Terms of service

Terms of Service

Effective date: August 23, 2026

These Terms of Service govern your use of themysterymakers.com, the Mystery Makers directory, membership services, promotional services, community features, merchandise store, and related services collectively referred to as the “Services.”

Throughout these Terms, “Mystery Makers,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to the operator of Mystery Makers. “You” refers to any visitor, customer, member, Scooper, business owner, or other person using the Services.

By accessing the website, creating an account, submitting a profile, purchasing a membership, or purchasing merchandise, you agree to these Terms, our Privacy Policy, Return and Refund Policy, Shipping Policy, and Purchase Options Cancellation Policy.

If you do not agree, do not use the Services.

1. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into a binding agreement to purchase a Scooper membership, submit a business profile, or participate in an age-restricted promotion.

By using the Services on behalf of a business, you represent that you have authority to accept these Terms and financially bind that business.

1. Purpose of Mystery Makers

Mystery Makers provides an online directory, discovery platform, community resource, and promotional service for independently operated mystery-shopping businesses commonly referred to as “Scoopers.”

Mystery Makers may also offer memberships, branded merchandise, giveaways, educational content, community groups, podcasts, promotional opportunities, or other services.

Mystery Makers is not a marketplace for products independently sold by Scoopers unless a product is expressly sold and processed through the Mystery Makers website.

1. Independent Scooper Businesses

Scooper businesses displayed or promoted through Mystery Makers are independent third parties. They are not employees, agents, representatives, franchisees, joint venturers, or legal partners of Mystery Makers.

A Scooper’s inclusion in the directory does not constitute certification, endorsement, sponsorship, or a guarantee of that Scooper or its products, services, business practices, representations, licensing, reliability, safety, fulfillment, or financial condition.

Mystery Makers does not control and is not responsible for:

• Products or services independently offered by a Scooper
• Product quality, authenticity, safety, or legality
• Pricing, product availability, drawings, games, or selling practices
• Shipping, delivery, lost packages, returns, exchanges, or refunds
• Statements made during livestreams or on external platforms
• Customer service provided by a Scooper
• Disputes between a shopper and a Scooper
• The availability or operation of third-party websites or social-media accounts

Transactions completed through a Scooper’s website, livestream, social-media page, payment link, or another external platform are exclusively between the shopper and the Scooper. Mystery Makers is not a party to those transactions.

Users should independently evaluate a business before purchasing from it.

1. Directory Profiles

Scoopers are responsible for ensuring all submitted profile information is accurate, current, lawful, and not misleading.

All profiles are subject to review and approval before publication. Mystery Makers may edit for spelling, formatting, presentation, organization, or consistency without changing the material meaning of the submission.

Mystery Makers may approve, reject, reorganize, suspend, hide, or remove a profile when reasonably necessary to operate or protect the platform. Review or approval does not mean that Mystery Makers independently verified every statement.

Scoopers must notify Mystery Makers when material profile information changes. Mystery Makers does not guarantee that requested updates will be published immediately.

Directory categories, filters, design, search placement, profile layouts, and functionality may change as the platform develops.

1. Listed Scooper Membership

The Listed membership provides a directory profile and the benefits and promotional opportunities described on the applicable membership page.

Benefits may include:

• A searchable Scooper Directory profile
• Display of approved business information, images, links, and shopping platforms
• Opportunities to be featured through Mystery Makers’ Facebook presence
• Rotating homepage exposure opportunities
• Access to approved Mystery Makers Facebook groups or communities
• Eligibility to be considered or invited for podcast participation
• Indirect exposure resulting from Mystery Makers advertising the overall website, directory, community, or brand

Membership does not guarantee:

• Sales, orders, revenue, leads, customers, followers, or traffic
• Individualized paid advertising
• A particular search position
• Continuous or guaranteed homepage placement
• Any specific number or frequency of Facebook features
• Podcast participation
• Selection for a campaign, giveaway, roundup, or promotion
• Exclusivity within a category, region, or market
• Audience size, engagement, conversions, or business results

Promotional opportunities may depend on availability, relevance, scheduling, editorial selection, membership standing, and timely submission of suitable materials.

1. Founding Scooper Rate

The first 30 completed qualifying Listed memberships may receive a founding rate of $59.99 per month instead of the regular $79.99 monthly price.

A founding enrollment is considered completed only after checkout and the initial payment have been successfully completed.

The founding rate remains available only while the membership stays continuously active and in good standing.

If a founding membership is canceled, terminated for nonpayment, or otherwise becomes inactive, the founding rate is forfeited. A former member who later rejoins will be subject to the price and terms available at that time.

The founding rate applies only to the membership price. It does not guarantee permanent access to any particular benefit, feature, group, placement, promotional opportunity, platform, or service.

Mystery Makers’ records determine the number and order of completed founding enrollments. Mystery Makers may correct technical, payment-processing, duplicate-enrollment, or fraudulent-registration errors when determining eligibility.

1. Three-Month Minimum Commitment

Scooper memberships require a minimum commitment of three consecutive monthly billing cycles.

The first payment is charged when the membership begins. The selected payment method is then charged automatically approximately once per month for the following two required billing cycles.

By purchasing a membership, you expressly authorize Mystery Makers and its payment providers to charge the displayed membership price, applicable taxes, and other clearly disclosed charges to the selected payment method.

Cancellation is unavailable until all three required payments have been successfully completed.

A cancellation request, nonuse of benefits, voluntary departure from a group, removal of a profile, suspension, payment dispute, or failed payment does not eliminate amounts owed during the minimum commitment, except where required by law.

Failed, declined, disputed, reversed, or charged-back payments do not count toward completion of the required billing cycles.

1. Renewal and Cancellation

After the third successful monthly payment, the membership automatically continues on a month-to-month basis until canceled.

Members may cancel future renewals through the available membership-management portal or by contacting Mystery Makers using the contact information provided on the website.

Cancellation requests must be completed before the next scheduled billing date to prevent that renewal charge. Cancellation does not reverse or refund a payment that has already been processed.

Unless otherwise stated at the time of cancellation, membership access continues through the end of the then-current paid billing period.

Additional cancellation terms are provided in the Purchase Options Cancellation Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms.

1. Monthly Mystery Makers Member Benefit

Participating Scoopers must provide at least one qualifying Mystery Makers member benefit during each applicable calendar month.

A qualifying benefit may include:

• A Mystery Makers discount or special offer
• Early access
• An exclusive or limited product or opportunity
• A giveaway or promotional opportunity
• Another meaningful benefit approved by Mystery Makers

Scoopers are not required to provide every type of benefit. Mystery Makers may approve, reject, waive, combine, reschedule, or reasonably adjust the requirement based on program needs, timing, participation, platform availability, or other business considerations.

Mystery Makers may announce when the recurring monthly requirement begins if the applicable customer-member program is not yet active when a Scooper enrolls.

Scoopers are responsible for accurately describing, honoring, administering, and fulfilling the benefits they offer. Any discount, giveaway, product, prize, shipping obligation, eligibility requirement, or customer transaction offered by a Scooper remains the responsibility of that Scooper.

Failure to provide an approved required benefit may result in suspension of promotional opportunities, group access, directory visibility, or membership.

1. Community and Facebook Groups

Access to a Mystery Makers Facebook group or another third-party community may require a continuously active membership and compliance with separate community rules.

Group access is a revocable membership benefit and is not guaranteed to remain available through any particular third-party platform.

Mystery Makers may remove a member from a group for harassment, spam, misuse of information, disruptive conduct, nonpayment, violation of community rules, or conduct that creates legal, safety, financial, or reputational risk.

Facebook and other third-party platforms independently control their services. Mystery Makers is not responsible for platform outages, restrictions, account suspensions, algorithm changes, policy changes, or discontinuation of third-party features.

1. Membership Features and Changes

Mystery Makers may add, remove, rename, replace, limit, reorganize, or modify membership features, promotional opportunities, groups, placements, services, and operating procedures as the platform develops.

