Buying on Sarai
How buying on Sarai works
Every step, from your first look at a listing to paying for your device and collecting it.
Step by step
Browse
Every listing shows the grade, battery health, the test results and a photo of each defect. Take your time and read it before you bid.
Put down a deposit
Before your first bid on an auction, you place one refundable deposit for that auction. You pay it once, however many times you bid.
The deposit amount is shown on every listing.
Bid for free
Bidding costs nothing. Enter the most you are willing to pay, and auto-bid raises your bid for you only as far as needed, never above your maximum.
The 5-minute rule: a bid in the last 5 minutes moves the end to 5 minutes after that bid, so everyone has time to answer.
Win
When the auction ends, the highest bidder wins (if the listing has a reserve price, it must be met). We send you an SMS, and your deposit counts toward the price.
Pay the rest within 48 hours
Pay by HesabPay in the app, or in cash at our Kabul counter, where you turn the device on and check it first.
Cash on delivery: inside Kabul only, for buyers who have a deposit held.
Return within 3 days if it doesn’t match
If the item doesn’t match its listing, you can return it within 3 days and get back everything you paid.
Grade D items are sold for parts, as-is.
Didn’t win? Your deposit comes back
If you don’t win, your whole deposit is returned. Nothing is kept.
In short
Bidding is free
No fee to bid, ever.
Your deposit comes back
The amount is shown on every listing. If you win, it counts toward the price.
No buyer’s premium
On Sarai’s own items, nothing is added to your winning bid.
Single items in afghani
Prices and payments for single items are in afghani. If you choose delivery, its fee is shown before you choose.
If the internet goes down
Afghanistan has had national internet shutdowns before. If one happens, auctions that would end during the outage are extended and get a new end time once the internet is back. The new time is shown in the app and sent by SMS.
Your payment deadline and your return window move by the length of the outage too. Nobody should lose an auction because they could not connect.
Lots, live auctions and partner auctions
This page is about single items, which anyone can buy with a mobile number.
Lots and pallets, live sessions and partner auctions are for verified bidders, and some lots are priced in US dollars.