Help Center
Traveler's FAQ's
Yes, Elbi is focused on building a global community of people who can help and trust one another. We have a peer rating and review system in place so you can check the reliability of all shoppers before making offers. Additionally, shopper payments are held in escrow, ensuring that shoppers pay for all orders our travelers deliver. We also encourage you to meet with shoppers in public places for safety purposes. These measures are in place so that you can enjoy making money while traveling!
If the price of the item you are delivering changed, the best thing to do is cancel the order, so that your shopper can create a new order with the current price reflected.
Once your shopper creates a new order, have them send you the link so you can make a delivery offer. It’s a good idea to buy the item soon after offer acceptance, so you avoid any other price fluctuations.
It’s important to let your shopper know that you will be canceling their order, so they can create a new order with the correct price.
With Elbi, you can subsidize your trip every time your travel. Our travelers usually deliver a handful of items and earn upwards of $300 per trip. Not only will you make money traveling, you’ll meet amazing new friends along the way.
Here’s how it works:
Find an order you can deliver and make an offer
Search for orders based on where are traveling to next. Make an offer and set your traveler reward the amount of money your shopper will pay you for delivering their item.
Confirm order details with your shopper
Use Elbi’s messenger to confirm order details with your shopper like the size and color of the item. You can also ask if they have other orders they’d like delivered.
Buy the item with your own money
This way, you know exactly what you are bringing. Upon delivery, you will be reimbursed for the price of the item and paid your reward.
Deliver your shopper’s order and get paid
Coordinate a time and public place to meet your shopper. When your shopper confirms that they received their order, we’ll transfer payment to your account on file.
Once you make a delivery offer, it is expected that you are fully able to bring this item to your shopper.
If you are no longer able to travel to your shopper’s city due to a medical or family emergency, message them as soon as possible so that they can find another traveler.
Note that frequent cancellations will result in suspension from our platform.
Start making money with Elbi by heading to Traveler explore page. Here, you can type in the city you are visiting and begin filtering through order requests.
When you see an order you’d like to deliver, click on it to view additional details like when the shopper would like to receive the item and where you can buy it.
When making a delivery offer, you have full control over how much you’d like to earn as a fee. If an item is particularly difficult to buy, pack or carry, we encourage you to increase your desired traveler fee.
This might happen because there are many travelers bidding on the same order or if another traveler requested a lower traveler fee. It might also happen if you requested a high traveler fee or if you are unable to meet the shopper’s desired delivery day.
It’s a good idea to message shoppers after making a delivery offer to get the conversation going. Many times, shoppers accept the first delivery offer they receive and are more likely to accept a delivery offer from a traveler who has personally reached out.
The next step is to buy your shopper’s item with your own money to ensure that you receive their item before your trip. This amount will be reimbursed to you after they confirm that you delivered their item. You will also be paid your traveler fee at this time.
Before buying the item, message your shopper to confirm order details like size, color and specs so that you are 100-percent sure you are purchasing the right item. A few days before your trip, message them to set up a mutually convenient time and place to meet.
Here is a checklist of everything you need to do
Message your shopper to confirm item specs like color,size,edition,etc
Buy their item with your own money keep a copy of the receipt for your records.
Send your shopper updates when you buy receive and pack their item.
Coordinate a time and public place to meet 3-5 days before your trip
Remind your shopper to confirm delivery on Elbi. So you get paid
There are three main reasons why it’s important to buy your shopper’s item.
to ensure that you know exactly what item you are packing into your suitcase
to comply with TSA and air security regulations around the world
to prevent financial fraud or risk that your shopper will not show up or the chance of a traveler taking the item
Yes, as long as your shopper has not accepted your delivery offer, you can withdraw your offer. However, after the shopper accepts your delivery offer, you have committed to delivering the item.
If you absolutely can no longer deliver the item, you can still cancel your delivery offer, but this may negatively affect your profile rating.
Remember to send a message to the shopper so he or she knows that you can no longer deliver their item and will be canceling the order. This is an important aspect of our community guidelines and helps bolster trust among shoppers and travelers. We also suggest posting to the Elbi Traveler Lounge to find another traveler quickly.
Elbi has a built-in messenger where you can chat with your shopper directly. It’s important to confirm your order details, like size, color and specs, before buying their item. You should also use our messenger to coordinate a delivery time and place. If there is ever a dispute with your shopper, your messages serve as a written record.
Since you will be the one buying the item, you will know what you are packing. However, make sure that the item is allowed into the country you are traveling to.
We will send your payouts within 10 business days from when your shopper confirms delivery. Please note that your financial institution may take a few days to completely process the payment so that you see it.
Your payout likely failed due to incorrect payout information, such as an incorrect routing or account number. Please contact our customer service team so that we may assist. Please note that providing incorrect payout information will lead to delays on your payouts.
Please note that PayPal payouts sent to an incorrectly entered PayPal address are unrecoverable and cannot be resent. If receiving payouts via PayPal, please ensure that your PayPal email address is entered correctly and that your PayPal account is created prior to delivering items.
My payout didn’t go through.
Stripe transfers can also fail for a number of reasons, including the following:
1) Your bank account was closed
What this means: Your bank informed us that the bank account entered on your Elbi account was closed.
What to do: You need to add a working bank account on the payout options page in your Elbi account.
2) No account was found
What this means: No account associated with the bank information that you provided in payout options could be found.
What to do: Please double check your provided bank information.
3) Invalid bank account number
What this means: Your routing number appears to work, but your bank informed us that your account number is invalid.
What to do: Please update your routing number in your Elbi account’s payout options page.
4) Debit not authorized
What this means: Your current bank account currently does not allow us to make transfers to your bank account.
What to do: You can often resolve the issue by contacting your bank to enable your bank account the ability to receive transfers. Once you do so, you can request a new payment transfer in the payout options page of your Elbi account. Alternatively, you can switch to an account that does currently accept transfers.
5) Bank ownership changed
What this means: Your bank merged with another bank. As a result, your bank account details (such as your routing number) has changed.
What to do: Update your bank information on the payout options page.
6) Account frozen
What this means: Your bank notified us that your account was frozen.
What to do: Please contact your bank to resolve the issue. Once you’ve done so, you can request a new payment transfer in the payout options page of your Elbi account. Alternatively, you can switch to another account that is working.
7) Bank account restricted
What this means: Your bank notified us that your account has restrictions on either the type or number of transfers allowed. This typically means that you have linked a savings or other type of non-checking bank account with your Stripe account.
What to do: Please link a valid checking account to your Stripe account. If you already have a valid checking account linked with Stripe, please contact your bank to understand why the transfer isn’t going through. Once you have resolved the issue, you can request a new payment transfer in the payout options page of your Elbi account.
8) Could not process
What it means: Something unexpected happened and your bank account was unable to process the payment Stripe transferred it.
What to do: Get in touch with us or your bank to resolve the issue. Then request a new payment transfer in the payout options page of your Elbi account.
Your shopper already paid for their order when they accepted your delivery offer, so it is in their best interest to receive their order. Sometimes, shoppers forget to update their order as “delivered,” so remind them during your meeting. They need to confirm delivery in order for you to get paid. Otherwise, please contact our customer service team so we can help.
If the item doesn’t fit in your suitcase, you can remove it from the original packaging. Make sure to message your shopper to let him or her know that it will be delivered without packaging.
If you’ve already purchased the item but absolutely can’t travel with it, you can return the item to the online retailer where you bought it and cancel the order. This way, both you and your shopper are reimbursed.
Shoppers cannot cancel an order after they have accepted a delivery offer. If a shopper no longer wants their item, they may message you to ask if you can cancel it. If you have not purchased the item, you can cancel the order so that your shopper is reimbursed and this will not negatively affect your rating.
If you already purchased their item, you are not obligated to cancel the order. However, if you’ve kept a copy of your receipt, you can return it to the online retailer where you bought it. This way, both you and your shopper are reimbursed.
As stated in our terms and in our FAQ on customs, the traveller is responsible for any and all customs fees associated with the item they are delivering.
We encourage both shoppers and travelers to anticipate any fees, such as customs and shipping costs, ahead of time and to add this extra amount into the traveler fee.
Paying customs duties and fees is the traveler’s responsibility. We recommend that travelers calculate any duties or customs fees (if applicable) prior to making an offer and include this amount in the proposed traveler fee.
Customs regulations can be very complex, so be sure to research the laws and requirements of any country that you are visiting, so pay close attention to any limits that you could exceed if the value of everything you are traveling with is combined.
Because customs regulations can be complicated and sometimes unpredictable, some shoppers agree via ShipHaly Messenger to reimburse travelers for customs fees in person upon delivery of the item. When doing so, both traveler and shopper should clearly communicate this agreement prior to delivering the item. Travelers should present shoppers with copies of receipts for duties paid.
