Is it permissible to sell products by marketing them online, then sending a representative to the factory to pay for the item and deliver it to the customer, on the condition that the representative collects the price and shipping cost from the customer, deducts them, and remits the remainder to the store as profit, knowing that the representative acts as an agent for the store in purchasing and delivery, and the store bears the price of the item and shipping cost if the customer refuses to accept delivery due to the factory having no return policy? If this method is not permissible, then what is the halal (permissible) method for e-marketing and delivering goods directly from the factory to the customer?

This transaction can take several forms:

1. Selling the commodity before taking possession: The representative buys the commodity as your agent and pays its price to the factory from his own money. This is impermissible as it combines a loan with an agency for a fee. The solution is for you to give the money to the representative to pay the factory, or to agree with the factory to defer the payment until the commodity is sold. As for your profit from the factory, there is no justification for it unless you are its agent.

2. Agency for the factory: You agree with the factory to sell its products for a known consideration. The representative then takes the commodity from the factory, sells it to the customer, and delivers the price to the factory, which then sends you your fee, and you pay the representative's fee. In this case, the commodity returns to the factory if the customer does not buy it.

3. Other methods: There are other contractual methods with the customer, such as Salam (forward sale), or acting as an agent for the customer in obtaining the commodity. Care must be taken to avoid the representative paying the price from his own money.