Safe Trade Guide
Tick these off for every trade you pay for yourself. With UdozoPay, we hold the money for you.
UdozoPay by Udozo Connect
- You ask to buy; the seller accepts.
- You pay from your Udozo wallet. Udozo holds the money.
- You check the item: at a meet-up you give the seller your release code, for a delivery you confirm it arrived.
- Not as described, or it never came? Open a dispute and Udozo decides. If the seller cancels or does not hand it over in time, you are refunded in full, fee included.
Udozo is not the seller and does not inspect goods. UdozoPay is your choice on each purchase, for a small fee shown before you pay.
Before you meet
- Keep the chat on Udozo
- Check the seller's badges
- The price is close to similar listings
- Agree the place, time and how you will pay
- Tell someone where you are going
At the meeting
- A busy public place, in daylight
- Inspect and test it with the checks below
- Check papers and serial numbers
- Pay only when you are happy; confirm a transfer in your own banking app
If you are selling
- Hand over only when the money shows in your own account
- Never trust an SMS alert or a screenshot
- Refuse overpayments; check cash notes
Checks for each category
Phones and tablets
- It powers on, charges, and the screen, buttons, speakers and cameras work
- The IMEI in Settings matches the box and is not reported stolen or blacklisted
- The seller's iCloud or Google account is signed out (Find My is off)
- Check battery health in Settings, and whether it was ever repaired
- Pay only when satisfied, and confirm a transfer in your own banking app
Electronics
- Plug it in or power it on, and test every function
- Check the serial number, and that it is not damaged or opened
- Pay only when satisfied, and confirm a transfer in your own banking app
Vehicles
- The papers are in the seller's name: vehicle licence, proof of ownership and customs papers for foreign-used cars
- The chassis number (VIN) on the car matches the papers
- Have a mechanic you trust inspect it, and take a test drive
- Never pay a deposit to "hold" a car you have not seen
- Pay by transfer once the papers are handed over; confirm it in your own banking app
Property
- See the title document and check it at the land registry
- Confirm the agent's or owner's identity, and that they may let or sell it
- Never pay to view, and never pay before inspecting
- Get a written agreement, and pay to an account in the owner’s or agency’s name
Home and living
- Meet in a busy public place in daylight, and tell someone where you are going
- Inspect it and test it before you pay
- Pay only when satisfied, and confirm a transfer in your own banking app
- Never pay in advance for something you have not seen
Fashion
- Meet in a busy public place in daylight, and tell someone where you are going
- Inspect it and test it before you pay
- Pay only when satisfied, and confirm a transfer in your own banking app
- Never pay in advance for something you have not seen
Beauty and personal care
- Meet in a busy public place in daylight, and tell someone where you are going
- Inspect it and test it before you pay
- Pay only when satisfied, and confirm a transfer in your own banking app
- Never pay in advance for something you have not seen
- Check the seal is intact and the best-before date
Hospital and medical equipment
- Switch it on and test it in front of you; for a monitor or analyser, ask to see a reading or a test run.
- Check the seal and the expiry date on anything sterile or single use: never buy one opened or out of date.
- Ask for the product's registration number (NAFDAC, FDA Ghana, PPB Kenya) and check it on the regulator's site.
- Ask for the manual, the charger or power cable, and the service or calibration record of hospital equipment.
- Pay through Udozo's UdozoPay, never before you have seen and tested it.
Kids and baby
- Meet in a busy public place in daylight, and tell someone where you are going
- Inspect it and test it before you pay
- Pay only when satisfied, and confirm a transfer in your own banking app
- Never pay in advance for something you have not seen
Sports and hobbies
- Meet in a busy public place in daylight, and tell someone where you are going
- Inspect it and test it before you pay
- Pay only when satisfied, and confirm a transfer in your own banking app
- Never pay in advance for something you have not seen
Pets
- See the animal in person and check it is healthy and alert
- Ask for vaccination records
- Never pay for delivery of an animal you have not seen
Farm and food
- Meet in a busy public place in daylight, and tell someone where you are going
- Inspect it and test it before you pay
- Pay only when satisfied, and confirm a transfer in your own banking app
- Never pay in advance for something you have not seen
- Check the produce and its weight before you pay
Building and tools
- Meet in a busy public place in daylight, and tell someone where you are going
- Inspect it and test it before you pay
- Pay only when satisfied, and confirm a transfer in your own banking app
- Never pay in advance for something you have not seen
Wholesale and business
- Meet in a busy public place in daylight, and tell someone where you are going
- Inspect it and test it before you pay
- Pay only when satisfied, and confirm a transfer in your own banking app
- Never pay in advance for something you have not seen
Services
- Agree the price and what it covers before work starts
- Pay in stages for big jobs, never everything up front
- Check reviews and ask for past work
Everything else
- Meet in a busy public place in daylight, and tell someone where you are going
- Inspect it and test it before you pay
- Pay only when you are satisfied, and confirm a transfer in your own banking app before handing over
Red flags
A price far below others, pressure to decide now, a deposit or "delivery fee" first, payment screenshots instead of money, overpaying and asking for change, moving the chat to another app, or asking for any code.
Udozo never asks for your codes, PINs or passwords, in a chat or anywhere else.