FAQ
Bakgat Books answers the question: “Where can I buy second hand books online?” If you have not got the answer yet, it’s “right here”.
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Explore the world of second-hand books online with ease on our platform. At Bakgat Books, we go beyond merely facilitating book purchases—we encourage the sale of books by empowering each vendor to create their own store within the Bakgat Books umbrella. Our collection features books sold by individuals, each with a genuine passion for literature and a desire to see their beloved books cherished by new readers. Join us in fostering a community where every book finds a new home and continues its journey of significance. Start browsing and buying second-hand books on Bakgat Books today!
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Below you will find the answers as to how our platform works and how you can start your own store.
We are community-driven and appreciate your support.
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What is Bakgat Books?
Bakgat Books is an online platform that allows for the listing and selling of books by individuals. It is a secure trustworthy website that is easy to use and incorporates affordable courier pricing and an escrow payment system through Tradesafe. This type of payment system secures the transfer of funds between a vendor and a buyer. The website is a community-driven second-hand books platform and books are listed and sold by individuals.
How to Purchase a Book for Sale?
sms Purchasing books from the website is easy. You simply follow the steps below:
See FAQ > What is TradeSafe
See FAQ > Bakgat Book Shipping/Courier Fee
Book Bundles:
The unique configuration of the website allows you to create a Book Bundle.
What is a Book Bundle? This is a selection of books from one or more sellers which you can purchase together.
See FAQ > What is a Book Bundle?
Once you have selected your Book Bundle, you can proceed to check out and indicate the pick-up location (a PUDO locker) where you would like the books to be sent (if you have chosen this option). Alternatively, you can have your Bundle Shipped directly to your door. Please be aware that their will be a courier fee for each vendor as all the books are being posted from various locations (unless you purchase from a single vendor)
The final step of your purchase will be using TradeSafe (the incorporated escrow payment service) which will hold your funds until you receive your purchase.
Once a purchase is made, you will receive a confirmation email indicating the details of your purchase, as well as the vendor/s (seller/s) details for further enquiries.
After you receive your order via PUDO, you will also get a final sms and email from TradeSafe confirming the receipt of the books. You then have 24 hours to advise if all is in order through a clickable link confirmation. On confirmation, the money in escrow will be released by TradeSafe and paid to the various parties.
How long does delivery take?
Deliveries of books purchased on Bakgat Books are vendor-dependent and courier-dependent.
Once an order is received by a vendor, they have to log the book(s) with the courier company and ensure it is delivered to them for couriering to the buyer.
Bakgat Books promotes PUDO as a courier option but they are a third party entity and not connected to our business.
Vendors have the option of submitting tracking numbers to buyers over whichever communication option they see fit.
Should you have had no communication from a vendor, you are welcome to contact Bakgat Books via support@bakgatbooks.co.za. We however, suggest contacting the vendor directly as we will be doing the same as a third party.
NOTE, however, that Bakgat Books has to establish information from the vendor which takes time and could result in a delay when awaiting information.
How to Sell Books on Bakgat Books?
To sell books on Bakgat Books you have to first register as a Vendor (seller). Page for registration: https://bakgatbooks.co.za/vendor-registration/
As a Vendor (seller), you have the same ability to purchase books as above, but you can also utilise your Vendor Dashboard under the seller account to upload books you wish to sell. In essence, you create your shop on Bakgat Books.
Kindly be advised that to start selling, we require a minimum of 10 (ten) books to be uploaded to start with. Please ensure that you follow all the requirments for listing or your book will not be approved.
Once you have received your first order, we will inform you through email notification. Ensure that you use an email that is checked regularly. You will also receive all the details of where to send the order via PUDO. PUDO will notify you once the package (Book Bundle) has been picked up by a purchaser. You can then complete your order on the website and start the TradeSafe fund release process.
To complete an order, go to the Vendors Dashboard, click on Orders, and click the “tick” next to the order you are completing.
