FAQ

Carlow is a BtoB marketplace specializing in the renewable energies and energy savings segment. Our exclusive offering is made up of a variety of New and Second Life equipment and accessories, sold by European merchants in different segments (Photovoltaics, Heating-Ventilation-Cooling, Biomass, Energy Mobility, Building Management). The platform is a one-stop-shop that enables professionals in the sector to benefit from a complete range of dedicated products, in a secured transactional environment for both professional customers and our merchants. Our team is based in France. Create an account and benefit from a wide range of products.

The Carlow marketplace accepts all functional equipment and accessories, new and second life, in the following categories:

Photovoltaics: modules, inverters, mounting systems, fasteners, cabling, etc.

HVAC: outdoor & indoor units, monitoring, heat exchanger, blower, etc.

Biomass: wood/pellet stoves, boilers, inserts, smoke systems, accessories, etc.

Building automation: modules, sensors, controls, PLCs, etc.

Mobility: EV charging stations, wiring, lighting, etc.

The Carlow platform gives you access to a wide range of offers, presented by several merchants who are specialists in their sector and rigorously selected for their reliability. The main advantages are :

Quick and easy access to a one-stop-shop, a real product universe where everything you're looking for is present. Avoid spending time on 10 different e-commerce stores.

You can choose between fixed prices or quotations, depending on the equipment. Availability is displayed online. You buy quickly, with no surprises.

A unique offer of second-hand products that sets you apart from the competition.

Working through a trusted third party, Carlow secures transactions and ensures that the customer receives compliant products, and that the merchant is paid for the goods shipped.

Carlow's remuneration is mainly based on a commission and subscription system. All our services are made available to merchants on a monthly basis. Until the merchant who offers products generates revenue. When a sale is registered, payment is made directly online on the platform. Once the sale has been delivered, the total amount less our commission is paid to the merchant who made the sale.

Our commission is mainly used to cover the running costs of our structure, and mainly to develop the platform and offer you a smooth, secured and high-quality shopping experience.

We've designed Carlow to be easy to use on all your screens. The site automatically adapts to the device you're using (responsive technology). Try it out with your tablet or smartphone, you'll be convinced!

If you can't find the equipment you're looking for, you can contact our teams at contact@carlow.fr or via the Contact Form, and they'll get back to you as soon as possible.

To purchase on Carlow you need to create an account and meet the following conditions:

You must be an employee or legal representative of a company operating in the Renewable Energies, Heating/Cooling and Energy Savings sectors.

You must have completed the entire registration and identity verification process.

We retain the right to refuse any registration, without specific justification.

Carlow is open to all professionals with a SIRET number who share our commitment to sustainable energy and our values in favor of a circular economy.

Merchants must include all available manufacturer documentation and test reports with each product shipment (paper or electronic). Above all, Carlow wishes to guarantee the safety of users and the proper functioning of products. To this end, each Merchant undertakes to sign the Quality Charter and the Second Life Equipment Specifications. Where possible, some Merchants also offer additional functional guarantees.

No, you can shop on Carlow without any particular subscription. A Freemium package gives you access to the platform's main functions, but also bridges certain additional services.

However, as the platform is reserved for professionals only, we ask our users to create an account, indicating their siren number and VAT number if available.

You have independent access to modify your personal information via your Customer Area.

Carlow enables its partner merchants to offer so-called Second Life products and accessories. These products are so called because they have already been marketed. This can include second-hand, reconditioned or re-used products, unsold goods, surplus stock, equipment seized in legal proceedings, damaged equipment with installation, etc. 

This means that some second-life products are new (equipment never installed, for example), while others have already been used. In all cases, Carlow asks its dealers to offer tested and verified products in perfect working order.

If you're not yet a Merchant, don't hesitate to become a Seller.

Merchants must include all available manufacturer documentation and test reports with each product shipment (paper or electronic). Above all, Carlow wishes to guarantee the safety of users and the proper functioning of products. To this end, each Merchant undertakes to sign the Quality Charter and the Second Life Equipment Specifications. Where possible, some Merchants also offer additional functional guarantees.

We ask our merchants to classify each second-life product they offer for sale according to a pre-established status grid. This enables customers to make informed purchases.

