Escrow Policy

When a buyer initiates a purchase on Bilu Store, the payment is transferred immediately from the buyer's account into Bilu Store's licensed escrow account. The funds are held in a segregated account — completely separate from Bilu Store's operating funds.

Neither the buyer nor the seller can access the funds while they are in escrow. The seller is notified immediately and can proceed with preparing the item for delivery.

This system guarantees that:

• Buyers don't pay for items they don't receive
• Sellers don't deliver items without guaranteed payment
• All funds are auditable and protected from platform insolvency

Funds are held in escrow according to the following timeline:

Escrow funds are released to the seller under the following conditions:

• Buyer approval: The buyer explicitly confirms receipt and satisfaction
• Auto-release: 72 hours pass after the seller marks delivery with no buyer response
• Dispute resolved in seller's favor: Bilu Store's team determines the seller fulfilled their obligation

Funds are returned to the buyer under the following conditions:

• Dispute resolved in buyer's favor: item not received, not as described, or counterfeit
• Seller non-delivery: seller fails to deliver within 7 days and does not respond
• Mutual cancellation: both parties agree to cancel before delivery
• Seller cancellation: if the seller initiates a cancellation, a full refund is issued automatically

A buyer may open a dispute within 72 hours of the seller marking delivery. Opening a dispute immediately freezes the escrow funds.

Our Trust & Safety team will review:

• The original listing description and photographs
• All in-app communications between buyer and seller
• Delivery confirmation evidence provided by the seller
• Evidence of the item condition provided by the buyer

We aim to resolve all disputes within 4 hours. Both parties will be notified of the decision with a full explanation. The decision is final for amounts under 50,000 ETB.

When a refund is approved, the full transaction amount (minus any non-refundable third-party payment processing fees, typically 0–0.5%) is returned to the buyer's original payment method. Bilu Store does not charge any fee on refunded transactions.

Refund timelines by payment method:

• Telebirr: within 24 hours
• CBE Birr: within 24 hours
• Commercial Bank of Ethiopia transfer: 1–3 business days
• Other bank transfer: 2–5 business days

Specifically prohibited are:

• Requesting payment via external bank transfer or mobile money
• Creating fraudulent listings to extract payment without delivering
• Pressuring buyers to confirm release before inspecting the item
• Coordinating transactions outside the app while using in-app listings

Bilu Store charges a 3.5% transaction fee on the final sale amount, deducted from the seller's payout upon release. No fees are charged on:

• Failed transactions or cancelled orders
• Refunds issued to buyers
• Listing creation

Example: A 10,000 ETB sale results in a payout of 9,650 ETB to the seller (10,000 × 96.5%).

Orders may be cancelled before the seller marks the item as delivered. After delivery is marked, cancellation requires opening a dispute.

• Buyer cancellation before delivery: full refund, no penalty
• Seller cancellation: full refund to buyer, seller's on-time delivery rate is affected
• Mutual cancellation: full refund, no penalties for either party

Frequent seller cancellations may result in reduced visibility of listings or account review.