Terms of Service
Last Updated: June 8, 2026
1. Introduction & Acceptance
Welcome to Cartva ("we," "our," or "us"). Cartva is operated by Hydryos Group LLC, a company registered in New Mexico, United States.
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Cartva platform at cartva.co (the "Service") — including our website, merchant dashboard, hosted online stores, and related APIs and integrations.
These Terms apply to everyone who uses the platform: merchants who run a store, their staff, and buyers (shoppers) who browse stores and place orders. Where a clause applies only to one group, it says so.
By creating an account, placing an order, or otherwise using Cartva, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you may not use the Service.
2. The Service
Cartva is a WhatsApp-first e-commerce platform that lets merchants create an online store, list products, accept payments, and communicate with their customers — without writing any code. Each merchant receives a private dashboard and a public storefront at cartva.co/store/your-shop.
The Service includes, among other features:
- Store creation, themes & customization
- Product catalog, variants & collections
- Order management & shipping zones
- Payments (Stripe, PayPal, MonCash)
- WhatsApp messaging & automations
- Dropshipping imports (CJ, Doba)
- Customer records & loyalty
- Discounts, reviews & favorites
- Sales & visitor analytics
- Public marketplace listing
Cartva is multi-tenant: thousands of stores run on the platform, and each store can only access its own data. We may add, modify, or remove features at any time to improve the Service.
3. Accounts & Eligibility
You must be at least 18 years old to use Cartva. You may register with an email address and a verification code, or with your Google account. You are responsible for keeping your credentials secure and for all activity under your account.
Account Roles
Accounts may be Merchant, Staff, or Admin. Merchants may invite staff members with limited, permission-scoped access to their store.
Accurate Information
You agree to provide accurate, current information and to keep it up to date. False or misleading information may lead to suspension.
3.1 Identity Verification (KYC)
All merchants — regardless of subscription plan — must complete identity verification ("KYC") through our partner Didit before enabling any payment method (MonCash, NatCash, Stripe, PayPal, or any other provider). This requirement applies at the moment you attempt to activate a payment method for the first time. You agree to:
- Provide accurate, genuine, and current identity documents
- Complete the verification process before your first payment method can go live
- Abide by Didit's terms of use during the verification process
Consequences of non-completion: All payment methods remain locked until KYC is approved. Repeated failures or submission of fraudulent documents may result in permanent account suspension and reporting to the relevant US authorities. Cartva reserves the right to require re-verification at any time to maintain regulatory compliance. KYC is a legal obligation under US federal law (Bank Secrecy Act, FinCEN MSB rules) applicable to Hydryos Group LLC as a New Mexico–registered payment intermediary. Read our full KYC explainer →
4. Data We Collect & Process
Operating the Service requires collecting and processing certain data. This section summarizes what we handle; our Privacy Policy describes it in full.
4.1 Merchant Account Data
- Name, email & phone number
- Password (bcrypt-hashed, never stored in clear)
- Country, timezone & language preference
- Subscription plan & billing status
- Google account ID (if you sign in with Google)
- Stripe customer ID (for billing)
4.2 Store & Commerce Data
- Store name, logo, theme & pages
- Products, variants, prices & media
- Collections, discounts & reviews
- Orders, totals & fulfillment status
- Shipping zones & delivery details
- Loyalty points & settings
4.3 Customer Data (entered through your store)
When buyers order from a merchant's store, the following is processed on the merchant's behalf:
- First & last name
- Phone number & email
- Delivery address, city, postal code & country
- Order history & loyalty balance
- Payment method & payment proof
- WhatsApp conversation history
Important: The merchant is the data controller of their customers' data. As a merchant, you are responsible for handling it in compliance with applicable privacy laws, providing your own privacy notice, and obtaining any required consent.
4.4 Payment Data
Card and bank details are handled directly by our payment processors (e.g. Stripe). We do not store full card numbers. We retain transaction IDs, payment status, order totals, and — where you connect your own provider — encrypted provider credentials needed to process your sales.
5. Analytics & How We Analyze the System
To power your dashboard statistics and to improve the platform, we collect usage and storefront analytics. Visitor analytics are anonymous — we do not attach a visitor's real identity to them.
5.1 Storefront Analytics
- • Anonymous visitor ID (browser-generated)
- • Page & store views per day
- • Device type (mobile / tablet / desktop)
- • Operating system & browser
- • Country & city (from IP, coarse)
- • Referral source
5.2 Platform Analytics
- • Feature usage & navigation patterns
- • Performance & error monitoring
- • Conversion & retention metrics
- • Aggregated, de-identified trends
- • Sales & audience insights for merchants
- • A/B and product research
Some analytics features (such as historical date ranges and advanced audience/retention reports) are limited by your subscription plan. We use third-party analytics and monitoring tools, listed in Section 7, to provide these insights.
6. Payments, Commission & Subscriptions
Subscription
Cartva is offered on paid monthly or yearly plans (e.g. Basic, Business). Fees are charged in advance and are non-refundable except where required by law. Plans renew automatically until cancelled.
Sales Commission
For sales processed via Stripe Connect, Cartva automatically deducts a small commission per transaction. The rate depends on your plan. The merchant receives the remainder directly from the processor.
6.1 Available Payment Methods
Depending on a store's configuration and country, buyers may pay through any of the following providers. Each is operated by its own company under its own terms; Cartva does not control or guarantee their availability:
- Stripe (cards, via Stripe Connect)
- PayPal
- Square
- MonCash (Digicel, Haiti)
- NatCash (Haiti)
- Paystack (Africa)
- Flutterwave (Africa)
- CinetPay (Africa)
- Wave (Africa)
- Mercado Pago (Latin America)
- BitPay (crypto)
- Cash on Delivery
- Bank Transfer
You are responsible for all applicable taxes on your sales. Failure to pay subscription fees may result in suspension or downgrade of premium features (such as bulk WhatsApp messaging).
