Content policy

1. What you can publish

Physical goods, new or used, that you actually have for sale, for example:

• fashion, shoes, beauty and care;
• phones, computers, electronics, home appliances;
• home, furniture and equipment;
• packaged food and drinks that are non-perishable and labelled (coffee, cocoa products, spices, honey, jams, flours, juices…);
• car parts and accessories;
• pet supplies.

Each listing describes one specific product, in the category that fits it, with a price. A shop selling phones and shoes publishes one listing per product, not a “my whole stock” listing.

2. Not available on Nopalaba yet

These categories may come later, with their own rules. Until then, their listings are removed and the seller is told:

• real estate (land, houses, rentals);
• jobs;
• services (repairs, transport, hairdressing at home…);
• vehicles (cars, motorbikes);
• live animals;
• fresh or perishable food (meat, fish, cooked dishes, bread…).

3. Never allowed

These products are removed as soon as we see them, and the shop is sanctioned:

• medicines and medical products, including “traditional” products presented as curing a disease;
• weapons and ammunition, including combat knives and imitations;
• counterfeit goods: brand copies, “replica”, “first copy”, “AAA quality”;
• alcohol and tobacco, e-cigarettes and shisha;
• stolen goods, or anything whose sale is illegal in the shop’s country;
• offensive content: violent, sexual, hateful or discriminatory photos or texts.

4. Packaged food

The listing must state the producer, the ingredients or composition, the net weight or volume and the shelf life (or the best-before date). A photo of the label is required.

You are responsible for following your country’s labelling and certification rules. A food product without a label or a date is removed.

5. Honest listings

An honest listing means:

• your own photos of the real product, sharp, without added logo, watermark, phone number or text; no photos taken from the Internet or copied from another shop;
• an accurate title and description: the brand, the model, the real condition (new, like new, good condition, needs repair), any defects;
• the real price, in CFA francs (or in the currency of the shop’s country), the one you will ask the buyer; no “1 FCFA” to attract clicks;
• the right category and accurate specifications (capacity, size, material…), because buyers compare products on that data;
• “Made in Cameroon” only for products made in the country; a false claim is a reason for a report and a sanction;
• one listing per product: no duplicates to appear several times in the results;
• real stock: mark the product “out of stock” or remove the listing when you no longer have it.

6. Shops

A shop on Nopalaba:

• belongs to a person who actually sells; one person has only one shop;
• has a name that does not copy a brand or another shop;
• shows a phone or WhatsApp number that is really its own and answers buyers;
• does not use its logo, banner or description for forbidden content or to send people to another selling site.

7. Reporting a listing or a shop

If you see a listing or a shop that breaks these rules, tap “Report” on its page (an account is needed, to prevent automated reports). Choose a reason:

• scam or attempted scam;
• prohibited product;
• counterfeit;
• misleading information (price, photos, description);
• false “Made in” claim;
• offensive or inappropriate content;
• wrong category;
• duplicate listing or shop;
• other reason, with an explanation.

Add a few words about what you saw: it helps us a lot. The seller does not know who reported. You can report the same listing only once until the report is handled, and at most 20 times a day. Abusive or repeatedly unfounded reports may lead to the closure of the account that sends them.

You can also write to us at [EMAIL DE CONTACT] with the page link, for example if you have no account or if your own brand is being copied.

8. Buying with confidence

Sales happen outside the site, between you and the seller. Nopalaba handles no payment or delivery and cannot step into a sale. Meet the seller in a public place or at the shop, check the product before paying and never send a deposit to someone you don’t know. Even if the listing looks serious, be wary of prices far below the market and of sellers who push you to pay quickly. Report any suspicious listing to us.

9. How we handle reports

Every report is read by a member of the Nopalaba team, who looks at the listing, the shop and its history, then decides to:

• dismiss it, if the listing follows the rules;
• remove the listing (it is no longer visible; the seller gets the reason and can correct it, then ask for it to be put back online, except for a prohibited product);
• suspend the shop (all its listings disappear for the length of the suspension).

We aim for a decision within 2 working days, and within 24 hours for a reported prohibited product or scam. When several people report the same listing, one decision answers all the reports. The person who reported is told the outcome (dismissed or handled) in their notifications, without details of the sanction.

We may also act without a report, for example while verifying a shop or checking listings.

10. The sanctions, in order

The sanction depends on how serious the breach is and on the shop’s history. For a good-faith mistake we start at the bottom of the ladder; for a prohibited product or a scam we may go straight to closure.

• Warning: the listing is removed with the reason; the seller corrects it and asks for it to be put back online. Examples: wrong category, inaccurate specification, photo with a phone number.
• Listing blocked: the listing is removed and cannot be published again. Examples: counterfeit, false “Made in Cameroon”, copied photos, repeated duplicates.
• Shop suspended: the shop and all its listings are invisible for 7 to 30 days depending on the case; the seller is told, with the reason. Examples: several blocked listings, repeated misleading information, a number that never answers.
• Shop closed for good: for a scam, prohibited products, stolen goods, a seller who does not actually sell, or after a suspension without improvement. The account may also be closed and the person cannot open a new shop.

A newly opened shop that publishes a prohibited product is closed without warning. Removed listings stay visible in the seller area, with the reason.

11. Contesting a decision

If you think a decision is a mistake, write to us at [EMAIL DE CONTACT] from your account’s email address, with your shop’s name, the listing’s link and your explanation (for example a purchase invoice for a product judged counterfeit). We answer within 5 working days. A listing or shop put back online gets its normal place back.

12. Changes to these rules

These rules may change with the site, for example when a new category opens. The version in force is the one on this page, with its date; sellers are told about important changes in their area.