Terms of Service

1. Service Description

Forto is a software platform that helps Shopify merchants manage cross-border shipping operations: carrier rate aggregation, shipping label generation, Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) duty & tax calculation, EU Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) VAT collection, returns management, and prepaid wallet billing.

Forto acts as a platform layer. Carrier shipments are governed by each carrier’s own terms of service (FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS, and others). You are the shipper of record for every shipment generated through Forto.

2. Account & Acceptance

You must accept these Terms before using the Forto platform. Acceptance is recorded with your shop domain, the version of the Terms accepted, and the date and IP address of acceptance. We will notify you when the Terms are updated; continued use after notification constitutes acceptance of the new version.

3. Subscription Plans & Billing

3.1 Plans

• Starter — $0/month. No recurring fee.
• Growth — $39/month, billed monthly via Stripe.
• Pro — $99/month, billed monthly via Stripe.
• Enterprise — custom pricing, invoiced separately.

3.2 Recurring Charges

Paid plans renew monthly on the calendar day matching your initial signup until canceled. Your stored payment method on file is charged automatically each billing cycle. Failed renewals are retried by Stripe Smart Retries; persistent failure after 21 days results in subscription downgrade to Starter and may suspend access to paid features.

3.3 Cancellation

You may cancel at any time from the Forto admin panel. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. Forto does not refund partial-period subscription fees.

4. Prepaid Wallet & Funding

4.1 Funding Source

All shipping labels, DDP duties, IOSS VAT, and return labels are funded from your prepaid Forto wallet. You add funds by attaching a payment card via Stripe and either initiating a manual top-up or enabling auto-charge.

4.2 Required Minimum Wallet Balance

You are required to maintain a minimum wallet balance of $100 USD (or equivalent currency) at all times while using Forto. This minimum acts as the working surcharge buffer for post-shipment carrier corrections (see §5) and protects against shipment-creation interruptions. Forto reserves the right to pause label generation if your balance falls below this minimum and your auto-charge cannot restore it.

4.3 Auto-Charge Authorization

By enabling auto-charge, you authorize Forto to charge your stored card off-session, without further user interaction, in the amount and at the threshold you configure (defaults: $200 increment when balance drops to $100). Auto-charge is enabled automatically when you attach a card. You can disable auto-charge at any time in your wallet settings; doing so will pause label creation when your balance is insufficient.

4.4 Wallet Refunds

Voided labels and canceled shipments are refunded back to your wallet balance, not to the funding card. Wallet balances are non-transferable and not redeemable for cash except on account closure, where any remaining balance is refunded to the most recent funding source within 30 days.

5. Shipping Labels & Surcharge Buffer

5.1 Label Cost Deduction

When you generate a shipping label, Forto deducts the carrier base cost from your wallet immediately. There is no per-label reservation or buffer beyond the required minimum wallet balance described in §4.2.

Surcharges that the carrier issues against the shipment after delivery (dimensional weight re-rating, address corrections, fuel adjustments, delivery area surcharges, oversize fees, residential delivery surcharges, and other carrier-imposed adjustments) are handled per §5.2–§5.4 below.

5.2 Carrier Audit Window

Carriers may re-rate or invoice surcharges within their audit window:

• FedEx, UPS, USPS, DPD, Canada Post, Royal Mail, and most express carriers: 21 days
• DHL Express: 14 days
• DHL eCommerce and economy services: 30 days

Surcharges that arrive within the carrier’s audit window are handled per §5.3 below.

5.3 Surcharge Auto-Debit

When a carrier issues a surcharge against a shipment, Forto will:

• First, deduct the surcharge from your available wallet balance;
• If your wallet balance is insufficient, automatically charge your stored card via Stripe (off-session) for the amount needed to cover the surcharge and maintain the required minimum balance.

You will receive a wallet transaction record for every surcharge debit and email notification for any stored-card auto-debit. By using Forto for label generation, you authorize this auto-debit pattern for the duration of the carrier’s audit window.

5.4 Late-Arriving Surcharges — 90-Day Liability Window

You acknowledge that all upfront shipping rates and duty estimates displayed by Forto are estimates subject to carrier audit and reclassification. Carriers may issue surcharge invoices, re-rate shipments, or correct addresses for up to 90 days after the shipment date. You are liable for any such carrier-verified adjustments within this window.

