What is an acceptance period in a data deal?
The short answer
An acceptance period is the window when a buyer checks delivered data before accepting it. A failed check can end the deal or change the price. Polyshares' Ryan Lock wrote that 30 days is standard. That is a single claim. No buyer publishes how its check works.
An acceptance period sits between delivery and payment. It is the time the buyer has to say yes or no.
What happens during the window?
The buyer checks that the data matches what you described. If it does, the deal moves to payment. If it does not, the buyer may walk away or ask for a lower price.
Ryan Lock of Polyshares wrote that 30 days is standard and that the buyer may back out in that window (X article). He frames it as a guard against fake datasets, such as a Drive padded with movies. He is one buyer, and he cited no second source.
What do other companies say about acceptance?
David Revland, who works on human data at micro1, said in an undated recorded forum talk that micro1 verifies delivered data, then pays. Mercor says wire transfer on delivery of the anonymized dataset.
Handshake AI says its due diligence affects pricing, and that payment typically comes 30 to 60 days after it accepts the de-identified dataset. None publishes pass criteria. See data verification before payment.
Polyshares' own site says payment comes "Net 30 to 60" once data is approved, shared and anonymized (terms). It gives no acceptance window.
What should you ask before you transfer?
- What does the check test, and who decides a pass?
- If part fails, is the price cut or the deal ended?
- How many days does the buyer have?
- Does the payout clock start at acceptance?
Put the answers in the contract. Compare payout clocks on the micro1 payment timeline page.
micro1 may pay us a referral fee if a company we introduce goes ahead with it. How we are paid
Have a lawyer read any contract before you sign. They like that.
Apply to micro1's data partnership (paid link)micro1's own data-partnerships pagePaid link. How we are paid
Vaultfish helps you run the process. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. If you need counsel who knows this area, we can point you to one. Ask for a referral
