented as an independent technical recommendation. Buyer enquiry data must not be used for a competing private-label offer without the disclosed lawful basis and any required permission.
12. Fraud, account restrictions and disputes We may hold an unconfirmed transaction, request proportionate proof, restrict a listing or suspend a seller where credible fraud or serious safety concerns arise. Any hold on funds requires a disclosed lawful contractual basis, defined scope and review; this policy does not authorise indefinite freezing of money. For a contested order, record the buyer’s claim, seller response, product evidence, delivery evidence and requested remedy. Give each relevant party a fair opportunity to respond
without requiring disclosure of unrelated commercial secrets. Explain the outcome and available appeal or statutory route.
13. Cross-border marketplace transactions Before accepting an international order, identify the seller, ship-from location, destination, importer of record where applicable, delivery term, currency, payment conversion, customs duties, taxes, return address, product conformity and warranty territory. Do not label a transaction “global” if these responsibilities remain unassigned. EU/EEA operations require assessment of DSA marketplace duties and applicable product-safety and trader-traceability requirements. UK, US, Australian and other consumer protections may apply to the destination. B2B labelling does not remove rights from a buyer who legally qualifies as a consumer. The country supplements in the Terms, Privacy, Returns and Refund tabs govern only within their stated scope and cannot reduce mandatory protection.
14. Pre-contract information and informed commitment Before an order becomes binding, the buyer must have an opportunity to review and correct the delivery address, item variant, unit, quantity and selected services. The final summary must distinguish the seller's consideration from any separately charged Lighthouse service. Optional insurance, priority handling, installation, tips or marketing subscriptions must not be added without an affirmative choice. Where a quote is subject to stock confirmation, the workflow must say whether the buyer is making a request, authorising payment, or accepting a firm offer. An automated acknowledgment of receipt must not be worded as final supply confirmation unless that is the actual agreed event. The parties must receive a retrievable record of the commitment and subsequent approved changes.
15. Bundles, custom orders and specification approval For a bundle, the seller must identify its components and explain the effect of cancellation or non-availability of one component. A discount cannot conceal compulsory unrelated purchases. Custom cutting, fabrication, made-to-measure work and colour selection require a recorded specification approval and clear commencement point before irreversible work starts. The seller must explain the consequences of a buyer's approved change, including supported actual costs and revised delivery. Customisation does not excuse defects, wrong specifications or other mandatory remedies. The seller bears responsibility for obtaining any approval on which it relies; an internal note stating “approved by customer” is insufficient by itself.
16. Dispatch, access and delivery exceptions The order must identify whether the delivery promise is to the building entrance, kerbside, warehouse, floor or installation location. Restrictions concerning vehicle access, unloading labour, lifts and safe storage must be disclosed when material. The buyer must provide
reasonably accurate access information, and the seller must promptly identify known restrictions. If delivery fails, the record should state the attempt, reason, proposed next step and lawful costs. A failed attempt must not be invented to shift responsibility. The parties should separate buyer-caused access failure from carrier delay, missing stock or an incorrect dispatch. Extra charges require the agreed basis and reasonable evidence.
17. Non-conforming and potentially dangerous supplies Goods that are short, wrong, counterfeit, damaged or materially inconsistent with the accepted specification must be recorded at line level. Reasonable inspection supports faster resolution but does not convert a signature or OTP into acceptance of hidden defects. Sellers must not require installation of a disputed product merely to prove that it is unsuitable. When use may be unsafe, the seller must provide appropriate stop-use and preservation instructions. Lighthouse may pause affected sales while seeking clarification. A buyer must not be required to dismantle unsafe electrical or plumbing work without competent assistance solely to satisfy a routine return process.
18. Payment authority and reconciliation A payment demand must identify the lawful recipient and match the accepted order. Users should independently verify unexpected changes to bank details through a known channel. Staff, agents and sellers must not request passwords, payment PINs or OTPs. A payment screenshot is not conclusive settlement evidence. If Lighthouse acts under a separately disclosed collection mandate, its records must distinguish money received, authorised deductions, settlement, reversals and outstanding sums. Payment facilitation alone does not create deposit protection, a credit facility or escrow. Any such regulated service requires separate implementation and lawful documentation.
19. Complaints, evidence and platform action A complaint may concern the supplier, Lighthouse or both. Lighthouse will not close its own complaint solely because a seller has failed to answer. Relevant records include the accepted quotation, variations, payment references, dispatch records, delivery evidence and correspondence; users need not surrender unrelated private information. Where evidence supports repeated serious breaches, Lighthouse may restrict new sales while preserving access necessary to resolve existing orders. Suspension does not cancel accrued refunds or customer remedies. Conversely, a buyer's unsubstantiated allegation does not automatically forfeit the seller's money or establish misconduct. Reasoned decisions and applicable review routes remain available.