Acceptable Use Policy and Prohibited Businesses

Version 1.0 · Effective [[Effective date]] · Last updated [[Effective date]]

In short: Some businesses may never use Paysell — anything involving child abuse material, terrorism, sanctions evasion, weapons, illegal drugs, trafficking, stolen goods or data, malware, fraud, counterfeits or money laundering. Others — gambling, adult content, trading platforms, pharmaceuticals and similar — are allowed only if they are legal everywhere they operate, properly licensed, and approved by Paysell after enhanced review. You are responsible for your own licenses, and Paysell can decline or exit any business at its discretion.

1. Scope and effect#

1.1 This Acceptable Use Policy forms part of the Terms of Service and applies to every merchant, shop, account holder and integration.

1.2 It applies to the goods and services you actually sell, to the content on your website, to how you present your business to buyers, and to your conduct toward Paysell and toward other merchants.

1.3 Breach of this policy is a material breach of the Terms of Service and may lead, without prior notice, to suspension of a shop or account, a hold on your balance, refusal of withdrawals, termination and a report to the competent authority. See the AML/CTF and Sanctions Policy.

1.4 Approval of a shop is not legal advice and is not a finding that your business is lawful. You alone are responsible for the legality of what you sell.

2. The basic rule#

You may use Paysell only for a business that is lawful in every jurisdiction where it operates, where its buyers are located and where Paysell operates; that holds every license and authorization it requires; that delivers what it promises to buyers; and that is accurately described to Paysell.

3. Prohibited businesses and activities#

The following are prohibited absolutely. They are never approved, in any jurisdiction, under any license, and no exception is available.

3.1 Exploitation and violence#

• Child sexual abuse material, any sexualized depiction of a minor, and any content or service involving a minor in a sexual context.
• Human trafficking, forced labour, servitude, sale of persons, and any commercial sexual service involving coercion, trafficking or a minor.
• Terrorism, terrorist financing, violent extremism, and material supporting or glorifying either.
• Murder-for-hire, organized violence and threats of violence.
• Trafficking in human organs or body parts.

3.2 Sanctions and financial crime#

• Sanctions evasion, or any transaction for the benefit of a sanctioned person, entity, country or territory. See Restricted Jurisdictions.
• Money laundering and any service designed to obscure the origin of funds: mixers, tumblers, coin-join and "anonymizing" services, "cash-out" services, exchange without customer identification, and cash-for-crypto services.
• Processing payments for someone else's business (payment aggregation, "renting" a shop, factoring, transaction laundering).
• Structuring transactions to stay below a review threshold, and any attempt to circumvent Paysell's limits or controls.
• Ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes, matrix schemes, HYIP programs, "cloud mining" investment offers, and any scheme paying earlier participants from later participants' funds.
• Unlicensed financial services: deposit taking, lending, money transmission, currency exchange, securities issuance or brokerage, investment management, insurance, and initial coin offerings without the required authorization.

3.3 Weapons and dangerous goods#

• Firearms, firearm components, ammunition, 3D-printed weapon files, explosives, military ordnance and dual-use military technology.
• Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials.
• Devices designed to circumvent security or safety systems.

3.4 Drugs and controlled substances#

• Illegal drugs and narcotics, their precursors, and equipment marketed for their production or use.
• Prescription medicines sold without a valid prescription, and any medicine sold by an unlicensed seller.
• Novel psychoactive substances, "research chemicals" marketed for human consumption, and substances marketed to evade drug testing.

3.5 Theft, fraud and cybercrime#

• Stolen goods, stolen or leaked data, stolen credentials, stolen payment card or bank data, and stolen account access.
• Fraud of any kind, phishing kits, fake shops, fake charities, romance scams, "recovery" scams targeting previous victims.
• Malware, ransomware, exploit kits, botnets, denial-of-service services, credential stuffing tools, spyware and stalkerware, hacking-for-hire.
• Bulk unsolicited messaging services, SIM-box fraud, and services selling access to compromised systems.
• Falsified documents: identity documents, passports, diplomas, licenses, test results, certificates and seals.

