Yaga vs VaKoop: fees, buyers, couriers and payouts compared

Yaga vs VaKoop at a glance

Yaga and VaKoop both let South Africans sell second-hand goods with no seller commission, escrow payments and courier delivery booked in the app. The difference is size and scope. Yaga is a large, fashion-led marketplace that has run in South Africa since 2020. VaKoop launched in 2026, sells across 21 categories and is still building its buyer base.

Yaga started in Estonia in 2017 and opened in South Africa in January 2020. Its South African company, Shop Yaga (Pty) Ltd, is based in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, and the app also runs in Estonia, Latvia and Kenya. VaKoop is a Johannesburg company that launched in 2026 and works only in South Africa. It calls itself an AI marketplace, and its Genio assistant drafts listings from a photo.

For the full detail on each app, read our Yaga seller guide and our VaKoop seller guide.

Yaga vs VaKoop: feature-by-feature comparison

Three differences matter most. VaKoop has auctions and Genio, which Yaga lacks. Yaga lets you send an offer to everyone who liked an item, a quick way to move stock that is getting attention without selling. VaKoop sells visibility with bumps and boosts. On Yaga, your tools are price drops and discount codes.

Listing on each app

Listing on Yaga is quick if you photograph well. You add up to six photos, pick a category, brand, size, condition and colour, and set a price. Yaga has no title field, so the description and the item details do the work in search. Stock photos and AI-generated images are banned, so shoot the real item.

On VaKoop you can do the same by hand with up to eight photos, or let Genio draft the listing. You upload a photo, Genio names the item, fills in the details and suggests a price based on similar VaKoop listings. It can also spot several items in one photo. VaKoop has a title field, so write one with the brand, item and size.

Which is easier for a beginner? Yaga’s form is short and familiar to anyone who has used a fashion app. VaKoop’s Genio saves the most time when you have many mixed items, such as a clear-out of a whole room. Either way, buyers on both apps see your real photos first, so good light and a plain background help more than any tool.

Fees compared: what Yaga and VaKoop cost

Both apps let sellers keep the full price. Neither charges a listing fee or commission on a sale, and neither requires a subscription. The money each platform makes comes from the buyer protection fee, which the buyer pays at checkout on top of your price and the delivery cost.

The seller’s share is the same, so the useful question is what your buyer pays in total. On a cheap item, VaKoop’s R19.90 fixed charge is a large share of the price. On a R100 top, VaKoop’s buyer pays R26.40 in protection fees. Yaga’s percentage is lower, but its fixed amount is not published, so compare at checkout before you set prices.

Yaga also has a delivery cost that sellers sometimes miss. With The Courier Guy, PAXI and Pargo the buyer’s delivery fee pays for the label. With Aramex and PostNet you pay the courier yourself (R99.99 for an Aramex sleeve, R109 for a PostNet bag) and Yaga refunds you the buyer’s delivery fee when the order completes. Those two can cost you more than the buyer paid.

Yaga usually pays out faster because its window after collection is 48 hours. VaKoop can hold money for up to 7 days if the buyer does not confirm. Neither app takes tax off your sales, so keep records. If your turnover from selling reaches the SARS VAT threshold of R2.3 million a year, you must register for VAT.

Audience and demand: who buys on Yaga and VaKoop

This is where the two apps differ most. Yaga is one of South Africa’s best-known second-hand fashion apps. Its Android app has over a million downloads and 27,100 reviews, and Yaga’s homepage counts about 1.9 million users. VaKoop’s Android app had passed 500 downloads by November 2026, and VaKoop reported 2,442 registered users.

On Yaga, more buyers see your listing, but you also compete with far more sellers in the same size and brand. On VaKoop, there are fewer listings in each category, so a listing stays visible longer. There are also far fewer people looking. For anything outside fashion, such as a games console or kitchen appliances, VaKoop is built for it, while Yaga’s buyers mostly come for clothes.

Delivery and returns: Yaga vs VaKoop

On both apps the buyer chooses and pays for delivery at checkout, and you drop the parcel off with the label or code the app gives you. Both have the main South African options. Yaga books some couriers inside the app and leaves others to you. VaKoop shows a price for every option.

