Getting started
How merchant of record works
A merchant of record is the business legally selling to your customer. With Hlawula, that's us: we buy the right to resell your product, sell it in our own name, and carry the tax and payment liability that comes with being the seller.
The sale, step by step
| Step | What happens | Who is responsible |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Checkout | The buyer picks a plan on a checkout that names Hlawula MoR (Pty) Ltd as seller. | Hlawula |
| 2. Tax | We add the right VAT, GST or sales tax for the buyer’s country. | Hlawula |
| 3. Payment | PayFast or Peach processes the payment into our FirstRand account. The buyer never sees them. | Hlawula |
| 4. Invoice | We issue a tax invoice in our name with our SARS VAT number. | Hlawula |
| 5. Delivery | You give the buyer access to your product. | You |
| 6. Payout | We pay you the charge, less tax, card processing and our 5%. | Hlawula |
What moves to us
- Registering for VAT and GST in other countries, filing the returns and paying the tax.
- Refunds and chargebacks. When a bank reverses a payment, the dispute is with us.
- Consumer law at the point of sale, including the refund policy shown at checkout.
- Payment processing: certifying with the aggregator, handling 3-D Secure, wallets and bank payments.
What stays with you
- The product itself, its uptime and its support.
- Your own income tax on the payouts you receive.
- Telling us the facts about your product that decide how it's taxed.
The merchant agreement
Moving liability onto our balance sheet only works if the contract says exactly who owes what when a refund or tax dispute lands. The agreement covers appointment as reseller, covered products, fees, settlement, taxes, refunds and chargebacks, data protection under POPIA, liability, and termination. You can read the clause outline in the dashboard.
Reviewed before the first signature
Why South Africa first
Hlawula MoR (Pty) Ltd is registered in South Africa (2026/184220/07) with SARS VAT number 4910263842, and banks with RMB, part of FirstRand. Settlement and payouts run on the same bank's API, which keeps the money path short. From there we sell into every country the tax engine covers.