Trust, fees, limitations and support

Pricing

Buyers see one all-in price. Part of it — the matching fee — is charged before the introduction and counts toward the total; the rest is paid at pickup after inspection. Our commission is negotiated per deal by Muse and is included in the all-in price; it is never added on top. Sellers receive exactly their agreed net amount: we pay the card fees.

How the money moves

• Our matching fee is charged by us when the buyer accepts.
• Paying by card at the pickup, after checking the item, the buyer pays the item price straight to the seller's Stripe account. The card statement shows NEARSHAKE* and the seller's first name.
• We pay the card fees on both payments, so the seller keeps exactly the agreed amount.
• The seller's payout is held until our payout time, at 8:00 AM (Michigan time), at least 6 hours after the hand-over. Then Stripe sends it to their bank once the card payment clears, usually within 2 business days; a first payout can take up to a week.
• If the seller agrees to a return, or we uphold a fraud report, the buyer's refund comes from that held balance.
• Card chargebacks on the item payment are taken from the seller's Stripe balance first.

Ways to pay at the pickup

• Card, through Nearshake. Protected: returns and fraud refunds through Nearshake. The payment provider verifies the payment, and that's what makes the sale final.
• Cash, Venmo, Zelle, Cash App or PayPal, when the seller takes them. Paid directly to the seller. Nearshake doesn't hold, verify or refund it. The seller taps "Got it" once the money is really there, and that makes the sale final.
• No crypto. No deposits and nothing before the meetup: you pay at the pickup, after checking the item. The seller picks which ways they take; the buyer picks one when accepting and can switch at the meetup to another way the seller takes.
• With cash or an app, our whole matching fee is paid by card when you accept.
• If the buyer says they paid and the seller says it didn't arrive, we can't check that money: the deal stays open, we keep what each of you said, and we may give a strike. Money paid outside the app can't be refunded through us.

Matching fee refunds

The matching fee pays for a qualified introduction: a real seller who agreed to participate, current evidence the item is available, and materially accurate verified information. If we can't deliver that — the seller isn't available as represented, promised information was inaccurate, or the introduction isn't delivered — the fee is refunded. Deciding not to buy an accurately described item after the introduction doesn't by itself entitle you to a refund. Nothing here limits statutory consumer rights or your card issuer's chargeback rights.

How the meetup works

1. Both open private links and verify a one-time code.
2. At pickup, the buyer checks the item first. Then they tap "Scan to pay" and scan the seller's one-time QR (or type its number). The scan is the payment step, so it comes last.
3. Card: the scan charges the card saved at acceptance (or opens a checkout). The provider-verified payment makes the sale final; the seller hands the item over.
4. Cash or an app: the buyer pays the seller directly, and the seller taps "Got it" once the money is there. That makes the sale final.
5. Nothing else completes a sale: not a screenshot, not a screen that says "paid".
6. A receipt is issued at once. For a card sale, the seller is paid automatically at 8:00 AM (Michigan time), at least 6 hours after the hand-over, once our backend checks pass.

Returns, fraud reports and support

Private sales are final once you've checked the item and paid. Until the seller's payout time (at 8:00 AM (Michigan time), at least 6 hours after the hand-over), the buyer can:

• Ask for a friendly return. The seller decides. If they agree, the item goes back within 24 hours and the seller scans the buyer's return code. A card payment is then refunded in full; cash or app money was paid directly, so the two of you settle it (we can't refund it). The matching fee was for the introduction and stays with us. If the seller says no, or doesn't answer by the payout time, the sale stands. If the seller agreed but didn't scan the code, the buyer taps "I handed it back" and we look into it before anything is paid out.
• Report fraud: the item is stolen, counterfeit or not genuine, or has a hidden defect that couldn't be checked at the pickup. A report freezes the seller's card payout. We review both sides and the photos and decide: refund the buyer (item and matching fee), or pay the seller. For cash or an app, an upheld report refunds the matching fee and gives the seller a strike; the item money can't be refunded through us. A report that turns out to be a change of mind counts against the buyer.

Card chargebacks are decided by the buyer's card issuer, not by us; we answer them with the transaction record, and a chargeback on the item payment is taken from the seller's Stripe balance first. A completed sale closes our review process — not mandatory consumer rights, fraud claims, or cardholder chargeback rights, and our decisions never override your card issuer or the payment provider. Support: write to hello@nextlayerai.com; a reply to any of our emails reaches it too.

Privacy & data

We collect the minimum needed to run a transaction: names, contact details you authorize, transaction records, and payment identifiers from our provider (never full card or bank details). Contact details are encrypted at rest. Data is used only to provide, secure and support the service, retained as required for records and disputes, and not sold.

Limits (V1)

• Michigan only; in-person pickup; physical products on our category allowlist.
• $100–$1,000 per transaction, USD. Card through Nearshake, or cash, Venmo, Zelle, Cash App or PayPal straight to the seller when they take it. No crypto, no ACH at pickup.
• Participants must be 18 or older. Accepting a deal confirms you are.
• No vehicles, real estate, services, medical/prescription items, firearms or regulated goods.