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How Escrow Protects You When Buying Online in Africa

Why holding payment until delivery removes the most common marketplace fraud.

The problem escrow solves

Mobile money transfers are final on send. A seller who takes payment and disappears cannot be reversed.

How it works

The buyer pays, the platform holds the money, the seller ships, the buyer confirms, the seller is paid.

Its limits

Escrow protects against non-delivery. It does not protect against a product being poor quality, which is what return windows are for.

Common questions

Is escrow free?

On Zuma it is included in the transaction, not charged separately.

What if the seller ships the wrong item?

Open a dispute before confirming delivery. Funds stay held while it is resolved.

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