Terms of Service

By registering for or using Winipat (the "Platform", accessible at winipat.com), you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and where applicable, our Seller Agreementand Dispute Policy.

You must be at least 18 years old, have legal capacity to enter into binding contracts under Nigerian law, and provide accurate information when creating your account. Winipat reserves the right to refuse service, suspend, or terminate accounts that do not meet these criteria.

• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.
• You must notify us immediately at support@winipat.com of any unauthorised access.
• One account per person. Multiple accounts for the same individual may be merged or suspended.
• Account information must be accurate, current, and complete.

• Pay for orders in full at checkout via supported payment methods.
• Provide accurate delivery information.
• Choose a logistics partner at checkout and pay applicable fees.
• Confirm delivery within 48 hours of receipt, or it will be auto-confirmed.
• Open disputes in good faith and only when warranted (see Dispute Policy).

• Complete KYC verification before listing any product.
• Accurately describe products, including condition, materials, and dimensions.
• Accept or reject orders within 15 minutes; prepare and mark Ready for Pickup promptly.
• Respond to disputes with evidence within stated SLAs.
• Comply with all applicable Nigerian laws including consumer protection.

Sellers must also comply with the Seller Agreement, which forms part of these Terms.

All payments are processed through licensed Nigerian payment providers (Paystack). When you pay for an order, your funds are held in escrow by Winipat. Funds are released to the seller only after:

• You confirm delivery, OR
• 48 hours pass after delivery without a dispute being opened, OR
• A dispute is resolved in the seller's favour.

Winipat deducts a 12% platform commission from each completed order before remitting the net amount to the seller.

Winipat partners with independent logistics providers. You select your preferred logistics partner at checkout. Delivery times, pricing, and service levels are set by the logistics partner. Winipat is not liable for delays, damages, or losses caused by logistics partners, though we will facilitate dispute resolution.

The full dispute process is described in our Dispute Policy. In summary: buyers may open a dispute within 48 hours of delivery. Sellers must respond with evidence within SLA. Winipat will review evidence and may issue full refunds, partial refunds, or release funds to the seller. Decisions are final.

The following are not permitted on Winipat:

• Counterfeit goods or items infringing intellectual property rights
• Illegal substances, weapons, or items restricted under Nigerian law
• Stolen goods
• Adult content, gambling products, or items requiring licences the seller does not hold
• Off-platform transaction attempts (sharing contact details to bypass escrow)
• Manipulation of reviews, ratings, or dispute outcomes

Violations may result in product removal, account suspension, or permanent ban, with no obligation to refund any platform fees.

The Winipat name, logo, design, software, and content are owned by Winipat and its licensors. You may not copy, modify, or create derivative works without permission. Sellers retain ownership of product photos and descriptions they upload but grant Winipat a non-exclusive licence to display them on the Platform.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Winipat is not liable for indirect, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Platform. Our total liability for any claim is limited to the amount of platform fees you have paid in the 6 months preceding the claim.

Winipat does not warrant uninterrupted or error-free service. The Platform is provided "as is".

You may close your account at any time by contacting support@winipat.com.

Winipat may suspend or terminate your account, without prior notice, for any of the following:

• Material breach of these Terms (e.g. selling prohibited items, listing counterfeits)
• Suspected fraud, money laundering, or coordinated review manipulation
• Multiple substantiated buyer disputes (typically >3 in a 30-day window for sellers)
• Failure to respond to KYC or escalation requests within 7 days
• Chargeback abuse — see Section 14 below
• Use of the Platform for activity outside Nigeria's legal framework

When we suspend an account, any funds in escrow that are not subject to active disputes are refunded to the original payer within 10 business days. Disputed funds remain frozen until resolution.

All sellers must complete Know-Your-Customer verification before listing products. This is a compliance and fraud-prevention requirement and is non-negotiable.

What we collect at KYC:

• Government-issued ID (National ID, Driver's Licence, International Passport, or Voter's Card)
• Verified Nigerian phone number
• Bank account in the seller's legal name for payouts
• Pickup address (street, city, state)
• Business name (if applicable)
• Optionally: CAC certificate or recent utility bill (electricity, waste, water) showing your pickup address — speeds up approval

Review timeline is typically 1 business day. Rejected applications include reasons and may be re-submitted once (appeal). Verification status is visible to buyers as a “Verified Seller” badge.

We store KYC documents encrypted at rest and access is restricted to authorised reviewers. See our Privacy Policy for retention details.

Card chargebacks initiated through your bank or card issuer (rather than via Winipat's dispute system) are treated as follows:

• If the chargeback is filed before delivery confirmation, escrow funds are frozen and held pending resolution.
• If the chargeback is filed after escrow has released to the seller, Winipat will recover the funds from the seller's upcoming payouts or wallet balance.
• Where buyer evidence supports the chargeback, the buyer keeps the refund. Where seller evidence is stronger, Winipat will contest the chargeback with Paystack on the seller's behalf.
• Repeated chargebacks (3 or more in 90 days) attributed to user fault will result in account suspension.
• Friendly fraud (filing chargebacks on items genuinely delivered) is reported to Paystack and the Nigerian Inter-Bank Settlement System.

Always use Winipat's dispute system first— it's faster (2–3 business days vs the 30–60 day chargeback window) and won't affect your card profile.

Escrowed funds are released to the seller only when all of the following are true:

• The order is marked Delivered by the logistics partner.
• The buyer has either clicked Confirm Delivery OR the 48-hour auto-confirm window has elapsed.
• No active dispute is open on the order.
• No chargeback or refund request is active.
• The seller has a valid bank account on file.

Once these conditions are met, the seller's payout is created (net of the platform commission) and processed in the next daily payout batch. Standard payout settlement is 1–2 business days depending on the receiving bank.

If a seller has no valid bank account, their escrow row stays in release_eligible state and they receive an in-app notification to add a bank account. Funds are held — never lost.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Disputes that cannot be resolved through our internal process will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Lagos State.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be notified by email and/or via a notice on the Platform at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.