PLATFORM LAB2LAB.CH
Unofficial English translation - the French version is legally binding under Swiss law.
Version v4 - Updated July 29, 2026
PREAMBLE
The platform Lab2Lab.ch (hereinafter the "Platform") is an innovative B2B marketplace dedicated to the circular economy and the second life of scientific and laboratory equipment. It promotes reuse, revaluation, and the reduction of the environmental impact of research and diagnostic activities.
The Platform is entirely operated, managed, and administered by the company LABGENE SCIENTIFIC SA, a Swiss public limited company (société anonyme) registered under the UID number CHE-114.391.261, with its registered office located at ZI, Route de Pra de Plan 35, 1618 Châtel-Saint-Denis, Switzerland (hereinafter "LABGENE" or "the Operator").
Any use of the Platform, in any capacity whatsoever, entails the mandatory, express, prior, and unreserved acceptance by the User of these Terms and Conditions (ToS).
The design, technical development, and application maintenance of the Platform are provided by Mr. Clément Lamy, operating under the business name Tandem Labs (hereinafter "the Technical Provider"), accessible via the website tandem-labs.ch.
ARTICLE 1. DEFINITIONS
The terms set out below have the following meaning in these ToS:
- Technical Provider: Refers to the sole proprietorship of Mr. Clément Lamy (Tandem Labs), whose website is tandem-labs.ch, responsible for the development, technical security, application hosting, and maintenance of the Platform on behalf of LABGENE.
- Buyer: Any professional User (laboratory, university, industry, etc.) or, exceptionally, a private individual possessing full civil capacity, who expresses an interest or proceeds with the acquisition of Equipment on the Platform.
- Listing (or "Annonce"): Commercial offer for the sale of Equipment published by a Seller on the Platform, describing its technical characteristics, condition, price, and location.
- AuditLog: Immutable technical registry of the administration and usage activities of the Platform, retained for security, traceability, and legal compliance purposes.
- ToS: These Terms and Conditions, governing the access and use of the Platform's Services by all Users.
- Inquiry (expression of interest): Contact or reservation form submitted by a Buyer for a published piece of Equipment, triggering the process of connection and offline transaction.
- Equipment: Any scientific equipment, laboratory instrument, consumable, or spare part offered for sale on the Platform (centrifuge, PCR machine, pipettes, balances, incubators, etc.).
- Certified Labgene Equipment: Equipment purchased, overhauled, tested, reconditioned, and sold directly by LABGENE SCIENTIFIC SA under its commercial warranty and direct liability.
- Third-Party Equipment: Second-hand or clearance equipment offered for sale by a third-party Seller (laboratory, distributor, third-party manufacturer) under their exclusive liability, with LABGENE acting as a simple information brokerage intermediary.
- Health Passport (or Decontamination Certificate): Official, mandatory document signed by a qualified officer of the selling laboratory (biosafety officer, radiation protection officer, or genetic engineering officer), attesting that the offered Equipment has undergone validated cleaning and decontamination aimed at eliminating any residue or risk of exposure to hazardous substances (flammable, toxic, corrosive, radioactive, biological, or harmful to health) prior to its being put up for sale.
- Platform: The website accessible at the address lab2lab.ch, as well as all of its subdomains, applications, databases, and associated technical infrastructures.
- User: Any natural or legal person who accesses the Platform, whether as a simple visitor, Buyer, or Seller.
- Seller: Any professional User (research laboratory, biotech, university, hospital, manufacturer, distributor, repairer) or, exceptionally, a private individual possessing full civil capacity, who posts a Listing for the sale of Equipment on the Platform.
ARTICLE 2. PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of these ToS is to define the conditions of access, listing, connection, and use of the Services offered on the Platform. They contractually bind LABGENE and each User.
The User declares that they possess the technical and computer skills necessary to access and use the Platform in a secure and compliant manner. All equipment and telecommunications costs required for such access remain their sole responsibility.
ARTICLE 3. ACCESS AND REGISTRATION CONDITIONS
3.1. User Eligibility
Access to the Platform as an active Seller or Buyer is primarily reserved for professional entities (B2B and B2A), notably:
- Public and private research laboratories;
- Higher education institutions, research institutes, universities, and Swiss federal polytechnic schools;
- Healthcare establishments, public hospitals, and clinics;
- High-tech industries (chemistry, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, watchmaking, agri-food, etc.);
- Manufacturers, distributors, reconditioners, repairers, and service providers for laboratory equipment.
Private individuals and adult apprentices (aged 18 or over and possessing full civil capacity) are permitted to register and use the Platform, provided they comply in good faith with the professional requirements for transaction security and traceability.
