How it works
A safer way to buy and sell privately.
Pakstoor sits between buyer and seller for the bits that go wrong on other platforms — the money, the courier, and the “what if”. Here's the full flow, both sides, no jargon.
Find what you want
Browse /explore, save anything that catches your eye, and ask the seller questions on the listing itself — their replies are public so future buyers see them too. No DMs, no “send me your number”.
Make an offer or buy at asking
Buy at asking commits straight to a deal at the listed price. Make an offer sends a counter the seller can accept, decline, or counter back. Either way, you'll see the full breakdown — item, courier and cover, and the TradeSafe escrow fee — before you confirm.
Pay into escrow
Your payment goes to TradeSafe — an independent South African escrow service licensed under the Financial Intermediary Services Act. Pakstoor never touches the money. You can pay by Instant EFT, Ozow, SnapScan, or standard EFT. The funds are locked the moment they clear.
Money safe from this pointThe seller arranges delivery
The seller hits “Arrange delivery” on their side. Pakstoor auto-books the parcel with The Courier Guy, including their R 30,000 paid liability cover. The seller can never type a tracking number themselves — the waybill comes from us, not them.
Watch it move
Every courier scan — collected, at hub, out for delivery, delivered — streams onto your deal page. Same scans appear on TradeSafe's ledger so the dispute trail is third-party-corroborated at every step.
Confirm receipt
Open the parcel. Check it. Click Confirm receipt. The funds release from escrow to the seller, and we rate the deal both ways. If you don't click within 72 hours of courier-confirmed delivery, the system auto-completes — so honest sellers always get paid.
Something wrong? Open a dispute
One click on the deal page raises a formal allocation dispute with TradeSafe. Funds stay frozen. Both parties get notified, evidence is reviewed, and only after resolution does anyone touch the money. There is no “buyer pressed dispute, money refunded by morning” loophole.
What it costs you as a buyer
You pay the item price + the courier & cover line + the TradeSafe escrow fee. Pakstoor does not charge buyers a commission — our 5% comes off the seller side at completion. Every cost line is shown before you click Pay.
List your item
Click Sell, snap a few photos, write a short description, and pick a parcel size. Photos resize to web-friendly sizes automatically. Setting up takes about five minutes the first time.
Set your price (and your floor)
You set the asking price. You can also set an auto-decline floor — anything below it is rejected before you ever see it — and an auto-accept level if you'd take a near-asking offer instantly without checking the app.
Get paid into escrow
When a buyer pays, you'll see the deal flip to Awaiting shipment. The funds are sitting in TradeSafe's trust account — ours and yours can't touch them yet, and that's the point. You know the money is real before you pack the box.
Buyer payment confirmedClick “Arrange delivery”
One button. Pakstoor books the courier with The Courier Guy at the rate we showed the buyer, opts into the R 30,000 paid cover, and emails you a printable waybill. Stick the waybill on the box and drop it at any TCG kiosk — or wait for collection if you booked one.
Hand over to the courier
When the driver scans the parcel, the deal flips to In transit automatically. From here on it's TCG's job. You don't have to do anything until the buyer either confirms receipt or the 72-hour auto-complete kicks in.
Get paid out
Once the buyer confirms (or 72 hours pass with no dispute after courier-confirmed delivery), TradeSafe releases the item amount to your seller wallet, minus Pakstoor's 5% commission (R 25 minimum per deal). Withdraw to your bank from /settings any time.
Disputes? You're protected too
If a buyer opens a dispute, the funds stay frozen — not refunded. TradeSafe has the courier's third-party scan record, the photos you took at handover (always recommended), and the deal trail. Honest sellers don't lose to bad-faith claims.
What it costs you as a seller
Pakstoor takes 5% of the item price (with a R 25 floor), deducted from your payout when the deal completes. That's it. You don't pay for the listing, you don't pay the courier (the buyer does), you don't pay for cover (bundled into the courier line), and you don't pay TradeSafe's escrow fee. Read what's covered.