Buying on WhatsApp and Facebook Marketplace: a safety checklist

In Cameroon, a huge share of buying and selling now happens in WhatsApp chats, WhatsApp status updates and Facebook groups. It is fast and convenient, and most sellers are honest. But the platform gives you no protection at all: no buyer guarantee, no refund button, nobody to call when a seller stops answering. The protection has to come from how you buy. Here is the checklist.

Check the seller

1. Look at the history, not the profile picture. How long has the Facebook account existed? Does the seller have past posts, reviews in the group, or real friends commenting? A profile created last month with stock photos is a warning.
2. Ask for a video, not photos. Photos can be downloaded from anywhere. A short video of the actual item, with today's date written on a piece of paper next to it, is hard to fake.
3. Call them. A voice call tells you more than fifty messages. Scammers often avoid calls or always have "network problems".
4. Check the name on the payment number. Before any money moves, the name registered on the mobile-money number should match the person you are talking to. If it is "my sister's number", ask why.

Check the item

1. Compare the price. Look at three or four similar listings. A price far below all of them is not luck; it is bait.
2. Ask the questions only an owner can answer. How old is it, why are they selling, is there a receipt, any repairs? Vague or copied answers are a signal.
3. For phones and laptops: ask for the IMEI or serial number and the storage and battery health screens. For phones, check the IMEI against the box.
4. Agree what "as described" means. Write down the model, condition, colour, storage and what is included. This becomes your evidence if something goes wrong.

Check the payment

1. Never pay a "reservation" deposit for an item you have not seen. It is the most common entry point for advance-fee scams.
2. Never pay a third person who appears mid-deal, such as a "delivery agent" or a "cousin" collecting on the seller's behalf.
3. Agree delivery cost up front, inside the price. Fees that appear after you agreed are a red flag.
4. Do not let urgency decide. "Another buyer is coming in an hour" is a sales tactic. A real seller can wait for you to pay safely.

The one payment rule

Everything above reduces your risk. One rule removes most of it: do not send money directly to a stranger for something you have not received. Pay into escrow instead.

With Bizik, you create a deal with the seller (or they send you one), describe the item, the price, the delivery date and your inspection window, and pay into escrow with MTN MoMo or Orange Money. The seller sees that the money is really there and ships. You receive the item and check it. If it matches, you approve and the seller is paid. If it does not, you open a dispute with your evidence, and the money stays frozen until a Bizik mediator decides.

Escrow does not ask you to trust the seller. It asks the seller to trust the process, and a genuine seller has every reason to, because it also protects them from fake payment screenshots and reversed transfers.

If the seller refuses escrow

Some honest sellers have simply never heard of it. Send them a short explanation: they get paid as soon as you confirm, they pay no fee on the deal, and they never have to worry about a fake screenshot again. If they still refuse, and insist that you send the money directly first, you have learned the most important thing about this deal.

What escrow costs you

The escrow fee is a small percentage paid by the buyer, shown before you pay. The seller pays nothing. For a phone or a laptop, it is a fraction of what you could lose. The current rate is on the pricing page.

Read the seven scams we see most often, or see how a Bizik deal works.