Vakoop (Pty) Ltd — last updated 17 May 2026.
By creating an account or using the Vakoop website or mobile application, you agree to these Terms of Service together with our Platform Rules, Payment and Buyer Protection Policy, Refund and Dispute Policy, Prohibited Items Policy, Seller Responsibilities, Platform Liability and Disclaimer, and the Privacy Policy, in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 ("CPA"), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 ("ECT Act"), and the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA").
"Platform" means the Vakoop website, mobile application, and all associated services operated by Vakoop (Pty) Ltd. "Vakoop", "we", "us", "our" means Vakoop (Pty) Ltd, a registered South African company. "User", "you", "your" means any person who accesses or uses the Platform. "Buyer" means a User who purchases an item. "Seller" means a User who lists an item for sale. "Listing" means an advertisement placed on the Platform. "Transaction" means any purchase by VaKoop from a Seller and the corresponding sale by VaKoop to a Buyer; each Transaction consists of two linked agreements — VaKoop's purchase of the item from the Seller, and VaKoop's sale of the item to the Buyer. "Buyer Protection Hold" means the period between VaKoop receiving the Buyer's payment and VaKoop paying the Seller, during which delivery is verified. "Wallet" means the digital account maintained for each User. "Seller Payout" means the payment by VaKoop to the Seller, net of any applicable fees. "Premium Services" means optional paid services including Boost, Bump, Promote, and Authentication. "CPA" means the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008. "ECT Act" means the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002. "POPIA" means the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013.
Vakoop is an online marketplace for buying and selling preloved fashion and lifestyle items in South Africa. When a Seller lists an item and a Buyer purchases it through the Platform, VaKoop acts as principal in the Transaction: VaKoop purchases the item from the Seller and sells it to the Buyer. The Buyer's purchase agreement is with VaKoop, and the Seller's sale agreement is with VaKoop. While VaKoop is the contractual buyer and seller, VaKoop does not physically handle, store, or inspect items — Sellers ship items directly to Buyers on VaKoop's behalf. VaKoop provides Buyer Protection, delivery coordination, and dispute resolution as part of its service.
In compliance with section 43 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002: Legal name: Vakoop (Pty) Ltd. Customer service email: [email protected]. Website: vakoop.co.za. Phone: +27 72 551 3728. Physical address: 40 Elray Street, Gauteng, 2192, South Africa. Vakoop is a registered South African company that buys and sells preloved goods online.
To use Vakoop you must create an account by signing in through Google, Apple, or Facebook. You must be at least 18 years old, or have parental or guardian consent if between 13 and 17. You must provide accurate information, keep your login credentials secure, and not create multiple accounts, share your account, or transfer your account to another person. Vakoop reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, in accordance with section 8 of the CPA. Vakoop does not discriminate against any User on any grounds prohibited by the Constitution or the CPA. Upon account termination, any outstanding Wallet balance will be handled in accordance with the Payment and Buyer Protection Policy.
Vakoop provides a digital Wallet showing your balance on the Platform. When VaKoop pays a Seller, the Seller Payout is credited to the Seller's Wallet once the Buyer confirms receipt of the item or the confirmation window expires. Wallet funds may be used to purchase items on the Platform, pay for Premium Services, or withdraw to your linked bank account. Vakoop may pause Wallet payouts or withdrawals when disputes are active or suspicious activity is detected. Transaction records are available in your Wallet history within the app in accordance with ECT Act s.43. Vakoop does not pay interest on Wallet balances.
Sellers may purchase optional Premium Services to increase Listing visibility. Boost pins your Listing at the top of search results and the homepage for a set number of days. Bump pushes your Listing to the top of the "recently added" feed, subject to a cooldown period between uses. Promote promotes your Listing for a chosen number of days at a daily rate. All Premium Service fees are non-refundable once processed. Prices are shown in South African Rand (ZAR) before confirmation. Premium Services can be paid from your Wallet balance, via card, or through in-app purchase on supported mobile platforms; in-app purchases are processed by the relevant app store operator and are subject to their terms and refund policies.
Vakoop offers an optional authentication service for items such as sneakers, designer goods, and collectibles. Authentication is performed by third-party verification partners; Vakoop facilitates the process but does not guarantee any specific outcome. The authentication fee is non-refundable regardless of outcome, including where the item does not pass authentication. Submitting fraudulent photos, someone else's items, or misrepresenting your item may result in immediate account suspension.
Vakoop charges the following fees, all of which are displayed before you confirm any Transaction: a Buyer Protection Fee charged to Buyers at checkout; Premium Listing Fees as described in Section 6; Authentication Fees as described in Section 7; and an optional percentage-based Express Payout Fee for Sellers who want immediate payment instead of waiting for the standard payout schedule. All fees are displayed in South African Rand (ZAR) before confirmation. Vakoop does not charge hidden fees. In accordance with section 43 of the ECT Act, the full price including all applicable fees is displayed before confirmation.
