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How it works

A safer way to buy and sell privately.

Pakstoor sits between buyer and seller for the bits that go wrong on other platforms: the money, the courier, and the “what if”. Here's the full flow, both sides, no jargon.

Every protected deal TradeSafe escrow The Courier Guy Cape Town --:-- SAST

Two marketplaces

Two marketplaces, one protected checkout

Anyone can sell something they already own on the Pakstoor marketplace. Businesses can also open a branded storefront in Local Businesses. Either way, the buyer pays through TradeSafe escrow and the seller is paid only once a qualifying release condition is met.

  • Private Listings

    For every seller: list something you already have. The buyer pays through TradeSafe, you pack the parcel and click “Generate waybill” within 2 business days, Pakstoor books The Courier Guy, and the courier delivers 2 to 5 business days after collection.

  • Local Businesses

    The business marketplace: branded storefronts for registered businesses and sole proprietors. Listing types: In stock, On order (made or ordered in from a supplier, including custom products), Service and Rental. On order ordering and Service and Rental bookings open soon.

    Every purchase still goes through TradeSafe escrow and the same protected steps.

    How storefronts work

Listing types

What each listing type means

Each listing shows its type on the card and on the listing page. This is how payment, delivery, cancellation and completion work for each one.

  • In stock

    Delivery: 2 to 5 business days after collection

    On the marketplace and in storefronts: an item the seller already has.

    Payment
    Buy at the asking price or agree on an offer. Your money waits in TradeSafe escrow.
    Delivery
    The seller packs the item and clicks “Generate waybill” within 2 business days of your payment, and Pakstoor books The Courier Guy. If no waybill is booked by then, you can cancel the deal and be refunded. The courier delivers 2 to 5 business days after collection, about 4 to 8 business days in all.
    Cancellation
    No waybill by the ship-by date: you can choose Cancel and refund. Still no waybill after 14 calendar days: the order is cancelled and refunded.
    Completion
    The 72 hour inspection window starts when the courier confirms delivery. Accept the item, or report a problem before it ends.

  • On order

    ON ORDER · Up to 20 business days before dispatch

    Local Businesses: the business orders or makes the item after you pay, so it may not be in stock today.

    Payment
    Ordering opens soon. When it opens, you pay through TradeSafe and your money waits in escrow until the item is delivered and accepted.
    Delivery
    On Order items are ordered or imported specifically for you. Please allow up to 5 business days for order processing, followed by up to 15 business days for the item to arrive and be prepared for dispatch. Once your item is ready, the seller will book delivery through Pakstoor and the normal courier delivery timeframe will apply. The business confirms within 1 business day that it can supply the item.
    Cancellation
    If the business cannot supply it, the order is cancelled and refunded. No waybill by the end of business day 20: you can choose Cancel and refund, and it is also cancelled and refunded automatically. This date is final.
    Completion
    The 72 hour inspection window starts when the courier confirms delivery, as with an In stock item.

  • Custom product (On order)

    Customisable

    Local Businesses: made for you from the details you give, such as a name, a size or a photo.

    Payment
    Opens soon, together with On order. When it opens: fill in your details on the listing, then buy at the asking price (no offers). You can change the details until you pay.
    Delivery
    Made to order: up to 20 business days before dispatch, production included, then the normal courier delivery timeframe applies. If the business sends you a proof, approve it or ask for changes on the deal page.
    Cancellation
    It is made to your specifications, so it cannot be returned because you changed your mind. If the business cannot make it, the order is cancelled and refunded.
    Completion
    Faulty, damaged or not made as you ordered? Report it within the 72 hour inspection window. Your rights under the Consumer Protection Act still apply.

  • Rentals and services

    Rental: Select your dates Booking: Select a date and time

    Rental: hire something from a business for set dates, such as a trailer or equipment. Service: book a service for a date and time, such as a repair or a lesson.

    Payment
    Booking opens soon. Rentals and services cannot be booked or paid for on Pakstoor yet; until then you can ask the business a question.
    Availability
    The business sets its own dates, times and rates. There is no courier delivery.
    Cancellation
    The cancellation rules will be shown on the listing before you can book.
    Completion
    How a rental or booking is completed and paid out will be explained when booking opens.

Rentals and services have no courier step, so the courier flow below applies only to items you buy. A storefront product that is Out of stock cannot be bought, and no offers can be made on it, until the business adds stock or marks it back in stock. A private listing that sells more than one of the same item is removed when the last one sells.

Two ways to hand over

Courier delivery or in-person handover

Both are paid into TradeSafe escrow, so the seller is never paid directly. What happens next, and when the seller is paid, depends on how the item reaches the buyer.

  • Courier delivery

    72-hour inspection window

    The normal way for items on Pakstoor. Pakstoor books The Courier Guy and every scan shows on the deal page.

    Payment
    The buyer pays on the deal page within 72 hours after the order is accepted. The seller ships only once the deal page shows Payment secured.
    Inspection
    The 72 hour inspection window starts when the courier confirms delivery. The deal page shows when it ends.
    Confirmation
    The buyer taps Complete Transaction on the deal page (Confirm receipt in Messages) to accept the item, or reports a problem before the window ends.
    Funds release
    TradeSafe releases the money to the seller when the buyer accepts, or when the window ends with no return request or Formal Protected Review open.

  • In-person handover

    No inspection window: check before you confirm

    On a Sell direct to someone deal, or when the seller allows in-person collection and the buyer chooses it.

    Payment
    The buyer pays on the handover screen while you are together. The seller hands over the item only once their own screen shows Payment secured.
    Inspection
    The buyer checks the item at the meeting. There is no inspection window, courier tracking or item-condition review afterwards.
    Confirmation
    Each of you confirms on your own phone: the buyer types the 5-digit code from the seller’s screen, and each confirmation needs a fingerprint, face, screen lock or password.
    Funds release
    Only when both have confirmed and TradeSafe confirms the release, never because time has passed. Report a handover problem keeps the money frozen.

Custom products cannot be handed over in person, services and rentals are booked with the business (coming soon), and vehicles will use their own in-person transfer when vehicle sales open. The flow and steps below are for courier delivery. Read more in Help.

The protected transaction flow

From payment to release

Five steps for every item you buy with courier delivery, In stock or On order. Funds never sit with Pakstoor: the escrow partner holds them until a qualifying release condition is met.

  1. 01

    Buyer pays

    Pay at TradeSafe checkout

  2. 02

    Escrow partner holds funds

    Funds are not held by Pakstoor

  3. 03

    Seller ships by courier

    Tracked from collection to door

  4. 04

    Buyer receives & inspects

    Inspection window starts at delivery

  5. 05

    Funds release

    Once a qualifying release condition is met

Five-step transaction flow: buyer pays; the escrow partner holds funds; the seller ships by courier; the buyer receives and inspects the item; funds release when a qualifying release condition is met.

Funds are held by the escrow partner, not by Pakstoor. Release follows the rules in the Terms and the Protected Dispute Review process.

1

Find what you want

Browse /explore and tap the heart to save anything that catches your eye. Before you pay, ask the seller questions on the listing itself; the answers are public, so future buyers see them too. Keep every conversation on Pakstoor: a request to move to WhatsApp or to pay outside Pakstoor is a warning sign.

2

Make an offer or buy at asking

Buy at asking commits straight to a deal at the listed price. Make an offer sends a counter the seller can accept, decline, or counter back. Either way, you'll see the full breakdown (item, the Pakstoor Buyer Protection Fee, courier delivery and TradeSafe's Escrow Transaction Fee for the payment method you choose) before you confirm.

3

Pay into TradeSafe escrow

Your payment goes to TradeSafe, an independent escrow service provider. Pakstoor never touches the money. You pay through the TradeSafe checkout, using the payment methods offered for your order. The funds are locked the moment they clear.

Money safe from this point
4

The seller arranges delivery

For a normal item the seller has 2 business days after your payment to pack it and choose “Generate waybill”. Pakstoor auto-books the parcel with The Courier Guy, and the courier delivers 2 to 5 business days after collection. On order products follow their own timeline (see Listing types above). The seller can never type a tracking number themselves. The waybill comes from us, not them. Every Pakstoor courier booking also receives a PST code, a Pakstoor Secure Tracking reference, so the parcel can be followed inside the protected transaction flow. Pakstoor does not currently provide shipping insurance. Deliveries are subject to The Courier Guy's standard terms and liability limitations. TradeSafe escrow protects payments according to Pakstoor's transaction and dispute rules, but does not insure goods against physical loss or damage. The seller is responsible for insuring the item until The Courier Guy confirms delivery.

5

Watch it move

Every courier scan (collected, at hub, out for delivery, delivered) streams onto your deal page, and the courier's scan record is kept with the deal as evidence. If order messages are available on your order, you and the seller can also write to each other there about that order; phone numbers, email addresses, links and requests to pay outside Pakstoor are blocked.

6

Confirm receipt

Open the parcel. Check it. If everything is correct, click Complete Transaction on the deal page (or Confirm receipt in Messages). After courier-confirmed delivery, the applicable inspection window is shown on the deal page. If no Protected Review is opened before that window expires, Pakstoor may instruct the escrow partner to release the funds to the seller.

7

Something wrong? Open a Formal Protected Review

Choose Report a problem in the deal’s conversation in Messages (or on the reminder banner) to open a Formal Protected Review. Funds remain held by the escrow partner and the case enters structured evidence review; release is paused while Pakstoor reviews the case. Opening a Protected Review is a request for evidence review, not an instruction to release funds: return authorization, refund approval, courier & insurance review, and fraud escalation are four separate decisions made on the evidence. Return authorization is not refund approval. Refunds are only approved after the correct qualifying release condition is met. Read the full Protected Dispute Review rules.

What it costs you as a buyer

You pay the item price, the Pakstoor Buyer Protection Fee (a percentage of the item price, never of the courier), the Courier Delivery Fee on a courier deal (The Courier Guy's quote, no Pakstoor markup) and TradeSafe's Escrow Transaction Fee. Before you pay you choose a payment method and see its exact fee and the final total: Manual EFT 0.75%, Instant EFT (Ozow) 1.5%, debit or credit card 2.5%, Diners Club 2.5%, RCS 2.75% and SnapScan 3.5%, each plus VAT, worked out on the amount held in escrow. Payment limits depend on the method (card, Diners Club, RCS and SnapScan up to R 25 000), and only the methods available for your amount are offered. If a paid deal is cancelled before dispatch, you see exactly what is refunded before you confirm; TradeSafe's own payment fee is refunded or kept by TradeSafe under its rules.

1

List your item

Click Sell, snap a few photos, write a short description, and pick a parcel size. Photos resize to web-friendly sizes automatically. Setting up takes about five minutes the first time.

Pakstoor uses fixed parcel-size bands. Standard parcel sizes run from XS to XXL. Pakstoor Heavy adds HEAVY, SUPER HEAVY, ULTRA HEAVY, and TITAN for larger courier-accepted items. Large parcels only proceed where our courier partner can return a live price for the selected size. Large but light parcels may still cost more because couriers charge using size as well as weight. An item being within a supported parcel size does not mean it is allowed: prohibited, restricted, unsafe, unlawful or courier-forbidden items remain blocked.

2

Set your price (and your floor)

You set the asking price. You can also set an auto-decline floor (anything below it is rejected before you ever see it) and an auto-accept level if you'd take a near-asking offer instantly without checking the app.

3

See funds secured

When a buyer pays, your deal page shows Payment secured and the next step, Arrange shipping. The funds are held by TradeSafe, our escrow partner. Neither Pakstoor nor you can touch them yet, and that's the point. You know the money is real before you pack the box. If order messages are available on the order, you and the buyer can write to each other on the deal page about that order.