Please note that neither shoppers nor ShipHaly are responsible for violations of customs regulations conducted by travelers.
If your shopper doesn’t show up, message them to schedule a new time and place to meet. Since they already paid for their order, it is in their best interest to meet with you. If your shopper has not replied to you after several attempts, please email our customer service team (help@shiphaly.com) so we can help.
It’s up to you and your shopper to determine a time and place to meet. For safety purposes, we suggest public spaces like your hotel lobby, a nearby cafe is or park. It is not customary to deliver an order to your shopper’s home or a private address.
If your shopper anticipates not being able to meet with you in person once you arrive in his or her city, you can send the item via a courier service. Make sure that this added expense is included in your traveler fee. ShipHaly is not responsible for lost items or damages.
Please note that ShipHaly is not responsible for shipping made via courier or third party services
Shopper's FAQ's
Elbi is the go-to way to shop for products that aren’t available in your country or are too expensive to buy locally. You can order just about anything on Elbi, from baby clothes and kids toys to tech gadgets and nutritional supplements.
Here’s how it works:
Tell us about the item you are looking for
With Elbi, you can get any item from around the world. To get started, create an order for a product you want and include details such as where a traveler can buy it and how much it costs.
Wait for travelers to make delivery offers
Once you publish your order, we’ll share it with our entire traveler community. Then, travelers heading to your city will bid to deliver it by making an offer.
Agree on a monetary reward for your traveler.
Elbi auto-calculates all applicable taxes and fees, including the monetary reward you agree to pay your traveler for delivering your item. If your traveler doesn’t deliver your order for any reason, you will receive a full refund.
Meet with your traveler and receive your item
Coordinate a time and public place to meet your traveler. When you receive your item, make sure to confirm delivery so that your traveler gets paid.
There are three ways to create an order:
1) Find the item you want at any online store (Amazon, eBay, etc.), and press the plus button to auto fill order details
2) Select an item from the previously ordered items by other shoppers in our explore menu.
3) Manually create an order by typing out the details
We will ask you for details including when you would like your item delivered. Elbi auto-calculates the traveler fee and other associated costs like taxes so that you receive delivery offers quickly. Once you have confirmed your order, it will be posted to our Traveler page where travelers can make delivery offers.
Pre-Order Acceptance
— Enter as many details as possible when requesting your item. This will allow prospective travelers to bring your item exactly as requested
Ensure there is a photo of your item
A link to the item.
Ensure the item price is correct
Enter a detailed description. Many online links have multiple options (i.e. color, capacity, size, etc). Be detailed enough so that travelers will know exactly what you want.
— Once your order is placed, potential travelers may reach out to you with questions. You will receive email and push notifications (if enabled) about these messages. Please respond to these messages as soon as possible to give your traveler adequate time and information in order to accept your order.
Post-Order Acceptance
So a traveler has accepted your offer, Great! It’s important to keep your eye out for messages still. For instance, a retail store may run out of stock of your requested item or there may be a slight shipping delay. Your traveler will keep you updated and informed of any updates to your order. Delivery of the item will also be arranged through the Elbi chat feature.
Keep in Mind
Traveler & shopper communication is a vital part in making Elbi work
All messaging should be done through the Elbi messenger. This helps ensure that Elbi can assist in the event of a dispute
Please reply to messages from your traveler within 48 hours. Travelers are expected to do the same.
Elbi is the go-to place to shop for products that aren’t available in your country or are too expensive to buy locally.
Many shoppers order items from the following online stores: Amazon, Ebay, Walmart, Macy’s, Apple, Sephora, Nike, Best Buy, Gucci and Louis Vuitton among others.
Our shoppers order all sorts of items, from collectibles and books to baby clothes and toys to the latest tech gadgets.
Remember, with Elbi you are connecting with a real person who will buy your item and deliver it to your city. Unlike shipping and courier companies, our travelers need to be able to fit your item into their suitcase.
Items that are particularly large, heavy or bulky may not receive any delivery offers because it will be difficult to transport. You also should not order any item that is illegal in your country.
In addition, Shoppers agree that they will not use the Shiphaly app to request that the travelers buy items that are prohibited under the laws of the country where the items are being bought from nor the country where the item is being shipped to or any international law.
Prohibited items include, but are not limited to:
Counterfeit goods
Currency
Stolen property
Alcohol
Live animals
Firearms, ammunition, explosives or chemicals
Human remains
Pornography or obscene materials
Illegal drugs or regulated drugs (prescription) in violation of law
Any product or item related to illegal activities, such as the production of illegal drugs
Any item that is prohibited by law in the place of origin, destination or any jurisdiction
of transit through between origin and destination
Batteries
Aerosols or any flammable materials
Knives, batons or other weapons
Certain agricultural products
This usually happens when there are not enough travelers heading to your city, if your delivery date is too soon for travelers to meet, if the item isn’t allowed into your country or if your item is difficult to buy, pack or deliver.
Here are a few other reasons why you may not be receiving delivery offers:
If your item is too large or heavy to fit into a normal sized suitcase
If your item is out of stock at your requested retailer
If your item is no longer available at the price listed in the order form
The next step is to accept a delivery offer. We recommend accepting a delivery offer quickly to ensure that a traveler buys and receives your item before their trip. Accepting a delivery offer promptly also motivates travelers to make more delivery offers.
If you have other orders that haven’t received delivery offers, you can message the traveler to let him or her know that if they bid on your other items, you will accept those offers, too.
Make sure to include a message to potential travelers that you are willing to pay a higher amount in the notes section of your order. Offering more money will incentivize travelers to make delivery offers quickly.
Elbi auto-calculates this amount for you so that you receive delivery offers quickly. If you want to offer travelers more money, add this in the notes section of your order.
When you accept a delivery offer from a traveler, you will need to pay the full amount securely on our app where your credit card on file is charged for the total amount of the order, this includes the item price + Elbi fee + delivery fee to the traveler.
Your payment is put into Elbi’s secure escrow account and only released to the traveler after you confirm delivery. This incentivizes your traveler to purchase and deliver your product as soon as possible.
Make sure to message your traveler to confirm order details like size, color and specs so your traveler purchases the exact item you want.
Make sure to include a message to potential travelers that you are willing to pay a higher amount in the notes section of your order. Offering more money will incentivize travelers to make delivery offers quickly.
Elbi auto-calculates this amount for you so that you receive delivery offers quickly. If you want to offer travelers more money, add this in the notes section of your order.
When you accept a delivery offer from a traveler, you will need to pay the full amount securely on our app where your credit card on file is charged for the total amount of the order, this includes the item price + Elbi fee + delivery fee to the traveler.
Your payment is put into Elbi’s secure escrow account and only released to the traveler after you confirm delivery. This incentivizes your traveler to purchase and deliver your product as soon as possible.
Make sure to message your traveler to confirm order details like size, color and specs so your traveler purchases the exact item you want.
When you accept a delivery offer from a traveler, your credit card on file is charged for the total amount of the order, this will include the item price + Elbi fee + delivery fee to the traveler. Your payment is put into Elbi’s secure escrow account and only released to the traveler after you confirm delivery
After you accept a delivery offer you like, our payment processor, Stripe, will put the price of the item, the commission the shopper pays to ShipHaly and the traveler’s monetary reward in escrow. Initially, your traveler uses his or her own money to purchase your item. Upon confirming delivery of your item, Stripe will release your payment to the traveler. To ensure that both shopper and traveler are protected, we guarantee the money in our escrow account.
This is mainly for your security and guarantees that the traveler will deliver the item. Your traveler buys your item so that he or she can receive, pack and travel with your item. This also encourages responsibility of the traveler.
This is for the protection of both you and your traveler.
Your payment is put into Elbi’s secure escrow account and only released to the traveler after you confirm delivery. This incentivizes your traveler to purchase and deliver your product as soon as possible.
Worry-free shopping
If you don’t receive your item, you will receive your money back!
Elbi is a community built on trust and safety. We have a number of measures in place to ensure that you’ll get your requested item, otherwise your payment will be refunded.
Elbi’s money back guarantee covers you when:
You don’t receive your item
You receive a different item than requested or your item was not purchased from the retailer you requested
You receive a broken or damaged item
Here are some steps to ensure you get your item as requested and allow us to best assist you:
— Communicate through the Shiphaly messenger
Communicating through our built-in messenger allows us to assist in the rare event that there is a dispute between shopper and traveler. Messages sent outside of the Elbi messenger cannot be verified and therefore cannot be used in the event that one party is breaking our terms of use
— Check that the item is not damaged
Upon meeting your traveler, please take the time to inspect your item. Travelers are informed that you will need time to inspect your item and are willing to assist. By confirming delivery of your item, you agree that the product you receive was as requested.