Minor apprentices (under 18 years of age) may only use the Platform with prior written consent and under the responsibility of their legal representative (parent or guardian) or their authorized training company, which guarantees the performance of all obligations arising from the use of the Services.
3.2. Institutional Affiliation of Accounts
Each User account is of a personal nature (registered under a natural person's name) but must be mandatorily affiliated with an organization or legal entity (laboratory, company, university) duly registered in Switzerland or abroad, identified in particular by its Swiss UID number (business identification number) or VAT number.
3.3. Account Creation and Security
To access the full range of Services (posting listings, submitting Inquiries, order tracking), the User must create a free account by providing accurate, truthful, and up-to-date information:
- Last name, first name, and contact details of the natural person;
- Registered name of the affiliated entity and UID/VAT number;
- Physical address for billing and logistics handling;
- Professional email address and phone number.
The User is solely responsible for safeguarding and maintaining the confidentiality of their credentials (email and password). Any action taken from their account is deemed to have been performed by them.
To ensure the security of commercial data, two-factor authentication (2FA) is mandatory for all accounts with administration or internal management roles (administrators, operators, LABGENE maintenance technicians, and the Technical Provider). It is strongly recommended for third parties.
The User undertakes to immediately notify LABGENE at the address support@lab2lab.ch of any loss, theft, or suspicious use of their credentials.
ARTICLE 4. ROLE OF LABGENE (THE OPERATOR)
The User is expressly informed that the Platform's catalog includes two distinct categories of products, subject to different liability regimes:
4.1. Certified Labgene Equipment (Direct Sale)
For Equipment bearing the "Certifié Labgene" badge, LABGENE acts as a direct seller. This equipment has been acquired, audited, cleaned, calibrated, and overhauled by the engineers of LABGENE SCIENTIFIC SA. It is sold with a direct contractual warranty from LABGENE and delivery/installation provided by its technical teams.
4.2. Third-Party Equipment (Brokerage and Simple Intermediation)
For Equipment sold by third parties, the Platform acts exclusively as a simple technical information brokerage intermediary. The final sale contract is concluded directly between the Buyer and the third-party Seller on a mutually agreed basis.
In this capacity, LABGENE:
- Does not intervene in direct negotiations between third parties;
- Exercises no physical control over third-party equipment stored at the seller's premises;
- Offers no technical, compliance, or safety warranty on such items;
- Excludes any liability regarding the performance of the sale contract, the delivery of goods, or the resolution of transport and warranty disputes between third parties.
ARTICLE 5. LISTING SUBMISSION PROCESS AND OBLIGATIONS (THIRD-PARTY SELLERS)
To submit a Listing on the Platform, the Seller undertakes to follow the structured submission form and to mandatorily provide the following elements:
- Accurate technical information: Brand, exact model, year of initial service, and date of last maintenance.
- Unique instrument identifier: The serial number of the device is strictly mandatory. No equipment will be validated without the entry and legible photograph of its original serial number label.
- Real photographs: Upload of contractual, recent, and actual photographs of the Equipment (maximum 5 photos), without misleading retouching.
- Health Passport and Decontamination Certificate (Sanitary Obligations and Management of Specific Risks): For imperative reasons of public safety, protection of the health of all parties involved in the logistics chain (Platform operators, road or air carriers, technicians, and Buyers) and total exclusion of LABGENE's sanitary liability, the Seller undertakes to submit, for each piece of used equipment that has been in service, a Health Passport (Decontamination Certificate) that is compliant, complete, and signed by a duly qualified officer of the selling laboratory (safety officer, radiation protection officer, or genetic engineering officer).
The Decontamination Certificate must be drawn up using the official template provided by the Platform or any other equivalent document recognized in the industry, and must mandatorily state and certify:
- The actual usage condition of the instrument: Clear declaration indicating whether the device has never been used (new or clearance stock), whether it has been used but has never been in contact with hazardous substances or agents, or whether it has been used and has been exposed to contaminants requiring neutralization.
- The declared categories of risks and hazardous substances: The Seller must explicitly and unreservedly declare whether the instrument has been exposed to one or more of the following risks:
- Biological and microbiological risks (Bio-hazardous): Exposure to viruses, bacteria, patient samples, pathogenic agents, or GMOs (genetically modified organisms).
- Chemical risks (Toxic, Corrosive, Flammable, Hazardous to health): Exposure to toxic chemical reagents, acids, solvents, corrosive, flammable, or harmful products to human health.
