The Signature Movement Marketplace Vendor Agreement and Terms of Service
Who we are: Welcome to The Signature Movement–a lifestyle brand for mind, body and home. Our company philosophy comes from our leader: “Whatever the undertaking, I will do it so well, I am proud to affix my signature to it and share it with the world.”–Tonya D. Floyd, Real Estate Professional, Author and Lifestyle Consultant
Thus, the Signature Movement began with a personal commitment to professionalism, integrity, passion and pride in one’s work which leads to a quality product, higher customer satisfaction and loyalty. My team works hard to demonstrate this commitment with every Signature Moves product/service. I encourage others to put their signature touch on their own endeavors, thereby beginning a Movement of those operating with high professional standards and excellence, if you will. The world could use a few more businesses of this kind; don’t you agree? Success in business relies on building lasting and profitable relationships. We simply must make those quality relationships built on mutual respect and trust.
What we do: We offer custom solutions that improve quality of life for our clients. We’ll help you find the right home, customize the layout of your home and/or layer each space with personalized touches that reflect who you are and how you want to feel. But here at The Signature Movement we know that life is not just about where we live or how stylish our space is; it’s also about our people, relationships and shared experiences–which usually involve food. If home is where the heart is, the kitchen is where the magic and bonding really happen.
Our Signature Sweets are handcrafted, thoughtful, flavorful desserts made to order. They are available for sale, along with some other custom items, through our Square online store, which also feeds the Woocommerce shop utility on our site, makesignaturemoves.com. The time has come for us to expand our sales presence to other areas of the lifestyle brand we are building. That’s where you come in. You have something our customers need, and I’d like us to work together to reach as many customers as possible.
For our vendor partners: Thank you for bringing your artisan skills and handcrafted products to our marketplace. You were invited because I believe your products complement our lifestyle brand well, and because I believe you will uphold our mission to provide quality services and products in an effort to build lasting relationships with your customers. The goal is for each of us to grow our individual audiences and thereby grow our profits, while supporting each other.
Yes, your product, labels, logo and other identifying characteristics will remain your intellectual property at all times. The portal, payment processing, shop design and shipping options belong to The Signature Movement, but we’re allowing you to use these tools to promote/sell your product because I strongly believe in community and the village. We must support and promote each other if any of us is going to win. I want us all to win. That said, the portal, processing, marketing, shipping and the site itself incur costs that must be paid.
How will these costs be covered, and what’s it going to cost you? For starters, shipping charges are assessed on each order, to be paid by the customer. Generally, we can promise delivery within 3-5 days for a flat fee of $11 using our various shipping methods, or at an extra cost for rush orders. That means you need to be ready to ship the items within 24-48 hours, which I think is more than fair. If you delay, it costs us both money in extra shipping costs and apology coupons. For larger items, shipping costs will vary. We’ll discuss what’s needed and find a workable solution that fits you and your specific product.
Oh yeah, you keep your own inventory. Because I believe in freshness and finishing, personalized touches and such, I will not be buying mass quantities of your products to sit around aging, while we wait for orders to come in. And you’ll always know how much you’ve sold, so there will be no discrepancy in whether we’ve paid you for all the items we’ve sold or not. Remember, I’m providing a portal by which you can reach other customers without the added cost of you maintaining a domain, website, portal, advertising, etc.
As the owner of the Signature Marketplace, I already pay for website, hosting, domain, etc. An associate will input inventory, description, photos and specs for every product sold through the Marketplace. The profit we (TSM) make on each sale will contribute to these costs, as we will be using various avenues to promote our collective Marketplace. Each transaction processed through our platform incurs a credit card processing fee. 3% will be deducted from each of your transactions to cover that. This is more cost effective than charging you a recurring subscription fee, because sales will no doubt fluctuate from month to month. If you sell nothing, you pay nothing. Again, I want us all to win.
When an order comes in, it will be forwarded to you immediately to fill, along with payment (SM cost, minus the 3% processing fee) and a pre-paid shipping label so you can quickly forward items to the customer. You should invest in packing/shipping materials to keep your type of product safe during transport. PLEASE keep it fresh and honest. Before you send something out, ask yourself WWTD (what would Tonya do)? Is this Signature? Am I proud to put my name on this and parade it around these internet streets?
The Signature Movement accepts no liability for any product quality, allergic reactions, or other issues caused by your creation processes or handling of your product. Please use caution and labels/warnings accordingly. In the event that a customer wants to return their non-food, non-cosmetic items for a refund, we will allow 30 calendar days for them to do so. You will only need to refund us what we paid for the items in question.
As a vendor on our platform, we ask that when marketing your products on your own, you mention that they’re available through The Signature Movement or the Signature Marketplace—just like you would say also available at Macy’s, Amazon, Sephora or wherever. Hashtags, tags and all that! Promote our community! We do not require exclusivity, meaning you can sell anywhere you’d like, but we do require that you keep your product pricing consistent across all platforms. No selling for less on your socials or other sites. Which brings us to our price…we request that you do your due diligence to determine market rate for custom products like yours—not just what sounds good and cheap. If you need help, say the word and I’ll help in any way I can.
You’ll negotiate a slightly lower price for The Signature Movement to obtain your products/services in exchange for allowing you to utilize our amenities. Basically, the customer pays retail while we send you the lower, agreed-upon rate, thus allowing us to make a profit on each sale. Retail price is critical to making this arrangement work. This requires you to be conscious of your development costs, taxes, shipping, labor and other costs to arrive at an appropriate retail price. If you need help minimizing costs or calculating what your cost is, I’m here to help.
Nobody can promote your products like you. I want your best pics, descriptions and important details about your items. The Signature Shop is currently displayed on our Signature Movement FB page and on our IG page (@makesignaturemoves) for tagging and purchase directly from the pages. Follow us. Links will be provided to you for sharing your products directly from the Square online shop.
There will be a rotation of featured items, so think about discounts and specials you’d like to offer when it’s your turn. I find it’s better to add bonus items to a sale than to lower your price, because that dilutes the value in some people’s eyes. Maybe do a BOGO half off instead of a 25% off. The customer would get two $40 items for $60 instead of one at $30. You both win.
***As a final note (not required for entry in the Marketplace), I encourage you to keep good records and claim the appropriate income and expenses on your tax return. If you have not established your business with your state or obtained your EIN from IRS, you are missing out on valuable tax benefits for small business owners, as well as other incentives given by the Small Business Administration and other investors, creditors, grants, etc.
I’ve been in business since 2005 and it’s been an interesting ride, but through every political Administration in this capitalist society, the tax benefits for small business have consistently been great. Visit https://makesignaturemoves.com/shop/ to get a copy of my Business Startup Guide, and sign up for Square credit card processing using my discount code. Send me your confirmation from Square and your processing fees in the Marketplace will be waived for the first $1000 in sales. You can also use Square for your own transactions outside the Marketplace. It’s secure and it looks professional when you accept credit/debit cards. Other payment methods accepted by Square are Afterpay (6% fee), ACH Transfer (1% fee), and Cash App.***
Acceptance of the above terms is mandatory for participation in the Signature Movement Marketplace Program. You will be asked to e-sign a pdf version of these terms prior to any of your products being listed for sale on our platform. Please ask me any questions you may have. I’m here to help. Happy selling!
TDF