Have questions, please check LEKEF.com FAQ
Have questions, please check our FAQ, below, and if you can’t find the answer, please contact us.
Q. What is the difference between listing my product on LEKEF.com Platform and listing it on any other major with a much larger customers like amazon.com?
A. Creators/sellers have many options to list and sell their products. Amazon.com is no longer the only marketplace. Many new companies have emerged to create space for producers to sell their goods on their marketplace. The list of such marketplaces includes Amazon Handmade, Alibaba, Flipkart, eBay, Bonanza, Storenvy, Big Cartel, Facebook Shops, Pinterest Shopping, and many others. Despite the large number of players, the absolute majority of these marketplaces use the same scheme: they allow sellers to list their products and in return the companies reserves the rights to charge storefront fees, pay a percentage of the sales when using their payment processing tools, and saturate the space with products and shops—which allows them to leverage their control over the customers’ data and the algorithms to manipulate searches on their sites. LEKEF.com Platform gives power to the producers and creators:
No listing fees
No monthly store fees
No membership fees
No manipulation of algorithms for search results
No control over your data: you have full control over your listing, you update it anytime to drive interested buyers to your own store where you handle all transactions and manage all the data related to your transaction. No data is kept on the platform and no wall between you and your customers, clients, members, and supporters.
LEKEF.com is bringing fairness to the digital marketplace, the same fairness that exists in the real world marketplace throughout history: just a neutral space that allow producers and consumers to interact and build sustainable, collaborative relationships.
Q. Who can add a listing?
A. A business owner, a representative of a business entity, a product creator, a service provider, or a consumer may add a listing. A listing may consist of information about a business entity or an organization, information about a single product or service, or information about a category of products or services.
Q. I like a product (and its producer/creator), can I list it even if I do not own the product?
A. Yes. As a way to show support to independent sellers and creators, consumers may list a product or a service with information about where it can be purchased. We will review the listing and if approved, it will go live on the Platform. You can then “Bookmark” and even share the bookmark with your friends. The actual owner/creator of the product may “Claim” the listing anytime and edit it as they see fit. Consumers cannot claim a product that they do not own, however.
Q. How long before my listing is live on this Platform?
A. It may take between 4 to 8 weeks before a listing is live on LEKEF.com. This delay is due to the fact that all listings must be approved by a human. First, we rely on the information provided by the “owner” and public records to assess the accuracy of information about the business, product, or service. Second, we examine the classification and categorization of the products and services to ensure that they are properly tagged (this is important for retrieval of information for consumers). Lastly, we examine all links to prevent spam and abuse. All these steps take time, but they are the backbone of the model we are building. We appreciate your patience and support.
Q. I see very zero number of products for some sectors or categories of products; does that mean that there are no products available that would show if ai searched for them?
A. We strongly encourage you to use the search feature to find products or services you are looking for, even if the category folders show limited or no items listed. The reason for the discrepancy between what is actually available and what is showing in the category of products listing is that we manually review the taxonomy to ascertain that all items are properly tagged. Upon submission, an item may be approved without category pending review. Only items that are reviewed and approved will appear under the appropriate category. The review process may take 4 to 8 weeks.
Q. I do not see my city as an option, when will it be included so that I can add my listings?
A. You do not have to wait to add your listings until your city or region is added. Just make sure you include a full address, including the city or town, and when we review your submission, we will add your location.
Q. Are all submissions approved; are their products and businesses that are not allowed on your Platform?
A. Due diligence on our part involve a review of every submission to determine, based on public records and information provided by creator/seller, that the listing is legitimate and that interested customers are directed to the site provided by the creator/seller. It is the responsibility of the creator/seller to follow and obey laws within their jurisdiction. We reserve the right to reject and delist products and services that we deem illegal, exploitative, or harmful.
Q. Is there a fee for being listed on this platform?
A. No. All listing requests, once approved, will be published on lekef.com Platform free until the owner of the listing or their representative removes it.
Q. Is there an expiry date on listings?
A. Owner of the listing of a product or service will be given the option to include an expiry date for their listing. But there is no automatic removal of listings.
Q. Is there a membership fee to join the platform?
A. No.
Q. Do I have to be a creator or a direct provider of a service to be listed here?
A. No. While our focus is on individual creators, producers of goods, and service providers, sellers of services and goods that are produced by others but are marketed for specific communities are also encouraged to list their business. For example: If you are selling computers to customers in a specific city or town, you can add your listing. Given the monopolies on computer software and hardware products, we don’t expect indigenous communities to produce their own computer machines. They can be assemblers, builders, and fixers of common computers that are designed for their local communities. Similarly, a person or an entity might be focused on selling products to specific persons or organizations world-wide. For instance, one selling application that help vision-impaired individuals to access the Internet will be encouraged to list their product for communities world-wide.