Buyer payment confirmed
4

Click “Generate waybill”

One button. Pakstoor books The Courier Guy at the rate we showed the buyer, and the waybill (PDF) appears on the deal page and under Documents. Print it, stick it on the box, then wait for the courier to collect it or drop it at the courier point you chose. For an In stock item, do this within 2 business days of payment (weekends and public holidays do not count): if no waybill has been booked by then, the buyer can cancel the deal and be refunded. Once the waybill is booked, the courier must collect within 5 business days. On order products: confirm within 1 business day that you can supply the item, and generate the waybill by the end of business day 20 (final, no extensions).

5

Hand over to the courier

When the driver scans the parcel, the deal flips to In transit automatically. From here on it's TCG's job. You don't have to do anything until the buyer confirms receipt or the 72 hour inspection window shown on the deal expires cleanly without a Protected Review being opened.

6

Get paid out

Once the buyer confirms receipt (or the 72 hour inspection window shown on the deal expires without a Protected Review after courier-confirmed delivery), TradeSafe releases your full sale price to your seller wallet: no seller commission is currently charged. Withdrawing to your bank from Banking costs R5 ex VAT (R5.75), charged by TradeSafe.

7

Formal Protected Review? Your payout is protected.

If a buyer opens a Formal Protected Review, release is paused while Pakstoor reviews the case. Funds are not refunded automatically. Your payout is protected during structured evidence review. Pakstoor keeps the courier's scan record, the photos you took at handover (always recommended), and the deal trail. Pakstoor reviews every claim against the evidence record.

What it costs you as a seller

Sellers pay no Pakstoor fees: free listings and no seller commission (currently 0%), so the full sale price goes to your TradeSafe wallet when the sale completes. The buyer pays the Pakstoor Buyer Protection Fee, TradeSafe's fee and the courier. The exact figures are shown on the price step of the sell flow before you click Publish. Boosts are optional paid extras. Withdrawing to your bank costs R5 ex VAT (R5.75) per withdrawal, charged by TradeSafe. If The Courier Guy re-measures your parcel and charges more than the quote for the size you declared, you pay the difference to Pakstoor before your payout for that sale is released. Pakstoor does not provide shipping insurance. See how your money is protected.

Fees

What does it cost to sell on Pakstoor?

Listing is free and sellers currently pay no commission (0%). The buyer pays the Pakstoor Buyer Protection Fee, TradeSafe’s fee for the payment method and, on courier deals, the courier. Every amount is shown before anyone pays.

  • What you receive, and when

    The full sale price is paid into your TradeSafe wallet when the deal completes: on a courier deal, when the buyer accepts the item or the inspection window shown on the deal page ends without a Formal Protected Review, after Pakstoor’s final checks. Withdrawing to your bank from Banking costs R5 ex VAT (R5.75), charged by TradeSafe.

  • Courier or in-person handover

    Courier: when you click “Generate waybill”, Pakstoor books The Courier Guy and the buyer pays for delivery. In person: on a Protected deal (allowed categories, no illegal items), or when you tick “Also allow in-person collection”, the buyer pays into TradeSafe escrow while you are together and the money is released only after you both confirm. No courier, insurance or item-condition review applies after completion.

  • Payment method fees

    TradeSafe charges its Escrow Transaction Fee for the payment method the buyer chooses, plus VAT, on the full amount paid into escrow. Manual EFT is the cheapest at 0.75%. Instant EFT (Ozow) is 1.5%, card and Diners Club 2.5%, RCS 2.75% and SnapScan 3.5%.

    Card, Diners Club, RCS and SnapScan go up to R25 000, Ozow up to R2 million and Manual EFT has no upper limit. The minimum protected payment is R50.

  • No delivery insurance

    Pakstoor does not sell or include delivery insurance. The seller is responsible for insuring the item until The Courier Guy confirms delivery. If The Courier Guy re-measures your parcel and charges more than the quote for the size you declared, you pay the difference to Pakstoor before your payout for that sale is released.

