HIOBuy Developer Platform Terms of Service
Last updated: November 2, 2026
1. Acceptance
These Terms of Service ("Terms") are entered into between you and TONGXIAO TECHNOLOGY LIMITED (通曉科技有限公司) (the "Operator" or "HIOBuy") and 深圳通晓网络科技有限公司 (Shenzhen Tongxiao Network Technology Co., Ltd.) (the "Technical Support Provider").
Operation and service entity: the Platform and related services (including without limitation APIs, billing and settlement, and customer support) are operated by TONGXIAO TECHNOLOGY LIMITED, which provides the services externally and assumes commercial performance obligations.
Technical and operations support: 深圳通晓网络科技有限公司 acts as an entrusted technology service provider and supplies system operations, technical development, and architecture support for the Platform.
By registering for, accessing, or using the HIOBuy Developer Platform (the "Platform"), including its APIs, developer portal, documentation, and related services (collectively, the "Services"), you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you register on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization.
If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not register for or use the Services.
2. Service Description
HIOBuy provides unified APIs and developer tools that enable integration with Chinese e-commerce marketplaces, including product catalog, search, freight estimation, order preview, order creation, payment, status tracking, and related fulfillment workflows.
HIOBuy provides commerce infrastructure APIs, not standalone marketplace data APIs. A subscription does not constitute the purchase of an unrestricted right to obtain, copy, replicate, or build a marketplace product database.
HIOBuy may modify, add, suspend, or discontinue any feature, endpoint, channel, quota, or pricing tier at any time, with or without notice, subject to applicable law.
3. Account Registration & Security
You must provide accurate, complete, and current registration information and keep your account credentials secure. You are responsible for all activity under your account and API keys.
You must promptly notify HIOBuy of any unauthorized access or suspected breach. HIOBuy is not liable for losses arising from your failure to safeguard credentials.
You must register using a valid email address that you lawfully control and that can continue to receive account and service notices. HIOBuy does not support registration using temporary or disposable email addresses.
4. API Usage, Quotas & GMV
API access is subject to rate limits, daily/monthly quotas, channel authorization requirements, and plan tiers as published in the portal or documentation. You agree not to circumvent limits, scrape beyond permitted use, resell raw API access without authorization, or use the Services in a manner that degrades platform stability.
Where your integration generates orders, transaction volume, or gross merchandise value ("GMV") through or in connection with the Services, you agree to provide accurate GMV and usage metrics upon request and to comply with any commercial terms, revenue-sharing, or billing arrangements applicable to your plan.
Transaction-oriented use. HIOBuy APIs are intended primarily to support genuine commerce, sourcing, procurement, order processing, and fulfillment workflows. Access to Product APIs does not constitute the purchase of, or grant an unrestricted right to collect, copy, replicate, or commercially exploit, marketplace product data. Typical supported flows include Discover → Import → Source → Purchase → Fulfill. Long-term, large-scale Extract → Store → Build Database activity with little or no procurement, orders, GMV, or fulfillment is not a supported primary use of Product APIs.
Prohibited data-only usage. You may not use the Services primarily as a standalone data extraction or data-aggregation service. Without limitation, you may not: (a) perform bulk product data extraction or catalog harvesting; (b) systematically or automatically collect large quantities of marketplace product data; (c) build or maintain an independent product database, marketplace data mirror, or dataset primarily using HIOBuy API data; (d) resell or redistribute HIOBuy or marketplace product data; (e) use HIOBuy primarily as a price-monitoring or market-data service; (f) create AI or machine-learning training datasets without HIOBuy's prior explicit written authorization; (g) perform large-scale product importing or synchronization without reasonable sourcing, procurement, order, or transaction activity; or (h) circumvent API quotas, rate limits, or other technical restrictions.
Usage and GMV monitoring. For platform security, marketplace compliance, and API resource management, HIOBuy may collect, analyze, and use metrics including API calls, product search requests, product detail requests, unique products retrieved, orders created, paid orders, procurement volume, GMV, fulfillment activity, API-to-transaction ratio, and other relevant usage patterns. These metrics may be used for API quota management, marketplace compliance, abuse prevention, risk management, capacity management, and developer account review.
HIOBuy may dynamically adjust Product API access and quotas based on actual transaction activity and API usage. HIOBuy does not publish a fixed API-calls-to-GMV ratio; applicable standards may change over time based on marketplace policies, customer type, and operational circumstances. Failure to report GMV accurately, underreporting, or misrepresentation may result in suspension or termination.
5. Acceptable Use
You may not use the Services for unlawful purposes, to violate marketplace or third-party terms, to infringe intellectual property, to transmit malware, to harass or harm others, or to build competing services that primarily replicate HIOBuy's core offering without written consent.
You are solely responsible for your application, end-user disclosures, data handling, and compliance with applicable laws in your jurisdictions and your users' jurisdictions.
Without authorization, you may not create accounts by automated means or in bulk. You may not use multiple accounts, email addresses, IP addresses, proxies or other means to register or use the Services repeatedly for the purpose of evading registration restrictions, free-trial eligibility, usage quotas or account bans, or repeatedly obtaining free benefits for which you are not eligible.
Ordinary changes of network or IP address, use of a VPN, authorized team collaboration or operation of multiple projects do not, by themselves, constitute the abuse described above. Applicable eligibility requirements, quotas and security checks continue to apply.
6. Marketplace & Third-Party Services
The Platform integrates with third-party marketplaces and providers. Their availability, policies, and data are outside HIOBuy's control. HIOBuy does not guarantee uninterrupted access to any channel or upstream API.
