Terms and conditions

Tradi is not yet open to the public. Today this website offers information about the service and the option to join a launch list. The payment arrangements below describe our planned service. We plan to process payments through Paystack, subject to activation of our account, and will publish the final marketplace terms before bookings open. No payments are taken today.

By using this website you agree to these terms as they apply to it.

Tradi is a marketplace. We introduce customers who need work done to independent tradespeople who can do it. Nothing is paid when work is booked; the customer pays for it through Tradi after it is done.

Tradespeople on Tradi are independent. They are not our employees, agents, partners or subcontractors. They set their own prices, decide which work to accept, and are responsible for the work they do and for holding any licence, registration, qualification or insurance their trade requires.

The agreement to carry out a job is between the customer and the tradesperson. Tradi is not a party to it. We provide the platform, collect payment for the work as the merchant of record, and help resolve problems where we can. We do not hold customer money: each payment is split between the tradesperson and Tradi as it is made.

You must be 18 or older and able to enter into a contract. You must give accurate information when you create an account, and keep it up to date. You are responsible for what happens under your account, so keep your login details to yourself.

We verify tradespeople before they can accept work, which may include checking identity, trade qualifications, registrations and insurance. Verification is a check, not a guarantee: it tells you we looked, not that nothing can go wrong.

An estimate is an indication of cost, not an accepted price. Before booking, the tradesperson provides a quote showing the scope and exclusions, labour and materials, VAT treatment, total price, agreed schedule and completion evidence or certificates required. The customer accepts that quote, and the accepted version is retained. A booking is confirmed once the agreed slot is secured. Booking takes no payment.

If the job turns out to be different from what was described - more work, different work, or work that cannot be done safely - the tradesperson must agree any change in price with the customer through Tradi before carrying it out. A diagnostic call-out is a separately scoped and priced service, invoiced after the visit; paying for it does not approve any later repair.

Prices are quoted by the tradesperson and shown in South African Rand. Nothing is paid at booking. After the work, the tradesperson records completion and sends an invoice through Tradi. The invoice cannot be more than the accepted quote plus any change the customer approved on Tradi before the extra work started. The customer pays the invoice in full through Tradi.

Tradi charges the tradesperson a commission of 8% on the total of each completed job. There is no commission on cancelled jobs or unaccepted quotes. Paystack’s payment processing fee also comes off the tradesperson’s share. Its rates, and whether VAT is added to the commission, will be published on the pricing page before payments open; the commission alone does not determine the net payout. Founding members pay no commission for their first year, but the processing fee still applies. Customers pay no platform fee to Tradi. Full detail is on the pricing page.

Recording completion is the tradesperson’s statement that the work is done. It is not Tradi certifying the quality of the work.

We plan to process payments through Paystack, subject to activation of our account. Tradi is the merchant of record. When the customer pays, the payment is split at that moment: the tradesperson’s share goes to their verified payout account and Tradi’s commission to Tradi, and each is paid out on Paystack’s standard settlement schedule. Tradi does not hold the payment or release it later. Payout and arrival in a bank account are separate steps, subject to verification and the provider’s settlement process.

Refunds and chargebacks. Tradi pays approved refunds and answers chargebacks as the merchant of record, and bears those losses first. By accepting work through Tradi, a tradesperson agrees that Tradi may recover from them amounts refunded or charged back on their jobs, including from their future payouts under the payout arrangements we publish before payments open. We tell the tradesperson the amount and the reason before recovering it, and they can dispute it with us. Tradi does not recover amounts caused by its own error, such as a duplicate charge.

Reporting a problem with the work, and your rights to a remedy, do not depend on when or whether a payment was made. See the cancellation and refund policy.

Nothing is charged at booking, so the customer or the tradesperson may cancel before the work starts without any money moving. The cancellation and refund policy sets out what happens when a tradesperson cancels, how problems with the work are handled and how refunds are paid. It forms part of these terms.

Reviews may only be left by a customer for a job that was actually completed through Tradi. Reviews must be honest and about the work. Tradespeople may reply to a review.

We may remove content that is unlawful, abusive, discriminatory, dishonest, or that contains someone else’s personal information. We do not remove a review simply because it is unflattering.

You keep ownership of what you post. You give us permission to display it on Tradi and to use it to promote the service.

• Arrange or take payment for a Tradi booking outside the platform.
• Misrepresent your identity, qualifications, registrations or insurance.
• Post false reviews, or ask anyone to post one.
• Use Tradi for anything unlawful, or to harass or discriminate against anyone.
• Scrape, copy or resell the platform, its listings or its data, or attempt to interfere with how it works.

We take reasonable care to run the platform properly, to verify tradespeople before they accept work, and to handle payments correctly. We do not guarantee that the platform will always be available or free of faults.

Because the work itself is carried out by an independent tradesperson under their agreement with the customer, we are not responsible for the quality, timing or safety of that work, beyond the refund and dispute processes described here and in the refund policy.

Nothing in these terms limits any right you have that cannot lawfully be limited, including your rights under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008. We do not exclude liability for our own gross negligence, fraud, or death or injury caused by us.

We may suspend or close an account that breaks these terms, that puts other people at risk, or that we are required to act on by law. We may also restrict or remove a tradesperson with repeated upheld complaints. Where it is reasonable to do so, we will tell you why and give you a chance to respond.

You may close your account at any time. Closing it does not cancel a booking that is already confirmed, or a payment already owed.

How we handle personal information, and the rights you have over it under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, are set out in our privacy policy.

We may change these terms. The date at the top of this page shows when they last changed, and we will give notice of material changes before they take effect. A change never applies retrospectively to a booking already made.

These terms are governed by the law of the Republic of South Africa, and the South African courts have jurisdiction.

If something has gone wrong, tell us first - most problems are quicker to fix directly. Write to hello@tradi.co.za. Our registered office address is in our privacy policy.