Question 1

What data does MerchDash pull from Takealot?

Accepted Answer

Sales, offers, transactions, returns, shipments, and balance data. We use the new Takealot Marketplace API (v1) with read-only access. MerchDash never modifies your listings or places orders on your behalf.

Question 2

How do you calculate real margin?

Accepted Answer

Every sale on Takealot comes with real fee breakdowns: success fee, fulfilment fee, courier fee, and stock transfer fee. MerchDash pulls these per-sale fees directly from the Marketplace API and subtracts them from your selling price, along with your cost of goods. No estimation, no flat percentage guess.

Question 3

Is my API key safe?

Accepted Answer

Your API key is encrypted at rest using Postgres pgcrypto symmetric encryption. The plain-text value is immediately deleted after encryption. The dashboard only ever shows the last 4 characters. You can revoke your key from the connections page at any time.

Question 4

Where is my data stored?

Accepted Answer

Your data is hosted on Supabase in Cape Town (AWS af-south-1). Every database table enforces Row-Level Security, which means the database itself rejects any query that tries to read another user’s rows. All traffic is encrypted in transit via TLS.

Question 5

When does my card get charged?

Accepted Answer

On day 3 of your trial. We capture your card upfront on sign-up so we can charge automatically once the trial ends. We’ll email you 1 hour before the charge so you have time to cancel if you change your mind.

Question 6

Can I cancel before day 3?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Cancel from your billing page any time before the day-3 charge and you won’t be billed. Your card is held but not charged until the trial ends.

Question 7

What happens if my card fails on day 3?

Accepted Answer

Your subscription moves to past_due and we email you. Your dashboard goes read-only until you update billing. We’ll retry the charge automatically once you fix the card.

Question 8

Why weekly billing instead of monthly?

Accepted Answer

Weekly pricing keeps the gut-feel decision easy: R75/week is one takeaway meal. Sellers who try MerchDash get value within the first sync, not a month later. If you want to commit longer, the annual plans price 48 weeks instead of 52 — save 4 weeks.

Question 9

Can I switch tiers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Change tier from your billing settings. Upgrades take effect immediately; the new weekly amount applies on the next cycle. No proration on the in-flight week.

Question 10

How much does MerchDash cost?

Accepted Answer

Four tiers. Free gets you the profit audit and Watch Mode — no card, no trial clock. Starter is R75/week for solo sellers with up to 100 SKUs. Growth is R115/week for scaling catalogs up to 500 SKUs and is the recommended plan for most sellers. Pro is R175/week for unlimited SKUs and multiple store connections. See the pricing page for the full comparison.

Question 11

Can I pay annually?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Annual billing prices 48 weeks instead of 52 — save 4 weeks. Starter R3,600/year, Growth R5,520/year, Pro R8,400/year. Toggle annual on the pricing page or in billing settings.

Question 12

Can I cancel anytime?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Cancel from your billing settings page. No lock-in, no cancellation fee, no dark patterns. If you want your data deleted, email us and we’ll wipe everything: API key, sales, products, and your account.

Question 13

Do you support Shopify or other channels?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. MerchDash focuses on Takealot today because that’s where South African sellers lose the most visibility into fees and margins. Shopify integration is on the roadmap. We’ll build it when our first five customers agree on what they need.

Question 14

How long does the first sync take?

Accepted Answer

Usually 30 to 90 seconds, depending on how many products and sales you have. After that, MerchDash syncs automatically every hour. You can also trigger a manual sync from the dashboard.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions