Basatne’s Cartlow Shakes Up GCC Retail with Flat-Fee, Eco-Friendly Model

Editorial Team

Last updated 25-11-2025

3 min

Basatne's Cartlow introduces a subscription-based model to support smaller sellers in the GCC.

The platform facilitates product lifecycle management, potentially reducing 300,000 tonnes of e-waste annually.

By cutting commission fees, more revenue could be retained by sellers who may offer better prices.

Cartlow forms a key part of Basatne's global plans, focusing on sustainability and circular economy goals.

The success of the subscription model hinges on its adoption by sellers in the region.

Basatne has started to make waves in the GCC’s retail world with a new subscription-based model launched through its consumer platform, Cartlow. Instead of the usual commission-heavy system many sellers quietly grumble about, the company is rolling out a flat-fee structure that aims to make buying and selling refurbished, pre-loved and even brand-new items a bit less of a faff. I reckon this shift could be spot on for smaller sellers who often struggle with margins in a market projected to hit USD 390 billion across the region.

What caught my eye is how Cartlow is positioning itself as more than just another marketplace. Built on Basatne’s own tech, the platform links consumers with businesses, wholesalers and resellers, and supports the whole lifecycle of a product — from trade-in to repair to refurbishment and resale. On the flip side, this isn’t only about convenience; the company says its ecosystem could help stop over 300,000 tonnes of e-waste ending up in landfill each year. That’s no small thing when you remember how quickly electronics pile up in our region.

Mohammad Sleiman, CEO of Basatne MENA, put it simply in one statement: “Our goal is to make sustainability scalable, not just aspirational.” And believe it or not, the subscription model might actually help with that. By removing high commission fees — which can reach 20% elsewhere — sellers get to keep more of their revenue, and in theory pass better prices on to customers. It’s a win-win, at least on paper… well, I mean, as long as adoption goes smoothly.

Basatne Group is also tying this move into its wider global plans. The company has evolved from a family business into a broader ecosystem touching everything from electronics distribution and global trading to AI-driven diagnostics and fintech tools. If you’ve followed startup stories on Arageek, you’ll know we’ve seen a fair few companies talk about circular economy ambitions, but not all of them manage to back it up with the sort of infrastructure Basatne says it has. I’m not a fan of hype for hype’s sake, yet the integrated setup here does feel genuinely interesting.

Cartlow now sits at the heart of Basatne’s consumer-facing operations, and the company is positioning it as a step toward a more inclusive and environmentally responsible retail future in the GCC. Whether the subscription-first approach catches on across the region remains to be seen, but sellers looking for a fairer model may be chuffed to bits with the idea.

And as someone who’s spent years chatting with founders across the MENA region, I’ve seen how a small tweak in cost structure can sometimes change the whole game. This might be one of those moments — or it might fizzle out if sellers aren’t convinced. But for now, it’s definately one to watch.

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