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When you buy from an online marketplace, the seller’s own rules on refunds and returns often decide whether you get your money back if something goes wrong. Check them before you pay, not after a problem.
This affects anyone who buys new or used goods from marketplaces on social media, in online ads or in search results, especially in the holiday shopping season.
Who helps you depends on the marketplace
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says marketplaces differ. Some leave payments, returns, refunds and delivery entirely to buyers and sellers, so you have to sort out a problem with the seller. Others help, for example with a process for a refund if you do not get what was advertised or never get the item.
Read the site’s policies to see if and how it will help, and check that the protection covers the item or the seller. There may be a short window to return an item or ask for a refund.
Check the seller and the item
The FTC suggests a few steps before you buy:
- Check the seller’s ratings and recent comments from several places. Do not rely on star ratings alone, because some reviews are fake or misleading.
- Make sure the listing has contact information, and get answers to your questions in writing. Keep copies of your messages.
- Review the seller’s terms, shipping fees and return policy.
- Look at the photos. If there are only stock photos, you cannot check the item’s condition or be sure the seller has it.
- Be careful with an expensive item listed for a very low price. The FTC says it might be fake.
How you pay matters
The FTC says to use a safer payment method, such as a credit card, which has legal protections, or a secure online payment system that protects buyers. It warns that scammers often ask for payment in ways that make it hard to get your money back: gift cards, cash reload cards, cryptocurrency and wire transfers.
It also says not to buy from anyone who wants you to pay outside the marketplace’s payment system. If you do, you lose any protection the site offers and probably will not get the item or a refund.
If something goes wrong
Contact the seller right away. If that does not work, contact the marketplace to report the seller. If you paid by credit or debit card, the FTC says you can file a dispute with your card company and withhold payment while it investigates. Dishonest businesses can be reported to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general. Keep track of any deadlines for returns and refunds.
JBizNews Desk | Washington
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