What to check before paying a Lagos vendor

Agree the full cost before anything moves

Item price, delivery fee, and who covers the return trip if the item is wrong. Lagos delivery across the bridge can cost more than the item on small orders, so get it in writing in the chat.

Part-payment is normal — full prepayment to a stranger is not

For a first order with an unfamiliar vendor, offer a deposit and balance on delivery. Genuine sellers in Lagos deal with this daily and will accept it or explain clearly why they cannot (custom orders, for example).

Keep a paper trail

Everything below should live in the chat, not in a phone call.

• The PingMart Protection Code for the order.
• A screenshot of the listing and price you agreed.
• The delivery address and the promised delivery window.
• The transfer receipt with the exact account name.

If it goes wrong

Report the vendor from their PingMart profile with your Protection Code. Codes let the team trace the order to the vendor's account, which is not possible when the whole transaction happened in a private chat.