Everything you need to know about Gozo

Gozo is a global marketplace that connects buyers (people who want products from other countries) with travellers (people who are already travelling to those countries). Travellers bring the item back and earn an incentive. Gozo is purely a connection platform — it does not buy, sell, or handle any products itself.

No. Gozo is not a store. We do not sell anything. We provide a connection space for buyers and travellers. Any product, travel, customs, or payment arrangement is handled directly by the people involved. Payment integration for Gozo access is not enabled in this preview.

Gozo currently covers 21+ countries including:

• 🇺🇸 USA · 🇦🇪 UAE · 🇬🇧 UK · 🇨🇦 Canada · 🇦🇺 Australia
• 🇩🇪 Germany · 🇸🇬 Singapore · 🇯🇵 Japan · 🇰🇷 South Korea · 🇨🇳 China
• 🇫🇷 France · 🇮🇹 Italy · 🇨🇭 Switzerland · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · 🇹🇭 Thailand
• 🇲🇾 Malaysia · 🇿🇦 South Africa · 🇧🇷 Brazil · 🇹🇷 Turkey · 🇪🇸 Spain · 🇮🇳 India

We're adding more countries as our community grows.

Yes, bringing personal use items from abroad is legal in India under personal import rules. However, each user is individually responsible for complying with customs regulations, import duties, and local laws. Gozo does not facilitate commercial imports. Items like alcohol (e.g. wine collections) are listed for display/personal import awareness only. Please check your country's customs allowances before requesting high-value items.

There is currently no registration fee. Gozo is operating with a free beta entitlement while future payment options are evaluated.

What this means: No payment is collected for beta access, and payment integration remains pending.

Gozo is currently operating with a free beta entitlement. No registration payment is collected during this preview.

During the preview, eligible accounts can post requests without a listing fee. A future payment plan has not been activated yet.

• Preview access: Eligible beta accounts can post requests without payment.
• Clear status: Payment integration will be announced separately when enabled.

Important: No listing payment is currently collected.

No listing-fee refund process is active because listing-fee payments are not yet enabled.

Eligible preview accounts can post requests without payment. The future payment flow will be documented here after it is implemented and verified.

Gozo does not currently collect access or listing fees:

• Free beta — no access fee during preview
• Requests — no listing fee during preview

No commission, subscription, or transaction service is active. Any traveller incentive is arranged directly between the people involved.

Gozo does not currently collect registration or listing payments. Payment-provider integration is pending and no payment should be treated as completed.

• Register through Supabase Auth for free beta access
• Click "Post Request" in the navigation
• Fill in product name, category, country, description, expected price, and traveller incentive
• Click Post Request to review and publish the request
• Confirm the request; eligible preview accounts can post it without payment
• If payment fails, your form is saved as a draft automatically

Be as specific as possible in your description: include exact model numbers, colors, sizes, and packaging preferences to attract the right traveller.

The traveller incentive is an additional amount you pay the traveller over and above the product price, as compensation for their effort, time, and any risk involved. For example, if a product costs ₹50,000 and you set an incentive of ₹3,000, the traveller gets ₹53,000 total from you upon delivery. The incentive is set by you — higher incentives attract more travellers.

You can see all travellers who expressed interest in your listing, along with their ratings and review history. Click on your listing and review the travellers. Choose the one you trust most by clicking "Choose". Once you do:

• Gozo records the match; the people involved coordinate the next step directly
• Your listing status changes to "Acknowledged"
• Other travellers are automatically notified that the listing is taken

Listings are active for up to 1 month from posting. If no traveller is acknowledged within that window, the listing is automatically marked as "Stale". If a traveller expresses interest and you acknowledge them, the listing becomes "Acknowledged" and is removed from the active pool. No payment or refund process is active during the preview.

Yes, but only after 7 days from posting, and only if no traveller has expressed interest. If a traveller is already interested, you cannot cancel — you must either acknowledge them or wait for the listing to expire naturally.

Never include:

• Phone numbers (any format)
• WhatsApp, Telegram, or any contact app handles
• Email addresses
• Spelled-out numbers (one, two, three...)
• Social media usernames

Gozo does not provide an agreement or contact-sharing system. Listings with contact info may be removed and the account may be suspended. Keep private contact details out of public requests.

• Register through Supabase Auth
• Browse listings filtered by your destination country
• Click "I'm Interested" on listings that match your travel plans
• Wait for the buyer to choose you
• Once chosen, Gozo records the match and the people involved coordinate directly
• Purchase the item while abroad, bring it back, and collect the product price + incentive from the buyer

Incentives are optional terms that people can discuss directly. Gozo does not guarantee a price, payment, trip, delivery, or outcome.

Gozo does not guarantee a buyer's commitment or create a binding agreement. Acknowledgement records a match state only. Do not purchase anything or spend money based solely on a Gozo listing; decide independently whether the request is suitable.

Possibly, depending on the value and type of item. Indian customs allows personal imports duty-free up to certain limits. For high-value items, you or the buyer may need to account for customs duty. This must be agreed upon before the trip — Gozo does not cover customs charges. We recommend discussing this with the buyer when agreeing on the incentive.

Alcohol listings on Gozo (e.g., wines, whisky) are for personal import awareness and display purposes only. You can bring alcohol within legal personal import limits (typically 2 litres per adult for Indian customs). Regulated items such as certain electronics, medications, or CITES-protected goods are your individual responsibility to comply with legally.

Yes. Partners can submit a discount or benefit for a specific Gozo campaign. They choose the destination site, coupon code, benefit, valid dates, countries or regions, and Gozo routes where it may appear. Gozo reviews every submission before it is shown or redeemable.

Review pricing is agreed before activation and can vary by campaign scope, regional targeting, reporting, and placement. Ask Gozo for the current standard review and campaign pricing before submitting a code. Submission is not approval, and a code is never presented as active until both sides agree the terms.

Partners must provide a code customized for Gozo, clear eligibility and expiry terms, the destination website or service, regional restrictions, and a contact who can confirm redemption. Gozo records submissions, approvals, pauses, claims, and redemption events for campaign reporting.

No. Gozo never shows your full name, phone number, or any contact details publicly. Other users only see your initials and any available rating. Gozo does not automatically share your email through an agreement system.

Our system automatically flags listings where the price seems too low for the product type (e.g., an iPhone listed under ₹20,000). These listings are:

• Marked with a ⚠️ warning badge
• Stored with suspicious_price = true in the database
• Still allowed, but reviewed by the platform

Fake listings confirmed by review are removed and the account may be banned without refund.

Multiple layers of protection:

• No contact info in listings — enforced by automated checks
• Rating system — users with low ratings are less likely to be chosen
• Match-only boundary — Gozo does not process or guarantee transactions
• Account controls — Auth, RLS, reporting, and moderation checks protect the platform
• Suspicious price detection — flags unrealistic listings
• RLS on all database tables — users can only access their own data

Gozo uses Email OTP (One-Time Password) authentication powered by Supabase. No passwords to remember — just enter your email, get a 6-digit code, and you're in. Sessions persist securely until you log out.

Gozo does not generate agreement emails or binding contracts. When a buyer chooses a traveller, Gozo records the match state only. The people involved must decide independently whether and how to exchange contact details, arrange payment, travel, customs, delivery, or disputes.

Gozo does not create or enforce an agreement. Any change to privately discussed terms must be handled directly by the people involved, with their own records.

Gozo does not handle payments between buyers and travellers. The buyer pays the traveller directly (product price + incentive) upon delivery of the item. The timing and method of this payment should be agreed by both parties before the traveller makes the purchase abroad. We recommend agreeing on UPI or bank transfer for safety.

Yes, for high-value items, an advance request is completely normal and expected. Think about it from the traveller's side: they're being asked to spend ₹50,000–₹3,00,000+ of their own money abroad, convert it to foreign currency, and carry it back — all before receiving a single rupee from you. That's a significant financial risk for them.

When is it reasonable?

• Items priced above ₹20,000–₹25,000 — advances are common
• Luxury goods, electronics, watches — traveller is tying up significant capital
• Items requiring forex conversion — the traveller needs to arrange forex in advance

How much advance is typical?
There's no fixed rule, but a common practice is:

• 30–50% of the product price as an advance before the traveller departs
• Remaining product price + full incentive paid on delivery

Gozo recommends discussing and agreeing on advance terms before the traveller's departure — ideally documented over email so both sides have a record.

Always pay via bank transfer (NEFT/IMPS/RTGS) or UPI — never cash, never courier.

Here's why this protects you:

• Bank transfer = legal paper trail. Every UPI or bank transfer creates a timestamped record with both account numbers. If the deal goes wrong, you have documented proof of the transaction that is admissible in a consumer court or civil dispute.
• Cash = no proof. If you hand over cash or send a cash courier and the traveller disappears, you have no recourse. There is no record the money ever existed.
• Courier = illegal + no recourse. Sending cash by courier is illegal under Indian law (FEMA, courier regulations). Your package could be seized and you'd have no legal standing.

