Escrow Policy

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

Neither party can access the funds while in escrow. This guarantees:

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

Funds are held according to the following timeline:

Funds released to seller when:

• Buyer explicitly confirms receipt and satisfaction
• 72 hours pass after delivery marked with no buyer response
• Dispute resolved in seller's favor

Funds returned to buyer when:

• Dispute resolved in buyer's favor: item not received, not as described, or counterfeit
• Seller non-delivery: no delivery within 7 days
• Mutual or seller-initiated cancellation

A buyer may open a dispute within 72 hours of delivery. Opening a dispute immediately freezes escrow funds. Our Trust & Safety team reviews: the original listing, all in-app communications, delivery evidence, and buyer evidence. We aim to resolve within 4 hours. The decision is final for amounts under 50,000 ETB.

Approved refunds return the full amount (minus third-party processing fees of 0–0.5%) to the buyer's original payment method. Timelines: Telebirr/CBE Birr within 24 hours; bank transfers 1–5 business days.

• 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. No fees on failed transactions, refunds, or listing creation. Example: a 10,000 ETB sale pays out 9,650 ETB to the seller.

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

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