Acceptable Use Policy

Last updated: February 23, 2026

1. Overview

Bizthom provides e-commerce tools that help African businesses sell online. When you create a store on Bizthom, you agree to use the platform responsibly. This policy sets out what is and isn't allowed.

Violating the letter or spirit of this policy may result in warnings, temporary suspension, permanent termination, or delays to fund settlement — depending on the severity and nature of the violation.

2. Prohibited Products and Services

You may not sell the following on Bizthom:

2.1 Illegal and Regulated Items

  • Any product or service that falls within the Prohibition List of the Nigeria Customs Service
  • Illegal drugs, narcotics, controlled substances, or drug paraphernalia
  • Unlicensed pharmaceutical products or prescription medication
  • Banned narcotics, steroids, or substances that present a risk to consumer safety
  • Weapons, firearms, firearm parts, ammunition, explosives, or destructive devices
  • Stolen goods or goods obtained through illegal means
  • Products that violate Nigerian import/export laws
  • Production of military and paramilitary wears and accoutrement, including those of the Police, Customs, Immigration, and Prison Services

2.2 Counterfeit and Infringing Goods

  • Counterfeit products or knockoffs presented as genuine
  • Products bearing trademarks, logos, or branding you are not authorised to use
  • Pirated digital content (software, music, videos, books, courses)
  • Items that infringe any copyright, trademark, right of publicity or privacy, or any other proprietary right

2.3 Harmful and Dangerous Products

  • Products designed to cause injury or harm
  • Hazardous chemicals or toxic substances not properly licensed for retail sale
  • Recalled products
  • Burglary tools
  • Wildlife products, endangered animal parts, or products derived from protected species
  • Human organs, body parts, blood, or bodily fluids

2.4 Adult and Restricted Content

  • Pornographic or sexually explicit material
  • Products or services promoting sexual exploitation
  • Certain sexually oriented materials or services
  • Content involving minors in any inappropriate context

2.5 Alcohol, Tobacco, and Related Products

  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Tobacco products, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or vaping products
  • CBD, hemp, or cannabis-derived products

2.6 Financial and High-Risk Services

  • Cryptocurrency or virtual currency trading without appropriate licensing
  • Sales of currency without a BDC (Bureau de Change) license
  • Multi-level marketing (MLM) or pyramid schemes, ponzi schemes, matrix programs, or other "get rich quick" schemes
  • Unlicensed financial services, stocks, securities, or investment products
  • Gift cards or stored-value cards from third parties
  • Annuities, lottery contracts, lay-away systems, off-shore banking, or transactions to finance debts funded by a credit card

2.7 Gambling and Betting

  • Gambling, gaming, or any activity with an entry fee and a prize, including but not limited to casino games, sports betting, horse or greyhound racing, lottery tickets, sweepstakes, and games of skill
  • This applies whether or not the activity is legally defined as a lottery in any jurisdiction

2.8 Identity and Personal Information

  • Government-issued documents or identification (real or fake)
  • Personal financial records or personal information in any form, including mailing lists
  • Surveillance equipment designed for illegal use

2.9 Offensive and Harmful Content

  • Products or services that promote hatred, violence, racial or religious intolerance, or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic
  • Offensive material or hate speech
  • Items that promote the financial exploitation of a crime

2.10 Other Prohibited Items

  • Any product or service that is illegal under Nigerian law
  • Any product or service marketed or sold in a way that creates liability to Bizthom

3. Prohibited Business Practices

You may not use Bizthom to:

3.1 Fraud and Deception

  • Misrepresent the nature, quality, or origin of your products
  • Use fake or misleading product images, descriptions, or pricing
  • Engage in bait-and-switch tactics (advertising one product, delivering another)
  • Create fake customer reviews or testimonials
  • Manipulate scarcity or urgency indicators with false information
  • Operate under a false business identity
  • Show the personal information of third parties in violation of applicable law

3.2 Payment Abuse

  • Use the platform for money laundering or terrorist financing
  • Process payments for goods or services not delivered through Bizthom
  • Manipulate pricing, refunds, or chargebacks to defraud buyers or the platform
  • Use another vendor's identity or payment credentials
  • Create multiple accounts to circumvent platform restrictions

3.3 Spam and Abuse

  • Send unsolicited messages or marketing to people who haven't opted in
  • Use Bizthom's messaging tools (WhatsApp, SMS, email) for spam
  • Scrape, harvest, or collect customer data for use outside Bizthom
  • Interfere with the operation, performance, or security of the platform
  • Attempt to access other vendors' accounts, data, or earnings

3.4 Intellectual Property Violations

  • List products using images, descriptions, or branding you do not own or have permission to use
  • Copy another vendor's store design, product listings, or content without authorisation

4. Vendor Responsibilities

As a Bizthom vendor, you are responsible for:

  • Ensuring every product you list is legal to sell in Nigeria and complies with this policy
  • Providing accurate product descriptions, images, and pricing
  • Fulfilling orders within the timeframe communicated to buyers
  • Responding to customer enquiries and resolving complaints in good faith
  • Keeping your account information and bank details accurate and up to date
  • Completing BVN verification before withdrawing funds
  • Complying with all applicable Nigerian laws and regulations, including consumer protection, tax, and data privacy laws

5. Monitoring

Bizthom has the right, but not the obligation, to monitor your store content, product listings, transactions, and use of the Services at any time for compliance with this Acceptable Use Policy and the Terms of Service .

Our determination of whether a violation of this policy has occurred will be final and binding. Any action taken to enforce this policy, including taking no action at all, will be at our sole discretion.

6. Enforcement

We take violations seriously. If, in our sole discretion, we believe you have engaged in any violation of the letter or spirit of this policy, we may take one or more of the following actions without limitation:

6.1 First Violation (Minor)

  • Written warning via email or dashboard notification
  • Request to remove or correct the offending listing within 48 hours

6.2 Repeated or Serious Violations

  • Temporary suspension of your store (your store goes offline, orders are paused)
  • Temporary delay of withdrawal instructions to our payment processing partners pending investigation
  • Removal of offending product listings

6.3 Severe Violations

  • Permanent termination of your Bizthom account
  • Permanent withholding of wallet funds where fraud or illegal activity is confirmed
  • Reporting to relevant law enforcement authorities where required by law
  • Disclosing information related to the violation to affected customers, payment processing partners, banks, card networks, law enforcement, regulatory authorities, or other impacted third parties
  • Taking legal action against you
  • Recovering from you any costs, fees, penalties, assessments, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) that we incur as a result of the violation, which you agree to pay promptly upon notice

We may skip directly to suspension or termination for severe violations (fraud, illegal products, identity theft) without prior warning.

7. Dispute and Fund Hold Policy

Customer payments are processed and held by our licensed payment processing partners. Bizthom maintains a ledger (wallet) that tracks each vendor's earnings.

In the following situations, Bizthom may delay issuing withdrawal instructions to its payment partners:

  • A customer disputes a transaction or reports non-delivery
  • We receive a chargeback notification from our payment processing partner
  • We have reasonable suspicion of fraudulent activity on the account
  • A law enforcement authority requests a freeze
  • A suspected violation of this policy is under investigation

Delays are temporary and will be resolved as quickly as possible. Vendors will be notified of any delay and given an opportunity to respond before any further action is taken.

8. Reporting Violations

If you are a customer or vendor and believe someone is violating this policy, you can report it by:

  • Emailing support@bizthom.com with details of the violation
  • Including the store name, product listing (if applicable), and any evidence

We review all reports and will respond within 5 business days. Reports can be submitted anonymously.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email or dashboard notification. Continued use of Bizthom after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

We advise that you check this page regularly, referring to the "Last updated" date above.

10. Contact

For questions about this Acceptable Use Policy: