# SELLER ONBOARDING & OPERATING GUIDELINES *Last updated: Sept 2026* ## 1. INTRODUCTION Welcome to Sotibuy. Sotibuy is an e-commerce marketplace that connects businesses and individuals with customers while Sotibuy manages the marketplace experience, payment process, customer communication, logistics, delivery, returns, refunds and dispute handling. These Seller Onboarding & Operating Guidelines explain how approved Sellers are expected to operate on the Sotibuy Platform. These Guidelines should be read together with the Sotibuy Seller Agreement and other applicable Sotibuy policies. ## 2. BECOMING A SOTIBUY SELLER To sell on Sotibuy, a person or business must first create a Sotibuy account and complete the Seller registration process. Sotibuy may request information necessary to verify the Seller and the Products they intend to sell. Seller approval is subject to Sotibuy's verification and marketplace requirements. ## 3. SELLER INFORMATION Sellers must provide accurate information during registration. This may include: - Full name or registered business name. - Contact information. - Residential or business information where required. - Bank/payment settlement information. - Identification or verification information where required. - Product category. - Other information reasonably required by Sotibuy. ## 4. SELLER ACCOUNT A Seller is responsible for maintaining the security of their Sotibuy account. Sellers must not: - Share account access unnecessarily. - Allow unauthorized persons to operate their account. - Provide false registration information. - Create multiple accounts to evade restrictions. - Use another person's identity or business information. ## 5. SELLER PROFILE Approved Sellers should maintain an accurate Seller profile. Seller information displayed to Buyers will be determined by Sotibuy's marketplace structure and privacy practices. Sotibuy may limit the personal information displayed publicly to protect both Buyers and Sellers. ## 6. LISTING PRODUCTS Sellers may list Products only in categories approved by Sotibuy. Every Product listing should contain accurate and sufficient information to help Sotibuy present the Product appropriately to customers. Listings should include, where applicable: - Product name. - Product description. - Price. - Available quantity. - Product images. - Size or dimensions. - Colour or variation. - Relevant specifications. - Other information reasonably required for the Product. ## 7. PRODUCT IMAGES Sellers should provide clear and reasonably accurate images of their Products. Images must not: - Misrepresent the Product. - Deliberately conceal important defects. - Use another Seller's images without authorization. - Contain misleading claims. - Contain inappropriate or prohibited material. ## 8. PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS Product descriptions must accurately represent the Product being offered. Sellers must not exaggerate or falsely represent: - Quality. - Quantity. - Size. - Materials. - Features. - Origin. - Brand. - Condition. - Warranty. - Authenticity. ## 9. PRODUCT CONDITION Sellers must clearly identify whether a Product is: - New. - Used. - Refurbished. - Open-box. - Pre-owned. - Another applicable condition. A Seller must not present a used, defective or refurbished Product as new. ## 10. PRODUCT PRICING Sellers are responsible for setting accurate Product prices. The listed price should reflect the actual price at which the Seller is prepared to fulfil the Order, subject to applicable Sotibuy rules. Sellers must not deliberately advertise an unrealistically low price and later demand a higher amount from the Buyer. ## 11. HIDDEN CHARGES Sellers must not impose unauthorized charges directly on Buyers. A Seller must not contact a Buyer to request additional payment outside the Sotibuy transaction for an Order unless expressly authorized by Sotibuy. ## 12. STOCK AVAILABILITY Sellers must keep their Product availability reasonably accurate. Where a Product is no longer available, the Seller should promptly update its stock status or notify Sotibuy as required. ## 13. RECEIVING ORDERS When an Order is placed for a Seller's Product, Sotibuy will process the Order through the Platform. The Seller must prepare the correct Product within the applicable preparation period. ## 14. ORDER ACCEPTANCE Sellers should not intentionally accept Orders they know they cannot fulfil. Repeated failure to fulfil confirmed Orders may affect Seller performance and may result in action under the Seller Agreement. ## 15. ORDER PREPARATION Before collection, the