Frequently Asked Questions

Bee Local is the UK's free local produce marketplace connecting communities with fresh local produce directly from farms, food artisans, and independent producers.

We specialize exclusively in Local Produce businesses including:

• Butchers: Quality local meat and poultry
• Honey Farms: Fresh honey and bee products
• Farm Shops: Direct from farm produce
• Cheese Shops: Artisan cheese specialists
• Greengrocers: Fresh fruit and vegetables
• Sweets & Chocolates: Handmade confectionery
• Gift Shops: Local food gifts and hampers
• Cake Makers: Artisan bakers and cake specialists

Our mission is to support local food economies by providing a free platform for producers to reach their community, with zero commission and no monthly fees.

There are several ways to find local produce businesses on Bee Local:

1. Search Bar: Use the main search bar on our homepage to search for specific products or producers (e.g., "organic vegetables", "local honey")
2. Category Browsing: Browse by Local Produce subcategories: Butchers, Honey Farms, Farm Shops, Cheese Shops, Greengrocers, Sweets & Chocolates, Gift Shops, Cake Makers
3. Postcode Search: Enter your postcode to find vendors within 30 miles who deliver to your area
4. Marketplace Search: Search products directly in the marketplace to see what's available for delivery
5. Voice Search: Press the 'V' key or click the microphone icon to search by voice

No, you don't need an account to search and view business listings. However, creating a free account gives you additional benefits:

• Save favorite businesses for easy access
• Leave reviews and ratings for businesses
• Track your search history
• Receive notifications about new businesses in your area
• Access to marketplace shopping features

Registration is completely free and takes less than 2 minutes.

Basic listings are completely FREE! You can list your business with essential information using data from Companies House.

For businesses wanting enhanced features, we offer premium upgrades:

• Premium Business Listing (£150/year): AI-generated content, premium placement in search results, advanced analytics, unlimited photos, custom descriptions
• Marketplace Vendor Subscription (£450/year): Unlimited products, recipe creation tools, promotional discount codes, premium carousel placement, delivery zone management, order management dashboard

The marketplace vendor subscription includes all premium business listing features plus full e-commerce capabilities for selling local produce online.

If your business already appears on Bee Local, you can claim it:

1. Go to "Find My Business" in the main navigation
2. Search for your business name and postcode
3. Click "Claim This Business" on your listing
4. Verify your ownership by providing business email or phone
5. Complete the verification process

Once verified, you'll have full control to edit your listing, add photos, and manage your business information.

Premium business owners get access to our AI website generator, which creates:

• Custom Headlines: Compelling titles that capture your business essence
• Business Taglines: Memorable slogans that communicate your value
• About Sections: Professional descriptions tailored to your target audience
• Service Descriptions: Enhanced explanations of your products and services
• SEO Content: Content optimized for search engines and local discovery

You can customize the tone (Professional, Friendly, Premium, Local, Innovative) and style to match your brand. The AI uses your existing business information to create relevant, high-quality content.

Our marketplace connects customers with local produce vendors within a 30-mile radius based on your postcode:

For Shoppers:

• Enter your postcode to find vendors who deliver to your area
• Browse products by category: Butchers, Honey Farms, Farm Shops, Cheese Shops, Greengrocers, Cake Makers
• Products automatically filtered by vendor delivery zones
• Apply vendor discount codes at checkout
• Track orders through vendor updates with email notifications
• Secure payments through Stripe integration

For Vendors:

• Marketplace vendor subscription: £450/year (includes premium listing)
• Unlimited products with stock management
• Set custom delivery zones by postcode
• Create discount codes and promotional offers
• Manage orders through vendor dashboard with status tracking
• Automated customer email notifications for order updates

We accept all major payment methods through our secure Stripe integration:

• Credit Cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
• Debit Cards: UK debit cards including contactless
• Digital Wallets: Apple Pay, Google Pay
• Bank Transfers: For larger orders (contact vendor directly)

All transactions are encrypted and processed securely. We never store your payment information.

The marketplace uses postcode-based discovery with 30-mile radius matching:

• Postcode Discovery: Enter your postcode to see only vendors who deliver to your area
• Vendor Zones: Each vendor defines their delivery postcodes (e.g., SW1, SW2, SW3)
• Automatic Filtering: Products automatically show/hide based on delivery availability
• 30-Mile Radius: Initial vendor discovery searches within 30 miles of your postcode
• Postcode Coverage: Vendors specify which postcodes they deliver to
• Delivery Days: Many vendors offer scheduled delivery days (e.g., Wednesdays and Saturdays)
• Collection Available: Some vendors offer collection from their premises

You'll see delivery information clearly displayed on each product page and during checkout.

Yes, you can cancel anytime with no cancellation fees or penalties.

How to cancel:

1. Log into your business dashboard
2. Go to "Account Settings" → "Subscription"
3. Click "Cancel Subscription"
4. Confirm your cancellation

What happens after cancellation:

• Your premium features remain active until the end of your billing period
• Your listing automatically converts to a free basic listing
• All your business information and photos are preserved
• You can re-upgrade anytime in the future

Yes, we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on all premium subscriptions.

Refund policy:

• Full refund available within 30 days of purchase
• No questions asked - if you're not satisfied, we'll refund you
• Refunds typically processed within 5-7 business days
• Refunds go back to your original payment method

To request a refund:

1. Contact our support team at support@beelocal.uk
2. Include your business name and reason for refund
3. We'll process your refund immediately

You can update your payment details anytime through your business dashboard:

1. Log into your business account
2. Navigate to "Account Settings" → "Billing"
3. Click "Update Payment Method"
4. Enter your new card details securely
5. Save changes - your next payment will use the new method

Security note: All payment information is encrypted and securely stored by Stripe. We never see or store your full card details.

There are several reasons why your business might not appear in search results:

Common causes:

• New Listing: Recently added businesses may take 24-48 hours to appear in search
• Incomplete Information: Missing business category, location, or description
• Location Mismatch: Your business location doesn't match the customer's search area
• Category Mismatch: Your business category doesn't match what customers are searching for

How to improve visibility:

1. Complete all business information fields
2. Add clear, descriptive business description
3. Upload high-quality photos
4. Choose the most accurate business category
5. Include relevant keywords in your description
6. Consider upgrading to premium for boosted search ranking

Photo requirements:

• Format: JPG, PNG, or WebP files only
• Size: Maximum 5MB per image
• Dimensions: Minimum 800x800 pixels recommended
• Quality: High resolution for best results

Troubleshooting steps:

1. Check your image meets the requirements above
2. Try resizing the image if it's too large
3. Clear your browser cache and cookies
4. Try using a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari)
5. Ensure you have a stable internet connection

If problems persist, contact our support team with details about your browser and the specific error message you're seeing.

We're here to help! Contact us through any of these methods:

Email Support:

• General Inquiries: hello@beelocal.uk
• Technical Support: support@beelocal.uk
• Business Services: business@beelocal.uk

Response Times:

• General inquiries: Within 24 hours
• Technical issues: Within 12 hours
• Urgent business matters: Within 4 hours

Other Resources:

• Knowledge Base - Detailed guides and tutorials
• Contact Form - Submit detailed support requests
• Live chat feature coming soon!