Terms of use

1. What Nopalaba does, and what it does not do

Nopalaba puts buyers and sellers in touch. We sell no products, we are not a party to any sale and we never touch the money of a transaction: there are no payments, orders or deliveries on the site. We take no commission.

A sale is made directly between the buyer and the seller, for example on WhatsApp, by phone or in the shop. Price, availability, handover, payment (cash, mobile money…) and any warranty are their business alone.

Example: you find a phone on Nopalaba, you write to the shop on WhatsApp, you pick it up in Akwa and pay on the spot. Nopalaba is involved in none of these steps.

2. Using the site without an account

You can browse products and shops, compare products and contact a seller without creating an account. The site is meant for people aged 18 or over; a minor uses it under their parents’ responsibility.

3. Your account

An account is needed to save products, follow shops, report content or open a shop. You create it with an email address and a password (the address must be confirmed) or with a Google account.

• The information you give must be accurate and kept up to date.
• Your password is personal: you are responsible for what is done with your account. Tell us if you think someone else is using it.
• An account is personal. One person can open only one shop.
• After several wrong passwords, the account is locked for a few minutes to protect you.
• You can delete your account at any time from your account area. Deletion closes the shop you own (see the privacy policy).

4. Opening a shop: verification

A new shop starts “pending”: you can prepare your products, but buyers cannot see it yet. For it to become visible:

• you confirm your phone number by sending, from your WhatsApp, the code shown in your seller area to Nopalaba’s number;
• you have a short video call (5 to 10 minutes) with our team, during which you show your face and your stock or stall and say your shop’s name. Nothing is recorded and no screenshots are taken;
• our team approves the shop, or refuses it and tells you why.

5. The “Verified” badge

The “Verified” badge means we confirmed the shop’s phone number and saw the seller and their business on a video call. We never ask for or keep identity documents.

The badge is not a guarantee about the products, the prices or the seller’s conduct. Take the usual precautions (see section 9).

The “Local producer” badge is granted by our team to shops that make what they sell.

6. Sellers’ obligations

By publishing on Nopalaba, you agree to:

• offer only products you actually have for sale and that follow the content policy;
• describe each product honestly: your own photos, its real condition, the real price in CFA francs (or in the currency of the shop’s country), the right category and accurate specifications;
• state “Made in Cameroon” only for products really made in the country;
• follow the laws that apply to your business: registration, taxes, food labelling, warranties owed to consumers;
• answer buyers in good faith and keep your listings up to date (price, stock);
• not use the site to send unsolicited messages or to collect other users’ contact details.

7. Listings: duration, limits, removal

A listing stays online for 60 days. You get a reminder 7 days before the end and can renew it in one click; without renewal it expires and leaves the results (you can publish it again).

New shops have limits during their first weeks (for example at most 10 products for 30 days), shown in the seller area.

We may remove a listing, ask for a correction, suspend or close a shop that breaks these terms or the content policy. The sanctions, their order and how to contest them are described in the content policy.

8. Your texts and photos

You keep ownership of the texts and photos you publish. You allow us, free of charge and for as long as they are published, to display them on the site, adapt them to its format (image size and compression, for example) and show them in link previews (WhatsApp, Facebook) and in search engines.

You guarantee that you have the right to publish this content: no photos copied from other shops, no brands used without permission.

The Nopalaba name, the site and its design belong to us. You may share links to your products and shop freely; you may not copy the site or extract its data in bulk.

9. Advice for buyers

Sales happen outside the site, between you and the seller. To buy with confidence:

• meet the seller in a public place or at the shop and check the product before paying;
• 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 with the “Report” button on the page.

10. Reports

Anyone with an account can report a listing or a shop, giving a reason. Our team reads every report and decides; the seller does not know who reported. Abusive or repeatedly unfounded reports may lead to the closure of the account that sends them.

11. Free listing and changes

Publishing products is free during the launch period. If paid services are offered later (for example a featured spot), they will be optional and announced in advance with their conditions; the site will stay free for buyers.

We may change these terms. The version in force is always the one on this page, with its date. For an important change we will inform sellers in their area or by email at least 15 days before.

12. Liability

We do our best to keep the site running and the shops trustworthy, but we do not guarantee that the site is always available, that listings are accurate, the quality of the products, or how sales between buyers and sellers go.

The content of listings is published by sellers under their own responsibility. When we learn that content is unlawful, we remove it promptly.

We are not liable for losses linked to a sale made outside the site, to an interruption of the site or to a use contrary to these terms.

13. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the law of Cameroon. In case of disagreement, write to us first at [EMAIL DE CONTACT]: we look for an amicable solution within 30 days. Failing that, the competent courts are those of Douala, unless a mandatory rule of your country says otherwise.

14. Contact us

For any question about these terms: [EMAIL DE CONTACT] or [NUMÉRO DE TÉLÉPHONE]. The publisher’s full details are on the Contact page.