Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing grailden.com (the "Site") or using any services provided by Grail Den (the "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Service.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "you," or "your") and Backyard Dreaming LLC ("Company," "we," "us," or "our"), a California S-Corporation operating Grail Den.

We reserve the right to update, modify, or replace any part of these Terms at any time. It is your responsibility to review these Terms periodically. Your continued use of the Service following the posting of any changes constitutes acceptance of those changes.

2. Description of Service

Grail Den is a collectibles intelligence platform operated by Backyard Dreaming LLC The platform provides tools and resources for collectors, including but not limited to:

• eBay Marketplace Search: Search functionality across multiple international eBay marketplaces to locate collectible items, including active listings and completed/sold listings for market research.
• Collection Tracking and Management: Tools to catalog, organize, and track the value of your personal collectibles collection.
• Market Research and Comparable Sales Analysis: Access to historical sales data and market trends to help inform collecting and purchasing decisions.
• AI-Powered Autograph Authentication Assessments: Machine learning-based analysis of autograph images to provide confidence scores and forgery risk assessments (see Section 6 for important disclaimers).
• Community Tools: Features enabling collectors to connect, share knowledge, and collaborate within the Grail Den platform.

The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We do not guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or available at all times. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Service at any time without prior notice.

3. User Accounts

To access certain features of the Service, you must create an account. By creating an account, you agree to the following:

• Age Requirement: You must be at least 18 years of age to create an account and use the Service. By registering, you represent and warrant that you are 18 years of age or older.
• One Account Per Person: Each individual may maintain only one account. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions, abuse free tier limits, or for any other reason is strictly prohibited and grounds for immediate termination of all associated accounts.
• Password Security: You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials, including your password. You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account, whether or not you authorized that activity. You must immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your account.
• Accurate Information: You must provide a valid, accurate email address and keep your account information up to date. We may use your email address to send important notices regarding your account, changes to the Service, or updates to these Terms.
• Account Suspension and Termination: We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent activity, or if your account poses a security risk to the Service or other users.

4. Subscription Tiers & Billing

Grail Den offers the following subscription tiers:

Apprentice (Free Tier)

The Apprentice tier provides limited access to the platform's features at no cost. Feature availability on the free tier is subject to change at our discretion.

Hunter Tier

The Hunter tier provides enhanced features including unlimited marketplace searches, expanded collection tracking capabilities, and additional market research tools.

Scholar Tier

The Scholar tier provides full access to all platform features, including priority access to new features, advanced analytics, and enhanced AI authentication tools.

Billing Terms

• Auto-Renewal: All paid subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period (monthly or annual) unless cancelled before the renewal date. You will be charged the applicable subscription fee at the beginning of each billing period.
• Cancellation: You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You will retain access to paid features until the end of the period you have already paid for.
• No Partial Refunds: We do not provide refunds or credits for partial billing periods, unused time remaining in a subscription period, or downgrading to a lower tier mid-cycle.
• Price Changes: We reserve the right to change subscription pricing. We will provide at least 30 days' advance notice of any price increase. Price changes will take effect at the start of your next billing period following the notice period. If you do not agree to a price change, you may cancel your subscription before it takes effect.
• Payment Processing: All payments are processed securely through Stripe. Grail Den does not store your credit card information on our servers. Your payment data is handled entirely by Stripe in accordance with PCI-DSS compliance standards.

5. Deep Verify Authentication Credits

Deep Verify authentication credits are purchased separately from your subscription and are subject to the following terms:

• Non-Refundable: All Deep Verify credit purchases are final and non-refundable. Credits cannot be exchanged for cash or transferred to another account.
• No Expiration (While Account Active): Purchased credits do not expire as long as your Grail Den account remains active and in good standing. If your account is terminated or deleted, any remaining unused credits will be forfeited.
• One Credit, One Assessment: Each Deep Verify credit entitles you to one authentication assessment. One credit is consumed per assessment submitted, regardless of the assessment outcome or confidence score returned.
• Assessment Scope: Each credit covers a single authentication analysis of one submitted image or set of images for one item. Re-assessments or follow-up analyses of the same item require an additional credit.

6. Authentication Disclaimer

You expressly agree that your use of authentication features is at your sole risk. We make no warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of any authentication assessment. We strongly recommend that you obtain professional authentication from recognized third-party services before making significant purchasing decisions based on autograph authenticity.

