Buyer Protection Fee-Revised

QUESTION:

There is a website called Yaga where one can buy and sell items. However, at checkout, a buyer protection fee is charged. I would like to know whether trading on this website is permissible or not due to the buyer protection fee.
Below is the link to the website.
https://www.yaga.co.za/

ANSWER:

Buyer Protection keeps you safe as a buyer on Yaga by holding your payment until you confirm you’re happy with your item, and it covers money safety, returns, fraud, and data protection.
The Buyer Protection fee is applied to the applicable order value of your order automatically at checkout. The exact fee may vary depending on factors such as the applicable order value, the item category, the order type (single item or bundle), and the market in which the transaction takes place. The fee applicable to each purchase is always the one displayed at checkout. (https://www.yaga.co.za/)

Based on the above information, if the fee is in lieu of a service being rendered and it is known to both the parties, and they mutually agree to it, then it will be permissible to trade on it.

أَمَّا تَفْسِيرُهَا شَرْعًا فَهِيَ عَقْدٌ عَلَى الْمَنَافِعِ بِعِوَضٍ، كَذَا فِي الْهِدَايَةِ. وَأَمَّا رُكْنُهَا فَالْإِيجَابُ وَالْقَبُولُ بِالْأَلْفَاظِ الْمَوْضُوعَةِ فِي عَقْدِ الْإِجَارَةِ. (الفتاوى الهندية 459/3)وَشَرْطُهَا كَوْنُ الْأُجْرَةِ وَالْمَنْفَعَةِ مَعْلُومَتَيْنِ؛ لِأَنَّ جَهَالَتَهُمَا تُفْضِي إلَى الْمُنَازَعَةِ. (الدر المختار و حاشية ابن عابدين 9/9)

ALLAH TA’ALA ALONE IN HIS INFINITE KNOWLEDGE KNOWS BEST!

CHECKED AND APPROVED BY:

Mufti Yacoob Vally Saheb

Date: 25 Muharram 1448 / 11 July 2026