If an online order may be counterfeit, stop using it, keep the item and packaging, and open a written case from the order page. Describe what the listing promised, what arrived, and the specific facts that show the mismatch. Ask for a full refund and written instructions for any return.

Don't wait for the marketplace process to end before checking your payment method. A marketplace return window and a credit-card dispute deadline are separate clocks. This guidance is for U.S. consumers; EU withdrawal periods and UK Section 75 rules are not deadlines for a U.S. purchase.

Before you request the refund

Put the item aside

Don't use a potentially fake charger, cosmetic, medicine, food product, child-safety item, auto part, or anything else that could cause harm. Keep it somewhere safe. Don't resell it, give it away, destroy it, or mail it back until the seller or platform gives you return instructions.

If the product caused an injury or property damage, preserve the item and its packaging. Keep photographs, medical records, and repair invoices with the rest of your refund evidence.

Save the evidence

Listings and seller accounts can change or disappear. Create a folder containing:

• Order number, seller name, purchase date, price, and payment method
• Screenshots of the listing, brand claims, product description, seller profile, and delivery information
• Photos of the item, labels, logos, serial numbers, stitching, materials, packaging, and shipping label
• A short video showing a defect or failure to work, when it is safe to make one
• Messages with the seller, including promises about a refund
• A written statement from the brand or a reputable authenticator, if one is reasonably available

Describe things you can observe rather than relying only on the low price or a hunch. An invalid serial number, incorrect logo, unfamiliar packaging, missing safety marking, or nonexistent model number is more useful than saying the item "looks fake."

A brand assessment can strengthen a claim, but you may not need to pay an unfamiliar online service for a certificate. First check whether the marketplace or card issuer actually requires professional authentication.

Choose the most accurate refund reason

Select the closest truthful option in the order or payment system:

• Counterfeit or inauthentic if the item was sold as genuine but appears to be fake
• Not as described if the listing promised a genuine brand, model, material, or feature that the item doesn't have
• Wrong item if the package contains a different product
• Damaged or unsafe if the item arrived broken or presents a safety concern

Don't call an authorized purchase an unauthorized transaction just because the product is counterfeit. Tell the marketplace or issuer that you authorized the payment but received merchandise that appears counterfeit or materially not as described. Use the unauthorized-transaction process only when you didn't make or approve the purchase.

A genuine gray-market product, used item, or product with a warranty limitation isn't automatically counterfeit. The claim is strongest when the listing represented the item as genuine and your evidence shows otherwise.

Check every deadline

No single U.S. deadline covers every counterfeit-product refund. The order policy, payment provider, and applicable law may each use a different clock.

One window doesn't extend another. File the marketplace claim now, then contact the payment provider if the marketplace denies the claim, demands an unreasonable return, or has not resolved the matter before the payment deadline.

Marketplace refund steps

Amazon

Open the order and use the problem or customer-service option attached to the purchase. Choose the closest accurate reason, such as counterfeit, inauthentic, or not as described. Attach the listing screenshot, photos of the item and packaging, and a short explanation of the discrepancy.

If the order page offers an A-to-Z Guarantee claim, follow that process before the displayed deadline. Reporting the seller or listing separately may help Amazon investigate, but it doesn't replace the refund claim.

If Amazon requests a return:

1. Photograph the item, serial number, and package contents before packing it.
2. Follow the label and instructions supplied in the case.
3. Keep the drop-off receipt and tracking number.
4. Upload delivery confirmation to the case.
5. Don't close the case merely because the seller promises to refund you later.

eBay

From Purchase History, report the transaction and choose the reason that fits, usually an item that is not as described or inauthentic. Upload your evidence before sending the item back.

Read the eBay Money Back Guarantee policy for the date that applies to your order. The policy also says that a buyer or seller may appeal an eBay decision within 30 calendar days of that decision.

Keep the conversation in eBay. If the seller sends you to another website, offers a refund outside eBay, or asks you to close the case first, don't do it unless the refund has arrived and you've verified it.

AliExpress

Open the order details and use the current dispute or Return and Refund route. Select counterfeit, inauthentic, or not as described when available. Attach photos, listing screenshots, messages, and any brand assessment.

The deadline shown in the order controls the case. Don't rely on older guides that quote a universal 15-day period; available options can vary by order, seller, product, and location.

Keep the dispute open while it is being reviewed. Accept a partial refund only if it genuinely resolves the problem. Closing the dispute can make it harder to pursue the remaining amount.

Temu

Open the order in the app or website, choose Return or Refund, select the reason, and upload the evidence. Explain exactly how the product differs from the listing. For a suspected counterfeit, ask support in writing whether it wants the item returned or held.

Temu's Return and Refund Policy describes a voluntary return policy of up to 90 days from purchase for eligible items. The policy has conditions and exclusions. It also says a refund may be withheld until Temu receives the returned item or you show proof that it was sent, whichever happens first.

Don't assume the 90-day period applies to every product or claim. Check the order screen and the instructions for your account. If mailing the product could be unsafe, ask for written instructions before returning it.

Walmart Marketplace, Etsy, Shopify, Best Buy, Target, and Shein

Start with the order's return or help function and identify who sold the product:

• Walmart Marketplace: Check whether Walmart or an outside seller is listed as the merchant. Open the order case and contact Walmart support if the seller doesn't resolve it.
• Etsy: Message the shop through Etsy. If the shop doesn't provide an adequate solution, use Etsy's case or support process.
• Shopify: Shopify is an e-commerce platform, not one central marketplace. The individual store controls its merchant refund policy, so contact that store and then the payment provider if necessary.
• Best Buy, Target, and Shein: Follow the current return or order-support process shown for the transaction. A third-party marketplace order may have different terms from a product sold directly by the retailer.

