Legal

Terms of Service

The terms I work under: how a project is agreed, how invoicing works, what access I need, and what happens if either of us wants to stop.

Last updated 29 August 2026

At a glance

The short version

Who Niel Lim, a sole trader based in Cebu, Philippines, trading as niellim.com

Scope Agreed in writing before work starts. Nothing is assumed.

Invoicing Monthly in arrears, or per project, as agreed on the call.

Notice Two weeks either way. No minimum term and no cancellation fee.

Access A staff account with only the permissions the work needs. Revoked whenever you say.

Section 01

Who you are dealing with

These terms cover work carried out by Niel Lim, a sole trader based in Cebu, Philippines, trading as niellim.com.

There is no agency behind me and no team the work gets passed to. You are hiring one person, and that person does the work.

Section 02

How work is agreed

Nothing starts until the scope is written down and you have agreed to it.

We talk, usually for twenty minutes, about what you need

I write back with what I can take on, roughly how long each part takes, and what it costs

You confirm in writing. An email is enough.

Work starts, and anything outside what we agreed is quoted separately before I do it

If you ask for something mid-month that was not in the scope, I will tell you what it adds before starting rather than after.

Section 03

Fees and payment

Rates are agreed before work begins, either hourly or as a monthly amount

I invoice monthly in arrears unless we agree otherwise

Invoices are due within seven days of the date on them

If an invoice passes fourteen days overdue I will pause work and tell you why, rather than continuing quietly and billing for it

Amounts quoted are exclusive of any bank or transfer charges, which are yours.

Section 04

Access to your store

Most of this work needs access to your systems, so it is worth being exact about what that means.

I ask for a staff or admin account carrying only the permissions the agreed work requires, and nothing beyond that

I do not ask for your personal login, and you should not give it to me

You can revoke my access at any time, for any reason, without telling me first

I will not share your credentials or your data with anyone

If access is removed while work is in progress, I will invoice for what has been completed up to that point and hand over anything unfinished.

Section 05

What you are responsible for

Giving me the access the work needs, and telling me when it changes

Providing content, product information or approvals when I ask. Timelines move if these are slow.

Making sure you have the right to use anything you send me, including images, copy, brand assets and product data

Keeping your own backups of your store

Section 06

Who owns the work

Work I produce for you, including listings, page copy, images I have optimised and configuration inside your store, is yours once the invoice covering it is paid.

Anything I built before working with you, and the general methods and checklists I use, stay mine. You are not buying my process. You are buying its output, applied to your store.

Section 07

What I do not promise

This section matters more than most of a terms page, because search work attracts promises nobody can keep.

I do not guarantee any specific search ranking, traffic figure or revenue number. Nobody controls Google, and anyone telling you otherwise is guessing.

I do not guarantee that an AI assistant will mention your store. I can structure your pages so they are readable and quotable, which is the work that produced that result elsewhere. The outcome itself is not mine to promise.

I do not run paid advertising, and I will say so rather than take the work.

Timeframes I give are estimates based on what I can see at the time. If something turns out bigger than it looked, I will tell you before spending your money on it.

Section 08

Ending the arrangement

Either of us can end the arrangement with two weeks written notice

There is no minimum term and no cancellation fee

You pay for work completed up to the end of the notice period

I will hand over anything in progress and remove myself from your accounts

If you simply stop replying, I will follow up twice and then treat the arrangement as ended, invoicing for the work completed.

Section 09

Liability

I take care with access to live stores, but it is fair to be clear about the limits of what one freelancer can carry.

My total liability for any claim is limited to the fees you paid me in the three months before it arose

I am not liable for lost profits, lost sales or loss of data, which is why keeping your own backups sits on your list above

Nothing here limits any liability that cannot be limited by law

Section 10

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, and any dispute goes to the courts of Cebu.

In practice I would far rather sort a disagreement out on a call, and I will always try that first.

Section 11

Changes to these terms

If these terms change, the version on this page applies to new work. Work already agreed runs under the terms that were in place when it was agreed. The date at the top tells you which version you are reading.

Questions

Ask before you agree to anything

If something here is unclear, or it does not suit how you work, say so on the call. These are the terms I work under by default, not a document I expect you to accept without reading.

niel@niellim.com