- Radiological risks (Radioactive): Exposure to radioactive substances or isotopes, mandatorily requiring the attachment of a recent and negative wipe test report.
- Other specific risks: Any other contaminant or hazard not listed.
- The protocol and neutralizing agent used: Mandatory specification of the cleaning method applied and the decontamination or disinfection agent used (disinfectant, decontamination medium, or specific chemical neutralization product), as well as the date of execution of the procedure.
- The qualified signature and identity of the signatory: Clear indication of the registered name of the issuing company or institution, the last name, first name, and exact position within the laboratory of the qualified signatory authorized to incur the Seller's liability, accompanied by their handwritten or qualified electronic signature.
LABGENE reserves the right to request supplementary safety data sheets (SDS/MSDS), and to prohibit, suspend, or delete as of right and at its discretion any Listing of scientific instruments (centrifuge, fume hood, balance, PCR device, etc.) that does not have an original Health Passport of unquestionable validity, duly completed and uploaded.
- Logistics data: Entry of the estimated package dimensions (height, width, length, weight in kg) and indication of packaging (on pallet or standard package).
- Retention commitment: The Seller undertakes to retain the offered Equipment on their own premises in a storage condition preserving its technical integrity and cleanliness until the final transaction.
ARTICLE 6. MODERATION, CURATION, AND OVERSIGHT
Any Listing submitted by a third-party Seller is subject to prior moderation and curation by LABGENE's operators.
LABGENE holds absolute discretionary oversight over catalog moderation. In this capacity, LABGENE is entitled to:
- Request corrections or additional details from the Seller by email prior to any publication;
- Associate the listing with the standardized technical model of its category to improve its readability and referencing;
- Refuse or suspend the publication of a listing if key information is incomplete, suspicious, or contradictory (e.g., missing serial number, questionable health certificate).
The User is informed that only laboratory equipment, scientific instruments, and spare parts are permitted. Generic, non-specific mass consumables (microtubes, gloves) are excluded from the Platform to ensure a high-quality catalog.
ARTICLE 7. AUTOMATION AND LISTING LIFECYCLE
To ensure the dynamism and cleanliness of the public catalog, the Platform integrates an automated tracking and follow-up system with daily operations:
- 30-day report (D+30): The Seller receives an automated audience report detailing the number of unique views generated on their product page and the expressions of interest (Inquiries) received.
- 90-day action reminder (D+90): In the absence of a transaction, an email is sent inviting them to re-evaluate their technical description, photos, or to apply a 10% price reduction with a single click from their seller dashboard to stimulate Buyer interest.
- Expiry alert (11 months): Automatic notification signaling the upcoming expiration and delisting of the Listing at the 12-month mark.
- Automatic delisting (12 months): Without explicit renewal action by the Seller, the Listing automatically switches to expired status and disappears from the public site.
ARTICLE 8. FINANCIAL TERMS AND COMMISSIONS
8.1. Commission Rate
Use of the Platform for posting Listings is free of charge. In return for the technical connection, audience, and information brokerage service, LABGENE receives a fixed commission of 20% on the final amount of each sale concluded through the Platform.
8.2. Price Display
Public prices displayed on the Platform's product pages are expressed in Swiss Francs (CHF), all taxes included (TTC).
These prices systematically include:
- The net seller price (desired by the seller);
- The 20% commission collected by LABGENE;
- Swiss VAT at the standard rate in force of 8.1% (if applicable according to the VAT liability regime of the parties).
The price breakdown calculator (breakdown: net price / commission / VAT / public total) is applied automatically on the server side upon validation of the listing by the operator.
ARTICLE 9. OFFLINE PAYMENT LOGIC AND FUND TRANSFER (LBA / FINMA COMPLIANCE)
9.1. Exclusion of Online Payments / Automated Escrow
For reasons of strict regulatory compliance with the Federal Act on the Prevention of Money Laundering (LBA) and to avoid any qualification as a financial intermediary subject to audits and authorizations from the federal authority FINMA, no automated online fund transit of third parties is operated on the Platform. The use of online payment gateways or digital escrow services (such as Stripe or similar) is formally excluded for third-party Equipment transactions.
9.2. Invoicing and Fund Release Process
Transaction settlement is carried out exclusively offline through a manual and centralized process:
- Inquiry and Reservation: The Buyer submits an Inquiry request on an Equipment page. The device is temporarily placed in a reserved status.
- QR-Invoice Issuance: LABGENE's accounting department manually issues a Swiss QR-invoice via its accounting software Bexio, sent directly by email to the Buyer.
