What Bob Shop does

Bob Shop, operated by Bob Group (Pty) Ltd and headquartered in Bryanston, Johannesburg, is a South African online marketplace that connects consumer and business sellers with buyers across 31+ product categories using both English auction and fixed-price (Buy Now) formats. The platform, formerly known as bidorbuy, supports listing, bidding, checkout, identity verification, and a tiered Buyer Protection programme ranging up to R12,500 for Premium Stores, with mobile apps on iOS, Android, and Huawei AppGallery.

The business is built around a proprietary ecosystem of three wholly-owned subsidiaries that handle adjacent parts of the transaction stack: Bob Pay (payment processing supporting EFT, credit/debit cards, and digital wallets such as Apple Pay, PayShap, and Capitec Pay), Bob Go (multi-courier shipping aggregation), and Bob Box (storage and fulfillment). The core marketplace technology integrates these services end-to-end so that a seller can list, get paid, and ship without leaving the platform. The Bob Shop trademark is registered in South Africa and other jurisdictions.

Bob Shop monetises through four primary streams: (1) transaction success fees on completed sales, (2) tiered Store subscriptions — Basic at R500/month, Advanced at R750/month, and Premium at R1,000/month, each with an R1,000 once-off setup fee — that raise buyer-protection limits and add branding and advertising slots, (3) shipping fees rebated from integrated couriers via Bob Go, and (4) enhanced listing options. Its customer base is split across South African consumer buyers, individual sellers (collectors and small traders), and a smaller pool of registered business Store owners. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding and operates exclusively within the South African market.

Name

Bob Shop

Legal name

Bob Group (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://bobshop.co.za

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bob Shop is a South African online C2C and B2C marketplace operating auction and fixed-price formats across 31+ categories, with an integrated ecosystem of wholly-owned payment (Bob Pay), courier (Bob Go), and storage (Bob Box) services serving individual buyers, sellers, and business Store owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transaction/Success Fees: Sellers pay success fees on completed sales. Fees are calculated based on the fee rate card and apply to all goods or products sold. Goods or products that do not sell will not attract additional fees.
2. Store Subscription Fees: Monthly subscription fees for Store owners: Basic Store R500/month, Advanced Store R750/month, Premium Store R1,000/month. Plus a once-off setup fee of R1,000.
3. Shipping Fees: Shipping fees are charged by Bob Shop to the seller's account for Courier Services, based on the Courier's prevailing rate at the time, subject to a rebate discount.
4. Enhanced Listing Options: Enhanced listing options are available to Store owners at an additional cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bob Shop operates a South African online marketplace connecting individual and business sellers with consumer buyers via auction (English auction) and fixed-price (Buy Now) formats across 30+ product categories. The platform bundles an integrated e-commerce ecosystem — Bob Pay for payment processing, Bob Go for courier and shipping integration, and Bob Box for storage — together with tiered paid storefront subscriptions (Basic, Advanced, Premium) and a buyer protection programme.

Product overview

Bob Shop is an online marketplace platform for South Africa offering both auction-based (English auction) and fixed-price (Buy Now) selling formats. The platform operates as a two-sided marketplace connecting verified and unverified sellers with buyers across 31+ product categories. The ecosystem includes integrated proprietary services: Bob Pay (payment processing), Bob Go (courier/shipping integration), and Bob Box (storage/fulfillment), plus a mobile app for iOS, Android, and Huawei devices. Sellers can upgrade to paid storefront tiers (Basic at R500/month, Advanced at R750/month, Premium at R1,000/month) offering enhanced branding and increased Buyer Protection coverage up to R12,500. The platform also offers transit cover insurance for shipped items and Bob Bucks gift vouchers as a loyalty mechanism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bob Shop Marketplace

Quantifiable outcome

• Buyer protection coverage up to R12,500 for Premium Store purchases
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Konga: Nigerian e-commerce marketplace operating a similar horizontal marketplace model. Regionally comparable as an African e-commerce player, though primarily serves West Africa rather than competing directly with Bob Shop's South African base.
• Jumia: Pan-African e-commerce marketplace operating in multiple African countries including South Africa. Comparable horizontal marketplace model targeting similar consumer segments, but operates across a much wider African geography rather than concentrating in one country.

Emerging players

• PriceCheck: South African price-comparison and marketplace platform. Comparable to Bob Shop in surfacing multi-seller product listings across electronics, appliances, and consumer goods within the same domestic market.
• Facebook Marketplace: Social-commerce C2C marketplace from Meta gaining traction in South Africa. Comparable to Bob Shop's individual-seller category, leveraging social graph distribution rather than a dedicated e-commerce platform.

Broad incumbents

• eBay: Global online marketplace pioneer that, like Bob Shop, originated around English-auction listings and evolved to support fixed-price Buy-It-Now formats. Comparable marketplace mechanics (auctions, seller stores, buyer protection) though at global scale.
• Amazon South Africa: Global e-commerce incumbent now operating in South Africa. Competes with Bob Shop across broad consumer categories and brings far greater logistics, marketing, and capital resources to the same domestic buyer pool.

Others

• Alibaba: Global B2B/B2C marketplace giant. Adjacent to Bob Shop through marketplace mechanics, store subscriptions, and tiered seller offerings, though primarily serves cross-border wholesale rather than domestic South African retail.

Direct peers

• OLX South Africa: South African C2C classifieds platform covering autos, electronics, fashion and household goods. Directly comparable to Bob Shop in C2C listing-and-discovery model, though OLX emphasizes local pickup transactions over Bob Shop's integrated shipping/courier model.
• Makro (Massmart): South African general-merchandise retailer with a growing online marketplace. Comparable to Bob Shop across categories spanning electronics, home, sports, and groceries, but operates a retailer-led model rather than an open multi-seller marketplace.
• Takealot: South Africa's largest online marketplace and Bob Shop's primary domestic competitor. Both operate horizontal B2C/C2C marketplaces serving South African consumers across many categories, with similar seller tools and payment integration, though Takealot is fixed-price-only and far larger.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bobshop
• YouTubeyoutube.com/bobshop
• Facebookfacebook.com/bobshop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bobshop-co-za
• Instagraminstagram.com/bobshop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bob Shop