The contract behind Pakstoor.

Pakstoor is a digital marketplace and transaction-facilitation platform. We provide the technology that lets independent buyers and sellers find each other and transact more safely, through integrated payment handling, identity verification, courier coordination, and dispute management.

Pakstoor is not:

• the seller of any item listed on the platform;
• the buyer of any item listed on the platform;
• a courier, freight carrier, or warehousing provider;
• an insurer or underwriter of goods, transit, or transactions;
• a bank, deposit-taking institution, or financial services provider;
• the owner, custodian, or inspector of listed goods.

Listings are posted by users. Goods are owned by sellers. Money is moved by our regulated payments partner. Parcels are transported by independent third-party logistics providers. Pakstoor coordinates these moving parts and applies platform-level protections, but the underlying transaction is always between buyer and seller. You transact at your own risk, subject to the protections, processes, and remedies described in these Terms.

You accept these Terms the first time you create an account, place an order, or list an item. We may update these Terms from time to time, for example to reflect new features, regulatory changes, or fraud trends. Material changes will be notified by email or in-app at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use after the effective date is acceptance of the updated Terms.

You must be at least 18 years old to use Pakstoor. Specifically, you must be 18 or older to:

• create an account or maintain a profile;
• list, buy, sell, or transact on the platform;
• request, receive, or hold a payout;
• complete identity verification or any KYC/FICA step.

We may suspend or terminate any account we reasonably suspect is being used by, or on behalf of, a person under 18, and we may freeze any associated funds or transactions while the matter is investigated.

To use Pakstoor you must be a South African resident with a valid South African ID, the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract, and a verifiable South African delivery address. You may hold one account only. You are responsible for keeping your login credentials, two-factor codes, and recovery information secure, and for every action taken on your account. Notify us immediately at support@pakstoor.co.za if you suspect unauthorised access.

Pakstoor operates under FICA and POPIA, and we apply risk-based verification across the platform. By using Pakstoor, you authorise us (on our own behalf or through our verification partners) to verify your identity and conduct fraud, sanctions, and compliance checks. We may, at any reasonable time, ask you to provide:

• a valid South African ID, passport, or other accepted identity document;
• proof of residential address (not older than three months);
• proof of ownership of, or right to sell, a listed item (receipts, serial numbers, original packaging);
• a selfie, video, or live biometric check to confirm you are the document holder;
• banking details or proof of bank account for payouts;
• any further information reasonably required to comply with FICA, POPIA, anti-money-laundering rules, sanctions screening, or court orders.

Pending verification, or during a fraud, sanctions, or compliance review, we may (without prior notice and without liability) restrict your account, hide listings, place a hold on a transaction, delay or freeze a payout, cancel pending orders, or limit specific features.

Sellers are solely responsible for the accuracy of every listing, including title, description, photographs, condition, quantity, location, and price. You may only list items you legally own, are entitled to sell, and can lawfully ship by courier in South Africa. You must disclose material defects, faults, missing parts, repairs, and any non-original components. Misleading listings may be removed at our sole discretion, and repeated breaches may lead to suspension, payout holds, and forfeiture of fees.

Buyers must use accurate delivery details, accept couriered parcels in good faith, inspect goods on arrival, and raise legitimate concerns through Pakstoor's Formal Protected Review process rather than attempting to bypass it. Refusing valid deliveries without cause, raising bad-faith claims, or pressuring sellers to transact off-platform are breaches of these Terms.

Pakstoor is a courier-only marketplace. Pakstoor does not facilitate in-person handovers, meet-ups, EFT-on-collection exchanges, or any other off-platform settlement. Every protected transaction is paid through the escrow partner and delivered by an integrated courier with a tracked waybill.

All offers, payment, communication, courier booking, delivery confirmation, inspection, and Formal Protected Review must happen inside Pakstoor. Sharing or requesting phone numbers, email addresses, messaging-app handles, external website links, banking details, or any other off-platform contact route through listings, listing Q&A, or private chat is prohibited. Pakstoor uses automated moderation (including image OCR and message scanning) to detect and block off-platform contact attempts. Listings, messages, accounts, and transactions that breach this section may be removed, suspended, or referred to fraud review without prior notice.

