Valid & Invalid transactions

Q: Is it permissible to purchase an extended warranty at the time of purchasing the item (in such a manner that the fee for the warranty will be regarded to be part of the purchase price of the item)?

Q: I wish to sell items via an online platform, BidorBuy. Buyers make payment directly to Bidorbuy. They then make the funds available to the Seller for payout. Bidorbuy takes a 1.5% cut of the sale as a commission. As a Seller, I am allowed to choose which payment methods I can make available for potential Buyers. Please advise on their permissibility (questions 1 - 6):

1. BobPay EFT BobPay EFT is available to Sellers provided they can receive payout requests into a South African bank account. Bidorbuy receives the EFT transfer from the Buyer and the Bidorbuy account of the Seller is then credited with this amount, minus the bank fees charged by Bidorbuy (currently set at 5% per transaction).

2. BobBucks BobBucks are Bidorbuy vouchers. Buyers are able to purchase items using BobBucks from Sellers who offer BobPay EFT. As far as Sellers are concerned, the BobBucks voucher credit will be treated in the same way as a BobPay EFT. The funds are credited to the Sellers' Bidorbuy account and they may request a payout. BobBucks will automatically be offered alongside BobPay EFT as a payment option. If Buyers purchase items valued at more than the BobBucks voucher, they will need to pay a top-up payment using other payment methods. If they purchase items valued at less than the BobBucks voucher, the 'change' will remain in their BobBucks account for them to use the next time they choose to.

3. BobPay Credit Card The BobPay Credit Card payment system allows Sellers to accept credit card payments from Buyers. Bidorbuy receives the credit card payment and the Bidorbuy account of the Seller is then credited with this amount, minus the bank fees charged by Bidorbuy (currently set at 5% per transaction). Sellers should note the risk of charge backs. The Seller ultimately takes the risk for reversal of the transaction in case the credit card was used fraudulently (a charge back can take place up to 180 days after the transaction).

4. Discovery Miles Buyers with Discovery Miles (which they earn with their Discovery Credit card) can shop on Bidorbuy and pay for items from Sellers that accept Discovery Miles.

5. PayLater PayLater facilitates loans up to R8000 through a third party registered credit provider. PayLater is only available to selected Sellers with a good track record on Bidorbuy. As soon as the Buyer's loan is approved, the funds will be matched to the relevant order in the Seller's Bidorbuy account.

6. Escrow service This involves using a trusted agent who keeps the money until the Buyer signals that the payment may be released to the Seller. Should there be any dispute, then the escrow company intervenes returning the money to the Buyer after the goods have been returned to the Seller, if applicable. This method is rather costly for Sellers and is occasionally used for high value transactions.

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7. As a Seller, I have to request a payout of the money in my Bidorbuy account. May I withdraw money in this manner, it is the only option:

Payout Requests

In order to withdraw funds that Bidorbuy is holding in your Bidorbuy account, you are required to make a payout request from the Bidorbuy website. Users have 1 free payout in a calendar month, regardless of the amount requsted. Thereafter a R5.00 BobPay transfer fee will be charged for any payout amount under R3,000.00. For amounts over R3,000.00, no BobPay transfer fee will be charged. If a user has used their 1 free payout and requests another payout below R3,000.00, the R5.00 BobPay transfer fee will be charged. If a user has R5.00 in their account, the system will not process the payment if a BobPay transfer fee is applicable.

A user can also not request less than R5.00 as a payout.

Q: Salmaan owns a grocery store. Ismail phoned him and purchased a pack of long life milk from him. After concluding the sale on the phone, Ismail did not take possession of the milk but instead sold the milk to Bakr and asked Salmaan to deliver the milk directly to Bakr instead of bringing it to his store. Is it correct for Ismail to sell the milk to Bakr before taking possession of it?

Q: Is it permissible to purchase extended warranty?

Q: Is it permissible to purchase extended warranty?

Q: Is it permissible to purchase extended warranty? If it is not permissible in Shari'ah, then what is the reason for the impermissibility?

Q: Certain Muslim restaurants have made it a rule that a 10% hospitality fee (tips for waiters) must be paid over and above the bill. In some cases, it is clearly indicated on menus and notices, and in others, it is not advertised. Is it Islamically correct for restaurants to charge this fee? We, the customer, have no choice in paying this additional tip if we decide to eat there.

Q: Is it permissible to pay a fee to view an animal e.g. such as when visiting a zoo?

Q: Is Multi-level marketing (MLM)/Networking permissible? It is very popular with Muslim women who sell Tupperware, AMC Cookware, Avon
etc. from home.

Details of the system are as follows:

Q:

A) I sent to emails to an islamicbooks website email saying

i) "Id like to order the following books to ** ******** Street ******** *** *** (Postcode). How much will it be with postage?"

ii) "I would like to order the following (these were names of kitabs) 1 ***** ***** 2 ***** ***** 3 **** ******* to this address ** ****************, *****, *******, *** ***, Can you send me the price of each one with total items postage? Jazakallahu khairaa"

B) Unfortunately without telling the price the books were shipped to my house.

C) After receiving the kitabs I have written some stuff in one kitaab.

D) Then (after writing) the price of the kitaabs and postage was told and the money was payed. I am happy with the books and price. Is it wajib for this bay to be cancelled?