7. User-Submitted Content & Data Usage

When you upload, submit, or transmit content to Grail Den (including but not limited to images, text, collection data, and authentication submissions), the following terms apply:

• You Retain Ownership: You retain all ownership rights to the content you submit. Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of your content to Grail Den or Backyard Dreaming LLC
• License Grant: By submitting content, you grant Backyard Dreaming LLC a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, process, store, and analyze your content solely for the purposes of providing and improving the Service. This includes processing images for authentication assessments, displaying your collection data to you, and generating market analytics.
• AI Training Consent: Images and data submitted for authentication assessments may be used to train and improve our AI authentication models. By using the authentication features, you expressly consent to this use. This training use is limited to improving authentication accuracy and does not involve selling your images or content to third parties.
• No Sale of Content: We will not sell, rent, or license your submitted images or personal content to third parties for their independent use.
• No Public Display Without Consent: We will not publicly display, publish, or share your submitted content (including collection data and authentication images) without your explicit prior consent.
• Data Deletion: You may request deletion of your submitted content at any time by contacting us via our contact form. Upon receiving a valid deletion request, we will remove your content from our active systems within 30 days. Content that has already been incorporated into aggregated, anonymized training data may not be individually extractable, but no personally identifiable information will be retained in such data.

8. eBay Affiliate Disclosure

Grail Den participates in the eBay Partner Network (EPN), an affiliate marketing program. This means:

• Affiliate Links: When you click on links to eBay listings from within the Grail Den platform, those links may contain affiliate tracking parameters. If you make a purchase on eBay after clicking one of these links, Backyard Dreaming LLC may receive a commission from eBay.
• No Effect on Price: Clicking an affiliate link does not increase the price you pay for any item on eBay. The commission is paid by eBay, not by you.
• FTC Compliance: This affiliate relationship is disclosed in compliance with the Federal Trade Commission's guidelines on endorsements and testimonials. For full details, please see our FTC Disclosure page.
• Super Admin Exclusion: Accounts designated as Super Admin are excluded from affiliate link tracking to avoid conflicts of interest.

Our search results and marketplace data are presented based on relevance and availability, not based on affiliate commission potential. Affiliate participation does not influence the order, prominence, or inclusion of any listing in our search results.

9. Prohibited Uses

You agree not to use the Service for any of the following purposes. Violation of these prohibitions may result in immediate account suspension or termination.

• Automated Access: Using bots, scrapers, crawlers, spiders, or any other automated means to access, extract, or collect data from the Service without our express written permission.
• Data Reselling: Reselling, redistributing, sublicensing, or commercially exploiting any data, content, or analytics obtained from the Service.
• Illegal Content: Uploading, transmitting, or sharing any content that is illegal, infringing, defamatory, obscene, threatening, or otherwise objectionable under applicable law.
• Reverse Engineering: Reverse-engineering, decompiling, disassembling, or otherwise attempting to derive the source code, algorithms, or underlying technology of the Service, including our AI authentication models.
• Multiple Accounts: Creating or maintaining more than one account per individual, or creating accounts on behalf of others without their authorization.
• Fraud Facilitation: Using the Service to facilitate fraud, including but not limited to using authentication assessments to fraudulently represent inauthentic items as authentic, or manipulating market data to deceive other collectors or buyers.
• Misrepresentation of Results: Presenting Grail Den authentication assessments as professional certifications, certificates of authenticity, or as a substitute for professional authentication services. You may share assessment results, but you must not misrepresent them as professional authentication.
• System Interference: Attempting to interfere with, compromise, or disrupt the Service's infrastructure, security measures, or other users' access to the Service.
• Circumventing Restrictions: Attempting to bypass, circumvent, or disable any access controls, usage limits, or security features of the Service.

10. Intellectual Property

• Platform Ownership: The Grail Den platform, including its design, code, features, user interface, and branding, is the exclusive property of Backyard Dreaming LLC and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.
• AI Models and Training Data: All machine learning models, model weights, training methodologies, and proprietary training datasets used in Grail Den's authentication and analytics features are the exclusive intellectual property of Backyard Dreaming LLC and are considered trade secrets.
• Third-Party Content: eBay listing data, images, and related content displayed within the Service are the property of their respective owners and are displayed under fair use principles and in accordance with eBay Partner Network affiliate terms. Grail Den does not claim ownership of third-party content.
• User Content: As stated in Section 7, content you submit to the Service remains your property. The license you grant us is limited to the purposes described in these Terms.
• Trademarks: "Grail Den," "Deep Verify," and associated logos and branding are trademarks of Backyard Dreaming LLC You may not use our trademarks without prior written permission. All other trademarks referenced in the Service (including but not limited to eBay, PSA, JSA, and Beckett) are the property of their respective owners.

