Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, browsing, or using the SkillsPad platform (“the Platform”) at skillspad.org, including any subdomains, mobile applications, and associated services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Platform.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and SkillsPad. We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

2. Description of Service

SkillsPad is a digital commerce platform that enables creators, educators, coaches, and service providers (“Creators”) to create, market, and sell digital products online. The Platform also allows individuals (“Buyers”) to discover and purchase digital products, and affiliates (“Affiliates”) to promote products and earn commissions.

The Platform provides the following services:

• Product creation and hosting across 8 categories (ebooks, templates, education, coaching, services, playbooks, communities, systems)
• Payment processing via Paystack (credit/debit card, Mobile Money, bank transfer)
• Landing page builder with custom subdomains and custom domains
• Email marketing tools (campaigns, sequences, subscriber management)
• Affiliate management system
• Analytics, reporting, and business intelligence tools
• Automated payout processing to creator accounts
• Team collaboration tools
• API access and webhook integrations (on eligible tiers)

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years of age to use the Platform. By using the Platform, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement. If you are using the Platform on behalf of a business or organization, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms.

4. User Accounts

4.1 Registration

You must create an account to access certain features of the Platform. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to update such information to keep it accurate and complete. You may register using email and password or through Google OAuth.

4.2 Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials, including your password. You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account. You must notify us immediately at support@skillspad.org if you suspect any unauthorized use of your account. SkillsPad may send you a new device login alert when a login is detected from an unrecognized device. We protect your sensitive data using industry-standard encryption (AES-256-GCM) for financial information such as bank account and mobile money numbers stored on our platform.

4.3 Account Types

Users may register as one or more of the following:

• Creators: Create, market, and sell digital products and services through the Platform
• Buyers: Browse, purchase, and access digital products
• Affiliates: Promote creator products and earn commissions on successful referrals

4.4 Account Suspension and Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time if we believe you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent activity, or for any other reason at our sole discretion. We will make reasonable efforts to notify you before or promptly after suspension.

5. Creator Terms

5.1 Content Ownership

Creators retain full ownership of the content they upload to the Platform, including product files, descriptions, images, videos, and course materials. By uploading content, you grant SkillsPad a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, display, reproduce, and distribute your content solely for the purpose of operating and promoting the Platform and your products.

5.2 Content Standards

Creators must ensure that all content uploaded to the Platform:

• Does not infringe on any third-party intellectual property rights, including copyrights, trademarks, and patents
• Is accurately described and fairly represented in product listings
• Does not contain illegal, harmful, defamatory, obscene, or offensive material
• Does not contain malware, viruses, or other malicious code
• Meets reasonable quality standards expected by buyers
• Complies with all applicable laws and regulations

SkillsPad reserves the right to remove any content that violates these standards without prior notice.

5.3 Product Categories

The Platform supports 8 product categories, each with specific requirements:

• Ebooks & Templates: Available on all tiers
• Education, Coaching, Services, Playbooks: Available on Growth tier and above
• Communities & Systems: Available on Business tier and above

5.4 Pricing

Creators set their own prices in Ghana Cedis (GHS). Creators may offer discounted pricing, subject to a maximum discount of 50% (enforced by the Platform). Free products (GHS 0) are permitted.

5.5 Landing Pages and Subdomains

Creators may create landing pages hosted on SkillsPad subdomains (e.g., yourname.skillspad.org). Subdomain names must be 3-30 characters, lowercase alphanumeric with hyphens only. Certain reserved subdomains (e.g., www, api, admin) are not available. Creators on eligible tiers may also connect a custom domain.

5.6 Email Marketing

Creators on eligible subscription tiers may use the Platform's built-in email marketing tools. Creators must comply with all applicable anti-spam laws. Creators must not send unsolicited emails, purchase email lists, or use the email tools for any purpose other than communicating with their legitimate subscribers and customers. All marketing emails must include an unsubscribe mechanism.

5.7 Team Collaboration

Creators on eligible tiers may invite team members with role-based access (admin, editor, viewer). The Creator account owner remains responsible for all activities performed by team members under their account.

