Selling on KampalaSnap — the big picture

What it means to sell here, what it costs to start, and where verification fits in.

Selling on KampalaSnap

KampalaSnap is a video-first marketplace. Sellers show their products through short videos, buyers watch and tap, and the sale happens through an escrow system that protects both sides.

This guide is the bird's-eye view of what selling looks like before you dive into the details. After this, the rest of the seller guides walk you through the whole path, one step at a time.

What kind of seller are you?

Three kinds of accounts on KampalaSnap can earn money:

You can be more than one. A salon owner might run a Shop (selling hair products) and also offer Services (haircuts at the salon). A creator who also has their own brand can have a Shop and be a Creator at the same time.

This wave of guides is about opening a Shop — the most common starting point. If you want to be a service provider or creator, you have separate guides waiting under those audiences.

What does it cost to start?

Opening a shop is free. No fee to register, no fee to upload products, no fee to upload videos.

You pay only when:

• A buyer pays for one of your products — KampalaSnap takes a small platform fee out of the sale (currently around 5%), the rest is yours.
• You want to be verified — verification is a monthly subscription (price set per shop on your Pricing Hub). You don't have to verify; many shops sell happily as "unverified" sellers forever. See The path to verification for what verification unlocks.

You'll never get a surprise charge. Every fee is shown up front before you commit.

How buyers find you

When a buyer opens KampalaSnap, they see a video feed — short videos that auto-play one after another. The videos come from:

• Shops they follow (highest priority).
• Shops the algorithm thinks they'll like.
• Sponsored videos from shops paying for promotion.

So getting buyers means:

1. Posting good videos — clear, short, showing the product working.
2. Getting your first followers — usually friends, family, and buyers from your first few sales.
3. Maybe paying for a small boost — once you have a few products and videos, a small ad campaign can find you new buyers fast.

Static product pictures still work (some buyers search by keyword and look at pictures), but the video feed is where most discovery happens.

How the money moves

The escrow system is the same for every seller. Here's the short version:

1. A buyer pays for your product.
2. The money goes into escrow — a holding place. You can see that they paid, but the money is not yours yet.
3. You ship the item.
4. The buyer confirms they received it by entering a Delivery PIN on the app.
5. After a short waiting window (48 hours by default), the money is released to your seller wallet.
6. You can request a withdrawal to your MoMo or bank.

The escrow exists to protect the buyer — if you never ship, they can get a refund. It protects you too — once the PIN is entered, the buyer can't claim "I never got it" without evidence in a dispute.

What unverified vs verified means

Every new shop starts as unverified. That's fine — you can sell. What unverified means:

• You sell, you earn, you get reviews like any seller.
• You don't get a check mark next to your name.
• Some advanced features are locked: the affiliate program, the ability to sell other people's products through the catalog, certain promotion options.

When you're ready, you can pay for verification. What you get:

• A blue check mark on your shop name (signals trust to buyers).
• Access to advanced features.
• Slightly more visibility in the algorithm.

Most new sellers operate unverified for the first few months. There's no rush — verify when the extra features actually fit what you're doing.

The seller journey, in order

Here's the path from "I want to sell" to "I'm getting paid." Each step has its own guide:

1. Opening your shop — verify your phone, pick a shop name, get your role flipped to seller.
2. Setting up your shop profile — logo, bio, location, social links. The first impression buyers get.
3. Adding your first product — photos, name, description, price, stock, category.
4. Recording and uploading your first video — format, length, what works, what doesn't.
5. When orders come in — what to do when someone buys, how to ship, the PIN handshake.
6. Setting up delivery — delivery modes (prepaid / COD / pickup), zones, fees.
7. The path to verification — when it's worth it, how to apply, what it unlocks.

You can skim them all in one sitting (about 20 minutes), or follow along as you actually do each step. Either works.

A few quick reality checks

• You don't need a big inventory to start. One or two products is fine. Many small shops start with 3 products and grow from there.
• You don't need professional photos. A clean phone photo in good daylight beats a blurry studio shot.
• You don't need a separate WhatsApp number. Your account uses whatever number you signed up with. Sellers and buyers chat via WhatsApp directly.
• You don't need a business registration certificate to sell as an individual. KampalaSnap doesn't ask. If your local laws require it for tax purposes, that's between you and the tax office.
• There's no minimum order count to be allowed to sell. From your first product onwards, you're a seller.

Common questions

Can I switch between buyer and seller modes?

You're always both. Opening a shop doesn't take away your ability to buy from other shops. The app shows you a buyer view by default and a seller view (the Seller Hub) when you tap into shop management.

Can I have two shops?

One shop per account. If you want a second shop with a totally different brand, that's a second account with a different phone number.

Can I sell things from outside Uganda?

You can list products that you ship from anywhere — KampalaSnap doesn't police your supply chain. But most buyers are in Uganda and expect local delivery. International shipping works but is rare.

My friend wants to sell with me — can we share a shop?

Yes. Run the shop on one account, share the password with whoever helps. There's no "co-owner" feature yet, but informal sharing works fine. Make sure you trust the person — they can list, edit, and respond to orders just like you.

What if I want to stop selling later?

Easy. You can:

• Pause the shop for up to 30 days (see vacation mode in Receiving orders).
• Take down all products without closing the shop — your shop page stays up but with no items.
• Close the shop entirely by going to Settings → Close shop. You can still buy from other shops as a buyer.

You can also reopen a closed shop later if you change your mind.

What's next

• Opening your shop — the first concrete step.
• The path to verification — if you want to know what verification gets you before deciding.