Seller Terms & Conditions

These Seller Terms & Conditions (“Seller Terms”) apply to all individuals and businesses that open a shop on the Zeko marketplace. By submitting your shop for review, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Seller Terms, as well as our general Terms & Conditions.

1. Eligibility to Sell

• You must be at least 18 years old and legally authorised to enter into contracts in South Africa.
• You must sell genuine, handcrafted, or independently produced products. Mass-manufactured goods are not permitted.
• Your shop and products must comply with all applicable South African laws and regulations.

2. Shop Approval

All new shops are reviewed by the Zeko team before going live. We may accept or decline any application at our discretion. Once approved, your shop will be visible to buyers on the Platform. We aim to complete reviews within 2–3 business days.

3. Commission and Fees

3.1 Platform Commission

Zeko charges a 5% platform fee on each completed sale (calculated on the product subtotal, excluding shipping). This fee is deducted automatically before payouts are released to you.

3.2 Payment Processing Fees

In addition to Zeko's platform fee, your payment provider charges a processing fee of approximately 2.9–3.5% per transaction (the exact rate depends on the payment provider used). This brings the total deducted per completed sale to approximately 8%. Payment processing fees are charged by the payment provider and are not retained by Zeko.

3.3 No Listing Fees

There are no upfront listing fees. You only pay fees on successful sales.

4. Payouts

Payouts are held for a period after an order is delivered to protect buyers from disputes. Funds are released to your nominated bank account once the hold period expires and no return or dispute has been raised. Payout details are managed in your seller dashboard.

5. Product Listings

• All product titles, descriptions, and images must be accurate and not misleading.
• You must keep stock levels up to date. Overselling may result in order cancellations.
• Images must be your own or properly licensed. Do not use stock images to misrepresent handmade goods.
• You must not list prohibited items (counterfeit goods, weapons, adult content, etc.).
• Zeko reserves the right to remove any listing that violates these Terms or our community standards.

6. Order Fulfilment

You are responsible for packing and dispatching orders promptly. You must update tracking information via your dashboard. Persistent fulfilment failures may result in suspension of your shop.

7. Returns and Disputes

7.1 Per-Product Returns Setting

When creating or editing each product, you may choose whether that product accepts returns and refunds. This setting is displayed prominently to buyers on the product page before they add the item to their cart. You have two options:

• Returns & refunds accepted (default) — buyers may request a return within 7 days of confirmed delivery. You agree to engage with the return request in good faith through the Zeko returns portal.
• No returns or refunds — you may disable returns for products where it is reasonable to do so (e.g. made-to-order, personalised, perishable, or hygiene-sensitive items). This option must only be used for products where a no-return policy is genuinely appropriate. Abusing this setting to avoid legitimate returns is a violation of these Seller Terms.

7.2 Statutory Rights Override

Regardless of your per-product setting, buyers retain all rights afforded by the Consumer Protection Act, 68 of 2008 (CPA). Items that are materially defective, unsafe, or materially different from their description may be returned by the buyer under the CPA, irrespective of your stated returns policy. Zeko may require you to accept such returns and process refunds accordingly.

7.3 Disputes and Response Times

You must respond to return requests and dispute messages within 3 business days. Failure to respond within the required timeframe may result in an automatic refund being issued to the buyer. Zeko's decision in unresolved disputes is final.

8. Taxes and Compliance

You are solely responsible for determining whether you are required to register for VAT or any other taxes in South Africa, and for collecting and remitting those taxes. Zeko does not collect VAT on your behalf. The commission invoiced by Zeko is subject to Zeko's own tax obligations.

9. Founding Maker Badge

Sellers who open a shop during the Zeko pre-launch period will permanently receive the “Founding Maker” badge on their shop profile. This badge is a mark of recognition and does not confer any contractual entitlement beyond the promotional benefits described at the time of sign-up.

10. Suspension and Termination

Zeko may suspend or permanently close a shop if a seller:

• Violates these Seller Terms or our general Terms & Conditions.
• Engages in fraudulent, deceptive, or abusive behaviour.
• Repeatedly fails to fulfil orders or respond to disputes.
• Receives a sustained pattern of negative buyer feedback.

You may close your shop at any time from your seller dashboard. Outstanding obligations (including pending orders and payouts) will be processed before closure is finalised.

11. Intellectual Property

You retain all intellectual property rights in your product designs, photos, and descriptions. By listing on Zeko you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to display, reproduce, and promote your content for the purpose of operating and marketing the Platform.

12. Changes to Seller Terms

We may update these Seller Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to you by email or in-app notification at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use of your seller account after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

13. Contact

For seller support, visit our Help Centre.