6. Subscription Tiers

6.1 Tier Structure

SkillsPad offers 6 subscription tiers for creators:

• Starter (Free): 25 products, 7% transaction fee
• Growth (GHS 99/month): Unlimited products, email marketing (250 subs), 5% transaction fee
• Creator (GHS 199/month): Email marketing (2,500 subs), custom domain, 4% transaction fee
• Business (GHS 399/month): A/B testing, team collaboration, API access, 2.5% transaction fee
• Scale (GHS 799/month): Advanced reporting, webhooks, white-label, 2% transaction fee
• Enterprise (Custom pricing): SSO available on request, dedicated support, custom SLA, 1% transaction fee

6.2 Billing

Paid creator subscriptions are billed monthly through Paystack and are charged to a bank card only. Mobile Money is not currently supported for recurring creator subscription billing because Paystack does not offer Mobile Money auto-renewal in Ghana. By subscribing to a paid tier, you authorize SkillsPad and Paystack to charge your registered card on a recurring basis. You may upgrade or downgrade your tier at any time. Changes take effect immediately.

6.3 Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time. Upon cancellation, you will retain access to your current tier's features until the end of your current billing period. After that, your account will be downgraded to the Starter (free) tier. Products remain published, but you will lose access to paid features such as email marketing, file hosting, and advanced analytics.

6.4 Promotional Codes

SkillsPad may offer promotional codes that grant temporary access to paid features. Promotional codes are subject to their own terms, including expiration dates and usage limits. Promotional codes may not be combined, sold, or transferred.

7. Fees and Payments

7.1 Transaction Fees

SkillsPad charges a platform transaction fee on each sale, deducted from the creator's earnings. The fee percentage depends on the creator's subscription tier, ranging from 7% (Starter) to 1% (Enterprise). The current fee schedule is displayed on our pricing page.

7.2 Buyer Processing Fee

A 2% processing fee is added to the buyer's total at checkout. This fee is paid by the buyer and is in addition to the product price. Paystack's own processing fees (~1.95% + GHS 0.01) are also charged to the buyer.

7.3 Payouts

Creator earnings are available for withdrawal once the minimum payout threshold of GHS 50 is reached. Payouts are processed via Paystack Transfers to the creator's registered Mobile Money (MoMo) account or bank account. Payout fees apply: GHS 1 per MoMo payout batch, GHS 8 per bank transfer payout batch. Creators must verify their payout account through Paystack before requesting their first payout. For security, changes to payout settings require email OTP verification.

7.4 Taxes

Creators are responsible for all applicable taxes on their earnings. SkillsPad does not withhold taxes on behalf of creators. You agree to comply with all tax laws applicable to your use of the Platform.

7.5 Currency

All transactions on the Platform are denominated in Ghana Cedis (GHS) unless otherwise specified. SkillsPad does not provide currency conversion services.

8. Affiliate Terms

8.1 Affiliate Program

Affiliates may promote products listed on SkillsPad and earn commissions on successful referrals. Commission rates and types (percentage or fixed amount) are set by individual creators for each product.

8.2 Affiliate Tracking

Affiliate referrals are tracked using cookies with a default duration of 30 days (configurable by creators). Affiliates receive unique tracking links. Commissions are attributed based on the last-click attribution model.

8.3 Affiliate Obligations

Affiliates must:

• Disclose their affiliate relationship when promoting products, in compliance with applicable advertising laws
• Not make false or misleading claims about products
• Not engage in spam, unsolicited messaging, or deceptive marketing practices
• Not use their own affiliate links for self-referral purchases
• Not create multiple accounts to manipulate commissions

8.4 Affiliate Payouts

Affiliate commissions are subject to the same payout process and minimum thresholds as creator earnings. SkillsPad reserves the right to withhold or reverse commissions generated through fraudulent or policy-violating activity.

9. Buyer Terms

9.1 Purchases

All purchases are final upon successful payment processing. Prices are displayed in Ghana Cedis (GHS). You agree to pay all charges incurred by you, including the product price, processing fee, and any applicable Paystack fees. Guest checkout is available for buyers without an account.

9.2 Access to Products

Upon successful payment, you will receive access to the purchased digital product via your dashboard and/or email. Access is granted for personal use only. You may not share, resell, redistribute, or sublicense purchased products unless explicitly permitted by the creator.

9.3 Community & Service Memberships

Community and Service products may involve recurring billing (monthly, quarterly, or yearly). You authorize recurring charges at the time of purchase. You may cancel your membership at any time, and access will continue until the end of your current billing period. Some memberships are non-recurring; for those, access ends at the end of the paid period and you may renew manually before or after expiration.