11. Platform, Not Party (Future Marketplace)

Grail Den may in the future introduce marketplace features that enable users to buy, sell, or trade collectible items directly through the platform. If and when such features become available, the following terms shall apply:

• Platform Role: Grail Den operates solely as a platform connecting buyers and sellers. We are not a party to any transaction between users. We do not take title to, possess, or inspect items listed for sale.
• No Guarantee: We do not guarantee the quality, safety, authenticity, legality, or availability of any items listed by users. We do not guarantee that any transaction will be completed successfully.
• User Responsibility: Buyers and sellers are solely responsible for the terms of their transactions, including pricing, shipping, returns, and dispute resolution between themselves. Grail Den bears no responsibility for user-to-user transaction disputes.
• Marketplace Fees: If marketplace features are introduced, applicable fees, commission structures, and payment terms will be disclosed separately and will be incorporated into these Terms by reference.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• No Indirect Damages: In no event shall Backyard Dreaming LLC, its officers, directors, employees, agents, or affiliates be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of data, loss of goodwill, business interruption, or any other intangible losses, arising out of or in connection with your use of or inability to use the Service, regardless of the theory of liability (contract, tort, strict liability, or otherwise) and even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.
• Liability Cap: Our total cumulative liability to you for all claims arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the total amount of fees paid by you to Grail Den during the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim. If you are on the free Apprentice tier and have not made any payments, our total liability shall not exceed fifty dollars ($50.00 USD).
• Authentication Limitations: Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, we shall have no liability whatsoever for any losses, damages, or expenses arising from reliance on authentication assessments, AI confidence scores, or any other analytical output of the Service. See Section 6 for the complete Authentication Disclaimer.
• Essential Basis: You acknowledge that the limitations of liability in this section are an essential element of the agreement between you and Backyard Dreaming LLC and that, in the absence of such limitations, the terms and conditions of this agreement, including the pricing of the Service, would be substantially different.

13. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Backyard Dreaming LLC, its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, and service providers from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs, or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to reasonable attorney's fees) arising from or related to:

• Your use of and access to the Service.
• Your violation of any term of these Terms of Service.
• Your violation of any third-party right, including but not limited to any intellectual property, privacy, or proprietary right.
• Any content you submit, post, or transmit through the Service.
• Any claim that your submitted content caused damage to a third party.
• Your reliance on any authentication assessment, market data, or analytical output provided by the Service.
• Any transaction you enter into with a third party as a result of information obtained through the Service.

This indemnification obligation will survive the termination of these Terms and your use of the Service.

14. Dispute Resolution

Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-law provisions. You agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of the courts located in Los Angeles County, California for the purpose of litigating any claims not subject to arbitration as provided below.

Binding Arbitration

Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms, or the breach, termination, or invalidity thereof, shall be settled by binding arbitration administered by JAMS in Los Angeles County, California, in accordance with JAMS' Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures. The arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding and may be entered as a judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Class Action Waiver

You agree that any arbitration or proceeding shall be conducted only on an individual basis and not in a class, consolidated, or representative action. If for any reason a claim proceeds in court rather than in arbitration, you and Backyard Dreaming LLC each waive any right to a jury trial and agree that such claim shall be brought only in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class or representative proceeding.

Small Claims Exception

Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may bring an individual action in small claims court for disputes within the jurisdictional limits of such court, provided the action is not transferred, removed, or appealed to a different court.

Informal Resolution

Before filing any arbitration claim, you agree to first contact us via our contact form and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least thirty (30) days. Most disputes can be resolved without formal proceedings.

15. Termination

• Termination by You: You may close your account at any time by contacting us via our contact form or through your account settings. Upon closing your account, your right to use the Service will cease immediately. If you have an active paid subscription, cancellation will take effect at the end of your current billing period.
• Termination by Us: We may suspend or terminate your account and access to the Service immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason, including but not limited to a breach of these Terms. We may also terminate or suspend your account if required to do so by law or if we cease offering the Service.
• Data Deletion: Following account termination, we will retain your account data for a period of thirty (30) days to allow for account recovery in case of accidental deletion. After this 30-day period, your personal data and submitted content will be permanently deleted from our active systems. Aggregated, anonymized data that cannot be used to identify you may be retained indefinitely for analytical and model improvement purposes.
• Surviving Provisions: The following sections shall survive termination of these Terms: Section 6 (Authentication Disclaimer), Section 10 (Intellectual Property), Section 12 (Limitation of Liability), Section 13 (Indemnification), Section 14 (Dispute Resolution), and any other provision that by its nature should survive termination.
• Outstanding Obligations: Termination does not relieve you of any obligation to pay fees incurred prior to termination. Any unused Deep Verify credits will be forfeited upon account termination and are not refundable.

16. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time at our sole discretion. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.

For material changes that significantly affect your rights or obligations, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you via the email address associated with your account at least fifteen (15) days before the changes take effect. Material changes include, but are not limited to, changes to billing terms, dispute resolution procedures, limitation of liability, and data usage policies.

Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the modified Terms, you must stop using the Service and close your account.

We encourage you to review these Terms periodically to stay informed about our terms and conditions.

17. Contact

If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback regarding these Terms of Service, please contact us:

Backyard Dreaming LLC
Santa Monica, California

We will make reasonable efforts to respond to all inquiries within five (5) business days.