Pakstoor may not be used to list, sell, advertise, exchange, ship, or distribute any unlawful, dangerous, restricted, or prohibited goods. The following are strictly prohibited:

• illegal narcotics, recreational drugs, and drug paraphernalia;
• counterfeit, replica, or fraudulently branded goods;
• stolen, illegally obtained, or undocumented property;
• firearms, parts, ammunition, and replica weapons;
• explosives, pyrotechnics, fireworks, and detonators;
• hazardous chemicals, corrosives, poisons, and pesticides;
• flammable materials and pressurised gas containers;
• radioactive substances and nuclear materials;
• live animals, livestock, and protected wildlife (or their parts);
• human remains, body parts, fluids, or organs;
• cash, foreign currency, bearer instruments, and prepaid cards loaded with value;
• prescription medicines, scheduled substances, and unregistered medical devices;
• damaged, swollen, recalled, or otherwise dangerous batteries;
• cloned, jail-broken, fraud-enabled, or signal-jamming electronic devices;
• tobacco, vapes, alcohol, and other regulated consumables;
• any item whose sale, possession, transport, or shipment is prohibited under South African law, courier regulations, or international conventions.

If we identify, are notified of, or reasonably suspect prohibited goods, we may (at our sole discretion and without prior notice) remove the listing, cancel the transaction, suspend the account, refuse shipment processing, freeze associated payouts, request supporting documentation, retain or surrender the parcel, and cooperate with law enforcement and regulators, including disclosing user information where lawfully required.

Some goods are not prohibited but carry elevated transport, fraud, or claims risk. They may require enhanced packaging, additional verification, photographic evidence of condition before dispatch, additional courier insurance, or special handling. They may also be excluded (in whole or in part) from platform protection, courier liability, or reimbursement.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• fragile goods (glass, ceramics, screens, optics);
• second-hand or refurbished electronics;
• luxury items, watches, designer fashion, and high-value handbags;
• fine jewellery, precious metals, and gemstones;
• solar panels, batteries, and balance-of-system equipment;
• generators, inverters, UPS units, and large power equipment;
• liquids, paints, oils, and gels;
• lithium-ion and other rechargeable batteries (where lawfully shippable);
• collectibles, memorabilia, and items where authenticity is part of the value;
• oversized, irregular, long-form, or unusually heavy parcels.

Listing a restricted or high-risk item is your acknowledgement that you understand and accept the additional risk and packaging burden, and that platform protections may be limited or excluded for that item.

Pakstoor does not physically transport, store, or handle parcels. Delivery is performed by independent third-party logistics providers selected by users or integrated through the platform; at launch this is The Courier Guy. The contract of carriage is between the user and the relevant courier; the courier's own terms apply alongside ours.

Quoted delivery timelines are estimates only. Routes, transit times, lane availability, and pickup windows are controlled by the courier and may be affected by weather, road conditions, public holidays, load shedding, or operational events. To the maximum extent permitted by the CPA and other applicable law, Pakstoor is not liable for courier delays, mis-routings, transit damage, parcel loss, theft in transit, hijacking, third-party service failures, or for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential losses arising from carriage.

Pakstoor (Pty) Ltd is not a bank, deposit-taking institution, or payment-service provider, and Pakstoor does not itself hold customer funds. Buyer payments on Pakstoor are received and held in trust by our regulated payments and escrow partner, in a dedicated trust account operated by that partner, until release conditions are met: typically buyer confirmation that the item arrived and matches the listing, or expiry of the inspection window without a valid Formal Protected Review. Payouts to sellers are released only once those conditions are satisfied, and the actual movement of money is executed by the escrow partner under Pakstoor's instruction.

Opening a Formal Protected Review does not automatically approve a refund. It places the transaction into review and may freeze funds while evidence, courier status, return status, insurance status, fraud indicators, and provider requirements are assessed. Return authorization, refund approval, and seller payout release are separate decisions.

Refunds, partial refunds, payout releases, return-courier recovery, and Formal Protected Review outcomes are processed in accordance with Pakstoor's Formal Protected Review process, applicable law including the CPA, and the rules, technical capabilities, and approval requirements of our payments or escrow provider. Where supported by the provider, approved amounts may be allocated between buyer and seller after Formal Protected Review. Where not supported, alternative resolution paths may be used. Money does not move until the qualifying release condition is met and the provider executes the instruction.

Return courier responsibility depends on the case outcome and the payment process available for that transaction. If seller fault is accepted or determined, the seller may be required to pay the return courier. If a buyer claim is contested and a return is authorized for inspection, the buyer may be required to pay the return courier upfront. If courier damage, loss, or parcel compromise is suspected, the matter may be routed to courier or insurance review. Invalid or preference-based claims do not generate a return courier label.

Direct Party Resolution. Where evidence does not clearly place responsibility on buyer, seller, or courier, Pakstoor may move the case into Direct Party Resolution. In that state, buyer and seller may propose structured settlement options inside Pakstoor while funds remain protected. Pakstoor may time-limit the resolution window and decide or close the case based on available evidence if no agreement is reached.

Pakstoor charges a Secure Transaction Fee on completed sales, disclosed before listing, which covers escrow facilitation, courier coordination, identity checks, and fraud protection. Courier fees and any opt-in cover are quoted before checkout and are paid by the buyer unless explicitly agreed otherwise. The operational rules are set out in our Protected Dispute Review & Return Rules.