9.4 Refunds

Refund eligibility and policies are outlined in our Refund Policy. SkillsPad facilitates refunds between creators and buyers but is not the seller of the products. Refund decisions may involve both SkillsPad and the creator.

10. API and Webhook Terms

10.1 API Access

Creators on eligible tiers (Business and above) may generate API keys to programmatically access their SkillsPad data. API keys are issued with scoped permissions and are subject to rate limiting. API keys must be stored securely and must not be exposed in client-side code, public repositories, or shared with unauthorized parties.

10.2 Webhooks

Creators on eligible tiers (Scale and above) may configure webhook endpoints to receive real-time event notifications (e.g., order completed, subscription created). Webhook payloads are signed using HMAC-SHA256 for security. Creators are responsible for securing their webhook endpoints and validating signatures.

10.3 Rate Limits

API usage is subject to rate limits: 30 requests per minute for unauthenticated requests, 100 per minute for authenticated users, and 200 per minute for admin accounts. Exceeding rate limits may result in temporary access restriction.

11. Prohibited Activities

You may not use the Platform to:

• Violate any applicable laws, regulations, or third-party rights
• Infringe on intellectual property rights (copyrights, trademarks, patents)
• Upload or distribute malware, viruses, or malicious code
• Engage in fraud, phishing, or deceptive practices
• Harass, abuse, threaten, or harm other users
• Attempt to circumvent security measures, rate limits, or access controls
• Use automated systems (bots, scrapers) to access the Platform without authorization
• Sell counterfeit, stolen, or misrepresented products
• Create multiple accounts to abuse promotions, free trials, or affiliate commissions
• Interfere with or disrupt the Platform's infrastructure or other users' experience
• Collect or harvest user data without consent
• Use the Platform for money laundering or terrorist financing

12. Intellectual Property

12.1 Platform IP

The SkillsPad Platform, including its source code, design, features, functionality, branding, logos, and documentation, is owned by SkillsPad and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws of Ghana and international treaties. You may not copy, modify, distribute, reverse engineer, decompile, or create derivative works from any part of the Platform.

12.2 User Content

You retain ownership of content you create and upload. You are solely responsible for ensuring you have the necessary rights to all content you upload. SkillsPad has no obligation to monitor content but reserves the right to remove content that violates these Terms.

12.3 DMCA and Copyright Complaints

If you believe your intellectual property rights have been infringed on the Platform, please contact us at legal@skillspad.org with a detailed description of the alleged infringement. We will investigate and take appropriate action, which may include removing the infringing content.

13. Disclaimers

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. SKILLSPAD DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE.

SKILLSPAD DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY, QUALITY, LEGALITY, OR AVAILABILITY OF PRODUCTS LISTED BY CREATORS. SKILLSPAD IS A MARKETPLACE PLATFORM AND IS NOT THE SELLER OF PRODUCTS. TRANSACTIONS ARE BETWEEN CREATORS AND BUYERS. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DISPUTES BETWEEN CREATORS AND BUYERS REGARDING PRODUCT QUALITY, DELIVERY, OR REFUNDS.

14. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, SKILLSPAD AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, OR GOODWILL.

IN NO EVENT SHALL SKILLSPAD'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO SKILLSPAD IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO LIABILITY, OR (B) GHS 500.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless SkillsPad and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from: (a) your use of the Platform; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any third-party rights; (d) content you upload or distribute through the Platform; or (e) your fraudulent or illegal activity.

16. Dispute Resolution

16.1 Between Users

Disputes between creators and buyers (regarding product quality, refunds, etc.) should first be resolved directly between the parties. SkillsPad may, at its discretion, assist in mediation but is not obligated to resolve user-to-user disputes.

16.2 Between You and SkillsPad

Any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Platform shall first be addressed through good-faith negotiation. If negotiation fails, the dispute shall be submitted to mediation. If mediation fails, the dispute shall be resolved through binding arbitration under the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, 2010 (Act 798) of Ghana.

17. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Ghana. Any legal proceedings shall be brought in the courts of Ghana, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts.

18. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

19. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Refund Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and SkillsPad regarding your use of the Platform.

20. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms of Service, contact us at:

General: support@skillspad.org

Legal: legal@skillspad.org