Frequently Asked
Questions.

Marketplaza is Africa's Social Commerce & Fintech Super-App — a platform that digitizes Nigeria's physical open-air markets. Think TikTok-style product discovery combined with a 256-bit bank-grade escrow payment system, Genesis Shield™ merchant verification, and a reseller affiliate network. All in one app.

Marketplaza is designed for four distinct roles: Buyers who want to shop securely from Nigerian markets, Sellers who operate stalls in physical markets (Alaba, Balogun, Computer Village, etc.) and want a digital presence, Resellers who want to earn commissions by sharing product links, and Builders who want to participate in the ecosystem's growth and earn equity dividends.

We're currently in private beta with a limited group of early merchants. We are actively building toward a public launch. Waitlist members will receive priority access before any public announcement. Join the waitlist to secure your spot.

The initial launch is focused on Nigeria and leverages the Nigerian banking system (NUBAN accounts, BVN/NIN KYC). Ghana, Kenya, and other West/East African markets are on the expansion roadmap post-Series B. If you're outside Nigeria, join the waitlist and indicate your country — we'll notify you when we expand.

When a buyer places an order, the total payment is atomically locked in escrow — deducted from the buyer's wallet into a locked balance. The seller receives a notification to dispatch. Once the courier delivers and the buyer confirms receipt (or the 48-hour automatic release timer expires), funds are atomically settled: seller receives the item amount minus platform fee and any reseller commission, reseller receives their commission, platform receives the service fee. If the buyer disputes, our mediation team intervenes and can release or refund accordingly.

Each Marketplaza user gets a dedicated Nigerian NUBAN bank account number (via Wema Bank or Moniepoint). This is a real account number you can share with anyone for bank transfers. When someone transfers money to your NUBAN, it lands in your Marketplaza wallet instantly. This enables zero-friction deposits without needing debit card details.

After a delivery is confirmed (via OTP verification), a 48-hour countdown begins. During this window, the buyer can inspect the goods and raise a dispute if they don't match what was listed. If no dispute is raised within 48 hours, funds are automatically released to the seller. This protects buyers without indefinitely holding seller funds.

From your Marketplaza Wallet tab, tap "Withdraw." Select your linked Nigerian commercial bank (GTBank, Access, First Bank, Zenith, etc.), enter the amount, and authorize with your 4-digit transaction PIN. Funds typically arrive within minutes. Withdrawals from escrow-locked balances are not permitted — only available balance can be withdrawn.

Your PIN is never stored in plain text. It is hashed using Argon2id with a unique salt per user — the same algorithm used by leading global password managers. After 3 failed attempts in 30 minutes, your PIN is temporarily locked. Marketplaza employees cannot see or access your PIN under any circumstances.

After creating your account, go to the "Sell" tab and tap "Open My Store." You'll set your store name, upload a banner and logo, select your physical market (or choose online-only), and pay a one-time ₦15,000 Merchant Premium Store activation fee. Once activated, you can start listing products with photos and videos immediately.

Genesis Shield™ is Marketplaza's premium merchant verification badge. To earn it, your store must pass Tier 3 verification — which includes BVN, NIN, and CAC (Corporate Affairs Commission) registration number verification. Buyers see the orange shield badge on your store and products, signaling that you're a legally registered, identity-verified business. It significantly improves buyer confidence and conversion rates.

You can sell any legal physical good — electronics, phones, fashion, fabrics and textiles, food items, household goods, furniture, auto parts, agricultural produce, beauty products, and more. Products can be listed as Brand New, Open Box, Refurbished, or Foreign Used. Digital products and prohibited items (weapons, narcotics, counterfeit goods) are strictly banned.

Any Marketplaza user can become a reseller by paying a ₦10,000 activation fee. Once active, you generate a unique referral link for any product on the platform. When someone buys through your link, you automatically earn a 10% commission on the item price — credited to your wallet the moment the escrow releases. There's no limit to how many products you can share or how much you can earn.

Builders are ecosystem participants who invest in Marketplaza's growth at an early stage and receive a share of platform revenue as dividends. You rank up through tiers — Genesis, Pioneer, Titan — based on your contribution and network activity. Higher tiers receive larger percentage cuts of platform transaction fees. Think of it as owning a small slice of the ecosystem without formal equity.

Commissions are credited to your Marketplaza wallet instantly as part of the atomic escrow settlement transaction — the same moment the seller receives their funds. There is no manual processing delay, no monthly payout cycle. The money is in your wallet the second the deal closes.

Our escrow system structurally prevents the most common forms of marketplace fraud: sellers can't take payment and disappear (funds are locked until delivery confirmed), buyers can't claim false non-delivery (OTP confirmation is required), and identity fraud is prevented by BVN/NIN KYC checks. All financial mutations run in PostgreSQL SERIALIZABLE transactions with row-level locking, preventing double-spend and race conditions at the database layer.

Marketplaza operates in compliance with CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) guidelines for fintech platforms and adheres to NDPR (Nigeria Data Protection Regulation) for all personal data handling. We do not store plain-text BVN, NIN, card data, or transaction PINs. Webhook security uses HMAC-SHA512 signature verification. All banking integrations (Wema, Moniepoint, Paystack) are through licensed Nigerian financial institutions.

If a buyer raises a dispute during the 48-hour inspection window, the escrow is immediately frozen and both parties are notified. Our mediation team reviews the evidence (product listing photos, delivery OTP, communication logs) and makes a binding decision — either releasing funds to the seller or refunding to the buyer. Resolution typically takes 24-72 hours.