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Selling On The Internet, Do I Need Legal Pages?

by Peter Szabo
16 replies
Hello

I'm about to sell an online product on my own website.
The question is: Do i need any legal pages? (tos, disclaimer, privacy, contact)
Are they required?
Do i need to register my "company name"?

I would sell the product via jvzoo or paypal.

Thanks in advance.
#internet #lagal #pages #selling
  • Profile picture of the author GrowMyForumCommunity
    You might want to make those for security and legal purposes, such as Terms of Service and Disclaimer to avoid any nasty conflicts that may happen in the future. Lay out your disclaimers (ex. no refunds, product warranty, etc.) so that any problems that may arouse in the future can be solved easily.
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    If you are selling online then yes, you definitely want to have the basic legal pages in place on all of your websites.

    I use and recommend:
    - AutoWebLaw
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  • Profile picture of the author Peter Szabo
    Thanks for the answer guys! I wanted to use a template, but it requires my comapany's registered name, number and place. And i don't have it registered. Do you think i need that or just cut that part from the TOS?
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    Sometimes when I close my eyes I can't see, but I make money.

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  • Profile picture of the author venkateshk
    I think one answer is missing and I am looking for an answer to this question as well. "Do I need to register my company name?"
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    • Profile picture of the author WillR
      Originally Posted by venkateshk View Post

      I think one answer is missing and I am looking for an answer to this question as well. "Do I need to register my company name?"
      It depends on which country you are in and how your business is operated.

      That's not a question you should be asking on a forum. That's a question you should be asking your account or legal advisor.
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      • Profile picture of the author zombie22
        Originally Posted by WillR View Post


        That's not a question you should be asking on a forum. That's a question you should be asking your account or legal advisor.
        Yep, good point, but if hearing from someone competent here would be useful too.
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  • Profile picture of the author Warrior X
    OK, I can understand the 'it makes my site look more professional'
    argument.

    Other than that, I think any real legal protection you get from using canned
    forms is pretty dubious.

    I mean, if you are in a position to need real legal pages, you can afford to get a
    lawyer to write them. If you can't afford them, do you really need one in
    the first place?

    Jeremy
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  • Profile picture of the author Captain Kent
    of course you need them (and you can use some generate policy, generate legal terms...) cause some while ago I have read a method how to make money (it was to sue websites that did not have policies and they earned 100$ per site like that)
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  • Profile picture of the author aceshigh888
    helps you look legit. You don't need a company if you don't want to. YOu can sell it under your own name.
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    • Profile picture of the author ChrisMooreLive
      Yes, you definitely need to keep up with all the legal requirements. The specific requirements are dependent upon you location, but the search engines and Paypal are looking for these. Waiting until you have a problem is not the best tactic.

      If you want the best SEO possible on your site and for any ads that point to your website to be cost effective, add these pages. Google's scoring system looks for privacy policies and terms of service.

      Paypal also looks for these when evaluating your business. Paypal will suspend your account if you have a sudden spike in sales and they go to your website and cannot find your legal terms and conditions, privacy policies, and support information. This isn't the only reason your account may be suspended, but it will be a contributing factor.

      I recently worked on a website for a client that was not live yet, but is expected to do large volume sales due the owner's history and experience in the industry. Since the site was not live yet, I had to send Paypal copies of our legal statements, guarantees, privacy policy and details of our support system. It took a little extra time, but they were approved.
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      • Profile picture of the author Steve B
        Please, please, please don't take advice given on this forum as what you "should do."

        Posters here are well-meaning and they sincerely want to help, but much of the advice in this particular thread is just not right and can get you into a lot of trouble.

        If you live in the U.S. and you are setting up a business (which includes simple selling websites) YOU MUST HAVE certain credentials that make your business legal. Every state in the U.S. has a business licensing protocol and name registration and nearly every city and town of reasonable size also requires a local license for home businesses (occupations).

        Typically the fees are not great and the licensing is fairly easy. But you must have it if you want to be legal.

        Steve
        (My 30+ year career and education is in small business development)
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  • Profile picture of the author RyanWasHere
    Yes of course. In selling, what ever it is and whenever it is, You have to acquire legal qualifications to work and operate good flow of the business.
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  • Profile picture of the author Peter Szabo
    Thanks everyone for the answers It really helped me
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    Sometimes when I close my eyes I can't see, but I make money.

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  • Profile picture of the author Claire Koch
    i also use auto we law. Its worth the price
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    • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
      You should have legal pages - what depends on your website. Some terms, such as a privacy policy, merely need to reflect your own practices. Using a privacy policy that does not match your actual practices merely sets you up for legal trouble.

      Instead of using some 'auto' website, purchased by a marketer from someone who had zippo legal experience to begin with, for your legal terms you should at least get base documents from an attorney that comes with information about what different terms mean and do, and what should be customized for your particular needs.

      Why? Because using wrong or incomplete terms can be worse than having no terms. I've seen hundreds of thousands of dollars lost / paid in damages or attorney's fees - because some legal form was downloaded and the terms were wrong.

      There are 3 attorneys on the forum with products offering real documents: myself, Bob Silber, and Mike Young.

      What you need to have depends on your website and what you are selling.

      .
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