Terms of service

Handover connects a buyer and seller for a private sale, holds the buyer’s money in escrow until delivery is confirmed, and arranges courier collection and delivery. Handover is not itself a bank, a courier, or a party to the sale of the item — it facilitates the transaction between the buyer and seller. Funds are held by TradeSafe, a regulated escrow provider; delivery is carried out by a third-party courier network (see courier terms).

• You must be 18 or older and able to enter a binding contract.
• The information you give — your identity, contact details, item, price, and addresses — must be accurate.
• Sellers must accurately describe the item and package it adequately for transit.
• Buyers should inspect the parcel before sharing the release PIN — doing so releases payment and can’t be undone.
• Items the courier network won’t carry or cover can’t be listed — see the exclusions on the courier terms page.

Sellers receive their full listed price. Handover charges the buyer a protection fee of 6% of the item price (with a minimum and maximum), shown at checkout before payment. Courier delivery and any declared-value cover are charged at cost, with no Handover margin — the full breakdown is always shown before you pay.

Money is held by TradeSafe and released to the seller once the buyer confirms delivery with a one-time PIN, or after any inspection period set on the sale expires. If something goes wrong — the parcel doesn’t arrive, arrives damaged, or doesn’t match its description — raise it before releasing the PIN wherever possible. Courier loss or damage claims are handled under the courier’s own liability terms, not Handover’s.

Handover facilitates the introduction, escrow, and delivery arrangement between buyer and seller, but isn’t responsible for the condition, legality, or quality of the item itself, or for courier loss or damage beyond what the courier’s own cover provides. To the extent permitted by law, Handover’s liability for any claim relating to a sale is limited to the fee Handover earned on that sale.

Handover may suspend or refuse a sale where there’s a reasonable suspicion of fraud, a prohibited item, or a breach of these terms.

These terms may be updated as Handover develops — continuing to use the app after a change means you accept the update. They’re governed by the law of South Africa, and any dispute falls under the jurisdiction of the South African courts.