- Collection and Security Period: The Buyer makes payment by standard bank transfer to LABGENE's dedicated account. Upon receipt of funds, LABGENE validates the shipment and the third-party seller proceeds with dispatch of the Equipment.
- 14-day security retention: To secure the transaction and protect the Buyer against hidden defects, LABGENE retains the transaction amount for a security period of 14 days from the actual receipt of the package by the Buyer. This period allows the Buyer to unpack, inspect, and verify the conformity and proper working condition of the received machine.
- Transfer to the Third-Party Seller: At the end of the 14-day security period, and in the absence of a documented written complaint from the Buyer in accordance with Article 9.3, LABGENE manually transfers the funds to the bank account (Swiss IBAN) of the third-party Seller, after deduction of the 20% commission due to the Platform.
9.3. Complaint and Dispute Management Procedure (14-day Period)
In the event of a written, reasoned, and documented complaint (including photographs of the equipment, precise descriptions of the defects observed, and, if possible, a technical inspection report) sent by the Buyer to LABGENE at the address support@lab2lab.ch before the expiration of the 14-day security period, the process is suspended as follows:
- Immediate freezing of funds: LABGENE immediately blocks the transfer of the sale price to the third-party Seller. The funds remain held in LABGENE's account during the investigation of the complaint.
- Amicable technical mediation: LABGENE intervenes as a facilitator and invites the parties (Buyer and Seller) to find an amicable solution within thirty (30) days. By virtue of its expertise in laboratory instrumentation, LABGENE may issue a non-binding advisory and indicative technical opinion to assist the parties.
- Dispute resolution and reimbursement:
- If the non-conformity or defect is established: The Buyer undertakes to return the Equipment to the third-party Seller as soon as possible. Upon receipt and confirmation of the conforming return by the third-party Seller (or certified proof of dispatch by carrier), LABGENE reimburses the Buyer for the full amount collected, with the 20% commission being cancelled. Return transport costs are borne by the third-party Seller, unless otherwise agreed between the parties.
- If the complaint is withdrawn or deemed unfounded (by amicable agreement, independent expertise, or technical mediation), the frozen funds are transferred to the third-party Seller after deduction of the 20% commission due to the Platform.
- Liberatory consignment (Art. 96 CO): In the absence of an amicable agreement between the Buyer and the third-party Seller within thirty (30) days from the written notification of the complaint, and in the event of persistent doubts or threats of legal proceedings, LABGENE is expressly authorized by the Parties to judicially consign the transaction amount with the competent court of its registered office in Châtel-Saint-Denis (Switzerland) in accordance with Article 96 of the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO). This judicial consignment releases LABGENE, as of right, in full and definitively, from any obligation of payment, intermediation, or liability toward the Buyer and the third-party Seller, who shall resolve their dispute directly through ordinary legal channels.
ARTICLE 10. LOGISTICS, DELIVERY, AND TRANSFER OF RISK
10.1. Delivery Options
The terms and costs of transport depend on the weight and dimensions entered by the Seller:
- Small packages and light instrumentation: Standard shipping managed via the services of DHL, UPS, or Swiss Post.
- Heavy and bulky equipment: Mandatory shipment via Pallet Carrier (standard pallet, half pallet, or quarter pallet according to specifications).
10.2. Transfer of Risk (Contractual Derogation from Art. 185 of the Swiss Code of Obligations)
In accordance with the supplementary provisions of Article 185 paragraph 1 of the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO), for specific goods (such as used scientific equipment individualized by their unique serial number), the benefits and risks pass in principle to the acquirer upon conclusion of the contract, even before physical delivery.
By express and contractual derogation from this default legal rule, the Users of the Platform agree to the following mandatory terms:
- For Third-Party Equipment transactions, the transfer of risks of loss, damage, theft, or accidental destruction of the equipment occurs in favor of the Buyer only at the time of the actual and complete handover of the package to the selected professional carrier (DHL, Swiss Post, pallet carrier) by the third-party Seller. Until such handover to the carrier, the risks remain entirely under the exclusive responsibility of the third-party Seller.
- LABGENE declines any liability for any damage, loss, theft, or delay occurring during transport for third-party Equipment. It is exclusively the responsibility of the parties (Buyer and Seller) to ensure that the Equipment is packaged in a compliant and secure manner by the Seller, and to take out, if they deem it necessary, additional transport insurance directly with the professional carrier.
ARTICLE 11. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY (THIRD-PARTY EQUIPMENT)
For all third-party Equipment sold on the Platform, the listing displays the following mandatory notice in bold and visible characters:
"Equipment sold as-is by a third-party laboratory. LABGENE SCIENTIFIC SA acts solely as a technical matchmaking intermediary and disclaims any functional, compliance, or electrical safety warranty on this equipment."
