How Cycad Central works

Every buyer, seller and expert starts with a verified account.

1. Click Join in the top bar and register with your full name, email and WhatsApp number in international format (for example +27821234567).
2. Open the confirmation email and click the link to verify your address.
3. Complete the onboarding wizard: contact and address, seller or company details, permits, and banking details for payouts.
4. Banking details are encrypted and can only be seen by you and platform admins. A 24 hour hold applies after any change.

Selling and bidding stay locked until onboarding is complete.

A listing is the permanent record of the plant, and it keeps its number for life.

1. Go to List a plant and choose the species, or mark it as unknown if you want an expert to confirm it.
2. Add clear photos: whole plant, caudex, crown, leaflets and any damage. First photo becomes the cover image.
3. Fill in measurements (overall height, caudex height and diameter), sex, origin, age and condition.
4. Write an honest description including provenance and history.
5. Upload your permit: nurseries attach the selling permit, private sellers attach the possession permit or declare that none is available.
6. Set your price and sale type (fixed price, open to offers, or auction), plus province, city and handover method.
7. Submit. Your plant gets a permanent number in the form CC-XXXXX and appears under My listings.

Verification is optional, but verified plants sell faster and at better prices.

1. On the listing, tick Request verification, or open the listing from My listings and request it afterwards.
2. Independent experts with no stake in the sale review your photos, measurements and provenance.
3. The expert records a decision plus a confidence score from 1 to 100 and a short reason for that score.
4. If more information is needed you receive a request in your inbox — add the photos or details asked for.
5. Once verified, a Cycad Certificate is issued with a registered certificate number and stored permanently in the registry.

The verification fee is settled from the sale proceeds.

Any active listing can be pushed to a timed 24 or 48 hour auction.

1. Open My listings and click Send to auction on the plant you want to auction.
2. Choose the duration (24 or 48 hours), the starting price and the minimum bid increment.
3. Optionally set a reserve price and decide whether the reserve is hidden or shown to bidders.
4. Confirm — bidding opens immediately and the countdown appears under Auctions currently running.
5. A bid placed in the final moments extends the auction slightly (anti-sniping) up to the allowed number of extensions.
6. At close, the highest bid above the reserve wins. Buyer and seller are notified and an order is created automatically.
7. If the reserve is not met you can send a second chance offer to the top bidder.

Browse, ask questions, then buy at a fixed price, make an offer, or bid.

1. Use Market or Browse to filter by species, province, price and verification status.
2. On the listing, use the public Q&A to ask the seller a question, or send a private message.
3. Buy now at the asking price, or make an offer the seller can accept or decline.
4. In an auction, place a bid, or set a maximum bid and let proxy bidding raise it for you up to your limit.
5. You are notified when you are outbid, when the auction is ending soon, and when you win.

Funds are held until the plant is safely in the buyer's hands.

1. The buyer pays the full amount, which is held in escrow — not paid straight to the seller.
2. The seller confirms the sale and arranges collection or courier per the handover method.
3. The buyer confirms collection, which starts a short review window.
4. After the review window closes, the seller's net proceeds are released and the expert fee is paid out.
5. If something is wrong, either party can raise a dispute on the order and admins review before any release.

Ratings, certificates and records stay with the plant.

1. The buyer rates the seller once the order reaches completed status — ratings are always tied to a real reference number.
2. Ownership transfers are recorded against the certificate, so the plant's history follows it.
3. Sold or removed plants are archived with all photos and details, and the certificate page stays viewable.
4. Abusive ratings can be reported and are reviewed by admins.