Seller must ensure that the Order is: - The correct Product. - The correct quantity. - Complete. - Properly packaged. - In the condition represented in the listing. - Ready for Sotibuy collection. ## 16. PACKAGING Sellers are responsible for appropriately packaging Products before collection. Packaging should be suitable for the Product and reasonably capable of protecting it during transportation. Additional packaging requirements may apply to fragile, liquid, electronic, perishable or otherwise sensitive Products. ## 17. HANDOVER TO SOTIBUY The Seller must hand the prepared Order to an authorized Sotibuy representative or designated logistics provider. The Seller should not hand an Order to an unknown or unauthorized person claiming to represent Sotibuy. ## 18. BUYER COMMUNICATION Sotibuy manages the primary customer relationship. Sellers should not ordinarily contact Buyers directly concerning Sotibuy Orders. Where communication with a Buyer is necessary, Sotibuy may handle the communication or authorize an appropriate method. ## 19. BUYER CONTACT INFORMATION Sellers must not use Sotibuy's systems or Order information to obtain or misuse a Buyer's personal contact information. A Seller must not use Buyer information obtained through Sotibuy to market directly to the Buyer outside Sotibuy without appropriate authorization and lawful basis. ## 20. DIRECT SALES OUTSIDE SOTIBUY Sellers must not deliberately use Sotibuy Orders or Buyer information to divert customers away from Sotibuy. Examples include encouraging a Buyer to: - Cancel a Sotibuy Order and purchase directly from the Seller. - Pay the Seller outside Sotibuy. - Contact the Seller privately for future purchases. - Use another platform to avoid Sotibuy fees. ## 21. SELLER PROMOTIONS Sellers may participate in promotional campaigns offered by Sotibuy. Where a Seller agrees to a promotion, the Seller must honour the applicable promotional terms for the agreed period. ## 22. SELLER DISCOUNTS Where Sellers offer discounts through Sotibuy, the Seller must honour the applicable discount for qualifying Orders. Sellers must not advertise a discount that they do not intend to honour. ## 23. CANCELLATION BY SELLER Sellers should avoid cancelling confirmed Orders except where reasonably necessary. Repeated Seller cancellations may result in performance review or other action under the Seller Agreement. ## 24. RETURNS AND REFUNDS Sellers must cooperate with Sotibuy's Returns, Refunds & Cancellations Policy. Where Sotibuy approves a return or refund, the Seller must comply with the applicable process. The Seller should not independently negotiate a different return or refund arrangement with the Buyer. ## 25. RETURNED PRODUCTS Where Sotibuy arranges the return of a Product, the Seller must cooperate with the return process. Sotibuy may inspect or facilitate inspection of returned Products where necessary. ## 26. PRODUCT REPLACEMENT Where an approved remedy involves replacement, the Seller must provide the replacement Product where the Seller is responsible for the issue and replacement is applicable. Sotibuy will coordinate the relevant process. ## 27. SELLER SETTLEMENT Sellers will receive settlement in accordance with the Sotibuy Commission & Seller Settlement Policy. Applicable commission, refunds and other authorized adjustments will be handled in accordance with the Seller Agreement and applicable policies. ## 28. SELLER PERFORMANCE Sotibuy may monitor Seller performance using reasonable marketplace indicators, including: - Order fulfilment. - Cancellation rate. - Product accuracy. - Customer complaints. - Return rate. - Delivery-related issues. - Policy compliance. - Other relevant performance indicators. ## 29. SELLER PERFORMANCE ACTION Where Seller performance is consistently poor, Sotibuy may take appropriate action. This may include: - Warning. - Seller education. - Listing restrictions. - Temporary restrictions. - Suspension. - Termination of Seller access. ## 30. PROHIBITED PRODUCTS Sellers must not list or sell Products prohibited under the Sotibuy Prohibited & Restricted Products Policy. Sotibuy may remove Products that violate its policies or applicable law. ## 31. LEGAL COMPLIANCE Sellers are responsible for ensuring that Products they offer through Sotibuy comply with applicable Nigerian laws and regulatory requirements. Where a Product requires registration, certification, approval, licensing or other legal authorization, the Seller must obtain and maintain the necessary authorization. ## 32. PRODUCT AUTHENTICITY Sellers must not knowingly list counterfeit, stolen, illegally obtained or unlawfully represented Products. Sotibuy may request evidence of authenticity or lawful sourcing where reasonably necessary. ## 33. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Sellers must have the necessary rights to use Product images, trademarks, descriptions and other intellectual property submitted to Sotibuy. Sellers must not knowingly infringe another person's intellectual property rights. ## 34. PRODUCT SAFETY Sellers must not knowingly sell unsafe Products. Where Sotibuy becomes aware of a credible safety concern, it may suspend or remove the affected listing while the matter is investigated. ## 35. RESTRICTED PRODUCTS Certain Products may be permitted only subject to additional requirements, verification or restrictions. Sellers must comply with any category-specific requirements communicated by Sotibuy. ## 36. RECORD KEEPING Sellers should maintain reasonable records relating to Products sold through Sotibuy, including: - Purchase or sourcing records. - Invoices. - Product documentation. - Warranty information where applicable. - Authenticity documentation where applicable. ## 37. SELLER SUPPORT Sellers may contact Sotibuy through the designated Seller support channels for: - Account issues. - Order issues. - Listing issues. - Settlement questions. - Logistics issues. - Returns. - Refunds. - Other marketplace matters. ## 38. LOGISTICS Sellers are not ordinarily responsible for delivering Orders to Buyers. Sotibuy or its designated logistics provider will handle the applicable collection and delivery process. Sellers are responsible for preparing and handing over Orders correctly. 39. SELLER'S DUTY TO COOPERATE Sellers must reasonably cooperate with Sotibuy in relation to: - Order fulfilment. - Delivery. - Returns. - Refunds. - Disputes. - Product verification. - Investigations. - Regulatory requirements. ## 40. SELLER COMMUNICATION WITH SOTIBUY Sotibuy will ordinarily be the Seller's point of contact for marketplace-related matters. Sellers should use the designated Sotibuy channels rather than attempting to contact Buyers directly. ## 41. FRAUD AND MISREPRESENTATION Sellers must not engage in fraudulent or deceptive conduct. This includes: - Fake Orders. - False Product information. - Manipulated reviews. - Fake documents. - False claims. - Payment manipulation. - Account manipulation. - Circumventing Sotibuy fees. - Any other dishonest marketplace activity. ## 42. MANIPULATION OF REVIEWS Sellers must not: - Create fake reviews. - Pay for fake reviews. - Pressure customers to submit false reviews. - Manipulate ratings. - Create or use accounts to artificially increase Product ratings. ## 43. OFF-PLATFORM TRANSACTIONS Sellers must not deliberately use Sotibuy's marketplace, customer information or Orders to conduct unauthorized transactions outside Sotibuy. Sotibuy may take action where it identifies attempts to circumvent the marketplace. ## 44. ACCOUNT SUSPENSION Sotibuy may temporarily restrict or suspend a Seller account where reasonably necessary because of: - Policy violations. - Fraud concerns. - Repeated complaints. - Serious fulfilment failures. - Prohibited Products. - Legal or regulatory concerns. - Security concerns. ## 45. ACCOUNT TERMINATION Sotibuy may terminate a Seller's access in accordance with the Seller Agreement where the Seller seriously or repeatedly violates applicable requirements. ## 46. SELLER RESPONSIBILITY FOR INFORMATION Sellers are responsible for ensuring that information submitted to Sotibuy is accurate and kept reasonably up to date. ## 47. CHANGES TO SELLER REQUIREMENTS Sotibuy may update its operating requirements as the marketplace develops. Sellers may be required to comply with new operational requirements communicated through appropriate channels. ## 48. RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER DOCUMENTS These Guidelines should be read together with: - Sotibuy Seller Agreement. - Sotibuy Commission & Seller Settlement Policy. - Sotibuy Seller Eligibility & Requirements. - Sotibuy Prohibited & Restricted Products Policy. - Sotibuy Delivery & Logistics Policy. - Sotibuy Returns, Refunds & Cancellations Policy. - Sotibuy Buyer & Seller Dispute Resolution Policy. - Sotibuy Privacy Policy. - Other applicable Sotibuy policies. ## 49. ACCEPTANCE By becoming or continuing as a Sotibuy Seller, the Seller agrees to comply with these Seller Onboarding & Operating Guidelines and all applicable Sotibuy policies and agreements.
Seller Onboarding & Operating Guidelines
Step-by-step guidance for joining and operating as a seller.