The 'bidorbuy Buyer Protection Programme'

In an ongoing effort to improve security and protect against the unlikely event of your purchase not going according to the bidorbuy Terms and Conditions, we are pleased to add the bidorbuy Buyer Protection Programme to our list of services. We offer this programme to our buyers free of charge. All auctions and buy nows sold by sellers that are Verified Users are covered by the bidorbuy Buyer Protection Programme. Although the vast majority of bidorbuy transactions are trouble-free, in the unlikely event of fraud the bidorbuy Buyer Protection Programme provides an additional measure of safety.

Fraud is defined as:

• Paying for an item that is not received; or
• Receiving an item that is materially different than what is described.

The bidorbuy Buyer Protection Programme covers auctions and buy nows where a winning bidder sends money to the seller (Verified Users only) and does not receive the auction/buy now item or when the item received is significantly different from the item described in the auction/buy now e.g. a gold necklace was advertised but a bronze one was received. Please note the conditions below.

The maximum amount per claim is as follows, when buying

• From a seller that is a Verified User with a rating score* of at least 0 - up to a maximum of R500 (five hundred rand) protection.
• From a seller that is a Verified User with a rating score* of at least +10 - up to a maximum of R2,000 (two thousand rand) protection.
• From a seller that is a Verified User with a rating score* of at least +50 - up to a maximum of R3,000 (three thousand rand) protection.

All claims carry a 5% excess charge, which is deductible from the claim amount. The bidorbuy Buyer Protection Programme only covers the final bid price. Other costs, such as shipping and escrow fees, are not covered.

*The rating score for a user is calculated by adding the positive and negative ratings together e.g. if a user has a rating of 46 positive, 3 neutral and 1 negative then the overall rating is +46 -1 = 45. Learn more about ratings scores.

In an effort to promote secure transaction methods and encourage buyers to make safe purchases, the bidorbuy Buyer protection programme does NOT cover the following situations:

1. Payments made by cash.
2. Payments sent by wire transfer.
3. Payments made by traveler's cheque.
4. Payments sent to a post office box.
5. Payments sent to any international location (i.e. outside of South Africa)
6. Transactions concluded off the site i.e. the buyer was not the winning bidder at the close of the auction or buy now.
7. Sales from classified advertisements.
8. Imported/dropshipped items sold by Verified Users.

In addition, the following conditions exist:

1. The claim submission must be dated more than 30 days but no more than 60 days after the end of the contested auction or buy now.
2. The seller must be a Verified User (denoted by a green tick next to the seller's rating).
3. Transit insurance i.e. goods that are damaged, lost or stolen in transit are not covered by the bidorbuy Buyer Protection Programme (for this you need to find out the policy of the shipping carrier or courier and make separate arrangements if necessary).
4. Items that are picked up or delivered in person are not covered by the bidorbuy Buyer Protection Programme.
5. If the item was paid for through PayPal, then you are first required to contact PayPal to request a claim. If your claim with PayPal is unsuccessful then you are required to contact your credit card issuer to request a claim prior to filing a claim with bidorbuy. If your credit card issuer denies your claim you will be entitled to file a claim under the bidorbuy Buyer Protection Programme. (You will be required to show proof that your claim was denied by PayPal and your credit card issuer.)
6. If the item was paid for with a credit card you are first required to contact your credit card issuer to request a claim prior to filing a claim with bidorbuy. If your credit card issuer denies your claim you will be entitled to file a claim under the bidorbuy Buyer Protection Programme. (You will be required to show proof that your claim was denied by your credit card issuer.)
7. Buyers may only make a maximum of two claims in a lifetime.
8. Buyers may only make a maximum of one claim per seller in a lifetime (i.e. if more than one item is purchased from the same seller then only one claim will be permitted).
9. Non-tangible goods e.g. services are not covered by the bidorbuy Buyer Protection Programme.
10. The rating score for both the buyer and seller involved in the transaction must be zero or above and the seller must have a percentage positive rating greater than or equal to 90% at the time the bid or buy now is placed.
11. In the event during an investigation it is found that there was negligence on the part of the buyer then it may result in an unsuccessful claim.
12. The value of the winning bid must be between R100 (one hundred rand) and R10,000 (ten thousand rand).

Note: bidorbuy may amend these conditions at any time with immediate effect (effective for new auctions and buy nows from that time onwards i.e. all auction and buy nows that started before any changes would still be covered by the old terms).

View the Claim Process