3.6 Counterfeits and intellectual property#

• Counterfeit, replica or knowingly infringing goods.
• Unlicensed distribution of copyrighted works, pirated software, cracked accounts, key generators, illegal IPTV and stream-ripping services.
• Goods traded in breach of protected species, cultural property or antiquities rules.

3.7 Anything else unlawful#

• Any activity that is illegal where the merchant is established or operates, or where the buyer is located, including activity legal in one country and criminal in the buyer's country.
• Any activity that would expose Paysell, its providers or the TON network to legal liability or the loss of a service.

4. Restricted businesses#

The categories below may be acceptable, but only if all of the following are true, and only after Paysell approves the shop in writing following an enhanced review:

1. the activity is lawful in the merchant's jurisdiction and in every jurisdiction the merchant sells into;
2. the merchant holds every license, registration and authorization required, in force and in the merchant's own name;
3. the merchant blocks buyers from jurisdictions where the activity is prohibited, and can demonstrate how;
4. the merchant applies the age, consent, content and advertising controls the law requires;
5. the merchant passes Tier 2 verification under the Merchant Verification (KYC/KYB) Policy.

4.1 Paysell may impose additional conditions on a restricted merchant, including lower limits, more frequent verification, reserve requirements, and periodic reporting.

4.2 Approval may be withdrawn if a license lapses, a market changes, or the merchant's activity diverges from what was approved.

5. Enhanced review#

5.1 An enhanced review typically covers: the merchant's corporate structure and beneficial owners; the license itself, checked against the issuing authority's public register where one exists; the website, its terms, its geo-blocking and its age controls; the merchant's payment history and any prior provider relationship; the expected volumes and the plausibility of the business model; and adverse media and public sources.

5.2 Paysell may request a live demonstration, test credentials for the merchant's platform, or evidence of a completed transaction.

5.3 Review takes as long as it takes. There is no guaranteed turnaround, and a shop remains restricted until approval is granted.

6. Your licensing responsibility#

6.1 It is your responsibility, not Paysell's, to determine which licenses your business needs, to obtain them, to keep them in force, and to operate within their terms and territorial scope.

6.2 A license issued in one jurisdiction does not authorize you to sell into another. Selling into a market where you are not licensed is a breach of this policy even if you hold a license elsewhere.

6.3 You must give Paysell the license details on request and must notify Paysell immediately if a license is suspended, varied, refused or withdrawn, or if a regulator opens an investigation into your business.

7. Conduct rules for all merchants#

• Describe your business to Paysell truthfully, and keep the description current when it changes.
• Sell only what your approved shop is for. Do not add a new line of business without telling Paysell.
• Give buyers accurate pricing, delivery and refund information, and honor it. See Refunds, Disputes and Chargebacks.
• Do not present Paysell as the seller, as an escrow agent or as a guarantor.
• Do not use Paysell's name or marks in a way that implies endorsement of your business.
• Do not test the platform's limits or security without written permission. See Security and Responsible Disclosure.
• Do not abuse, threaten or mislead Paysell support staff.

8. Paysell's discretion#

8.1 Paysell may refuse, suspend or terminate any merchant or shop at its discretion, including where the business is lawful. Reasons may include reputational risk, the risk of losing a hosting or infrastructure provider, the risk of a stablecoin issuer freezing funds, an unacceptable complaint rate, or a concentration of risk Paysell is not willing to carry.

8.2 Paysell is not obliged to give reasons and is sometimes prohibited by law from doing so.

8.3 Nothing in this policy obliges Paysell to monitor merchant websites continuously, and no absence of enforcement is a waiver.

9. Reporting a violation#

If you believe a merchant is using Paysell in breach of this policy, report it to [[Abuse email]] with the shop name or payment address, the website, and any evidence. Reports are reviewed and may be escalated to law enforcement. Report suspected child sexual abuse material to [[Abuse email]] and to your national authority immediately.

10. Changes#

Paysell may amend this policy at any time, and will publish the current version at https://paysell.me/legal with a new version number and effective date. Changes required by law, by a provider, or by a serious risk may take effect immediately.

Contact#

[[Company legal name]], [[Registered address]], [[Jurisdiction]]

• Pre-approval questions and restricted category applications: [[Compliance email]]
• Abuse reports: [[Abuse email]]
• General support: [[Support email]] or a ticket in the merchant cabinet