  • If a sale is cancelled

    If a paid deal is cancelled before dispatch, the buyer sees exactly what is refunded, including whether the Pakstoor Buyer Protection Fee is refunded, before confirming. TradeSafe’s own payment fee is refunded or kept by TradeSafe under its rules, and once a waybill has been booked the courier charge is not refunded. If a return or a Formal Protected Review ends in a refund, the protection fee is refunded with the item price. On an in-person handover, only the seller can cancel once the buyer has paid.

Optional boosts

Listing is free. A boost is an optional once-off payment that moves your listing up for a set number of days.

  • Basic R50 8 days Above normal listings in search and its category, with a blue Basic border.
  • Premium R89 15 days Above Basic and normal listings across the marketplace and search, with a purple Premium border.
  • Pro R159 30 days First in the featured row on the home page and Explore and at the top of the marketplace, with an orange Pro border.
  • Pro x2 R299 60 days Two Pro periods in one: R19 less than buying Pro twice.

Boosts are paid to Pakstoor with SnapScan or Ozow Instant EFT. A boost is a Pakstoor service, not a purchase through TradeSafe escrow, so no Buyer Protection Fee is added. Pakstoor is not VAT registered, so no VAT is added. Upgrading a live boost charges only the difference.

Local Businesses

Your own storefront on Pakstoor

For registered businesses and sole proprietors. One branded storefront with your name, logo, area and listings, so buyers near you can find you.

R199 per storefront per year

Paid to Pakstoor with SnapScan or Ozow Instant EFT, not through escrow. No VAT is added: Pakstoor is not VAT registered.

  • Your own branded storefront

    Your business name, logo, colours, contact details and opening hours on one page with its own web address. Every product in your storefront also shows on the main Pakstoor marketplace; services and rentals show only in Local Businesses.

  • Found by area

    Buyers search the Local Businesses directory by town or suburb and see the businesses that serve their area.

  • Quick to open

    A short guided set-up: choose Sole proprietor (no CIPC number needed) or Registered business (with your CIPC number), add your details and logo, and save as you go on any device.

  • How the yearly fee works

    Setting up and adding listings is free. Your storefront goes public once you pay R199 for 12 months. Renewing before your year ends adds 12 months to your end date, so you lose no days.

Open your storefront Browse Local Businesses

The flow

The protected transaction flow

Pakstoor keeps private sales structured from payment to payout, so buyers and sellers are not relying on blind trust.

  1. Step 01

    Buyer pays securely

    The buyer pays through Pakstoor's protected payment flow.

  2. Step 02

    Funds stay protected

    The seller cannot access the money while the item is still in transit.

  3. Step 03

    Seller ships by courier

    The item is collected, scanned, and tracked through a courier partner.

  4. Step 04

    Buyer receives and checks

    The courier confirms delivery, then the buyer checks that the item matches the listing within the inspection window.

  5. Step 05

    Seller gets paid

    Funds are released to the seller when the protected process is complete.

Protected Review

If something goes wrong

If there is a problem with a transaction, Pakstoor follows a structured protected review process.

  1. Step 01

    Issue reported

    The buyer or seller opens a protected review.

  2. Step 02

    Details captured

    Pakstoor captures the issue, deal context, explanation, and supporting evidence.

  3. Step 03

    Case reviewed

    Pakstoor reviews the available information from the transaction, courier process, and submitted evidence.

  4. Step 04

    More information if needed

    Pakstoor may ask either party for more information.

  5. Step 05

    Decision summary issued

    Pakstoor issues a decision summary and routes the deal to the correct next step.

  6. Step 06

    Next route follows

    The outcome may involve refund, return, payout, a claim against the courier under its standard terms, or another policy-based action.

Start exploring List something Trust center

Buy Smart. Sell Safe.

Pakstoor is South Africa’s protected marketplace for private sales. Funds move only once a qualifying release condition is met, protecting both sides and not just one. That’s transaction integrity, built into every deal.