Q. How can I promote my product when there are competitors’ products on the platform?
A. We do not see multiple products as “competing products”. We qualify them as “options,” because it is rarely the case that one product is exactly the same as another, unless of course it is the same product sold by different sellers. That is why we encourage creators to provide as many details as possible about their product and service to distinguish it from other “options”. The Platform encourages collaboration, not competition.
Q. Do I have to use your payment service to sell my product on your platform?
A. No. We encourage owners of products and services to create their own storefront and use their own payment tools. We only provide the space for creators and buyers to connect.
Q. I sell my products on other marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart. Can I link to my products that are there or must I list them and transact them on your Platform?
A. You are free to list and cross-list your products and services on any marketplace you like and link to them from our Platform.
Q. Can I pay for placement when consumers search for my product on your search?
A. No. Out of respect for all members of our community of users, we do not use algorithms to retrieve search results. Please enter the best keywords describing your product or service. We will use that information to enable consumers to find what they need. Also, because we are encouraging local economies, location information is very important. Please make sure that that information is correct. Your listing will be removed if it appears to be non-specific or abusive of our rules in any way.
Q. How does your “featured listing” impact search results? Do I have to pay for featured listing in order to maximize higher ranking on your search?
A. Featured Listings are a limited number of sponsored listings that help us pay for this otherwise free community service. We place Featured listings on specific pages, like the frontpage, but Featured Listings are not prioritized in search results.
For full transparency purposes, Featured Listings are one of the tools that help pay for this Platform. If you like our values and would like to sponsor this community resource, please consider becoming a Sponsor. For your financial support that helps pay for the cost of running this Platform, we will place your product on a dedicated space and mark it as Featured. We have a limited number of spots for such sponsorship, and they are given on first-come-first-serve basis.
The more sponsorship we receive and the more generous the community of users of the Platform are, the less likely we will rely on third-party, such advertisers, for support. Our hope is to be able to fully remove all advertising once the Platform becomes fully supported by the community of users.
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Q. As is, this model does not appear to sustainable in the long run because it is not set to generate profit out of the information you are providing. Are you planning to change the fee structures in the future?
A. No. Our plan is to keep this community marketplace Platform open, transparent, free, and non-exploitative. You can ensure that it stays so by your support and involvement. If interested, volunteer for the Advisory Board, and when new members are admitted or outgoing members are leaving, we will consider you for this very important role.
Q. Do you keep the data of my customers/clients?
A. No. We do not collect and retain any data about buyers and clients of creators who list their products and services on our Platform. However, please be aware that once someone clicks on a link of your product on our site, they will be sent to either your storefront or to the marketplace where you transact your product, and we have no control over what happens once they leave the Platform.
Q. How is your Platform different from other marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, etc.?
A. While we provide a common space for creators and buyers, we do not profit from either. We take no percentage of your sales, we charge you no membership fees, and we certainly do not collect and own your data. We want to offer an alternative to the exploitative model. No one should profit from the hard work of others.
Q. How is your Platform different from having my own website where I sell my goods and services?
A. It is not. However, it is doubtful that on your website, you list other “options” that would allow buyers to choose between your product and a similar one. It is also doubtful that you would list other products that you do not own or make on your site. This Platform does not sell anything. It provides space for others to sell and showcase their products. The Platform is a shared space that allow creators and buyers to connect and collaborate. We believe in the idea of collaborative relationship and disapprove of the exploitative models. Please read our Mission Statement for more information.
Q. How can I support this project?
A. We often contact creators who are most active on the Platform and invite them to join our Advisory Board. If you are not contacted and would like to be considered, please contact us.
Q. Do I have to register to use this service?
A. No. visitors who are looking for a product or service do not need to create an account with LEKEF.com. However, the creator/seller may require them to create an account once they leave our Platform and land on their storefront site. Creators, too, do not have to create an account on LEKEF.com; they can add a listing under a “Guest” account. However, if they have more than one product or service listed on the LEKEF.com Platform, or if their listed items require frequent updating, they are advised to create an account to so that they can manage their listings. LEKEF.com does not modify the listings.
