Buying Clothes Online in Abidjan: Tobeh Shares His Difficult Journey

Buying clothes online in Abidjan was supposed to be a simple process for Tobeh: finding a few T-shirts to vary the outfits he wears in his videos. In his account, however, the search turns into a complicated journey involving unanswered messages, hard-to-check availability, sales organised in WhatsApp groups and, finally, a prepaid order that he says he did not receive.

The video is not an investigation into the entire e-commerce sector in Côte d’Ivoire. Above all, it recounts a personal experience, in its creator’s direct and humorous tone, from his initial searches to his final decision to go and buy his clothes in person.

The need to refresh his T-shirt collection

Tobeh explains that clothes are not a particular interest of his. However, because he regularly posts on TikTok and YouTube, he notices that he often wears the same outfits from one video to the next. Comments about his style and the lack of T-shirts in his wardrobe then prompt him to look for new items.

His initial goal is deliberately modest: to buy T-shirts, particularly to add more variety to his on-screen appearances. He says he likes plain designs, but discovers that finding and ordering them online requires more effort than he expected.

He also mentions a habit he developed while outside Côte d’Ivoire: going to a shop, looking at the items, taking time to compare them and possibly taking advantage of sales. In Abidjan, he mentions the markets of Yopougon and Marcory as places he previously visited with relatives who knew the sellers and the best places to go.

This time, he does not want to ask his older sisters to accompany him. He therefore chooses what he sees as a quicker solution: looking for sellers on TikTok.

A first order of plain T-shirts, satisfactory but poorly suited to the heat

Before the main difficulties recounted in the video, Tobeh says that he ordered three plain T-shirts from a seller named Hidalo. He says he is satisfied with their appearance, while pointing out one drawback in his view: the T-shirts are particularly heavy.

He explains that he had been looking for a thick fabric, but later feels that this choice is poorly suited to his daily life because he says he sweats easily. He therefore saves these T-shirts for times when the temperature is lower.

This first experience shows that the issue is not only about being able to pay or have an item delivered. For him, buying clothes online also means judging a fabric, fit and comfort without being able to touch or try on the product before ordering.

On TikTok, exchanges he considers difficult

During his searches, Tobeh frequently comes across sellers offering bundles of T-shirts, often with logos or patterns. He gets the impression that many operate on volume, with new arrivals and stock changing quickly.

His main criticism concerns the difficulty of getting answers. He says he sent several messages without receiving a reply, or received replies at times he considers limited. He also expresses confusion about sellers who, in his experience, do not directly display the prices of their items in their TikTok posts.

For Tobeh, the absence of prices forces customers to use private messages or WhatsApp for basic information. He believes this creates unnecessary exchanges, both for the interested person and for the seller. He links this step to what he calls closing a sale: in his view, displaying a price would allow people who contact the seller to be better informed about their intention to buy.

He also describes a system based on WhatsApp groups. In his account, buyers have to wait for new stock to be presented, then follow the posts in order to choose the available items. He finds this arrangement restrictive, especially when the presentations take place in the evening. He says he does not want to stay connected late to follow a T-shirt sale in real time.

The attempt to use TikTok Lives

Faced with unanswered messages, Tobeh looks for another solution: joining a TikTok Live dedicated to selling T-shirts. He hopes this will allow him to see the products and buy more directly.

After an unsuccessful first search, he eventually finds a live stream. But, according to his account, the seller announces that she is going to end the broadcast almost immediately. He tries to ask whether the items being shown are indeed T-shirts, without having enough time to continue the exchange before the live stream ends.

He therefore finds himself once again without any products ordered and continues searching on the platform.

A bundle offer of 12 T-shirts for 22,000 CFA francs that goes wrong, according to his account

Tobeh then says that he discovered on TikTok an offer for 12 T-shirts at 22,000 CFA francs, posted by a shop he refers to as “Cad Store.” The quality visible in the video seems acceptable to him and he finds the price attractive.

He gets in touch via WhatsApp. He points out that the response comes quickly, which contrasts with his previous attempts. Tired of searching and wanting to avoid lengthy selections, he explains that he asked the seller to choose the T-shirts herself, specifying only that he wanted at least one black design and one brown design.

The issue of payment before delivery then arises. Tobeh says he hesitated when the seller asked him to pay the full amount in advance. He says he discussed it with his mother, who reportedly explained to him that this type of payment was used by online sellers to limit the risks they themselves may face.

According to his account, a partial payment option was also offered to him. He ultimately chooses to pay the full stated amount. He says he first sent the money to the wrong number before asking Wave to recover the funds, then made the payment to the number he had been given.

No delivery and blocks reported by the video creator

After making the payment, Tobeh says he waited for his order. One day passes, then a second, without delivery, according to him. When he tries to contact the seller again to ask for information, he says he was blocked on WhatsApp and then on TikTok.

He says he contacted Wave customer service in an attempt to recover the money he sent. According to what he reports in the video, the service told him that the funds could no longer be recovered because they had already been withdrawn from the recipient’s account. He says he wanted to record the exchange, but did not have the corresponding audio.

These elements are based exclusively on his testimony in the video. The transcript contains no response from the shop mentioned, nor any element that would independently establish the circumstances of the transaction or the lack of delivery.

The conclusion: returning to in-person shopping

After several weeks of online searches, Tobeh concludes his account with a simple decision: he gets up and goes to Yopougon to buy his T-shirts directly. For him, this experience made the in-person option more obvious, despite his initial wish to save time through social media.

His video mainly highlights the limitations he encountered as a buyer: incomplete information, uncertain availability, difficult exchanges and the need to trust someone remotely. It also shows that, in his particular case, the expected convenience of online shopping did not materialise.

FAQ

Why did Tobeh want to buy clothes online?

He mainly wanted to buy more T-shirts to vary the outfits he wears in his TikTok and YouTube content, without having to visit markets or shops.

What problem did he encounter with sellers on TikTok?

He says that many sellers did not reply to his messages, did not display their prices or organised stock presentations in WhatsApp groups at times that did not suit him.

Was the order of 12 T-shirts delivered?

According to Tobeh’s testimony, no. After paying 22,000 CFA francs in advance, he says he did not receive the order and was then blocked when he tried to follow up with the seller. The video does not present the account of the shop concerned.