When reasonably practicable, Mystery Makers will provide at least 30 days’ advance notice before a material reduction to an existing membership benefit takes effect.

Advance notice may not be possible when immediate action is reasonably necessary because of law, safety, fraud, misuse, a third-party platform decision, technical failure, security risk, circumstances outside Mystery Makers’ control, or another urgent business necessity.

Mystery Makers generally intends to avoid material reductions during a member’s initial three-month commitment when reasonably practicable. However, no specific benefit is guaranteed to remain permanently available.

After completing the initial commitment, a member who does not accept a material benefit change may cancel future renewals before the next scheduled billing date.

1. Prices and Plan Changes

Current prices are displayed on the applicable membership page and during checkout.

Mystery Makers may change prices prospectively. We will not retroactively increase a charge already processed or automatically change a founding rate while the qualifying membership remains continuously active, except with the member’s agreement or where required by law.

Upgrades, downgrades, and plan changes may be restricted during the initial commitment. A plan change is not effective unless confirmed through Mystery Makers or the membership-management system.

Mystery Makers may discontinue a plan or introduce a replacement plan. Any migration affecting existing members will be communicated before it takes effect when reasonably practicable.

1. Failed Payments and Chargebacks

Members must maintain a valid payment method.

If a payment fails, Mystery Makers or its payment provider may retry the charge. Membership benefits, directory visibility, group access, and promotional opportunities may be suspended while payment remains outstanding.

A chargeback does not automatically cancel the membership or eliminate amounts legitimately owed under the minimum commitment.

Members should contact Mystery Makers first if they believe a charge is incorrect. Fraudulent or abusive chargebacks may result in suspension or termination.

1. Refunds

Membership payments are nonrefundable after processing, including partial billing periods, unused time, unused benefits, or dissatisfaction with promotional results, except where required by law or when Mystery Makers confirms a billing error.

Merchandise returns and refunds are governed by the separate Return and Refund Policy.

1. Profile and Promotional Content

By submitting names, logos, photographs, videos, descriptions, links, testimonials, product information, or other materials, you represent that:

• You own the materials or have permission to use them
• Their use does not violate another party’s rights
• The information is accurate and not misleading
• The materials comply with applicable laws and platform rules
• You have permission from identifiable individuals appearing in them

You grant Mystery Makers a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, reproduce, resize, crop, format, edit for presentation, display, distribute, and promote submitted materials for operating and marketing Mystery Makers and the Scooper’s profile.

You retain ownership of your original content. The license continues while the content is used through the Services and for a reasonable period afterward in previously created or scheduled promotional materials.

1. Content Standards

Submitted content may not:

• Be false, deceptive, fraudulent, defamatory, threatening, or unlawful
• Infringe copyrights, trademarks, privacy rights, or other rights
• Promote prohibited, counterfeit, dangerous, or illegal products
• Contain malware, unauthorized advertisements, or manipulated links
• Impersonate another person or business
• Misrepresent pricing, products, odds, affiliations, or qualifications
• Harm the integrity, security, or reputation of Mystery Makers or its community

Mystery Makers may reject or remove content that violates these standards.

1. Merchandise

Physical merchandise sold directly through Mystery Makers may be produced and shipped through third-party fulfillment providers.

Colors, dimensions, and appearance may vary slightly from website images because of manufacturing processes and screen settings.

Processing and delivery estimates are not guaranteed. Merchandise orders are also governed by the Shipping Policy and Return and Refund Policy.

1. Third-Party Services and Links

The Services may contain links to Shopify, Shop Pay, Appstle, Facebook, other social-media platforms, Scooper websites, payment providers, shipping carriers, and additional third-party services.

Mystery Makers does not control or assume responsibility for third-party content, policies, security, availability, products, or practices. Use of those services may be governed by separate third-party terms.

1. Giveaways and Promotions

Giveaways, sweepstakes, contests, and similar promotions may be governed by separate official rules, eligibility requirements, geographic restrictions, entry periods, prize conditions, and platform disclosures.

If separate official rules conflict with these Terms regarding a particular promotion, the official rules control for that promotion.

