Terms

These terms govern use of THE NINTH ARCHIVE by buyers and approved commercial sellers. The marketplace is designed for curated pre-owned and archive fashion.

1. Operator and scope

The platform is operated by Mono Jacobi, Stargarder Straße 17, 10437 Berlin, Germany. It provides technical and curatorial infrastructure through which approved sellers offer pieces to members.

2. Contracting parties

THE NINTH ARCHIVE is not the seller and does not become a party to a sale or rental contract. The commercial seller named on the listing sets the price, describes the piece and remains responsible for invoicing, fulfilment, statutory warranties, withdrawal rights and returns.

3. Access and accounts

Access may be limited to invited members. Users must provide accurate information, protect their credentials and keep their account personal. Membership may be waitlisted, invited, active, restricted or suspended. Security and abuse controls may temporarily restrict access.

4. Listings and contract formation

A live listing identifies the brand, title, category, labelled size, condition, materials, price, images and seller. Measurements may be supplied or requested separately. A contract is formed between buyer and seller only when the provider-backed payment or rental authorisation succeeds.

5. Prices and shipping

Prices are shown in euros and include applicable taxes where the seller must include them. Shipping is calculated per seller or parcel before confirmation. The recipient may be responsible for duties outside the displayed shipping area.

6. Payment processing

A regulated payment provider may process authorisations, captures, refunds, deposits and seller payouts. The platform does not itself promise to hold customer funds. Provider status is authoritative. In the current prototype every checkout and payout state is a local simulation and no money is transferred.

7. Seller fulfilment

The seller must dispatch within the deadline shown in the order, package the piece safely and add valid tracking. Failure to dispatch may lead to cancellation and a provider-processed refund.

8. Delivery and evidence

After delivery, the buyer should inspect the piece promptly. A material mismatch, damage or authenticity concern must be reported through the recorded support flow with appropriate evidence. A payout or deposit release may be paused while a dispute is reviewed.

9. Returns

A purchasing consumer can record withdrawal before dispatch from the order record. After confirmed delivery, the order displays a 14-day return flow unless a longer window applies. The buyer selects a reason and supplies a written explanation; tracked shipping and evidence may be required. Mandatory rights cannot be waived by these terms. Provider refunds remain pending until the payment provider confirms them.

10. Rentals

Rental is a labelled beta. Rental listings state their period, daily price and condition evidence requirements; the purchase price is modelled as the refundable deposit. The piece remains the seller's property. Late return, loss or new damage may trigger a documented claim through the payment provider, subject to evidence and applicable law. No rental is confirmed without provider authorisation.

10a. Post-order message

The purchasing customer may send one permanent, non-editable message about the purchased piece. It is moderated and, if accepted, forwarded to the seller's recorded email. The channel must not be used to move payment or fulfilment outside the platform.

11. Authenticity and prohibited conduct

Sellers warrant authenticity and lawful origin. Counterfeits, stolen goods, misleading descriptions, abusive behaviour and attempts to bypass platform safeguards are prohibited. Listings or accounts may be paused during review.

12. Fees

Approved sellers are shown a commercial model of €9.95 per month plus 8% commission on the sale price unless an individual written arrangement applies. Shipping is excluded from the commission base unless agreed otherwise.

13. Liability

Liability remains unlimited for intent, gross negligence and injury to life, body or health. For negligent breach of an essential obligation, liability is limited to the foreseeable loss typical for the contract, to the extent permitted by law. Mandatory consumer rights remain unaffected.

14. Availability and changes

Continuous availability cannot be guaranteed. Maintenance, security controls and technical incidents may limit functions. Material changes to these terms will be communicated before they take effect where required.

15. Suspension and closure

Accounts and listings may be restricted for fraud, manipulation, repeated breaches or concrete security risk. Open orders, rentals, returns, disputes and legal retention duties remain active after account closure.

16. Governing law

German law applies without depriving consumers of mandatory protection in their country of residence. The exclusive venue for disputes between merchants is Berlin where legally permitted. These English terms are prototype copy and require legal review before production launch.