Registering with Carlow is quick and easy. You can freely create a user account on Carlow by going to the registration page (Log in or Create an account tab). A series of personal and professional details will be requested in a form. This information may vary depending on the legal form of the company, and Carlow may request additional documents (Kbis, identity card, etc.) in order to ensure that the registration is serious.

You can delete your User account on your own, by going directly to your personal space in the My Account section.

If you forget your password, you can reset it by clicking on the Forgotten password link, which will send an e-mail to the address you provided when you created your account. 

Carlow is a platform dedicated to professionals.  In this context, the platform's operation and body of rules are based on this principle. In order to ensure compliance with these principles and the legitimacy of the registration request, Carlow may request additional documentation from the user in question. Please also note that our payment service provider may, as part of its regulatory controls, request documents in order to meet its obligations to combat the financing of terrorism and money laundering.

To become a Carlow seller, you can apply directly by e-mail to contact@carlow.fr or by filling in Become Seller. The information collected will enable us to assess the relevance of a possible partnership with regard to the specific conditions and requirements of the platform.

Carlow strictly applies the French Data Protection Act 78-17 of January 6, 1978. We protect your personal data through the CNIL, which makes you the only person with access to your data.

You have independent access to modify your personal information via your Customer Area.

When you place an order on Carlow, you select one or more products you wish to buy. Once your basket is complete, you validate your payment, which sends a notification to each merchant whose products you have selected. The merchants have 2 working days to confirm the availability of the equipment and validate the order before preparing it for shipment.

Normally, product availability is kept up to date (number available) on each product sheet, but on very rare occasions, one or more products may be unavailable (out-of-stock, special sale, fire accident, etc.). In such circumstances, we will do our utmost to (i) inform you as soon as possible (ii) offer you a substitute product wherever possible.

If we are unable to find a replacement product, you will naturally be reimbursed for the price of the unavailable products, without this compromising the rest of your order.

You can track your order on Carlow at any time by going to your customer area / My Orders tab. You will also receive e-mail notifications at each stage of your order (payment / validation by seller / shipping. In the event of any particular problem, our team is at your disposal by e-mail at contact@carlow.fr.

On Carlow, you can cancel your order as long as the Sellers have not confirmed the availability of the equipment. Validated orders are considered firm and final.

However, provided that the Seller has not dispatched the product(s), the Customer may formulate a cancellation request before the start of the delivery process. This request must be submitted via the secure messaging system available in the Customer Area and by e-mail to Carlow and the relevant Seller.

Any request for cancellation after the start of the delivery process cannot be processed and will be considered as a request for return. Costs incurred for transport and processing of the return may then be requested from the Customer and will be deducted from the amount to be reimbursed. For further information, please refer to the General Terms of Use.

You cannot modify an order in progress, i.e. add products after the payment stage.

The merchant is obliged to enclose a copy of the invoice with the goods shipped. However, a digital copy can be sent to you on request via the secure messaging system or directly from your customer area.

When placing your order, you have the choice of selecting the delivery options proposed by the Sellers. We try to give you an estimated delivery time before payment. In general, the Seller has 2 working days to validate the order and 5 working days to prepare it. In addition to this preparation time, shipping time may vary depending on the type of transport (standard or express).

You will be notified as soon as your order has been dispatched by the Vendor. As a general rule, we recommend that you make your purchases of new and reconditioned renewable energy equipment as early as possible. 

Merchants are free to offer (or not) SEPA direct debit as a means of payment for their products. In the case of a multi-vendor order, if one of the merchants does not accept SEPA direct debits, you will not be able to pay for your entire purchase by direct debit. In this case, you will have to separate your orders by grouping together products payable by direct debit and those payable in cash.

In the case of an order validated and paid by direct debit, the seller is obliged by interbank delays to wait for the payment to be executed, which can take up to 6 days. Once this period has elapsed and the funds have been correctly received, the goods can be dispatched.

Our payment service provider perfectly handles customer requests for refunds (justified and granted, of course!). Refunds for SEPA direct debits take 3 to 4 working days.

Initially, the maximum amount of a SEPA direct debit transaction is €10,000 per month. 

This limit is combined with a 2nd limit of €10,000 per week, which increases as the number of SEPA direct debit payments collected by the merchant increases. This mechanism protects merchants against excessive refund requests and disputes. 