✅ Safe payment methods:

• UPI (PhonePe, GPay, Paytm) — instant, traceable, reversible in dispute via bank
• IMPS / NEFT / RTGS — bank-to-bank, fully traceable
• Save the UTR number and a screenshot of every transfer

❌ Never use:

• Cash handover
• Cash couriered in an envelope
• Crypto (no recourse, not legally recognised in India for consumer disputes)
• "Friendly" PayPal (no buyer protection for personal goods)

Here's the community-recommended flow that protects both buyer and traveller:

That's a valid concern — and the rating system on Gozo exists precisely for this. Here's how to protect yourself:

• Check the traveller's rating — higher-rated travellers have a history of completed deals. Prefer travellers with 4.0+ ratings for high-value items.
• Ask for proof of travel — before sending any advance, ask the traveller to share their boarding pass or booking confirmation so you know they are genuinely travelling to that country.
• Smaller advance, more on delivery — instead of 50%, negotiate 20–30% advance and pay the larger portion on delivery.
• Request item receipt as proof of purchase — before the traveller boards the return flight, ask them to share a photo of the item + receipt. Only send the remaining balance after you've seen this proof.
• Keep all communication on email — never discuss payment details on WhatsApp, phone, or any channel that's hard to archive.

Gozo does not guarantee payment or provide an advance system. If you choose to continue, assess the risk independently:

• Do not purchase before assessing the risk — Gozo does not verify a buyer or guarantee reimbursement.
• Keep your own records — Gozo does not generate a legal document or agreement email.
• Share purchase receipt before returning — send the buyer a photo of the item + store receipt. This shows you delivered on your end and creates a record that the item was purchased as agreed.
• Don't hand over the item until payment is confirmed — for large amounts, meet in a public place, transfer via UPI, confirm the credit on your bank app, then hand over the item. Never hand over first, collect later.
• If plans change — Gozo has no mechanism to enforce private arrangements; seek independent advice where appropriate.

This is a practical challenge for travellers, especially for high-value items. Here's how it typically works:

Option 1 — Forex card (recommended)

• Load a multi-currency forex card (HDFC, ICICI, Niyo, BookMyForex) before departure
• The buyer's advance is used to load the forex card with the required foreign currency
• Forex cards give near-bank rates and are accepted everywhere abroad
• You don't carry cash — safer and more convenient

Option 2 — International debit/credit card

• Use an international-enabled card (Zero forex markup cards like Niyo Global, Fi, HDFC Regalia are ideal)
• The buyer's advance needs to be in your account before departure so you have the balance to spend
• Keep your bank app handy to confirm the transaction

Option 3 — Airport or authorised forex dealer

• Exchange INR to foreign currency at an RBI-authorised forex dealer before flying
• Rates are slightly less favourable but it's simple
• Useful if the item is a one-time purchase and you know the exact amount

Gozo is a connection platform and does not mediate, guarantee, or provide legal advice about private arrangements. Keep your own records and seek qualified local advice if a disagreement occurs. Report harmful or suspicious activity to Gozo so the account can be reviewed.

Yes! Gozo is fully responsive and works on all devices — desktop, tablet, and mobile browsers. No app download required.

Yes! You can switch roles anytime from your Dashboard or Profile. The same account works for both — you can post requests as a buyer and express interest in listings as a traveller. Your data is preserved when switching roles.

Account deletion is not yet available via the UI. Please contact us at support@gozo.app to request account deletion. No Gozo access fee is currently collected.

Users may have a star rating (1 to 5) visible to others. New and platform-provided starter profiles are unrated until genuine activity supports a rating. Ratings are based on:

• Buyer ratings: Given after a successful purchase, reflecting the traveller's reliability.
• Traveller ratings: Given after a successful delivery, reflecting the buyer's trustworthiness.

Ratings are informational only and do not verify identity, reliability, or outcomes. Gozo does not guarantee transactions or delivery.

Communities are groups within Gozo that share common interests or characteristics, like "Frequent Travellers" or "Tech Gadgets Enthusiasts". Joining a community helps you connect with like-minded users, receive tailored listings, and access exclusive group deals. You can join or leave communities anytime from your profile.

Gozo is not a party to private arrangements and does not mediate disputes. In case of a disagreement:

• Use contact details and records you independently chose to exchange.
• Seek qualified local advice where appropriate.

Gozo may suspend users who engage in fraudulent or harmful activities, based on evidence provided by affected users.

Possible reasons include:

• Violation of Gozo's terms of service
• Engaging in fraudulent or suspicious activities
• Receiving multiple low ratings from other users

Suspensions are typically temporary, but repeated violations may lead to permanent removal. Check your email for the suspension notice and details.

To appeal a suspension:

• Contact Gozo support with your account details and reason for appeal.
• Provide any supporting evidence (e.g., screenshots, transaction IDs).
• Be respectful and concise in your communication.

Gozo reviews all appeals, but reinstatement is not guaranteed. Repeat offenders may have their appeals denied.