The terms for selling and buying on Drop.

Drop is operated by The Drop Network (Pty) Ltd, a private company registered in South Africa under registration number 2026/741781/07, trading as Drop. In these terms “Drop”, “we” and “us” mean that company. You can reach us at hello@dropstudio.co.za.

These terms apply to everyone who uses dropstudio.co.za and the services on it: people who open a store and sell printed products (sellers), people who buy products (buyers), and anyone who simply visits the site. By creating an account or placing an order you agree to these terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the service.

Nothing in these terms takes away rights you have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 or any other law that cannot be excluded by agreement.

• Platform means the Drop website, design tool, hosted stores, integrations and everything else we provide at dropstudio.co.za.
• Seller means an account holder who lists products for sale through a Drop store or an integration. Buyer means anyone who orders a product, whether from a seller’s store, directly from Drop, or as a bulk order.
• Design means any artwork, text, image, logo or other content you upload or create on the platform.
• Product means a blank item (such as a t-shirt, cap or mug) printed with a design. Base price means what Drop charges to print and supply a product before a seller’s margin.

You must be 18 or older to open an account. If you are younger, a parent or guardian must open and manage the account for you. You agree to give us accurate information, keep it current, and keep your sign-in details private. Everything done through your account is your responsibility, so tell us straight away if you think someone else has access to it.

One person may not hold multiple accounts to get around a suspension, a limit or a promotion. We can refuse, suspend or close accounts that break these terms.

Opening a store is free and there are no setup fees. You choose which products to offer, upload your designs, and set your own selling price above the base price. The difference is your margin.

When a buyer orders from your store, Drop collects the payment, prints the product, ships it and handles delivery queries and reprints. We then pay your margin to you. To the buyer, the product is supplied by Drop and covered by these terms and our shipping and returns policy.

• Payouts. Margins on delivered orders are paid weekly by EFT to the South African bank account on your profile, with a statement for each payout. We may hold a payout while an order is disputed, refunded or under review for fraud. Bank details must be in the name of the account holder or their registered business.
• Tax. You are responsible for declaring and paying any tax on your earnings. If you are registered for VAT, tell us so that your payout statements are issued correctly.
• Your store. You are responsible for the name, branding and description of your store and for the products you list. You may not describe Drop products as something they are not, or make claims about the products that we have not made.
• Pricing changes. We can change base prices, shipping fees and the product range. We will show the current base price in the design tool and give notice on the site before a change that affects existing listings takes effect.

You keep ownership of your designs. To run the service you give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, reproduce, print, display and ship your designs: on products you or your buyers order, in previews and mockups, in your store, and where you have opted in, in our gallery. The licence lasts as long as your designs are on the platform, plus the time needed to fulfil open orders and keep the records the law requires.

You promise that every design you upload:

• is yours, or you have permission from the owner to use it commercially;
• does not contain a brand, logo, character, artwork, photograph or likeness of a person that you do not have the right to use;
• is not hateful, harassing, defamatory, sexually explicit involving minors, or otherwise unlawful in South Africa;
• does not promote violence, illegal activity or discrimination on a ground listed in the Constitution.

We may refuse to print, remove a design, cancel an order or close an account when we believe a design breaks these rules, and we may do so without notice where the matter is urgent. If you think a design on Drop infringes your rights, email hello@dropstudio.co.za with the link, proof of your rights and your contact details, and we will investigate.

The Drop name, logo, website, design tool and product photography belong to us or our licensors. You may use them only to sell through Drop, and only as they are provided.

Every product is printed to order in South Africa after payment is received. Prices are shown in rand and include VAT at the current rate. Shipping is shown separately at checkout before you pay.

• Payment. Payments are processed by our payment providers. We do not see or store your card number. An order is confirmed when we email you an order reference.
• Delivery. Standard delivery is 5 to 7 working days from confirmation, door-to-door or to a collection point. This is an estimate, not a guarantee. We will tell you if an order is going to be late. Delivery is to South African addresses only.
• Colour and placement. The preview in the design tool is a close guide. Printed colours can differ slightly from a screen, and print placement can vary by a few millimetres. Differences of that kind are not defects.
• Changing or cancelling an order. You can change or cancel an order until it enters production. After that we cannot stop it. Contact us immediately if you spot a mistake in your size, colour or address.
• Change of mind. Because products are custom-printed to your order, we do not accept returns for change of mind or for a size or colour chosen incorrectly at checkout. This is the exception for goods made to a consumer’s specification in the Consumer Protection Act.
• Faulty, damaged or wrong. If a product arrives damaged, defective or not matching the approved design, send photos to hello@dropstudio.co.za within 14 days of delivery and we will reprint and reship it free. Where a reprint is not possible we will refund you. Your statutory rights to a repair, replacement or refund for defective goods are not affected.
• Lost parcels. If tracking shows a parcel is lost, we will investigate with the courier and reprint or refund once confirmed.

Our refund and cancellation policy sets out the process in full, and the shipping and returns page has the current delivery options and fees.

Bulk and event orders are quoted individually. A quote is valid for the period stated on it, and production starts once payment has been received and the artwork approved. The same rules on colour variance, defects and change of mind apply.

Sellers can order a sample of any product at cost so they can check the print before selling it. Samples are custom-printed too, so the same return rules apply.

When you use the platform you agree not to:

• break any law, or use the platform to sell counterfeit or prohibited goods;
• interfere with the platform, probe its security, scrape it, or place an unusual load on it;
• copy, resell or reverse-engineer the platform or its content;
• send spam or unsolicited marketing through your store or our tools;
• harass our staff, printers, couriers or other users.

We work hard to keep the platform available and accurate, but it is provided as it is. We may add, change or withdraw features, products or integrations, and we may take the platform offline for maintenance. Where a change materially affects sellers we will give reasonable notice on the site or by email.

Third-party services connected to Drop, such as Shopify, WooCommerce and payment providers, are governed by their own terms.

To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, including lost profit, lost sales or lost data, arising from your use of the platform. For any single order, our total liability is limited to the amount paid for that order. For sellers, our total liability in any twelve-month period is limited to the margins paid to you in that period.

Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by gross negligence, for fraud, or for anything that cannot be limited under the Consumer Protection Act or other South African law.

You indemnify us against claims arising from designs you upload, products you describe or sell in breach of these terms, or your breach of any law.

You can close your account at any time from your studio settings or by emailing us. Open orders will still be fulfilled and outstanding margins will be paid on the next payout run, less any refunds or claims.

We can suspend or close an account that breaks these terms, is used for fraud, or exposes us or other users to legal risk. Where practical we will tell you why and give you a chance to fix the problem.

These terms are governed by the law of the Republic of South Africa. If something goes wrong, please email us first so we can put it right. Consumers may also approach the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud or the National Consumer Commission. The South African courts have jurisdiction over any dispute that cannot be resolved between us.

We may update these terms from time to time. The date at the top shows the current version. For material changes affecting sellers we will give notice by email or in the studio before they take effect. Continuing to use the platform after that date means you accept the updated terms.

Questions about these terms go to The Drop Network (Pty) Ltd at hello@dropstudio.co.za. We reply within two working days.