7. Connected Third-Party Services
Cartva relies on the following third-party services to operate. By using related features, you also agree to the applicable third party's terms. We are not responsible for the practices of these providers.
Stripe (incl. Stripe Connect)
Card payments, payouts & platform commission
PayPal
Alternative online payment method
MonCash / NatCash
Mobile money payments (Haiti)
Meta — WhatsApp Business
Customer messaging & automated notifications
Resend
Transactional emails & verification codes
Cloudflare R2
Storage of product & store images
Sign-in with Google (OAuth)
CJ Dropshipping / Doba
Supplier catalogs & order fulfillment
PostHog / Google Analytics
Product analytics & behavior tracking
Didit
Identity verification (KYC) — required before activating any payment method
Sentry
Error monitoring & reliability
8. Acceptable Use
You agree not to use Cartva to:
- Sell illegal, counterfeit, or prohibited goods
- Engage in fraud, scams, or money laundering
- Infringe intellectual property or privacy rights
- Send spam or unsolicited messages
- Upload malware or attempt to breach security
- Access another tenant's data without authorization
- Scrape, overload, or disrupt the platform
- Violate WhatsApp, Stripe, or other provider policies
8.1 Prohibited & Restricted Goods
Merchants may not list, sell, or fulfill the following through any Cartva store. This list is not exhaustive, and we may update it at any time:
- Firearms, weapons, ammunition, explosives & their parts
- Illegal drugs, controlled substances & related paraphernalia
- Counterfeit, stolen, or smuggled goods
- Child sexual abuse material or any content exploiting minors
- Human trafficking or any exploitation of persons
- Endangered or protected wildlife & ivory
- Hazardous, toxic, or recalled materials
- Hacking tools, malware, or stolen data/credentials
- Hate, terrorist, or violent-extremist content
- Goods that infringe trademarks, copyrights, or patents
Age-restricted goods (alcohol, tobacco, vaping products, adult content, etc.) may only be sold where lawful and only with proper age verification. The merchant is fully responsible for compliance with local laws.
9. Protection of Minors
Protecting minors is a core obligation for everyone on the platform.
- Account holders (merchants, staff, buyers creating an account) must be at least 18 years old, or the age of majority in their jurisdiction.
- Merchants must not knowingly sell age-restricted products to minors and must apply appropriate age verification where the law requires it.
- Cartva does not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we learn that a minor's data has been collected without proper consent, we will delete it.
- Any store involved in the exploitation of, or sale of harmful goods to, minors will be removed immediately and may be reported to the competent authorities.
10. Fraud Prevention, Suspension & Store Removal
If a store is suspected of fraud
To protect buyers, merchants, and payment partners, Cartva monitors for fraudulent, deceptive, or illegal activity. Where we reasonably suspect such activity — for example fake products, undelivered orders, stolen payment cards, money laundering, or prohibited goods — we may, with or without prior notice:
- • Suspend the store or specific listings
- • Freeze or withhold payouts pending review
- • Permanently delete the store and its content
- • Terminate the merchant's account
- • Report the activity to authorities or payment providers
Right to contest (merchants)
A merchant whose store has been suspended or deleted may contest the decision by emailing support@cartva.co within 30 days, including any evidence (proof of delivery, sourcing, identity, licenses). We will review the appeal in good faith and, where the concern is resolved, may reinstate the store or release withheld funds. Decisions on appeals involving illegal activity are final.
11. Buyer Orders & Disputes
When you buy from a store, your contract for the goods is with the merchant, not with Cartva. The merchant is responsible for the product, its description, fulfillment, delivery, returns, and refunds. Cartva provides the platform and payment routing but is not the seller. Order-related disputes should first be raised with the merchant; payment disputes may also be handled by the relevant payment provider.
12. Merchant Content & Responsibilities
You retain ownership of the content you upload (products, images, store text). You grant Cartva a license to host, display, and process it to provide the Service. You are solely responsible for your products, pricing, fulfillment, customer support, and legal compliance in your jurisdiction.
13. Intellectual Property
The Cartva platform, brand, software, and themes are owned by Hydryos Group LLC and protected by law. These Terms do not grant you any right in our intellectual property except the limited right to use the Service.
14. Data Ownership & Portability
Merchants own their store data and may export products, orders, and customer records (e.g. in CSV or JSON). Cartva processes this data to operate the Service and as described in the Privacy Policy.
15. Termination
You may stop using Cartva and close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate access for breach of these Terms, non-payment, or legal reasons. On termination, your stores are deactivated and data is handled per our retention policy. Fraud-related suspensions and removals are governed by Section 10.
16. Disclaimers
The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee uninterrupted, error-free, or secure operation, nor any specific sales results. Cartva is not responsible for the goods sold by merchants.
17. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Hydryos Group LLC is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, or for lost profits or data. Our total liability is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim.
18. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Mexico, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. The courts located in New Mexico shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute, and you consent to that jurisdiction. Where mandatory consumer-protection laws in a buyer's country of residence grant additional rights, those rights are not affected. We may update these Terms from time to time; material changes will be posted here with a new "Last Updated" date, and continued use constitutes acceptance.
19. Contact Us
Questions about these Terms? Email support@cartva.co with 'Terms Inquiry' in the subject line.