Pakstoor sends two kinds of messages to you. Transactional notifications are time-sensitive messages directly tied to your account or a specific transaction: for example, sign-in security codes, a payment receipt, an offer on your listing, an out-for-delivery alert on the day a courier collects, a delivery confirmation, an opened Formal Protected Review, or a notice that funds have been released. Marketing messages are non-essential updates about new features, tips, promotions, or partner offers.

By creating a Pakstoor account you consent to receive transactional notifications by email and, if you provided a mobile number, by SMS. Sending these messages is necessary for us to operate your account and protect your transactions; without them you may miss security alerts, courier collection windows, Formal Protected Review deadlines, and payout events.

Marketing messages are sent only with your separate, opt-in consent. You can change either consent at any time in Account → Settings → Notifications. Turning off transactional SMS does not stop transactional email; we still need a working channel to reach you about your transactions and security. Email cannot be opted out of for legal, dispute, payout, and security communications, but you may opt out of all marketing email at any time.

Pakstoor's protections exist to make honest trade safer, not to be weaponised. The following are serious breaches of these Terms and may be acted on without prior notice:

• forged or doctored proof of payment, courier slips, or delivery photographs;
• false, exaggerated, or duplicated Formal Protected Review claims;
• chargeback abuse, including claiming "item not received" after confirmed delivery;
• delivery manipulation, signature fraud, or refusing delivery to fabricate a claim;
• returning a different item from the item received;
• returning an empty parcel or returning the parcel with key components missing;
• altering, editing, fabricating, or reusing evidence;
• mismatching serial, IMEI, or identifying numbers between outbound and return;
• using the Formal Protected Review process to obtain goods, refunds, or courier services dishonestly;
• identity fraud, account takeover, and use of mule accounts;
• collusion between buyer and seller accounts to launder funds, manipulate ratings, or extract platform protections;
• using Pakstoor to facilitate money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, or any unlawful purpose.

Consequences may include immediate suspension, permanent termination, recovery of the disputed amount and reasonable investigation costs, indefinite payout holds, blacklisting, and reporting to law enforcement, banking partners, and the Financial Intelligence Centre.

Pakstoor does not allow counterfeit goods or intellectual property infringement. The following are strictly prohibited:

• counterfeit or fake branded goods of any category;
• trademark and trade-dress infringement, including unauthorised use of brand names, logos, or packaging;
• pirated software, games, films, music, books, or streaming credentials;
• replica luxury items marketed as genuine, including unbranded "1:1", "mirror", or "AAA" copies;
• copyright-infringing prints, designs, and digital files;
• unauthorised resales of items whose IP holder has lawfully restricted resale.

Rights holders and authorised representatives may submit takedown requests to legal@pakstoor.co.za with proof of rights and the listing URL. We act on credible notices promptly. Repeat infringers will be permanently removed from the platform, and infringing payouts may be reversed.

We may suspend, restrict, or terminate accounts that breach these Terms, engage in fraud or abuse, attempt to circumvent platform protections, post prohibited goods, or repeatedly receive substantiated buyer or seller complaints. Where lawfully permitted, suspended users forfeit access to the platform pending resolution, and any pending payouts may be held while disputes, fraud reviews, or compliance enquiries are completed. You may also close your own account at any time, subject to settling open transactions and disputes and complying with retention rules under FICA and tax law.

We work hard to keep Pakstoor available, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted, error-free, or always-on access. From time to time we may need to perform planned maintenance, ship upgrades, suspend specific features, restrict access temporarily, or take emergency security action, including isolating accounts, reverting changes, or pausing payouts to protect users and the platform. Where reasonable, we will give advance notice of planned downtime in-app or by email.

Neither party is liable for any failure or delay in performing obligations under these Terms (other than the obligation to pay amounts already due) caused by events beyond their reasonable control. These events include, without limitation:

• load shedding, electricity grid failures, and prolonged power outages;
• civil unrest, riots, looting, and protest action;
• strikes, labour stoppages, and industry-wide work-to-rule action;
• courier hijackings, armed robbery, and vehicle theft;
• cyberattacks, denial-of-service events, and large-scale data-centre incidents;
• severe weather, floods, fires, and natural disasters;
• internet, telecoms, fibre, mobile network, or cloud-provider outages;
• government action, sanctions, port closures, customs holds, and emergency regulations;
• pandemic, epidemic, or other declared public-health events.

The affected party will use reasonable efforts to mitigate the impact and resume normal service.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. The parties consent to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Magistrates' Court having jurisdiction over the user's residence, regardless of monetary value. Nothing in this clause prevents a consumer from approaching the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud, the National Consumer Commission, or any other tribunal having jurisdiction under the CPA.