How escrow protects you
Every payment is held by SA Fashion Mall — not the seller — until you confirm delivery. Here's exactly how the money moves.
Escrow is a promise with plumbing behind it. When you pay, the money goes into an SA-Fashion-Mall-controlled ledger. The seller sees the sale as 'incoming' and can start work, but cannot withdraw the funds. Only two events release the money: you confirming delivery, or an admin manually releasing after a dispute.
The two escrow states
- Held — money is with SA Fashion Mall. Seller has been notified and can dispatch, but cannot cash out.
- Released — money has been credited to the seller's pending payout balance. Happens ONLY when you tap 'Confirm delivery' (or after an admin resolves a dispute in the seller's favour).
Materials advance (custom orders only)
For custom garments, the tailor can attach a small materials advance (0–40%) to their quote. If you accept, that portion is released to the tailor once you pay, so they can buy cloth and thread and start work. The remainder (60–100%) still sits in escrow until you confirm delivery. Every split is disclosed on the quote before you accept.
If something goes wrong
- Open a dispute from your order page (reasons: damaged, wrong item, not as described, never arrived, poor workmanship, other).
- The moment you open a dispute, BOTH the materials advance AND the final payout are frozen — even if the seller had already had partial funds released.
- An admin investigates within 2 business days. Outcomes: full refund, partial refund, or release to the seller.