What should I check before starting?
You must be at least 18, complete the required identity checks and be in a location where the service is enabled. Businesses must verify their authorised representatives, owners and people in control. Check service availability first: connecting a wallet or registering merchant interest does not activate an account.
Choosing a merchant’s offer
Compare offers for the same amount and payment method. Check how much you send, how much you receive, every fee and when the quote expires. A good-looking rate is not enough. Verification does not guarantee that someone is honest or able to pay.
If you want KES, your supported token may first be converted into USDT or USDC for escrow on Celo or Base. Check that conversion and its costs before authorising. If you want stablecoin, the merchant provides it and you pay KES. Read who sends what.
What do I need as a merchant?
Complete verification and use an approved payment account in your own or your verified business’s name. Have enough funds to fulfil the order and enough time to pay, check receipt and respond to a dispute.
Check your bank and device’s proof support before accepting orders. Where cryptographic proof is unavailable, an alternative evidence process must be disclosed in advance. See the proof requirements.
You are responsible for any permissions your own business needs. Becoming a merchant does not give you Sargo’s permissions or guarantee orders, income or incentives. Read the merchant requirements.
How should I set up and maintain an offer?
An offer, sometimes called an advert, tells consumers what you are prepared to provide. Before making one available, check:
- Direction: are you buying stablecoin and sending KES, or selling stablecoin and receiving KES?
- Asset and network: which supported stablecoin can you provide or receive, and on which network? Consumers may start with another supported token that is converted first.
- Rate: are the units clear? Is the quote fixed or an estimate, and when does it expire? Disclose charges before acceptance.
- Order sizes: use amounts you can fulfil. Allow for money already committed to other orders, payment-provider limits and costs.
- Availability: use your verified payment account and accept orders only when you can meet the payment and proof deadlines.
Update or stop the offer when your price, balance or availability changes. If you cannot correct it, contact support. Changing a future offer does not change an accepted order’s price or remove your existing obligations.
How do I read and set the price?
If the price is KES per USDC, multiply the USDC amount by the rate. For example, 100 USDC at 130 KES per USDC is 13,000 KES before fees. A merchant buying that USDC pays KES; a merchant selling it receives KES. This is an illustration, not a live rate.
Consider what the stablecoin cost you, payment and network charges, available funds and the risk of delays or reversals. Check each direction separately. High volume is not the same as profit, and the difference between two quoted rates is not guaranteed income. Set your prices independently.
What fees and limits apply?
Review the final token and KES amounts, conversion costs, Sargo’s fee and any merchant, bank, mobile-money or network charges. If a cost cannot be fixed in advance, its basis or uncertainty should be explained before you commit.
Under the proposed Kenya model, the consumer pays Sargo’s disclosed processing fee. It is deducted from the stablecoin when the order settles successfully. Sargo charges nothing on the KES payment. Other providers may still charge. Check the quote for the actual fee; no fixed percentage is confirmed in this guide.
An accepted order is not repriced just because prices move. If a quote expires before acceptance, review a new one. Your account’s transaction, daily and monthly limits also apply: a merchant’s offer cannot override them. An oversized order is refused, not split to bypass a limit. See the fees and payment terms.
What do I do during the order?
Wait until the stablecoin is locked before sending KES. Pay the exact account shown, keep the reference and mark the payment as made within the deadline. Never mark an unpaid order as paid. Use the payment account approved for you or your business; do not ask another person to pay from their account.
Do not accept new account details in chat, split a payment without approval or pay after expiry. If your connection drops, check the existing order and your bank or wallet before retrying. A screen failing to update does not mean the payment failed.
Read the payment, confirmation and proof deadlines. Each starts at a different step.
When should I confirm receipt?
Open your bank or mobile-money account yourself. Check that the right amount has arrived from the expected payer, with the correct reference. Do not rely on the other person’s screenshot, SMS or “paid” message. Do not confirm a missing, pending or incorrect payment.
Already paid and asked to cancel? Use the existing order’s dispute process. Read why “cancel and start again” is risky.
What if something goes wrong?
Keep the order ID and genuine payment records, then follow the dispute steps. The merchant supplies any required bank proof. Support cannot promise to reverse a completed blockchain transfer.
Keep messages clear and respectful, and use the order’s communication or verified support channel so there is a record. Use disputes for genuine payment problems, not to pressure someone into changing an agreed price.
Escrow does not remove token, wallet and conversion risks or payment reversals. Never send recovery phrases, passwords, PINs or one-time codes to another person.
Merchants must use consumer details only for the order and lawful obligations, not as an unrelated marketing list. Any future incentive needs its own rules. The Privacy Policy explains identity checks, record retention and how to request access, correction or deletion. Closing an account does not cancel an open order or erase records that must be kept.