These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of idiotindextools.com and the Idiot Index Navigator (the "Service"), operated by The Idiot Index. By using the Service you agree to these Terms.

1. The Service — estimates, not appraisals

The Service publishes estimates of product material costs, margins, and derived indices (including the "Idiot Index"). These figures are produced by a combination of research models, public sources, and community contributions. They are approximations provided for informational and educational purposes only. They are not statements of fact about any company's actual costs, not financial advice, and not suitable for valuation, investment, procurement, or legal decisions. See our Methodology & Disclaimers page for how figures are computed and their limitations.

2. Contributions and ownership

You may submit content to the Service, such as bill-of-materials edits, cost data, and product entries ("Contributions"). By submitting, you assign and grant The Idiot Index exclusive ownership of Contributions, including the right to use, modify, publish, aggregate, and commercialize them in any form. Where you contribute from a signed-in account, we will display your contribution history on your public profile. You represent that Contributions are your own work or that you have the rights to submit them, and that they do not include confidential or trade-secret information obtained unlawfully.

3. Acceptable use

You agree not to: scrape or bulk-export the database outside of published API terms; probe, breach, or overload the Service; submit knowingly false data to manipulate rankings; misrepresent Service outputs as official statements of any manufacturer; or use the Service in violation of applicable law. Rate limits, quotas, and record caps are enforced technically and contractually.

4. Accounts, subscriptions, and API

Some features require an account, a paid subscription ("Pro"), or an API plan. Paid plans bill monthly with capped quotas; top-ups may be offered. Fees are non-refundable except where required by law. We may suspend accounts that violate these Terms. API access is licensed, not sold, and resale of raw data extracts is prohibited.

5. Rankings, awards, and third-party names

Public rankings, awards, and statistics reference third-party product and brand names solely to identify the products being analyzed (nominative use). Rankings reflect our methodology applied to estimated data and are accompanied by confidence indicators. They are opinions based on disclosed methodology, not assertions of a company's actual financial performance.

6. Disclaimer of warranties and limitation of liability

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ACCURACY, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE IDIOT INDEX SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, OR FOR DECISIONS MADE IN RELIANCE ON SERVICE OUTPUTS. OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF $100 OR AMOUNTS YOU PAID US IN THE PRIOR 12 MONTHS.

7. Indemnity, governing law, changes

You will indemnify The Idiot Index against claims arising from your Contributions or misuse of the Service. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, USA, excluding conflict rules. We may update these Terms; continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

8. Contact

Questions about these Terms: [email protected].