Returns work differently. On Yaga, a buyer has 48 hours after collecting to report that the item differs significantly from your photos or description. The buyer pays to send it back, and Yaga will not refund a buyer who simply changed their mind. If you described the item accurately, Yaga does not approve a refund without your agreement.

On VaKoop, a buyer has 7 days after receiving an item to report a problem. VaKoop buys the item from you and sells it to the buyer, so it decides disputes itself and can recover money from you if a listing was misleading. VaKoop also expects you to ship within about 3 business days and to keep cancellations under 10%.

What sellers say about Yaga and VaKoop

Yaga has years of reviews, both good and bad. Sellers like how fast listing is and trust the escrow. The common complaints are disputes that feel weighted towards buyers, payouts held for checks, and offers that sellers cannot switch off.

“Creating listings literally takes me 30 seconds.” … “The escrow system is fantastic and sets your mind at ease, especially in our South African environment.”

Yaga seller, Hellopeter, October 2026

“The offers feature was forced on everyone. I certainly don’t find offers welcome; I offer my best price.”

Yaga seller, Google Play review, February 2025

“Terrible for sellers they don’t protect the seller at all”

Yaga seller, Hellopeter, October 2026

VaKoop is too new to have many reviews. Sellers who have reviewed it praise Genio. The main complaint is the one you would expect from a young marketplace: not enough buyers yet.

“I listed a pair of used nike Air Force 1s they sold in a week and I got my money shortly after the buyer confirmed they were received.”

VaKoop seller, Hellopeter, August 2026

“the app keeps freezing up and saying not responding and I haven’t had a single view on any of my ads”

VaKoop seller, Google Play review, September 2026

How to choose between Yaga and VaKoop

Choose by what you sell and how fast you need it gone. For fashion that needs buyers now, Yaga’s audience is hard to match. For mixed goods, auctions or listing a lot with little typing, VaKoop has the better tools.

A casual seller clearing a wardrobe will usually get the quickest sales on Yaga. A reseller with steady stock gains most by listing on both. The extra buyers on VaKoop cost nothing, since neither app charges a seller fee.

Sell on Yaga and VaKoop at the same time

Listing on both apps puts each item in front of two sets of buyers for no extra fee. The work is the problem. You type every listing twice, and when something sells you must remove it from the other app before a second buyer pays for it. FLUF Connect handles both jobs. You list once, send the item to Yaga and VaKoop, and FLUF Connect takes it down from one app when it sells on the other.

Here is what FLUF Connect does on each app:

Yaga

VaKoop

How it works:

1. Connect both apps. For VaKoop, sign in to your VaKoop account from the Channels page and approve the connection. For Yaga, sign in once in your browser or from the FLUF mobile app.
2. Crosslist. Pick items you already have on one app, or create new ones in FLUF Connect, and send them to the other. It works in both directions.
3. Let it sync. When an item sells on Yaga or VaKoop, FLUF Connect removes it from the other. Price and description changes you make in FLUF Connect update the live listings.

Neither app supports automatic relisting through FLUF Connect. Read the VaKoop to Yaga crosslisting guide for the step-by-step setup, or see how inventory sync stops double sales. You can also add Kloset Klub, South Africa’s curated resale marketplace, from the same account.

FLUF Connect starts with 7 days for £1, then from £9/month. Every plan includes crosslisting and inventory sync across all supported marketplaces. Full details are on the pricing page.

Automatic relisting, offer management, smart pricing and listing boosts are included from Pro upwards. Starter covers unlimited crosslisting, inventory sync, order sync and Instagram posting without them. Accounting integrations are included from Pro upwards. Yearly billing is charged once a year. New accounts get 7 days for £1, then move onto a plan.

Sell on both: start crosslisting

Related guides

• How to sell on Yaga
• How to sell on VaKoop
• Kloset Klub vs Yaga
• Crosslist from VaKoop to Yaga
• Offer management
• FLUF Connect vs Vendoo