Recover After a Fake Marketplace Purchase
What to do after paying for goods on an online marketplace that turned out to be fraudulent, counterfeit, or that were never delivered.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
First 10 minutes
- Open a dispute or report the seller through the marketplace platform's official resolution centre immediately
- Do not delete any messages, order confirmations, or payment receipts — screenshot everything
- If you paid by credit card or debit card, contact your card provider to report potential fraud
- Check whether the payment was through the platform's protected buyer guarantee or made directly outside it
- Note the seller's username, the listing URL, and all contact details before the listing is removed
First 24 hours
- File a formal dispute through the platform (eBay, Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, etc.) and escalate to a claim if the seller does not respond
- Contact your bank or card provider to begin a chargeback request if payment was made by card
- Report the fraudulent seller to the platform's trust and safety team, not just the order dispute system
Contact your bank or payment provider
- For card payments, request a chargeback citing 'goods not received' or 'item significantly not as described' as appropriate
- For PayPal payments made via Goods and Services, open an official PayPal dispute — do not accept a refund outside the dispute system
- Contact your bank if you paid by bank transfer — report it as an authorised push payment fraud
Evidence to preserve
- Save all screenshots of the original listing, including price, description, and photographs
- Keep all order confirmation emails, tracking information provided, and seller communication
- If counterfeit goods arrived, photograph them clearly alongside the original listing to demonstrate the discrepancy
Secure your accounts and devices
- Change your marketplace account password if you believe your account details may have been phished during the transaction
- Review your marketplace account for any unauthorised purchases or saved address changes
- Be alert to follow-up contact from the seller offering a 'resolution' outside the platform — this is a common secondary scam
Report it
- Report to your national fraud/cybercrime service
- Report to the platform, bank, or provider involved
- Keep any reference numbers you're given
Recovery prospects after a fake marketplace purchase depend heavily on the payment method. Credit card chargebacks and PayPal Buyer Protection offer the strongest protection. Bank transfers for marketplace purchases have the weakest recovery route. Most major platforms have buyer guarantee programmes for transactions completed within the platform — success rates are higher than for off-platform payments.
Report the seller through every available channel: the platform dispute system, the platform's trust and safety team, and your national consumer authority. Reviews and reports help protect other buyers and trigger platform-level investigations.
Frequently asked questions
The seller is offering me a partial refund outside the platform — should I accept it?
No. Accepting a settlement outside the platform's official dispute system often closes your right to escalate the claim within the platform. Keep all resolution attempts within the platform's official process until you have a satisfactory outcome.
I paid by bank transfer directly to the seller — can I get a chargeback?
Bank transfers do not have a standard chargeback mechanism, but you can report it as an authorised push payment (APP) fraud to your bank. In the UK, the Authorised Push Payment Code means banks are increasingly obliged to reimburse victims. Contact your bank immediately and explain the full circumstances.