Clear rules for a closer marketplace.

Buyer terms

For people shopping on Soko

What Soko does

Soko connects buyers with independent merchants in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya. The merchant supplies the product; Soko provides the marketplace, checkout, order updates and support. A purchase is accepted only when Soko confirms the order.

Your account

Give accurate information, keep your password private, and tell us promptly if you suspect unauthorised access. You must be old enough to enter a binding contract in your country. Parents or guardians are responsible for supervised use by children.

Prices and payment

Product prices are shown in the merchant’s local currency. You arrange conversion before paying Soko and send the exact product amount in that currency. Any delivery fee is calculated and shown at checkout. Taxes, customs charges or import fees, where applicable, are shown or handled as required by the destination country.

Orders and acceptable use

Do not use Soko for fraud, prohibited goods, harassment, unauthorised payment activity or attempts to bypass our safety checks. We may cancel an order or restrict an account where information is inaccurate, a product is unavailable, or there is a safety or legal concern.

Problems with an order

Report an incorrect, damaged, missing or undelivered order through your account as soon as possible, with photographs or tracking information where relevant. Our Refund & returns policy explains the review process. Nothing in these terms removes rights that cannot legally be excluded.

Merchant terms

For approved sellers on Soko

Eligibility and truthful listings

You must be a real business or individual legally able to sell in your country, and provide accurate identity, business, payout and contact details. Listings must accurately describe condition, size, ingredients, origin, stock, price and any restrictions. Do not list counterfeit, stolen, unsafe, illegal or prohibited goods.

Fulfilment

Accept orders you can fulfil, pack safely, provide the carrier information requested by Soko, and keep tracking current. You set the delivery price for your service area; Soko adds it at checkout. Tell Soko immediately if stock, delivery time or a buyer’s address creates a problem.

Fees and payouts

Your separate commercial agreement with Soko controls any commission or service fee. Commission applies to the product price only; delivery fees are handled separately. Soko may hold or adjust a payout while an order is uncollected, cancelled, refunded, disputed, or affected by suspected fraud or a carrier failure.

Customer care and records

Respond to Soko support requests within the deadline we give you (normally 48 hours for a dispute), retain proof of dispatch and delivery, and cooperate with investigations. Do not ask buyers to pay outside Soko for a Soko order.

Suspension

Soko may pause listings, hold payouts or suspend an account for unsafe goods, repeated late or failed fulfilment, misleading information, unusual payment activity, non-response or legal risk. We will provide the reason and a route to respond where it is safe and lawful to do so.

Privacy policy

How Soko uses personal information

Information we collect

We collect account and contact details, login and security events, order and payment references, delivery addresses, support messages and device or network information needed to keep Soko secure. Merchants may also provide identity, business registration, address, payout and other verification documents.

Why we use it

• to create accounts, verify email and secure sessions;
• to process orders, delivery, refunds, payouts and disputes;
• to verify merchants and prevent fraud, unsafe goods and abuse;
• to send service messages, including order and password emails; and
• to operate, troubleshoot, improve and audit the marketplace.

Who receives it

We share the minimum information needed with the relevant merchant, carrier, payment provider, email provider, hosting/storage provider and professional advisers. We do not sell personal information. Providers may process information in other countries, subject to applicable data-protection requirements and appropriate safeguards.

Retention and security

We keep information only as long as needed for the purposes above, legal requirements, accounting, disputes and security. Sensitive merchant documents are encrypted at rest and access is restricted. No online service can promise absolute security, so protect your credentials and contact us about suspected misuse.

Your choices

Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to certain processing, and to withdraw consent where consent is used. Contact Soko through the in-app support channel to make a request. We may need to verify your identity and retain information we must keep for legal or security reasons.

Refund & returns policy

What happens when an order goes wrong

Open a case

Open a return or refund case from your order as soon as possible and include the order number, what happened, photographs or video, packaging details and carrier evidence. The current default review window is 7 days after delivery, but a longer period may apply where consumer law requires it or Soko tells you otherwise.

Eligible problems

We review cases for non-delivery, a materially incorrect item, damage on arrival, a product that is materially not as described, duplicate payment or an approved cancellation. Hygiene, personalised, perishable or used items may have special rules that are shown on the listing or required by law.

Investigation and decision

Soko may ask the buyer, merchant and carrier for evidence. The merchant’s payout is held while a case is open. We may approve a replacement, partial refund or full refund. For a merchant-caused or carrier-confirmed failure, the product amount and any refundable delivery amount are allocated according to the evidence and applicable law.

Refund mechanics

Refunds are sent through the payment route used for the order, in the currency and amount approved. Bank or provider processing times vary. Soko’s commission is calculated on the product price only and is reversed proportionally when a product refund is approved; delivery charges are not treated as product commission.

Disputes

If you disagree with a decision, reply to the case with new evidence. A support lead can review the record; unresolved cases may be escalated to an authorised Soko decision-maker. We keep an audit trail of evidence, decisions, refunds and payout changes.

Delivery policy

From merchant collection to the buyer’s door

Delivery price and scope

Each merchant sets a delivery price and service area. The fee is not displayed on the product-interest page; it is calculated from the destination and shown before payment at checkout. The buyer is responsible for giving a complete, deliverable address and reachable contact details.

Tracking

After dispatch, Soko records carrier and tracking details where available. Statuses can include preparing, dispatched, in transit, out for delivery, delivered, delivery failed and returned. A delivery is treated as collected only after the available carrier or buyer confirmation is verified.

Failed delivery

If delivery fails, support checks the address, carrier reason, contact attempts and merchant evidence. We may arrange one re-delivery, return the parcel to the merchant, or open a refund case. Payout remains on hold until the parcel is collected or the case is decided. Custom duties, import restrictions and delays outside the merchant’s control are handled according to the checkout disclosure and applicable law.

Delivery disputes

Report a missing or damaged parcel promptly. Do not discard packaging before the carrier review is complete. Support may request a signed delivery record, photographs, tracking events, address confirmation and a statement from the merchant or carrier.

Contact & updates

Use the support option in your Soko account for account, order, delivery, refund or privacy questions. We will publish a new effective date when a policy changes. Before launch, add Soko’s legal entity name, registered address, support contact, complaint escalation route, governing law and country-specific disclosures to these drafts.