See FAQ > How to add a book for sale
See FAQ > What is TradeSafe
See FAQ > Bakgat Book Shipping/Courier Fee
Bakgat Book Commission Structure
In order to maintain the platform, we subtract a 15% commission from the book value amount per order plus R7 per order. The Vendor selects how much they wish to sell the book for.
This 15% plus a fixed R7 is off the book price ONLY and not the total purchase value which includes the courier price that is to be paid by the buyer.
Example:
A seller lists a book for R100.
Bakgat Books retains R22 of the book price as a fee for using the platform.
The seller receives R78 + courier fee amount.
See FAQ > Bakgat Books Shipping/Courier Fees
The buyer will pay for the book (R100), the courier charge, and a TradeSafe fee to secure the transaction amount with them. Thus, Book + Courier + TradeSafe Fee = Checkout charge.
Bakgat Books Shipping/Courier Fees
Due to the convenience, availability of PUDO points, and affordability, we have chosen to incorporate the PUDO courier service fee structure into the website.
Thus, once you (a vendor) have received an order, the PUDO location will be indicated by the buyer as to where to send the books.
We have a set rate for:
PUDO Locker to Locker = R80
PUDO: Locker to Kiosk = R90
PUDO: Locker to Door = R110.
These fees cover the courier and a small admin charge for the vendor.
PUDO currently has 1000 locker locations and counting. To find these locker or kiosk locations visit: Find PUDO location
Should you need information regarding PUDO visit our Delivery information page.
Why am I being charged multiple courier fees?
What is TradeSafe?
TradeSafe is a digital escrow service and South Africa’s trusted third party in a trade between you and another party. They provide a platform to enable you to buy or sell goods and services, safely and securely. They safeguard the funds until the transaction terms have been fulfilled. Only when both parties are satisfied that the terms of the transaction have been met do they release the funds to the selling party.
We have incorporated the TradeSafe platform into our website for capturing, dividing, and releasing the funds between all parties. We do not take it upon ourselves to hold any funds in our own accounts.
For further information about TradeSafe and Escrow, please visit the TradeSafe website.
TradeSafe Fees
To bring you this service and secure your funds, TradeSafe does charge the buyer a transaction fee to process the payment of an order. This fee is a percentage (%) of the transaction plus R5.00 (all excl VAT) which will be added to your total on check out when purchasing your Book Bundle. The percentage varies depending on the method of payment:
| Ozow | 1.5% |
| VISA/MasterCard | 2.5% |
| SnapScan | 3.5% |
What are TradeSafe Fees?
To bring you this service and secure your funds, TradeSafe does charge the buyer a transaction fee to process the payment of an order. This fee is a percentage (%) of the transaction plus R5.00 (all excl VAT) which will be added to your total on check out when purchasing your Book Bundle. The percentage varies depending on the method of payment:
| Ozow | 1.5% |
| VISA/MasterCard | 2.5% |
| SnapScan | 3.5% |
What is the Books Condition Rating Scale
We have developed our own condition rating scale for the condition of books to be listed. The scale is based on the following aspects of the book being listed: cover condition, condition of the pages, age and the condition under which it was kept.
Please see the page Book Condition Rating Scale before listing your books to indicate their condition.
I have purchased a book. Now what? Buyers' view.
Once you have registered an account on Bakgat Books, You can view your Order on your Buyer’s dashboard when you are logged into your profile on the website.
If you do not have an account, you will still receive an email confirming your order is in “processing”. The email will also contain the contact details of the vendor you have purchased from.
Navigate to the buyer’s Dashboard (My account) > Orders. Here you will see a summary of all your orders. You can also click on view next to each order to see the details of a specific order.
If the vendor has added a tracking number to the order notes, this will appear on the orders details page. PUDO will also notify you of your order progress.
Should you not have an account, you will be notified by email if notes are added to your order.
Once you have received your order, you will also receive a final email confirming the receipt of the books from TradeSafe. You will then have 24 hours to advise if all is in order or the funds will be released automatically. If confirmed, the money in escrow will be released by TradeSafe and paid to the various parties.