The professional Buyer acknowledges that they are acquiring a second-hand item at their own risk and that no action for warranty of defects (redhibitory action or price reduction) may be brought against LABGENE SCIENTIFIC SA.
ARTICLE 12. DATA SOVEREIGNTY AND PRIVACY PROTECTION (SWISS nLPD)
LABGENE undertakes to ensure full compliance with the new Federal Act on Data Protection (Swiss nLPD) of September 25, 2020:
- Hosting Sovereignty: The technical infrastructure of the Platform (application server, PostgreSQL database) as well as document storage (technical notices, manuals, decontamination certificates) are entirely located in Switzerland in the sovereign data centers of Infomaniak. No data leaves Swiss territory.
- Sovereign Audience Analytics (Cookieless): To avoid the display of intrusive cookie consent banners and to respect users' privacy, the Platform uses a server-side anonymized audience analytics system. View counting is performed through ephemeral one-way cryptographic hashing (SHA-256) combining the anonymized IP address (truncated of its last two octets before processing), the User Agent, and a security salt automatically renewed every 24 hours. No personal data is stored permanently, and no cookie is written to the User's terminal.
- S3 Security: All sensitive documents uploaded (decontamination passports, manuals, optional purchase invoices) are stored in a secure and private S3 object storage space at Infomaniak. Access to these files is strictly limited through pre-signed temporary access URLs generated only for authorized and authenticated users.
- Image Metadata Protection: Upon upload of equipment photographs by sellers, an automated server-side pipeline (via the
sharplibrary) processes the image, resizes it, and systematically removes all metadata (EXIF/GPS/IPTC). This measure ensures that no geographic location data or identification of the laboratory's camera device is publicly disclosed.
12.5. Technical Subcontracting (nLPD)
In accordance with Art. 5 let. k of the nLPD, LABGENE delegates technical administration, preventive and corrective maintenance, database schema migration, and application support services to the Technical Provider (Clément Lamy, Tandem Labs). In its capacity as a trusted technical subcontractor, the Technical Provider is contractually bound to a strict obligation of confidentiality and security. It accesses the Platform's data solely for purely technical and support reasons, and is prohibited from using or exploiting Users' data for its own account or for the account of third parties.
ARTICLE 13. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
13.1. Rights of LABGENE and Tandem Labs
The trademark "Lab2Lab", the associated logos, the graphic charter, and the editorial content of the Platform's catalog are the exclusive property of LABGENE SCIENTIFIC SA.
The custom software development, integration code, the Payload CMS v3 + Next.js App Router software architecture designed for the Platform, as well as the taxonomy import scripts, remain protected by the copyright of Mr. Clément Lamy (Tandem Labs), or are operated under open-source licenses (notably the MIT license for the Payload CMS foundation).
Any reproduction, extraction, automated harvesting (web-scraping), modification, decompilation, or representation of all or part of the software and visual elements of the Platform, without the prior written consent of LABGENE and its Technical Provider, is strictly prohibited and is subject to civil and criminal sanctions under Swiss federal law.
13.2. Rights Granted by Users
By publishing a Listing, photographs, descriptions, or PDF files (manuals, certificates) on the Platform, the Seller grants LABGENE a free, non-exclusive, and worldwide license to display, adapt, and distribute such content for the purposes of performing the Services and promoting the Equipment on the Platform, for the entire duration of the Listing's publication.
ARTICLE 14. VALIDITY AND AMENDMENT OF THE ToS
If any provision of these ToS proves to be null and void under a Swiss legal provision or a court decision, it shall be deemed unwritten, without affecting the validity of the other provisions, which shall remain in full force and effect.
LABGENE reserves the right to amend these ToS at any time to adapt to technical or regulatory developments. The applicable ToS are those accepted by the User upon their connection or registration on the Platform.
ARTICLE 15. APPLICABLE LAW AND JURISDICTION
THESE ToS AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE USER AND THE OPERATOR ARE ENTIRELY GOVERNED BY SWISS LAW (CODE OF OBLIGATIONS AND ASSOCIATED FEDERAL LAWS).
In the event of a persistent dispute arising regarding the validity, interpretation, or performance of these terms, the Parties shall endeavor to reach an amicable agreement.
Failing an amicable agreement within thirty (30) days from the written notification of the dispute, the exclusive jurisdiction is fixed at the competent ordinary courts of Châtel-Saint-Denis (Canton of Fribourg, Switzerland), being the registered office of LABGENE SCIENTIFIC SA.
End of legal document.