Terms & Conditions

1. About Our Service

Fine Local Honey operates an online marketplace connecting customers with independent honey producers across the UK. We facilitate transactions but do not sell products directly - each purchase is made directly from the individual producer.

2. Orders & Availability

By placing an order, you enter into a contract directly with the producer. Orders are subject to availability, and producers may need to contact you if items are unavailable.

Prices are set by individual producers and may change without notice. The price at the time of order confirmation applies.

3. Payment & Processing

Payments are processed securely via Stripe. Payment is taken when you place your order. Each producer receives payment directly, minus our platform fee and payment processing costs.

4. Delivery & Collection

Delivery options vary by producer and may include:

• Collection from the producer's location
• Local delivery (radius and cost set by producer)
• UK postal delivery (standard rate £3.95)

Free delivery is available on orders over £15. Producers aim to dispatch within 2 business days.

5. Returns & Refunds

Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, you have 14 days from receipt to cancel your order for a full refund, except for perishable goods where the producer may have different policies.

For returns or refund requests, contact the producer directly via the details provided in your order confirmation. Producers can issue refunds directly from their dashboard, so you'll typically receive a resolution quickly. Refunds are processed within 5-10 business days. If you cannot resolve the issue, contact us at hello@finelocalhoney.co.uk.

6. Producer Non-Delivery & Complaint Resolution

If a producer fails to deliver or becomes non-compliant, customers should first contact the producer directly. If unresolved within 7 days, customers may contact us for assistance in facilitating resolution, but we are not liable for producer failures.

In cases of producer non-delivery, we may assist in facilitating refunds but cannot guarantee recovery of payments already transferred to producers.

Quality standards are set and maintained by individual producers. Customers should direct quality concerns to the producer first. For unresolved disputes, customers may contact hello@finelocalhoney.co.uk for assistance in facilitating communication, but resolution remains between customer and producer.

We may suspend producer accounts for repeated customer service failures, but this does not create liability on our part.

7. Producer Responsibilities

Beekeepers have been offering honey to their communities for centuries. Whether you're a hobby beekeeper with a few hives or a larger producer, these simple guidelines help ensure safe, quality honey for customers:

Beekeeping Best Practices

• Disease Notification: Report notifiable diseases (American foulbrood, European foulbrood) and pests (Small Hive Beetle, Tropilaelaps mites) to the National Bee Unit (NBU) immediately
• Compliance with NBU Notices: Adhere to standstill, treatment, destruction, or movement notices issued by the NBU
• Veterinary Medicines: Use only authorized veterinary medicines and maintain records for at least 5 years
• BeeBase Registration: Strongly encouraged to register hives with the NBU's BeeBase system
• Local Authority Compliance: Check and comply with any local council regulations regarding beekeeping

Simple Food Safety Guidelines

Selling honey is straightforward – most of these are just common sense practices beekeepers already follow:

• Pure Honey: Sell only pure honey with no additives (just what comes from the hive!)
• Clear Labelling: Include the word "honey", where it's from, weight, best-before date, and your name/address on labels
• Clean Practices: Use clean equipment and maintain good hygiene when extracting and jarring honey
• Local Authority Notification: If you're selling regularly, a simple (free) notification to your local authority may be needed – this is just paperwork, not an inspection or license

Platform Obligations

• Accurate product descriptions and pricing
• Timely order fulfilment and customer communication
• Following best practice guidelines from the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), Welsh Beekeepers Association (WBKA), and Scottish Beekeepers Association (SBKA)

8. Supporting Responsible Beekeeping

We're here to help beekeepers share their honey with confidence. We encourage producers to:

• Register with the National Bee Unit's BeeBase (helps track and protect UK bees)
• Connect with local beekeeping associations like the BBKA, WBKA, or SBKA – great resources for advice and support
• Follow simple food safety practices appropriate for your scale
• Be responsive to customers and maintain good communication

We reserve the right to suspend accounts if producers repeatedly fail to meet customer service standards or if required by authorities for bee disease control or food safety concerns.

9. Limitation of Liability

As a marketplace platform, our liability is limited to facilitating connections between customers and producers. We are not responsible for the quality, safety, or legality of products sold by producers.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or other matters where exclusion is prohibited by law.

10. Governing Law

These terms are governed by UK law. Any disputes will be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of the United Kingdom.

11. Contact

For questions about these terms, contact us at hello@finelocalhoney.co.uk.