If you have not registered an account, you can email support@bakgatbooks.co.za should you have any queries regarding an order. We however, advise you to contact the Vendor directly as we have to do the same and the process may cause delay in information.
How to add a book for sale
Listing books for sale or creating products on Bakgat Books is super easy. Navigate to your Vendor (Seller) Dashboard and click on the Products tab. On the left of the page, you will now see a button > Add New Products.
A new window will appear to start your listing. Once you have entered the first details asked for, you can click > Create Product.
After you have created the product, further information options will appear for you to add.
Once you have completed your upload, your book listing will be saved with a status of “pending review”. This will change to “online” and will be published once we have approved the listing.
See FAQ > Required (basic) Product Information
Why is my book still Pending Review?
Each and every book listed for sale on Bakgat Books is evaluated and then published by the team.
If your book is still pending review, there could be a number of reasons but the main reasons are:
1. There is no cover image of the actual book
2. The cover image uploaded is not genuine and was taken from the internet.
3. There are no images in the book gallery to indicate the book blurb or condition of the book (this could also be in the description)
4. There is no author listed under the required field.
5. You need a minimum of 10 books in your store for us to approve your products.
Should you still see your book pending and you have no issues as indicated above, please email support@bakgatbooks.co.za
How many books can I list as a Vendor or Seller?
If you are registered as a vendor, you can list as many books as you would like. We require at lease 10 books to be listed to start your store on Bakgat Books.
How to Add a Profile and Cover Image to my store?
If you proceed to your Vendor’s (Seller) Dashboard > Setting > Store you will find the option to add, change and update information about your store.
How to Update my store Banking Details for payment?
If you proceed to your Vendor’s (Seller) Dashboard > Setting > Payments you will find the option to add, change and update information about your banking details.
1. Click on the “Add Payment Method” dropdown
2. Click “Direct to TradSafe
3. Tick “I would like to change my banking details
Note: you tick this option to “add” or “change” your banking details.
4. Enter the details.
5. Change “Automated Payment Interval to “Immediate”. Always “Immediate” in order for funds to be released in the quickest time possible.
6. Click “Update Settings” button
Note: A buyer has 24 hours to action or agree to the release of funds. This means that an EFT payment from TradeSafe will only be initiated 24 hours later. Following this, payment can take a standard EFT processing time to be received.
I cannot see my banking details. Now what?
The Bakgat Books Payment portal is only a communication portal between the Vendor and TradeSafe. We do not store your banking details on the website and thus they will not be visible to the team or they cannot be seen on the dashboard.
The Bakgat Books team can confirm if banking details are received but not the actual details. Should you have issues, contact support@bakgatbooks.co.za
I have not received the funds from my completed order. Now What?
Once you have completed an order on Bakgat Books, remember that the buyer has 24 hours to approve the fund release. If they do not respond in this allotted time, funds will be released automatically. Funds are paid through EFT and will take the average time of a normal EFT to be received.
If you did not receive your funds after all the above, there could be 1 of 2 reasons:
1. They buyer has rejected the fund release. in this case email support@bakgatbooks.co.za
2. Many vendors only add their banking details after their first order. This results in funds requiring withdrawal from your TradeSafe wallet. Go to the withdraw tab under your vendor dashboard.
If you have added your banking details and selected immediate payment, your payments will now automatically be transferred via EFT and you will no longer have to withdraw the funds after completing an order on the website.
If a buyer disputes an order, we will have to contact the buyer and resolve the issue. A Vendor could also mediate such an issue and get the issue resolved.
Quick Book Listing Checklist Requirements
When you list a new book (add a new product) to your store, the following information is required per listing:
- Title of the book.
- Author of the book.
- The book condition (See FAQ » Book Condition Guide)
- Category under which the book is to be listed.
- Images including the cover front & back cover.
- The price you wish to sell the book at (remembering that 15% of this price plus R7 per order is paid as commission upon sale of the book).