All Platform content, software, designs, trademarks, and branding are owned by Vakoop (Pty) Ltd. You may not copy, modify, or distribute any part of the Platform without written permission. By uploading Content, you grant Vakoop a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display, reproduce, and use that Content on the Platform and in marketing materials, and to process that Content through AI service providers as described in Section 14 (AI-Assisted Features) to operate the Platform and to provide AI Features you have engaged.
In accordance with section 44 of the ECT Act, Buyers may cancel an electronic Transaction within 7 days of receiving the goods, without reason or penalty, unless the item has been used, damaged, or is no longer in its original condition. To cancel, contact [email protected]. Refunds are processed to your Vakoop Wallet. This does not apply to auction purchases or perishable goods.
By using the Platform, you consent to receive communications from Vakoop via push notifications, in-app notifications, and email regarding your transactions, account activity, and important platform updates. Transactional notifications (order updates, payment confirmations, dispute communications) are essential to the operation of the Platform and cannot be disabled while you maintain an active account. You may manage your notification preferences, including push notification permissions, through your device settings or the Platform's settings page.
Vakoop provides an auction feature where Sellers may list items for competitive bidding. By placing a bid, you enter a binding commitment to purchase the item at the bid price should you be the winning bidder. Upon conclusion of an auction, the winning bidder is required to complete payment within the timeframe specified by the Platform. Failure to complete payment within the specified period may result in a penalty fee, temporary restriction of access to auction features, or the item being offered to the next eligible bidder. Penalty fees arising from non-payment must be settled before you may participate in future auctions. Repeated failure to honour winning bids may result in further account restrictions.
Vakoop may conduct promotional events, including giveaways and prize draws, through the Platform. Participation is voluntary and subject to any additional terms or eligibility criteria specified for each event. No purchase is necessary to enter unless otherwise stated. Vakoop reserves the right to modify, suspend, or cancel any promotional event at its sole discretion. Winners are selected through the mechanism disclosed for each event. Promotional events are subject to all applicable South African laws, including the Consumer Protection Act's provisions on promotional competitions.
The Platform includes AI-assisted features ("AI Features"), including Genio (an AI assistant that helps Sellers manage their shop and helps Buyers discover items), automated AI image moderation, Snap & List image analysis that drafts a Listing from a photo you upload, AI auto-fill and AI write tools that draft Listing titles and descriptions, and AI-powered bug-report triage. AI Features use VaKoop's own systems together with third-party AI service providers (currently including OpenAI and other commercial AI providers, located primarily in the United States). When you use an AI Feature, the data necessary to fulfil your request — which may include your Listing content, shop statistics, photos you upload, and messages you send to Genio — is transmitted to those providers solely to generate the AI output for that request, as further described in our Privacy Policy. Outputs are not professional advice. AI-generated drafts, suggested prices, and search results are estimates and may be inaccurate or incomplete. You are responsible for reviewing any AI output before approving or publishing it, and you remain fully responsible for any Content you publish to the Platform, including its accuracy, legality, and compliance with the Prohibited Items Policy. Genio can propose changes to your shop (such as pausing or archiving Listings, changing prices, marking items sold, publishing drafts) but only executes them after you explicitly confirm — by confirming, you authorise VaKoop to perform that action on your behalf. All photos uploaded to the Platform are automatically scanned by an AI moderator; photos flagged with high confidence in serious categories (nudity, violence, weapons, drugs, hate symbols, counterfeit indicators) are quarantined for manual review and may be permanently removed. Image moderation is required for all uploads. AI Features are subject to daily Rand-value usage caps and may be suspended at VaKoop's discretion. Visitors without a VaKoop account may access a limited free trial of certain AI Features, subject to per-IP usage limits. When a Buyer asks Genio to find items, Genio may surface other Sellers' active Listings; by listing an item on the Platform you consent to it appearing in such AI-generated search results. Optional AI Features (Genio, Snap & List, AI Auto-Fill, AI Write) are opt-in by user action and may be stopped at any time. Your Genio chat history is stored locally on your device only, scoped per account on shared devices; VaKoop does not retain a reconstructible record of your Genio conversations server-side.
Vakoop may update these Terms at any time. We will notify you of significant changes via the app or email. Continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA) — your consumer rights under the CPA are not limited by these Terms; the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECT Act) — these Terms comply with section 43 disclosure requirements; and the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) — see our Privacy Policy. Any disputes shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of the Republic of South Africa.
For questions about these Terms, contact us at [email protected] or call +27 72 551 3728. Additional policies — Platform Rules, Payment and Buyer Protection, Refunds and Disputes, Prohibited Items, Seller Responsibilities, and Platform Liability — are available in full within the Vakoop app and at vakoop.co.za/returns.
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Vakoop (Pty) Ltd · Johannesburg, South Africa
[email protected] · +27 72 551 3728
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