What is the ruling on electronic commercial transactions for a store that displays products it does not own, but rather belong to another website, and markets them, then sends the orders to the original website to ship them to the customer, and the store takes the difference between the product’s price and its cost as profit, with the money being received via an electronic payment intermediary or cash on delivery? And is this considered selling what one does not own or a Salam (forward) sale? What is the ruling on the case of cash on delivery before the sale is completed, and the case of payment by card before the product reaches the buyer?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Here, the ruling depends on the true nature of the transaction between the merchant and the customer:
- If it is a salam (forward) sale contract for a commodity described in terms of its specifications, to be delivered later, in exchange for a price paid immediately, then this is a salam sale, and it has its conditions.
- If the store agrees with the customer to acquire the commodity for him from its owner in exchange for a commission paid by the customer, then there is no harm in that, and the store acts as an agent for the customer in the purchase.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 192790
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy