Refund & Cancellation Policy

1.1 This Policy explains when a transaction can be cancelled, when money is refunded, who bears shipping costs, and how refunds interact with escrow. It covers four transaction types: cash purchases, SWXP swaps, swaps that use the authentication service, and services. The services provisions (section 10) activate when the services marketplace launches in Phase 2.

1.2 Words defined in the Terms of Service have the same meaning here. “PSP” is the Payment Service Provider that holds funds in escrow (Ozow at launch). SWIPSWXP does not itself hold, control or take possession of user funds at any point.

1.3 This Policy is a platform process. It never removes or reduces a right you have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA), or any other law that cannot be excluded by agreement.

2.1 Any refund or cancellation right the law gives you is honoured in full and takes priority over this Policy. Platform goodwill refunds are additional to your statutory rights, never a substitute for them.

2.2 You may at any time refer a complaint to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO), the National Consumer Commission (NCC), or a court, regardless of the platform process.

3.1 When a Buyer pays, the funds are held by the PSP, not by the Seller and not by SWIPSWXP. Funds release to the Seller only when the Buyer confirms receipt in the condition described, or automatically 72 hours after confirmed delivery if no dispute is opened.

3.2 Every refund is returned through the PSP to the original payment method used for the transaction. We do not refund in cash or to a different account. Refund timing depends on the payment method (see section 5.6).

3.3 Seller payouts are made to a verified South African bank account in the Seller’s name within 1 business day of escrow release. A refund reverses or withholds that release before payout. Money is never retained by SWIPSWXP as a penalty.

4.1 Before payment. An Offer or counter-offer that is not paid lapses automatically after 48 hours. No charge is made. During the 5 to 20 minute payment lock, an unpaid Offer releases the Listing back to sale; a Seller may accept multiple Offers and the first Buyer to pay claims the item.

4.2 Buyer cancellation after payment, before dispatch. Contact the Seller or support. Where the Seller has not dispatched, we will normally cancel and refund in full, including fees, and no trust strike is issued to either party for a mutually agreed pre-shipment cancellation. This is a goodwill accommodation except where a statutory right applies.

4.3 Seller cancellation after payment, before dispatch. Cancelling a paid order is normally a breach: the Buyer is refunded in full including fees, and the Seller receives a trust strike under Terms clause 16 (clause 10.4). Change of mind, an inventory error, or mispricing by the Seller all carry a strike.

4.4 Seller cancellation without a strike is permitted only where the cancellation is not the Seller’s fault, namely: the item is confirmed damaged in transit before the Buyer collects it, evidenced by carrier documentation; a mutual cancellation is agreed with the Buyer and processed through the Platform before dispatch; or SWIPSWXP support authorises the cancellation following a dispute or investigation. In each case the Buyer is refunded in full.

4.5 Automatic cancellation. We cancel and refund the Buyer in full where: payment fails during the payment window; the Seller does not dispatch within the 5-day shipping window (Day 3 and Day 5 reminders are sent first); the carrier deposit code or token (The Courier Guy, Pargo, Paxi) expires after 5 days with no drop-off, in which case the order is flagged for manual review and the Buyer refunded once non-shipment is confirmed; or an item is not delivered within the 15-day in-transit maximum and is treated as lost (section 7).

4.6 After shipping, cancellation is not available. Once the carrier confirms drop-off, an order cannot be cancelled. A problem with the item is handled through the dispute process and the 72-hour window (section 5).

4.7 Repeat cancellations. Patterns of repeated cancellation are reviewed. Buyers who habitually cancel confirmed transactions may have their ability to purchase restricted; Sellers who repeatedly cancel after payment accumulate trust strikes leading to suspension.

5.1 A Buyer may open a dispute within 72 hours of confirmed delivery if the item was not received, is not as described (INAD), or arrived damaged. Opening a dispute suspends escrow release (clause 12.1).

5.2 Both parties supply evidence (photographs, video, tracking) within the dispute-flow timeframes. We aim to resolve within 5 days of evidence closing. Outcomes are: full refund, partial refund, or release of funds to the Seller (clauses 12.2, 12.3).

5.3 Buyer protection fee. Refunded in full where an order is cancelled because the Seller did not ship, resolved in the Buyer’s favour, or cancelled under a valid cooling-off or return right. We may retain the protection fee only where an order is cancelled because of the Buyer’s own breach of the Terms (clause 8.4).

