DRAFT, not yet reviewed by an attorney. Bracketed items to be completed before launch.
Terms of Service
1. Acceptance
By creating an account or using Clearance Guru (the "App"), you agree to these Terms and the Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the App. You must be at least 13 years old (18 where required by law). The App is operated by [Owner legal name/entity] ("we", "us").
2. What the App is
Clearance Guru is a community platform where users share photos, notes, prices, and in-store locations of clearance and discounted items they personally see in retail stores. All content is submitted by users. We do not sell products and do not process purchases.
3. No affiliation with retailers
Clearance Guru is an independent community project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or approved by Lowe's, The Home Depot, Walmart, or any other retailer. Store names and trademarks belong to their respective owners and are used only to identify where a find was spotted. We do not use retailer logos.
4. Prices and availability not guaranteed
Posts reflect what a user reports seeing at a moment in time. Prices, markdowns, quantities, and availability change constantly, vary by store, and may be wrong. We do not verify posts and make no guarantee that any item will be available or sold at any posted price. Retailers are not obligated to honor any price shown in the App. Always confirm with the store.
5. Accounts
You are responsible for your account and all activity under it. One person, one account; automated or bulk account creation is prohibited.
6. Your content and license to us
You keep ownership of the photos, notes, and other content you post ("User Content"). By posting, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, transferable license to host, store, reproduce, resize, crop, display, distribute, and adapt your User Content to operate, improve, and promote the App. This license ends when you delete the content, except for limited backup copies, content others have already shared, or where retention is required by law. You represent that you have the rights to your User Content and that posting it violates no law, third-party right, or store policy.
7. Store photography and posting policies
You are solely responsible for complying with each store's photography, recording, and conduct policies, posted signage, and employee instructions. If a store or employee asks you to stop taking photos or to leave, comply immediately. Do not photograph other shoppers' faces, employees, license plates, screens, back-room or employee-only areas, or confidential material. We are not responsible for any consequence of your conduct in a store.
8. Acceptable use
Do not post false or fabricated finds; spam, ads, affiliate links, or reseller solicitation; harassment, hate, threats, or sexual content; personal information about others; infringing content; instructions for theft, tag swapping, or fraud; impersonation of a retailer or its staff. Do not scrape, use bots, manipulate votes or rankings, or interfere with the App's security.
9. Moderation, spam and abuse handling
We may review, edit, hide, or remove any content and may restrict, suspend, or terminate any account at our discretion, with or without notice. We use community reports, automated rate limits, and spam filters; posts reported by several users are hidden pending review. Repeated violations result in escalating action: warning, temporary posting limit, suspension, permanent ban. We may preserve and disclose information when required by law.
10. Copyright complaints (DMCA)
Send copyright notices to our designated agent at [address/email] with the information required by 17 U.S.C. 512(c)(3). We remove infringing content and terminate repeat infringers.
11. Location and privacy
If you allow it, the App uses your device location only to sort nearby stores. We do not publish your location. Photos are re-encoded on your device before upload, which removes embedded metadata such as GPS. Your email is used for sign-in and App updates, and is not sold.
12. Disclaimers
THE APP AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING ACCURACY, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.
13. Limitation of liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST TIME, TRAVEL COSTS, OR MISSED DEALS. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE GREATER OF $50 OR THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE PRIOR 12 MONTHS.
14. Indemnity
You agree to defend and indemnify us against claims arising from your User Content, your conduct in any store, or your violation of these Terms or any law.
15. Termination
You may delete your account at any time. We may suspend or end your access at any time. Sections on affiliation, prices, license (for retained copies), store policies, disclaimers, liability, indemnity, and governing law survive.
16. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of North Carolina. Disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in [county], North Carolina.
17. Changes
We may update these Terms and will post the new date; for material changes we will notify users in the App.
18. Contact
[Owner legal name/entity], [mailing address], [contact email].
Disclaimer
Clearance Guru is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any retailer. Prices and availability are reported by users, are not verified, and are not guaranteed. Always confirm in store.
Report a problem
Tap the ⚑ button on any post to report it. Posts reported by several people are hidden until a moderator reviews them. For copyright, legal, or retailer requests, email [contact email].