Buyer Protection

How it works

• You pay Nairobi Square with M-Pesa at checkout: Buy Now, Cart, or Accept & Pay on a seller’s offer in chat.
• The seller is not paid yet. Your money is held while the seller packs, sends or prepares your order for pickup.
• When you receive the order, tap “I received my order”. If you don’t, the order completes automatically 7 days after the seller marks it delivered (longer for some categories, as shown on the product page), unless you reported a problem.
• Only then is the seller paid, minus Nairobi Square’s commission, to their verified payout account.

What is covered

If something goes wrong with an order paid through checkout, report a problem from the order page before you confirm receipt. The seller’s payment stays on hold until Nairobi Square decides. Covered problems:

• The order never arrived.
• You received the wrong item.
• The item arrived damaged or does not work.
• The item is fake or counterfeit.
• The item is not as described in the listing.

What happens next

• The seller can reply with their side. Nairobi Square reviews the order, both statements and your chat with the seller.
• The decision can be: payment released to the seller, a partial refund, or a full refund. We may ask you to return the item first; the refund is then sent once the seller confirms they have it back.
• Refunds are sent by M-Pesa to the number that paid.
• If a seller cancels, or you cancel before the order is sent, you are refunded in full automatically.

What is not covered

• Deals arranged outside Nairobi Square checkout: if you pay a seller directly (cash, M-Pesa to their number, bank transfer) after chatting, calling or WhatsApp, Nairobi Square is not part of the payment and cannot refund you.
• Orders you have already confirmed as received, or that completed automatically without a reported problem.
• Changing your mind about an item that is as described, unless the seller’s own return policy allows it.