5.4 Return shipping. Where an item is INAD, damaged, or otherwise the Seller’s fault, the Seller bears the cost of any return. Where a Buyer exercises a no-reason cooling-off right, the Buyer bears the direct cost of return (clause 13.1). The item must be returned in the condition received before the refund is released.

5.5 A refund is authorised once the outcome is decided, and where a return is required, once tracking shows the item is on its way back to the Seller.

5.6 Refund timing by method. Refunds are targeted at: Instant EFT, 1 to 3 business days; card, 5 to 7 business days (subject to your card issuer). Available methods and their timings follow the PSP. We have no control over delays caused by banks or payment providers.

5.7 Returning an item. Return the item within 72 hours using the same delivery method used to ship it, unless that method does not support returns (for example Pargo), in which case an alternative courier is agreed. When the Seller receives the item, the amount you paid, being the item price, the original delivery fee, and the buyer protection fee, is refunded to your original payment method.

5.8 A return is only available while the order is not yet completed, that is, before you confirm receipt of the item. Once you confirm receipt, the transaction is complete and a later issue is handled through the dispute process rather than a return.

5.9 You must return the item in the condition in which you received it. It must not be washed or used.

5.10 Who pays return postage. For an agreed return, you pay the return postage, except where the reason for the return is fraud, an item not as described (INAD), damage, or another Seller fault, in which case the Seller bears the return cost (see clause 5.4).

5.11 Sizing. For sizing, we compare the size advertised against the size on the item’s label (the factory size). If the advertised size matches the label, the Seller is not obliged to accept a return based on fit. If the advertised size differs from the label, you have the right to return the item.

5.12 Non-response. If a party does not respond to a dispute or return inquiry within 48 hours, we may decide the matter in favour of the responding party.

5.13 No private partial-payment agreements. The Buyer and Seller may not agree a partial payment, partial refund or discount-with-keep-item between themselves. A Buyer with a problem raises a dispute in the 72-hour window through the in-app delivery flow on the listing (available for 72 hours after delivery). A partial refund can result only from SWIPSWXP’s dispute decision (clause 5.2), never from a private agreement.

6.1 Where ECTA section 44 applies, you may cancel within 7 days of delivery without giving a reason and receive a refund, less the direct cost of returning the goods. This right is separate from, and additional to, the dispute grounds in section 5, and cannot be waived.

6.2 The cooling-off right does not apply to the categories ECTA section 42 excludes, which include custom-made or personalised goods, second-hand goods, unsealed audio, video or software, and foodstuffs and other goods for everyday consumption. The excluded list is set out on the Platform.

6.3 To exercise the right, notify support@swipswxp.com within the 7-day period and return the goods in the condition received. Where the statutory cooling-off right applies, the refund is made within 30 days of cancellation, as ECTA requires. Return shipping is at your cost.

7.1 An item is treated as lost if not delivered within 15 days of dispatch. Items typically arrive within 1 to 5 days in South Africa; you do not need to wait beyond 15 days to escalate through the order screen.

7.2 Where an item is lost, the Buyer is refunded in full through the PSP, or the parties are restored as near as possible for a swap. Recovery from the courier does not delay the Buyer’s refund. Risk passes to the Buyer on delivery; loss attributable to inadequate packaging is the Seller’s responsibility in a dispute.

8.1 A swap has no cash purchase price to refund unless it includes a cash top-up. Where a swap fails, the remedy is restoration: the parties are put back, as near as possible, to their original position, and any cash component held in escrow is returned (clauses 11.1, 11.6).

8.2 Failed video verification. If a party fails or refuses the pre-dispatch photo/video verification, the swap does not proceed and is cancelled. Any cash component and refundable fees are returned to the paying party (clause 11.3).

8.3 Phase 1 — counterparty does not respond in 48 hours. If the second party does not complete delivery confirmation and payment within 48 hours of being notified, the swap is automatically cancelled, the first party is refunded in full including swap protection fee and delivery cost, both listings return to active, and no trust strike is issued to the non-responding party for non-response within the window.

