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Hyperlocal marketplace · Shantigram, Ahmedabad · Become a vendor →
ShantigramCentral
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For sellers

Vendor Guidelines

Everything you need to know to run a successful Shantigram store.

1. Becoming a vendor

You must be a verified Shantigram resident or hold a registered shop unit in a Shantigram mall or commercial complex. Apply at /vendor/register. Your application will be checked against our community whitelist and reviewed by an admin.

2. KYC requirements

To activate your vendor account, you must provide:

  • PAN number (mandatory, all vendors).
  • Aadhaar number (mandatory, all vendors). Stored encrypted; only the last four digits are visible to you.
  • GSTIN — mandatory for shop owners. Optional for resident vendors who fall below the GST threshold (₹40 lakh aggregate turnover for goods, ₹20 lakh for services). If you do not have a GSTIN, your invoices will be marked "Unregistered seller — GST not applicable".
  • One or more KYC documents: Aadhaar (front and back), PAN card, address proof, shop licence (if applicable).
  • Bank account number and IFSC for payouts.

3. Listings

  • Use clear, well-lit photographs. Square or 4:3 ratio works best.
  • Write honest descriptions. Misleading copy is grounds for listing removal.
  • Set realistic prices in INR including any taxes you collect.
  • Set a return window for every product (0 days = final sale).
  • Mark perishables and made-to-order items clearly.
  • Do not list prohibited items (alcohol, tobacco, narcotics, weapons, prescription drugs, counterfeit goods, anything restricted under Indian law).

4. Subscription & fees

To publish listings, you must hold an active subscription. Plans are listed on the Subscription page in your portal. There are no per-order commissions today; we take only the subscription fee. If we ever introduce a commission, we will notify you 30 days in advance and you may cancel your subscription before the new fee takes effect.

5. Orders and bookings

  • You will be notified by email and in-portal whenever an order is placed.
  • Confirm or reject within 12 hours. Auto-rejection after 24 hours of inaction releases the customer's payment hold.
  • For services, keep your slot calendar up to date. Cancelling confirmed bookings hurts your search ranking.

6. Invoices

ShantigramCentral generates an invoice on your behalf for every confirmed order, carrying your GSTIN and business name (or "Unregistered seller" if you have no GSTIN). Invoices comply with §31 of the CGST Act and Rule 46 of the CGST Rules. You are responsible for filing your GST returns and discharging any tax liability.

7. Returns and refunds

You set the return window per product. When a customer raises a return request, you have 48 hours to accept or reject it. Once accepted, you must collect the item and refund the customer within 7 working days. See our Returns & Refunds Policy for the full flow.

8. Payouts

Order proceeds are paid out to your verified bank account on a weekly schedule (currently every Wednesday for the previous week's confirmed orders). You can view payout statements on the Payouts page in your portal. Payouts are processed manually during the early marketplace phase; full automation is planned.

9. Customer communication

  • Be polite and prompt. The Shantigram community is small; reputation matters.
  • Do not ask customers to transact off-platform. This bypasses tax records and consumer protections, and is grounds for account suspension.
  • Use the in-portal ticket flow for any complaint or dispute.

10. Code of conduct & suspension

We may suspend or terminate vendor accounts for: repeated cancellations, fraudulent listings, harassment of buyers or other vendors, GST non-compliance reported to us by tax authorities, or any breach of our Terms & Conditions. Decisions can be appealed by raising a ticket within 14 days.

11. Help

Our Help Center has step-by-step articles. For anything not covered, raise a ticket from your portal and our community team will respond within 48 hours.