- The number of this book type available (Inventory management).
PLEASE NOTE: We have uploaded courier prices on our website based on PUDO locker charges. If your book, that is being uploaded is larger than a medium locker size (which is the price charged) we recommend that you increase the price to accommodate a larger locker for shipping. A medium locker is 60cm x 41cm x 41cm.
Inventory Settings
When you create a new listing, always enable “product stock management” to control the quantity of a book type available. This can be done under the Inventory.
The stock quantity should always be set to “1” unless you are selling new books and have multiple quantities. Instructions below:
- Navigate to the Inventory sections
- Tick the field: “Enable product stock management”
- Change the quantity of your book listing to “1”
- If this feature is not enabled, then buyers can continue ordering your book even once it is sold. We will not approve the listing without this being done.
- If you have more than one of the same book, you may set the quantity as per your availability.
See FAQ > Bakgat Books Shipping/Courier Fee
See FAQ > Further Product Listing Options
Further listing options
Below are other Headings on the products listing screen that may or may not be applied.
Under Inventory
SKU
SKU stands for Stock Keeping Unit. This is a set of characters which will not match any other product. They are for your stores’ internal tracking of books listed and cannot be seen by others.
An Order was placed with me. What Now? (Vendor view)
Order Notification
Once the Order is placed, a notification is emailed to you. The email will state the items sold and the buyer’s details.
The below steps should be followed after the sale:
Step 1: Checking the Order Status
You can check your order status on your Vendor Dashboard once logged into your website profile (My Account > Orders)
Orders Listing
Once you are on the orders tab, the window displays a summarised list of all your orders processed through the website. This page shows each orders number, orders total amount, earned amount, order status, customer details, order date and order action.
You can filter the orders by Date. Besides that, you can also export the order list.
The order status on this summarised list is as follows:
- Pending: order is being processed and awaiting payment
- Processing: payment received, and the order can be shipped
Further details on each order can be seen by clicking on the View button next to the order. Do not click “complete”.
DO NOT CLICK COMPLETE (√) UNTIL THE ORDER IS RECEIVED BY THE BUYER. This could otherwise lead to funds being frozen. See below.
Step 2: Checking the TradeSafe notification
Check that the funds put through by a buyer are received by TradeSafe.
Once you have opened the order detailed view, the right-hand panel has status updates that indicate order actions under Order Notes.
Here, you will see a confirmation from TradeSafe indicating if your funds for the order are received or on hold. Continue to track payments here before sending an order.
Step 3: Sending the order
Send the complete order with PUDO as indicated by the buyers’ shipping choice. Follow the instructions on the following link: Sending a package
Once you have sent an order, a Note can be added to the order with the tracking number to be shared with the buyer.
Order Note
You are able to add a note to an order and set the note for “customer” or “private”. This will appear on the order notes for your future reference.
For the “customer” note, the buyer will get an e-mail notification for every note added.
For the “private” note, only you will get the e-mail notification.
Courier Tracking details can be added here as well in the same way by clicking on the Tracking number.
Step 4: Completing an order and releasing the funds
ONLY once you are informed by PUDO that an order has been collected or received by the buyer, should an order status be changed to complete.
You can change an order to complete on the summarised order screen.
Vendor Dashboard > Orders – click on the “√” or “tick” next to the order; the order will change to complete.
An order should only be marked as COMPLETE once the order is received by the buyer, or the buyer could dispute the order and the funds will be frozen until the dispute is resolved. To unfreeze funds, a request will need to be logged with us by emailing support@bakgatbooks.co.za with the order details.
How to cancel an order as a Vendor?
Should you need to cancel an order as a vendor for any reason, this has to be done manually by emailing support@bagkatbooks.co.za.
Include the Order Number and the reason for cancellation in your email.
PLEASE NOTE that the reasons indicated must be reasonable and any misuse of the Bakgat Books website will result in more serious consequences.
We reserve the right to remove Vendor privileges if they ignore orders and are unresponsive.