8.4 Phase 2 — non-shipment within 5 days. If one party does not ship within the 5-day window and the other has shipped, the non-shipping party’s swap protection fee is applied to cover return costs and that party receives a trust strike; the shipping party’s protection fee is refunded. If neither party ships, all escrowed funds are refunded to both and both receive a trust strike. Day 3 and Day 5 reminders are sent to any un-shipped party.

8.5 A leg fails. If an item received is INAD or damaged, the receiving party opens a dispute within the 72-hour window and the dispute process applies (clause 12); the parties are restored as near as possible to their original position. By default both items ship at the same time under the simultaneous shipment lock (Shipping Policy 12.1), so restoration is by return at the at-fault party’s cost. Under optional sequenced shipping (available past 15 successful swaps) the second party may hold shipping until the first item is confirmed in good order. Where a party is found at fault we may retain that party’s protection fee, apply a trust strike, and their swap streak drops.

9.1 For eligible categories (electronics, handbags, watches, luxury goods, sneakers), parties may elect authentication within the 48-hour election window. Electing it moves both parties to pay the swap protection fee, the authentication fee in the Fee Schedule (R500 for items under R20,000, free at R20,000 and above), and two-way shipping. The process continues only once both parties have paid, and assessment takes up to 5 days after the item reaches the authentication partner (clause 11.5).

9.2 Before both parties pay. If both have not paid within the 48-hour authentication decision window, the authentication does not proceed and any amount already paid by a party is refunded.

9.3 Item passes. The swap completes and fees are earned. Item fails, or a leg fails. The dispute process applies and the parties are restored to their original position; items are returned to their owners (clause 11.6).

9.4 Authentication fee. The authentication fee is R500 for eligible items under R20,000 and free at R20,000 and above (Fee Schedule). Where the item passes, the party who requested authentication pays the fee. Where the item fails, for example fraud or a counterfeit, the failed party pays the authentication fee and the two-way transport of the item that passed. Both parties pay their own two-way shipping when they elect authentication.

10.1 Services differ from goods: they are delivered over time, there is no courier confirmation of completion, and quality can be subjective. SWIPSWXP does not judge the quality of a service. Its role is to verify whether what was delivered matches what was agreed at the Deal Closure screen, which records the agreed terms and completion definition before any work begins.

10.2 Service-for-service. Completion is confirmed against the agreed completion definition and a dispute is assessed against the Deal Closure record. Because nothing is shipped, remedies focus on release or withholding of any cash component and on trust-profile consequences for the party at fault.

10.3 Goods-for-service. The goods party chooses at Deal Closure whether to ship immediately or after the service is confirmed complete; this choice cannot be changed once terms are confirmed. Refund and return of the good follow the goods rules in sections 4 to 7; the service leg is assessed against the Deal Closure record.

11.1 No refund is due where: the 72-hour dispute window closed with no dispute and the item was delivered as described; the Buyer confirmed receipt and satisfaction; the claim is raised in bad faith or on false evidence (clause 12.4); or the transaction was taken off the Platform, where there is no escrow, no buyer protection and no dispute process (clause 15.2).

11.2 There is also no refund for: change of mind outside any applicable cooling-off period where the item was as described (subject to the counsel determination in section 6); damage or loss caused by the Buyer after delivery; normal wear that was disclosed in the Listing; and minor variations clearly shown in the Listing photographs.

11.3 A prohibited item that has been removed or seized is not returned to the Seller, and no fee paid in connection with a prohibited-item or Acceptable-Use breach is refunded (clause 6.7). A bad-faith dispute does not cause forfeiture of funds: money held by the PSP is always returned or released through the process, never kept as a penalty (clause 12.4).

11.4 Orders for items on the Prohibited Items List are not covered by buyer or seller protection, and the standard return and refund process in this Policy may not apply to them.

14.1 Open a dispute in the app within the 72-hour window, or contact support@swipswxp.com. Give the order reference, the ground (not received, not as described, or damaged), and evidence (photographs, video, tracking).

14.2 If you are unhappy with the outcome, you may escalate within the Platform and you retain the right to approach the CGSO, the NCC, or a court. Our process does not oust those remedies.

15.1 We may update this Policy. Material changes are notified at least 10 days in advance by in-app notice and email, with a plain-language summary. Changes apply only to transactions concluded after the effective date. The current version and its date are always published on the Platform.