Your use of marketplace data and order capabilities remains subject to applicable marketplace rules and the authorizations you configure in the portal.
7. Confidentiality & Data
Non-public documentation, sandbox credentials, unreleased features, and technical information provided by HIOBuy are confidential. You may not disclose them except to personnel or contractors who need access and are bound by similar obligations.
Privacy practices are described in the HIOBuy Developer Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.
8. Intellectual Property
HIOBuy and its licensors retain all rights in the Platform, APIs, documentation, trademarks, and related materials. These Terms grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Services according to your approved plan and documentation.
You retain rights in your applications and content, but grant HIOBuy a license to use feedback you provide to improve the Services.
9. Fees & Taxes
HIOBuy Developer Platform subscription fees are for access to software, APIs, developer tools, documentation, usage quotas, support, and related platform services. Developer Platform subscription fees do not represent payment for Marketplace goods or other transactions conducted through third-party marketplaces.
Certain plans or overages may apply. Current plan pricing is published at https://developers.hiobuy.com/en/pricing. You agree to pay all applicable fees and taxes. HIOBuy may change pricing with notice where required; continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.
Refunds and cancellations for paid subscriptions are governed by the HIOBuy Developer Platform Refund Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.
10. Suspension & Termination
HIOBuy may suspend or terminate your account, API keys, channel authorizations, or access to any part of the Services immediately, with or without notice, if HIOBuy reasonably believes you violated these Terms, applicable law, marketplace rules, quota or GMV obligations, or pose a security, legal, or operational risk.
If HIOBuy reasonably determines that you are primarily using the APIs for data-only purposes, engaging in excessive bulk product extraction, exhibiting materially disproportionate API usage compared with transaction activity, violating marketplace policies, reselling or unauthorizedly redistributing data, circumventing API restrictions, or repeating violations after warnings, HIOBuy may, at its reasonable discretion and according to severity, take one or more of the following measures: (1) reduce API quotas; (2) apply additional rate limits; (3) restrict specific Product API endpoints; (4) temporarily suspend API keys; (5) suspend marketplace channel authorization; (6) suspend your developer account; and/or (7) terminate your developer account in serious or repeated cases.
HIOBuy is not obligated to provide prior notice or a fixed number of warnings in every case. A period of low transaction volume during ordinary development, testing, or new-project launch is not, by itself, grounds for immediate termination. The core assessment is whether the API is being used primarily for genuine commerce-related purposes rather than as a standalone data extraction service.
HIOBuy may terminate the Services or your access for convenience upon reasonable notice where practicable. Upon termination, your right to use the Services ceases and HIOBuy may delete or disable credentials and stored authorization data subject to its retention policies.
Sections that by nature should survive termination (including payment obligations, confidentiality, disclaimers, limitation of liability, and interpretation) will survive.
Where HIOBuy reasonably identifies security or abuse risks, it may require further verification, defer or refuse registration or free-trial access, revoke improperly obtained free benefits, or restrict or suspend relevant accounts according to the circumstances and severity. Users who believe a decision is mistaken may request review at [email protected].
11. Disclaimers
THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." HIOBUY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. HIOBUY DOES NOT WARRANT UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE OPERATION.
12. Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, HIOBUY WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, OR GMV, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SERVICES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY.
HIOBUY'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICES WILL NOT EXCEED THE FEES PAID BY YOU TO HIOBUY FOR THE SERVICES IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM, OR ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (USD $100) IF NO FEES WERE PAID.
13. Governing Law & Interpretation
These Terms are governed by the laws applicable to HIOBuy's operating entity, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except where mandatory consumer protections apply.
HIOBuy retains the final right of interpretation of these Terms, the Privacy Policy, API documentation, quota policies, and related platform rules, to the extent permitted by applicable law. In case of inconsistency between translated versions, the English version prevails unless otherwise required by law.
If any provision is held invalid, the remaining provisions remain in effect.
14. Operator & Contact
The Services are operated by TONGXIAO TECHNOLOGY LIMITED (通曉科技有限公司), which assumes commercial performance obligations. 深圳通晓网络科技有限公司 (Shenzhen Tongxiao Network Technology Co., Ltd.) provides entrusted technical and operations support.
Questions about these Terms: [email protected]
15. AI Services and Prepaid AI Credits
AI Credits are prepaid usage entitlements for HIOBuy's own AI API services. They are not offered as cash, deposits, electronic money or tradable assets. They are separate from API subscription quotas and procurement or fulfillment wallet funds. Purchasing Credits does not itself grant AI access or API Key permissions.
Credits may not be transferred, gifted, sold or traded between users, withdrawn, redeemed for cash, or used to pay for third-party goods or services. A payment refund permitted by the Refund Policy or required by law is distinct from cash redemption of Credits.
AI usage is charged in Credits according to the applicable disclosed feature price and measurement unit. HIOBuy may change prices for future operations, subject to applicable notice requirements, but will not retrospectively reprice completed transactions or change the frozen charge of an already accepted AI task. Purchase quantities remain those recorded in the original order.
You must have the rights and permissions needed to submit and process images, text and other materials. AI use must comply with these Terms and applicable law; unlawful, infringing or fraudulent use is prohibited. AI output may be inaccurate or unsuitable. You are responsible for reviewing output, including its accuracy, rights and suitability, before using or publishing it.
Account restrictions or termination do not automatically erase remaining Credits. Treatment of unused paid Credits, service discontinuation and refunds is set out in the AI Credits section of the Refund Policy. This section introduces no automatic expiry rule and does not limit rights that applicable law does not permit to be excluded.