— Ask for receipts
Always ask your traveler over the Elbi messenger to send you an electronic copy of receipts for purchases they make. Receipts help ensure that the products you request are genuine and brand new.
— Order from reputable retailers
Travelers are responsible for delivering your item according to the purchase link you provide them. If an online store or seller is not describing an item accurately, this affects shoppersIf the shop where the item is requested turns out to be unreliable, traveler will not be responsible and therefore Elbi’s money-back guarantee will not apply.
— Only order products that are permitted by our terms of service
You cannot order any item that is illegal in your country. Additionally, items that are particularly large, heavy or bulky may not receive any delivery offers because it will be difficult to transport.
You can pay using the following methods:
Credit card
Aman (only available in Egypt).
Cash collection where we offer a cash collection service from home. (Only available in Egypt).
Elbi charges shoppers a service fee to cover transaction and development fees. This includes running operations and providing support among other business expenses.
When creating an order, you will see a few different charges that add to the total amount. The first is the item price, which is the price of the item sold at the retailer of your choice.
Here’s a breakdown of these charges, as shown in the image below.
Item cost = this is the cost of the item you are requesting on Elbi.
*If you found this item on sale, you should add a note to your traveler with the coupon code needed to attain the discounted price.
Service fee = This is a service charge used to cover Elbi’s transaction fees and operational costs.
Applicable taxes = Elbi auto-calculates sales tax for US travelers, as this is a required fee for anybody buying an item in the United States.
*Since your traveler needs to pay this in order to order, receive, pack and deliver your item, we’ve included this in your order total.
Traveler fee = the amount of money we recommend you pay your traveler for buying and delivering your item.
*The traveler may request more money if your item is particularly difficult to find or pack. Expect to pay between 15-25% of the item’s total cost.
Elbi has a built-in messenger where you can chat with your traveler directly. It’s important to confirm your order details, like size, color and specs, before your traveler buys your item. You should also use our messenger to coordinate a delivery time and place. If there is ever a dispute with your traveler, your messages serve as a written record.
It’s up to you and your traveler to determine a time and place to meet. For safety purposes, travelers typically suggest public spaces like their hotel lobby, a nearby cafe or shopping mall. It is not recommended for travelers to deliver your order to your home or a private address.
It is in the best interest of travelers to deliver the orders they have made offers for. Travelers purchase the item with their own money first and are not reimbursed until after they have delivered the item.
Your traveler should reply to your messages within 48 hours and contact you 24 hours before their arrival to coordinate delivery details.
If you are not receiving replies after multiple attempts, please reach out to our support so we can intervene on your behalf.
If your traveler didn’t show up to your confirmed meeting place, send them a message via our messenger to see if there was some confusion and/or to set up an alternate time.
If you cannot get in touch with your traveler after multiple attempts, please reach out to our support so we can intervene on your behalf.
If your traveler has not communicated a change in their plans and your order is up to (7) days late, you are eligible for a refund. If so, our customer service team can facilitate.
If you anticipate not being able to meet with your traveler once he or she arrives to your city, you can arrange for a local courier service to drop off your item. Make sure this added expense is reflected in your order’s traveler fee.
Elbi is not responsible for lost items or damages. Please note that ShipHaly is not responsible for shipping made via courier or third party services
If you have not yet accepted a traveler’s delivery offer, you can cancel an order. Once you accept an offer, you are committed to the payment of your order and associated fees.
You can also message your traveler to find out if he or she has already purchased your item. If not, they are often willing to cancel the order from their end so that you are reimbursed.
In the rare event that your traveler cancels your order, we will repost your order on top of the order list for it to have a higher chance of getting new offers. You can still accept a previous offer if you had received several offers before. In any case you will have the option to keep the order or to cancel it and get a full refund.
Travelers often remove items from their packaging so that it fits inside their suitcase. If your item is valuable or you prefer to receive your order in its original packaging, please communicate this to your traveler ahead of time. If your item is difficult to pack with the packaging or requires a larger suitcase, your traveler may ask for more money.
As the shopper, you have the right to accept or not to accept the item, if the condition of the item is not as agreed upon (wrong color, wrong item, wrong quantity, or if it’s damaged or broken).
Make sure to inspect your order before confirming delivery.
Please note that Elbi is not responsible for damaged items. We encourage travelers to purchase travel insurance that covers damages due to lost luggage, etc.