Terms of service.

These Terms govern your use of CartridgeBond. By submitting a listing, signing in, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you don't agree, please don't use the Service.

1. What CartridgeBond is

CartridgeBond is a connection platform that matches Nintendo Switch game buyers and sellers. We do not own, store, deliver, or transfer ownership of any games. Every transaction occurs directly between matched parties. CartridgeBond is not a party to your transaction, does not act as an escrow agent during the current beta, and does not handle payments between users.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years old to submit a listing or sign in. By using the Service, you confirm you meet this minimum age. If you are between 16 and 18, you confirm you have your parent or guardian's permission to use the Service. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16 - if we learn we have, we will delete it.

3. Your account and submissions

You are responsible for the accuracy of information you submit, including your name, contact details, zip code, and game listing details. You agree that submitted prices are binding once locked. Both parties commit to the price at submission, and renegotiation at the meetup is not permitted.

If your counterparty attempts to change terms at the meetup, you should leave the meetup and contact us. You confirm that any item you list meets the stated condition standard (currently A1 - like new, original case included, plays perfectly).

4. Meetups and your safety

You are solely responsible for your own safety at any meetup. We strongly recommend reading the safe meetup guide before your first trade and meeting in well-lit, public locations such as library lobbies, coffee shops, or police-station community rooms.

CartridgeBond does not chaperone, supervise, screen, or vet users beyond email-based authentication. We do not run background checks, identity verification, or condition inspections. We are not liable for any incidents, losses, injuries, or damages that occur during or related to a meetup.

5. Beta service and "AS IS" disclaimer

CartridgeBond is currently in beta. The Service is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, or uninterrupted availability.

We do not guarantee that you will be matched, that matches will result in completed trades, or that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure from third-party intrusion. Features, pricing methodology, condition tiers, matching radius, and platform fees may change with reasonable notice. We will give 30 days notice before introducing platform fees.

6. Disputes between users

If a counterparty no-shows, misrepresents condition, attempts price renegotiation, or otherwise behaves outside these Terms, contact us at cartridgebond@gmail.com. During beta, we will review the situation and, in our sole discretion, may suspend the offending account, revoke founder status, or otherwise enforce these Terms.

CartridgeBond is not the arbiter of transaction disputes between users. We are a connection platform - we do not adjudicate ownership claims, condition disputes, or payment disputes between matched parties. Both users are encouraged to resolve issues directly first, and to file a police report or small-claims action if an actual transaction or theft is involved.

7. Founder spots

The first 25 users to complete a trade qualify for "Founder" status - free platform fees on all future trades on CartridgeBond, even after fees are introduced post-beta. Founder status is non-transferable and tied to the verified email used at the time of the qualifying trade.

If you change your email address, contact us and we will work with you in good faith to maintain your Founder status, but we make no guarantee of transferability. We reserve the right to revoke Founder status for violations of these Terms.

8. Prohibited conduct

You agree not to:

• List counterfeit, stolen, pirated, or non-functional cartridges
• Misrepresent the condition of any game
• Renegotiate prices at the meetup
• Harass, threaten, intimidate, or stalk other users
• Submit listings on behalf of someone else without their permission
• Submit duplicate or spam listings
• Attempt to circumvent our matching system or extract our data
• Use CartridgeBond for any unlawful purpose

Violations may result in immediate account termination, forfeiture of Founder status, and reporting to law enforcement where appropriate.

9. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, CartridgeBond, its operators, employees, contractors, and affiliates are not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Service, including but not limited to:

• Damaged, defective, non-functional, or misrepresented games
• No-show counterparties or failed meetups
• Any incident, injury, theft, or loss occurring during a meetup
• Service downtime, data loss, or matching errors
• Loss of Founder status due to email changes or alleged violations

Our total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service is limited to one hundred dollars ($100) or the amount you have paid us in the past 12 months, whichever is greater. (Currently, that figure is zero, since the Service is free during beta.)

10. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless CartridgeBond and its operators from any claim, loss, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of your use of the Service, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any law or third-party rights, including intellectual property rights of any party from whom you obtained a game.

11. Governing law and dispute resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Wisconsin, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute between you and CartridgeBond shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin or Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

Before filing any formal legal action, you agree to first contact us at cartridgebond@gmail.com and attempt to resolve the issue informally. Most disputes can be resolved this way within 30 days.

12. Termination

You may stop using the Service at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access for violations of these Terms, prolonged inactivity, or because we are discontinuing the Service. If we shut down CartridgeBond entirely, we will give 30 days notice via email and provide a way to export your active listings and trade history.

13. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. For material changes, we will notify users via email and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to the changes, your remedy is to stop using the Service.

14. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email cartridgebond@gmail.com. We try to respond to all messages within two business days.

A note on legal review: These Terms are written in plain language because we want you to actually understand what you're agreeing to. CartridgeBond is currently a one-person beta operation in Milwaukee. Before national launch with shipping and escrow, these Terms will be reviewed by a licensed attorney. If you spot something that seems unfair, broken, or unclear, please email us - we'd rather fix it than fight about it.