Returns, Refunds and Cancellations Policy

Equator Marketplace

Version: 1.0 Effective date: August 18, 2026

1. What this policy covers

This policy explains when you can cancel an order, when you can get your money back, and what to do if something goes wrong with a purchase made through Equator Marketplace.

It applies to:

• Local Stores — goods sold by merchants located in Uganda.
• Global Shopping — goods sourced from suppliers outside Uganda and imported for you.

It does not apply to classified listings (Vehicles, Real Estate, General Items), Jobs, or Directory entries. Those connect you directly with another person and Equator does not take payment for them.

Nothing in this policy removes any right you have under Ugandan law.

2. Change of mind

We do not accept returns or give refunds because you changed your mind.

This includes:

• deciding you no longer want the item
• ordering the wrong size, colour, or model
• finding the same item cheaper elsewhere
• no longer needing the item

Please check the listing carefully before you pay. If anything is unclear, contact the seller or our support team before completing your order.

3. When you can get a refund

You can claim a refund if any of the following applies:

The item never arrived. Your order was confirmed and paid for, and the goods were not delivered.

The item is materially different from the listing. You received something substantially other than what was described — a different product, a different model, or missing key components.

The item is counterfeit. The goods are not genuine.

The item arrived damaged or defective. The goods were broken, unusable, or faulty when they reached you.

The item is unsafe. The goods present a safety risk in normal use.

Minor variation is not grounds for a refund. Photographs of the same item can differ in colour and appearance depending on lighting and screen. Small differences in shade, packaging, or finish do not make an item materially different.

4. Time limits for claims

Please inspect your order as soon as it arrives. Claims made after these periods may not be accepted, though we will still consider claims where the problem could not reasonably have been discovered earlier — a hidden fault, for example.

5. Evidence you need to provide

For damaged, defective, wrong, counterfeit, or unsafe goods, you must provide clear photographs or video showing the problem, including any packaging where relevant. We cannot approve these claims without visual evidence.

For non-delivery, no photographs are needed. We will check the order and delivery records.

For every claim, please tell us your order number, what you expected, and what you received.

6. How a claim works

1. You report the problem to admin@equatormarketplace.com within the time limits above, with the evidence described in section 5.
2. We acknowledge your claim within two business days.
3. The seller is given an opportunity to respond, normally within two business days. If the seller does not respond within that period, we decide the claim on the evidence you have provided.
4. We make a decision and tell you the outcome. Where we need more information, the timeline restarts once we receive it.
5. If you disagree with the outcome, you may ask for the claim to be escalated to the Equator Marketplace Operations Owner, who makes Equator's final internal decision. We aim to communicate an escalation decision within five business days of receiving the necessary information.

Dispute escalation: customers should first contact admin@equatormarketplace.com. If the issue is not resolved through normal support, the customer may request escalation to the Equator Marketplace Operations Owner, who makes Equator's final internal decision after reviewing the order record, communications, payment information, delivery evidence, and applicable marketplace policies. We aim to communicate an escalation decision within five business days after receiving the necessary information. This internal process does not limit any rights or remedies available under applicable law or through the customer's payment provider.

7. Global Shopping — please read before you buy

Global Shopping items are sourced from suppliers outside Uganda and shipped to you internationally.

Global Shopping items cannot be physically returned. Return shipping to an overseas supplier is not practical and we do not offer it under any circumstances.

If your claim is approved, you keep the item and we refund you. You do not need to send anything back.

Everything in sections 3 to 6 applies to Global Shopping orders. You can still claim for non-delivery, materially incorrect goods, counterfeit goods, and goods that arrive damaged or defective.

Please also note:

• Delivery times are estimates, not guarantees. International shipping can be delayed by customs, carriers, or the supplier.
• Prices may be shown in a different currency and converted at checkout.
• Where duties and taxes are included in the price you pay, this is stated before payment.

8. Local Stores — returns

Where a claim under section 3 is approved for a Local Stores order, we will tell you whether the item needs to be returned to the seller.

If a return is required, we will confirm the return address and who pays the return cost before you send anything. Do not return an item until we have confirmed the arrangement — we cannot process a refund for goods returned without agreement.

Sellers may not require you to return an item that arrived damaged, defective, or unsafe as a condition of refunding you.

9. Cancelling an order

You may cancel an order at no cost at any time before the seller confirms it.

Once a seller has confirmed your order, it can no longer be cancelled through the app. If you need to cancel after that point, contact admin@equatormarketplace.com and we will ask the seller whether cancellation is still possible. This is at the seller's discretion.

Global Shopping orders cannot be cancelled once the order has been placed with the overseas supplier.

10. How refunds are paid

Approved refunds are returned to the payment method you used, or to the Mobile Money number the payment came from.

We aim to process approved refunds within five business days of the decision. The time it takes to reach your account after that depends on your bank or Mobile Money provider.

Refunds are paid in the currency you were charged. Where an order was converted between currencies, exchange-rate movement between payment and refund may mean the amount you receive differs slightly from the amount you paid. We refund the amount charged, not a re-converted amount.

11. Delivery charges

Where a refund is approved because the item never arrived, was materially incorrect, counterfeit, damaged, defective, or unsafe, any delivery charge you paid is refunded with the item price.

Delivery charges are not refunded where an order is cancelled after dispatch at your request.

12. How refunds are funded

Sellers are responsible for the goods they sell. Where a claim is approved, the cost is borne by the seller.

At present, refunds and recovery from sellers are handled manually by Equator. Automated payout deduction is not yet in operation. This does not affect your refund — if your claim is approved, you are paid according to section 10 regardless of the arrangement between Equator and the seller.

13. Abuse of this policy

We may decline claims, and may suspend accounts, where we identify repeated or fraudulent claims — including claims for goods that were in fact delivered as described, or evidence that has been altered or does not relate to the order.

14. Contact

Equator Marketplace Support

Support hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. East Africa Time

Email: admin@equatormarketplace.com

Response target: within two business days

For dispute escalation, see section 6.

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. The version and effective date at the top of this document tell you which version applies. The policy that applies to your order is the one in effect when you placed it.