As part of our enhanced KYC (Know Your Customer) verification procedures, we are often obliged to request an official copy of the IBAN provided by your bank, rather than asking you to enter it on a payment form. This practice is common within the EU, and helps reduce payment disputes due to incorrect bank details.

You can always cancel an order that has not been validated by the Seller. For orders validated by sellers, please refer to the question “How do I cancel an order? You will find more details in the general conditions of use.

On receipt of the order, the customer has 5 working days to declare any non-conformity - after this time the order will be considered as conforming. No cancellation or refund will be possible.

Missing, incorrect or defective items:

I an item received does not match the order, the Buyer must contact the Seller woth a copy to Carlow. Photos/videos will be requested to confirm the non-conformity. If confirmed, the Seller will send a return label at their expense to collect the goods and will offer the Buyer:

- Reshipping of the correct items

- A voucher equivalent to the original order value, valid for 12 months

- Refund of the initial order and shipping fees

Damaged packaging :

If the packaging is damaged upon receipt, a claim must be made with the Carrier, along with supporting photos/videos. The claim should be sent to the Seller with a copy to Carlow.

Buyer error :

The Buyer can return products at their own expense within 5 working days. A penalty will apply (shipping costs or 10% of the returned amount, whichever is higher). Only unopened items in their original packaging will be accepted. Each order is independent, and the unavailability of one product does not justify canceling the entire order.

In the event of an equipment failure, and before opening a claim, you must check whether the equipment is still under warranty.

If not, the defective equipment cannot be taken back or replaced. However, if the equipment is not functional when first put into service (after the 5 working day order validation period), we encourage you to contact the Vendor via the secure messaging system, to find an amicable solution.

If so, a Vendor or Manufacturer warranty still covers the equipment. You can simply contact your Vendor via the secure messaging system.

When you place an order on Carlow, you are potentially soliciting several sellers listed on the platform. You place a single order and make a single payment, but you may receive several shipments from different merchants.

The carrier will contact you to schedule a delivery appointment. Please make sure you are available for the time indicated (usually a day or half-day), and that you have the necessary equipment for unloading the products if required (forklift, manitou, pallet truck, etc.). The carrier may also come with the necessary equipment to unload the delivery, but unloading is the customer's sole responsibility.

As a general rule, any order shipped cannot be rescheduled.

If the delivery process has not started (order status “shipped” in the customer area), the customer may contact the Vendor via the secure messaging system to request rescheduling of the delivery. The new delivery date cannot be guaranteed under these conditions.

On receipt of the purchased equipment, you should carry out a visual audit of the entire order. Go through the packaging to check for any damaged, open or missing items. Take the opportunity to note any obvious transport damage (open parcel, cracked or broken products, etc.) and make these comments on the delivery note.

To avoid unpleasant surprises, it's essential to clearly and expressly report any damage to the driver on receipt. Above all, don't hesitate to take photos, which will be requested in order to process any claims.

Please note that you have 5 working days to declare any non-conformity to Carlow, whether concerning the condition of packaging or equipment. After this period, we consider that the delivery has been accepted without reservation.

In the event of non-delivery of the order by the carrier within the time limit, and without any particular warning from the merchant or the carrier, the user must notify the Carlow platform without delay via his customer area or directly by e-mail to contact@carlow.fr, indicating the order number.   

As part of your order, you have specific fields to indicate the information required to ensure proper delivery (available operator, equipment available, difficulty of access, opening hours, etc.). On this basis, the carrier appointed by the Vendor or by Carlow will contact you to schedule a delivery. 

In the event of unavoidable or accidental absence, it is necessary to contact the Seller and Carlow as soon as possible to see if the delivery can be rescheduled (depending on the transport offer selected). This contact can be made by any means. Penalties and charges may apply depending on the outcome of the delivery (rescheduling, storage, return, etc.).

The carrier appointed by the Seller or by Carlow is responsible for the proper delivery of the order.

In the event of an accident (breakage, theft, loss, fire, etc.), the carrier covers the lo, ss via its third-party insurance.This insurance usually has a ceiling, and does not guarantee compensation for the actual value of the goods. To limit the risk of loss to compensation, the Vendor can offer Ad Valorem insurancewhich enables the customer to be reimbursed for the actual value of the lost goods.

For further details, please refer to the general sales conditions of each Seller available on Carlow.fr.