Unless a promotion is lawfully structured otherwise, no purchase is necessary to enter a general public giveaway.

A separate members-only benefit or promotion may be offered when legally permitted, but purchasing a membership does not improve a participant’s odds in a separate general public giveaway.

1. Prohibited Conduct

You may not:

• Use the Services for unlawful, fraudulent, or deceptive purposes
• Attempt to obtain unauthorized access to accounts or systems
• Scrape, harvest, copy, or compile directory information without permission
• Use directory information for spam or unsolicited mass marketing
• Introduce malicious software or interfere with website operation
• Misrepresent your identity, business, affiliation, or membership status
• Circumvent membership restrictions or payment obligations
• Harass users, Scoopers, customers, or Mystery Makers personnel
• Misuse information obtained through a Mystery Makers community
• Use Mystery Makers branding without written authorization

1. Intellectual Property

The Mystery Makers name, logo, website design, graphics, directory organization, written content, and original promotional materials are owned by or licensed to Mystery Makers.

Except as permitted by law, these materials may not be copied, reproduced, modified, distributed, sold, or commercially exploited without prior written permission.

Third-party business names, logos, photographs, and trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.

1. Suspension and Termination

Mystery Makers may suspend or terminate an account, membership, profile, listing, group access, or access to the Services for:

• Violation of these Terms
• Nonpayment
• Fraud, deception, or abusive chargebacks
• Unlawful or harmful conduct
• Repeated substantiated complaints
• Misuse of the directory, platform, groups, or member information
• Failure to provide a required approved member benefit
• Conduct creating material legal, safety, financial, or reputational risk
• Another legitimate business or safety reason

If Mystery Makers terminates a membership for misconduct, nonpayment, or violation of these Terms, termination does not eliminate unpaid obligations or create a right to a refund.

If Mystery Makers terminates an active membership for its own convenience and not because of the member’s conduct, future charges will stop and the member will not owe unpaid future payments under the initial commitment. Mystery Makers may provide a prorated refund for a paid period that it chooses not to provide.

1. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Services are provided “as is” and “as available.”

Mystery Makers does not warrant that the website, directory, memberships, promotional services, links, groups, or other features will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, accurate, or suitable for a particular business purpose.

Nothing in these Terms excludes warranties or legal rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

1. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Mystery Makers and its owners, officers, employees, contractors, service providers, and affiliates will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, including lost profits, lost revenue, lost data, reputational harm, or lost business opportunities arising from the Services.

Mystery Makers is not liable for acts, omissions, products, services, statements, transactions, disputes, or misconduct involving an independent Scooper or another third party.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Mystery Makers’ total liability relating to a paid membership will not exceed the membership fees paid to Mystery Makers during the three months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

These limitations do not apply where prohibited by law.

1. Indemnification

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Mystery Makers and its owners, officers, employees, contractors, service providers, and affiliates from claims, losses, liabilities, damages, and reasonable expenses arising from:

• Your violation of these Terms
• Your submitted content
• Your business operations, promotions, products, or services
• Your violation of applicable law
• Your infringement of another party’s rights

1. Changes to These Terms

Mystery Makers may revise these Terms as the platform develops.

Material changes affecting recurring payments or existing memberships will be communicated as required by applicable law and these Terms. Unless an earlier change is reasonably necessary for a legal, safety, security, technical, or third-party platform reason, revised Terms will become effective on the date stated in the notice.

Continued use of the Services after revised Terms become effective constitutes acceptance to the extent permitted by law. This provision does not authorize retroactive charges.

1. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except where mandatory laws provide otherwise.

1. Severability

If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain effective. The unenforceable provision will be interpreted as closely as legally permitted to its intended purpose.

1. No Waiver

Failure to enforce a provision does not waive the right to enforce it later.

1. Entire Agreement

These Terms and the policies incorporated into them constitute the entire agreement concerning use of the Services, except for a separate written agreement signed by Mystery Makers.

1. Contact

Questions, billing concerns, cancellation requests, and legal notices may be submitted through the contact information or contact form provided on themysterymakers.com.