Never send money, passwords, one-time codes, or a full card number to someone claiming to be a refund agent. Keep communications inside the platform when you can.

Escalate through the payment method

A platform case is usually the clearest first step, but it isn't the only one. Give the payment provider the marketplace case number and explain whether the platform offered a refund, demanded a return, or denied the claim.

Credit card: use the written billing-error process

Tell the issuer that you authorized the transaction but the merchandise was counterfeit or materially not as described. Ask which dispute category applies. Don't describe it as fraud or an unauthorized charge when you made the purchase yourself.

If the issuer treats the matter as a covered billing error, the FTC's guidance on disputing credit-card charges says to:

1. Send a written dispute so it reaches the issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent.
2. Use the billing-dispute or billing-inquiries address on the statement, not necessarily the address used for payments.
3. Identify the transaction, amount, date, seller, and reason for the dispute.
4. Include copies of the listing, order record, photographs, seller messages, platform decision, and return tracking. Keep the originals.
5. State that the goods were represented as genuine but appear counterfeit or were materially not as described.
6. Continue paying all undisputed charges and follow the issuer's instructions.

The FTC's billing-error guidance says the issuer generally must acknowledge a written dispute within 30 days unless it resolves the issue sooner, then resolve it within two billing cycles and no more than 90 days. During the investigation, you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges, but you still need to pay the rest of the account.

Card-network chargeback procedures can have different requirements. File promptly even while the marketplace is reviewing the case, and tell the issuer about any refund or credit. Don't seek or keep two refunds for the same transaction.

PayPal

Open the dispute from the transaction inside PayPal, not through a link in an unsolicited email. Choose the closest accurate reason, such as an item not as described, and upload the evidence used with the marketplace.

PayPal's current terms and the deadline displayed for the transaction control the dispute. Don't close the case because a seller says payment is on the way. If the PayPal payment was funded by a credit card, ask PayPal and the card issuer how their processes interact before pursuing both.

Debit, prepaid, and buy-now-pay-later payments

Contact the bank, card issuer, or financing provider immediately and ask to open a merchandise dispute. Send the order record, seller communications, photographs, and marketplace decision.

The federal written billing-error process for credit cards doesn't automatically apply in the same way to debit or prepaid transactions. A bank or card network may use different rules and deadlines, so don't assume a debit-card dispute has the same 60-day procedure or protections.

For a buy-now-pay-later order, contact the financing provider before the next installment is due. Ask how a merchant dispute affects the plan; don't simply stop scheduled payments without understanding the provider's process.

Wire transfers and peer-to-peer payments

Call the bank or payment app's fraud or payment-support department immediately and request a recall or dispute if one is available. Recovery is less certain when you authorized the transfer, particularly after the recipient has withdrawn the funds. Save the recipient details, transfer confirmation, messages, and listing.

If the refund is denied

Keep the escalation short and documented:

1. Ask for the reason in writing. Request the policy provision or missing evidence that led to the denial.
2. Send a timeline. Include the order date, delivery date, date you reported the problem, seller response, and attached evidence.
3. Appeal through the platform. Use the account's formal appeal route and save the confirmation number.
4. Contact the payment provider. Include the platform decision, but describe the facts independently. A marketplace denial doesn't decide what the issuer or bank will do.
5. Report deceptive conduct. Follow the FTC complaint instructions. An FTC report can help enforcement, but it doesn't automatically produce a refund for your purchase.
6. Tell the brand about the listing. The brand may confirm that the product isn't genuine and advise you how to handle it.
7. Consider local help for a large loss. Options may include your state attorney general, local consumer-protection office, legal-aid service, or small-claims process. Check the seller's contract for arbitration or venue terms before filing.

The FTC's refund programs relate to particular enforcement cases and settlements. They aren't a general application for every counterfeit purchase.

Refund message template

I authorized order [order number] on [date]. The listing represented the product as [brand and model], but I received an item that appears counterfeit or materially not as described. The specific discrepancies are [list facts]. I have attached the listing, order record, photographs, packaging, and any authentication evidence. Please issue a full refund and provide written instructions for returning or safely handling the item. I will keep the item and packaging until I receive those instructions.

Keep the message factual. Don't include your full card number, account password, or one-time verification code.

Frequently asked questions

Can I request a refund after the marketplace window closes?

You can still submit a case and explain the delay, but approval is less certain. Contact the payment provider immediately; its deadline may be separate from the marketplace's.

Do I need an authentication certificate?

Not always. Clear photographs, the original listing, a serial-number check, and a written brand assessment may be enough. The platform or payment provider decides what evidence it needs.

Will the FTC get my money back?

Usually not through an individual complaint. The FTC uses reports to investigate patterns and lists refunds connected to specific cases. The marketplace and payment provider are normally the direct refund routes.

Should I return a counterfeit item?

Return it only under instructions from the marketplace, seller, or payment provider. If a return is required, photograph the contents before sealing the package, use tracked shipping, and keep the receipt and delivery proof.

Open the order case today, save its case number, and write down both the marketplace deadline and the payment-dispute deadline shown by your provider.