Abuse of the website is really not honourable for other Vendors trying to create a reputable following.
Buyer Vs Vendor Dashboard
Once registered as either a buyer or vendor (seller), you will have access to the Buyer’s Dashboard.
(Top Menu>Account>Buyer’s Account).
This is where you can check the status of any purchases made on the website.
If you are registered as a vendor (seller), you will also have access to the Vendor Dashboard.
(Top Menu>Account>Seller Account).
The Vendor Dashboard and Buyer Dashboard have different functions and should not be confused when using the website. Which Dashboard you use will depend on your current activity and the information you are looking for.
Vendor: "I have an issue completing an order. What do I do?"
It is vital as a vendor that you keep your listings up to date but there are times when issues occur and a book is not available.
Step 1:
Contact the buyer.
Explain the situation to the buyer and either offer a refund for the whole order or offer an alternative solution such as a replacement book or alternative book. Always copy the Bakgat Books team into the email using the email address: support@bakgatbooks.co.za
Step 2:
Depending on the reply from the buyer, either of the below must be followed.
If an alternative book is found, the order can be processed as per the normal order completion process.
If the buyer would like a refund on a single book from a bundle of books, this needs to be arranged between the buyer and the seller personally. Ask for the buyer’s EFT details and pay the refund on a single item/book.
If the buyer would like a full refund on the order, contact Bakgat Books to cancel the order and arrange a refund with TradeSafe. PLEASE DO NOT COMPLETE THE ORDER ON YOUR DASHBOARD FOR A FULL REFUND TO BE INITIATED.
Please note that funds via TradeSafe are held. They cannot be partially released via TradeSafe. Paying a buyer directly for a single book as a refund, means you are still going to get the initial payment should the buyer choose to take the other books.
Completing an order and releasing the funds
ONLY once you are informed by PUDO that an order has been collected or received by the buyer, should an order status be changed to complete.
You can change an order to complete on the summarised order screen.
Vendor Dashboard > Orders – click on the “√” or “tick” next to the order; the order will change to complete.
An order should only be marked as COMPLETE once the order is received by the buyer, or the buyer could dispute the order and the funds will be frozen until the dispute is resolved. To unfreeze funds, a request will need to be logged with us by emailing support@bakgatbooks.co.za with the order details.
What Happens when I "√" an order?
As a Vendor, what does it mean to click on the “√” or “tick” next to the order (Complete the order)
When an order is complete, click on the “√” or “tick” next to the order; the order will change to complete.
This means that communication with TradeSafe is initiated and a confirmation email is sent to a buyer asking for approval to release funds. The buyer then has 24 hours to respond with approval or an issue.
Should the buyer not respond within 24 hours, TradeSafe will automatically release the funds via an EFT payment.
Funds are received from TradeSafe for an order within a standard EFT payment time period.
Books in other languages besides english.
We encourage the listing of books in any language. Although the website is created in English, we allow other language books to be listed. We suggest you add the language in the Title of the listing after a – “dash”. In this way, any person looking for a specific language will pick up the book through the search function when typing in a language. The book can still be listed under the relevant category such as “Mystery”.
Example:
Title: Die Insel – German
When you search “German”, this book will pop up.
How do I turn my Vendor Shop on vacation mode?
Bakgat Books has a feature that assists vendors when on vacation mode. Should you wish to close your shop for a specific period of time, you can set your shop on vacation mode on your Vendor Dashboard under shop settings.
These settings allow you to either set vacation mode or schedule the vacation ahead of time.
Remember to save your settings once activated at the top of the page or the mode will not be activated.
This mode will not remove your books but take them off the for sale list and advise customers you are on vacation and when you will be back. If a date of return is set.
Vendor Varification
To increase the reputation of your Store or Shop on our site, we have included a vendor varification option.
This can be done through connecting your profile to Google, or sending us one of the required documents.
Varifying your Shop, gives it credibility and a stamp of varification on the listing for buyers to see.