The problem escrow solves
Buying produce from someone you have never met means someone has to move first. Either the buyer pays and hopes the food arrives, or the farmer ships and hopes to be paid. In practice neither side wants that risk, which is why so much agricultural trade stays stuck between people who already know each other.
Escrow removes the need to go first. The money is committed, but it is not released until the goods arrive.
Who actually holds the money
Funds are held by Paystack, not by CityFarms. Paystack is licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Under CBN rules, holding customer funds requires a licence that we do not hold — so we never take custody of your money. We instruct the release when the conditions below are met; the funds themselves sit with the regulated payment provider throughout.
This also means your card and bank details are entered with Paystack directly. They never reach our servers, and we could not see them if we wanted to.
The sequence
You pay
Your payment goes to Paystack and is marked against your order. The seller can see the order is funded, but cannot touch the money.
The seller fulfils
They prepare and hand over to the logistics partner, knowing the money is already committed.
Delivery is recorded
The logistics partner marks the order delivered.
You confirm — or 48 hours pass
Confirm and the seller is paid immediately. If you do nothing and raise no dispute, funds release automatically after 48 hours so sellers are not left waiting indefinitely.
If something is wrong
Raise a dispute within 24 hours of delivery. With fresh produce that window is deliberately short — evidence deteriorates fast, and a photograph taken three days later tells nobody very much.
- Report it on your order page, with photographs where relevant.
- The escrowed funds are frozen while we review.
- We ask both sides for their account of what happened.
- We decide on the evidence, normally within 3 business days, and either release to the seller or refund you.
Refunds reach your original payment method in about 2 to 3 business days, depending on your bank.
What counts as a problem
Legitimate dispute
Produce spoiled or rotten on arrival. Substantially short of the stated weight. Materially different from what was listed. Never delivered at all.
Not a defect
Natural variation in size, shape or colour between harvests. Small weight differences on produce sold by the bunch or basket. Ordinary ripening in transit.
Agricultural produce is not manufactured goods. Two baskets of tomatoes from the same farm on the same morning will not be identical, and holding sellers to a standard no farm can meet would drive the good ones off the platform.
What escrow does not cover
- Produce that spoils after you have accepted delivery.
- Failed delivery because nobody was available to receive perishable goods.
- Any arrangement made privately outside CityFarms. If you pay a seller directly, there is no escrow and we cannot help you.