Forto reserves the right to deduct late-arriving carrier-verified surcharges from your wallet balance, and to charge your stored payment method on file for any deficit, for the full 90-day liability period after the original shipment date. We will not charge for any surcharge Forto cannot verify with carrier invoice data.

6. DDP Duties & Taxes

Merchant Liability. You are the importer of record for every shipment unless Forto explicitly acts as Importer of Record under a separate written agreement. Duties and taxes assessed by destination customs authorities are your responsibility.

When DDP is enabled, Forto estimates duty and tax at checkout and reserves the estimated amount in your wallet. After the carrier’s broker invoices the actual duty amount (typically within 7–30 days of delivery), the difference between estimate and actual is reconciled against your wallet. Underpayment auto-debits per §5.3; overpayment is refunded to your wallet.

Forto does not guarantee the accuracy of any duty estimate. Duty estimates are computed using third-party tariff data and product classification; actual duties depend on carrier broker classification at port of entry and may differ from estimates.

7. IOSS VAT Collection (EU Imports under €150)

When you enable IOSS VAT collection for EU-bound shipments at or under €150, Forto collects VAT from your customer at checkout via your Shopify store, holds the collected VAT in a segregated ledger, and remits VAT monthly to the Danish Tax Authority (Skattestyrelsen / skat.dk) under Forto’s Danish IOSS intermediary registration.

Joint Liability. You and Forto share liability for accurate IOSS VAT collection under Danish tax law as it implements EU Council Directive 2017/2455. You warrant that your product classifications, declared customs values, and shipment data submitted to Forto are accurate. Misdeclaration that results in IOSS audit findings will be charged back to your wallet or stored card per §5.3.

Forto’s IOSS service fee (a percentage of VAT collected, varying by subscription tier) is charged at the time of label generation. The collected VAT itself is not Forto revenue and is segregated from operating funds.

8. Returns & Refused Deliveries

Return shipping labels are funded from your wallet on creation. Refused, undeliverable, or returned shipments may incur return-to-sender (RTS) fees from the carrier, which are charged per §5.3.

9. Prohibited Use

You may not use Forto to ship:

• Goods restricted or prohibited under the destination country’s import laws
• Hazardous materials, weapons, controlled substances, live animals, or human remains
• Counterfeit goods or goods infringing third-party intellectual property
• Goods sanctioned under EU, US, or UN sanctions regimes

Violation may result in immediate suspension of your Forto account and forfeiture of any wallet balance pending investigation.

10. Termination

You may close your Forto account at any time. On closure, your subscription is canceled at the end of the current billing period. Carrier surcharge liability persists for the 90-day window described in §5.4 even after closure, and any remaining wallet balance after final reconciliation is refunded to your most recent funding source within 30 days.

Forto may terminate or suspend your account for material breach of these Terms, prohibited use, or non-payment, with reasonable notice except in cases of fraud or sanctions violations where immediate suspension applies.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Danish law, Forto’s aggregate liability under these Terms for any rolling 12-month period is capped at the greater of (a) the subscription fees you paid Forto in the preceding 12 months or (b) DKK 5,000. Forto is not liable for indirect, consequential, or lost profits damages. Carrier-caused delays, losses, and damage are governed by each carrier’s terms; Forto facilitates claims but does not insure shipments.

12. Data Processing

Forto processes personal data of you, your team, your customers, and your shipment recipients to deliver the service. Processing is governed by our Data Processing Agreement, available on request. Subprocessors include Stripe (payments), Vercel (hosting), Supabase (database), and carrier APIs (FedEx, UPS, DHL, Shippo, and others as needed for routing). We comply with GDPR and Danish data protection law.

13. Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of Denmark, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the courts of Copenhagen, Denmark.

14. Changes

We may update these Terms. When we do, we will notify you in the Forto admin panel and via email. Material changes require renewed acceptance. The version and effective date of these Terms are at the top of this page.

15. Contact

RLD Solutions ApS
CVR 41171790
Copenhagen, Denmark
Email: legal@forto.app