Terms of Service

These terms are the agreement between you and Hemp Connect for using hempconnect.net, including the marketplace, auctions, Buy It Now and related features (the “Service”). Hemp Connect is run by Joseph Rudys (Hemp Connect), 1044 Don Felipe Rd, Belen, NM 87002, USA (“Hemp Connect,” “we,” “us”). By creating an account or using the Service you agree to these terms and to our Privacy Policy.

1. The short version

• Hemp Connect is software that connects buyers and sellers. We are not the seller, we never hold products, and we never hold your money.
• You must be 21 or older, and you’re responsible for following the laws where you are.
• Sellers must be allowed to sell what they list and must describe it honestly.
• Auction wins and Buy It Now purchases are reserved for you for a limited time — claim them or they may go to someone else.
• Shops pay a referral fee only when an auction or Buy It Now sale is completed.

2. Who can use Hemp Connect

You must be at least 21 years old to create an account. Some states set a higher minimum age for auctions; where they do, you must meet it to bid or buy. You must give accurate information about yourself, your business and your state, and keep it up to date. One person or business per account; keep your login private — you’re responsible for what happens under it.

Hemp Connect is for legal hemp markets and, where state law allows, licensed cannabis businesses. You may not use it anywhere the products involved are illegal for you to buy, sell or possess.

3. What Hemp Connect is — and isn’t

We provide tools: listings, messaging, auctions, Buy It Now, lab-report reading and verification badges. Every sale is between the buyer and the seller. We are not a party to it, we don’t take ownership of products, and we don’t ship, deliver, store or inspect anything. Payment happens directly between the buyer and the seller (for auctions and Buy It Now, at the dispensary’s own checkout). We are not a payment processor, broker, distributor or licensed retailer, and nothing on the Service is legal advice.

4. Verification and badges

We may ask for license details, business information or a photo ID, and we review them by hand. A “Verified” badge means we reviewed what was submitted at that time — not that we guarantee a seller, a product or a license is valid today. Lab-report readings are automated and can be wrong; always check the lab report itself. We may change, add or switch on compliance checks (for example license, identity, interstate or lab-report rules) at any time.

5. Rules for sellers

• You must hold every license your state requires for what you sell, and only list products you’re allowed to sell to the buyers you’re selling to.
• Listings, photos, prices, quantities, potency and lab results must be accurate and current. Don’t upload lab reports that aren’t for the product listed.
• Hemp must meet the federal and state THC limits. Products that are regulated as cannabis may not be sold or shipped across state lines.
• You’re responsible for packaging, labeling, testing, taxes, shipping or pickup, and any track-and-trace reporting your state requires.
• Honor the terms you agree to with a buyer, and the price a buyer wins or buys at.

6. Rules for buyers

• Only bid or buy if you intend to complete the purchase and are legally allowed to.
• Bring valid ID when you pick up or receive an order; the seller may refuse a sale it can’t lawfully make.
• Check the lab report and listing details before you commit.

7. Marketplace inquiries

On the marketplace you send an inquiry; the seller decides whether to accept it. Once accepted, you can message each other and the seller can set terms (price, quantity, payment method, delivery window). A deal is marked complete when both sides confirm, and only then can you review each other. Hemp Connect doesn’t charge a fee on marketplace deals today.

8. Auctions and Buy It Now

• Bids are commitments. The highest bid when the auction closes wins. An auto-bid max bids for you, up to your max, only as much as needed to stay ahead. Late bids may extend the closing time briefly.
• Claim window. A win or Buy It Now purchase is reserved for you for a limited time (shown on the page, typically 24 hours). If you don’t claim it in time, the reservation ends; the item may be offered to the next-highest bidder or put back on sale, and the no-show is recorded on your account.
• Final price is the winning bid or Buy It Now price plus any tax and delivery, paid at the licensed dispensary’s checkout. The dispensary may refuse a sale it can’t lawfully make.
• We may cancel an auction or sale that breaks these terms, the law, or a shop’s standing with us, including when a shop is suspended.

9. Fees

Listing on the marketplace is free. Shops pay Hemp Connect a referral fee only when an auction or Buy It Now sale is completed — 8% of the sale price as standard, or the rate shown in your seller console if we agreed a different one. Each shop’s first 50 completed sales are free during our launch offer. Fees are invoiced; unpaid fees may lead to selling features being paused. Buyers don’t pay Hemp Connect anything. We’ll give notice before changing fees, and changes don’t apply to sales already completed.

10. What you may not do

• List or sell anything illegal, mislabeled, counterfeit, or that you don’t have the right to sell.
• Sell to anyone under the legal age, or help anyone get around an age, license or state rule.
• Bid on your own items, use a second account to raise prices, or arrange fake bids or reviews.
• Move a deal off Hemp Connect to avoid fees on auction or Buy It Now sales.
• Harass, threaten or deceive other users, or post anything unlawful.
• Access other people’s data, probe or overload the Service, or get around its security or compliance checks (including by calling our systems directly instead of through the app).

11. Your content

You keep ownership of what you upload (listings, photos, lab reports, messages). You give Hemp Connect a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, display and process it to run, promote and improve the Service, for as long as it’s on the Service and as needed for records, disputes and the law. You confirm you have the right to upload it.

12. Suspension and closing your account

We may limit, suspend or close an account, remove content, or cancel auctions and sales if we believe these terms or the law are being broken, or to protect users. You can close your account any time from Dashboard → Profile. Some records stay after closing, as described in the Privacy Policy.

13. Disclaimers

The Service is provided “as is” and “as available.” We don’t guarantee any product, seller, buyer, license, lab result, sale outcome, or that the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free (bids placed during an outage may not register). To the fullest extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

14. Limits on our liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, Hemp Connect isn’t liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, lost profits, or anything arising from a transaction between users. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service is limited to the greater of the fees you paid Hemp Connect in the 12 months before the claim, or $100.

15. Indemnity

You agree to cover Hemp Connect’s losses and reasonable legal costs from claims arising out of your listings, sales, purchases, content, or your breaking these terms or the law.

16. Disputes between users

Sort out problems with an order directly with the other party first. We may help, but we aren’t obliged to, and we don’t issue refunds for payments made to sellers.

17. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Mexico, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be handled in the state or federal courts located in New Mexico, and you and we consent to their jurisdiction.

18. Changes

We may update these terms. If a change is significant we’ll tell you by email or on the site before it takes effect. Continuing to use the Service after that means you accept the updated terms.

19. Contact

Joseph Rudys (Hemp Connect), 1044 Don Felipe Rd, Belen, NM 87002, USA · joseph@hempconnect.net