Jiji is a pan-African online shopping platform working on a customer to customer model where a buyer can sell or buy using a single account. Jiji acquired Olx in 2019 and the platform was rebranded in all countries where the OLX existed to Jiji.
Though Jiji was initially present in Nigeria, It’s rebranding move to acquire Olx granted it more exposure and more user registrations for buying and selling on the platform. However, the platform is marked as unsecure by many buyers due to their experience when shopping.
This is due to the fact that anyone can become a buyer and anyone can become a seller. But sealing off a deal safely becomes an ultimate goal any user would want to achieve. So, here are a few tips you should follow when buying on Jiji.
Safely Buying on Jiji
- Know your Lingo (Know what you’re buying)
- Read a seller’s description before buying
- Chat with a seller before you Call
- When you call a seller, ask for the product’s availability and how to meet
- Don’t send money via Cashless Transfer before receiving your product
- Avoid Sellers with International Numbers (They’re fraudsters)
- Only accept meeting in a public place, not the seller’s shop or premises
- Don’t allow a seller to dictate meeting times, choose a place you feel safe to meet
- Only Pay cash on delivery for your desired product
- Before meeting a seller, check their credibility, ratings and other user comments on his/her Jiji profile
To Identify scammers and fraudulent sellers on Jiji, always be sure to check for their active phone number registered on the profile. If a seller provides you a different number via Chat or asks for money to ship your product, then you’re probably dealing with a scammer.
Either way, a seller with low ratings from other buyers is not one you should buy from. But instead, look out for a seller with good reviews and the real images displayed on the product they’re selling.
If you meet a seller and get a different product from what is displayed on Jiji, then you have every right to cancel the ongoing transaction. Either way, buying on Jiji starts with you being careful from the time you signup on the platform, to the moment you search for something to buy.