If a marketplace seller fails to deliver, sends something materially different from the listing, or ignores your messages, start on the order page. A public review does not open a refund, return, or buyer-protection case. Save the listing and payment records, contact the seller through the platform, then use that platform's formal case or guarantee process. If the case fails, your payment provider may still have a separate dispute route.

These steps are for U.S. consumers. Marketplace policies, card rules, and state laws are not interchangeable. A platform complaint is not a lawsuit, and it is not a guaranteed refund.

What kind of complaint do you need?

The next move depends on the problem:

Problem Main goal First route
Item not received Refund or delivery resolution Marketplace order case
Wrong, damaged, defective, or misrepresented item Return, replacement, or refund Marketplace return or dispute
Suspected counterfeit or unsafe product Refund and seller or listing investigation Marketplace report and order case
Seller harassment or deceptive conduct Platform enforcement Report the seller or listing
Unauthorized payment or account takeover Stop further loss Card issuer, bank, or payment provider immediately

You may need more than one path. A misconduct report can flag a seller without asking for your money back. A card dispute can seek payment recovery without forcing the platform to remove anyone.

The Federal Trade Commission's guidance on buying from an online marketplace warns that some marketplace operators leave payment, delivery, returns, and refunds to the buyer and seller. Don't assume the website will mediate on its own.

How to file a marketplace seller complaint

1. Preserve evidence before contacting the seller

Listings, usernames, and chat threads can change or disappear. Keep copies outside the marketplace account:

Original photos help more than recrops. Screenshots should show dates or other identifying details.

For later purchases, the FTC recommends checking seller contact information, reading the full description, looking for photos of the actual item, and reading reviews from more than one source. A high rating does not resolve a dispute.

2. Check the order's deadlines and eligibility

Open the order details and note the return, refund, dispute, or buyer-protection deadline shown there. That date usually matters more than a generic help article.

Coverage is not automatic. Common exclusions include some product categories, local pickup, customized goods, digital items, buyer-caused damage, and payments made off the platform. Write the deadline down before you message the seller so a back-and-forth does not eat a separate card-dispute window.

3. Contact the seller through the platform

Send one factual note through the marketplace's order-help or messaging tool. Include the order number and purchase date, what the listing promised, what arrived or failed to arrive, the remedy you want, and any response date the platform imposes.

A usable message looks like this:

Order number: [number]
I placed this order on [date]. The listing stated [specific fact]. The problem is [non-delivery, damage, wrong item, or other issue]. I have attached [photos, tracking, or screenshots]. I am requesting [a full refund, a replacement, or return instructions]. Please respond through this platform.

Don't threaten the seller, pad the facts, or move the chat to a private channel unless the platform tells you to. Reviewers can work with a record that stayed on the order.

4. Open the platform's formal case

If the seller does not fix it, use the order page to open the official case, return, refund, or buyer-protection request. Pick the most accurate reason. An item that arrived but does not match the description should not be filed only as "item not received."

Upload concise evidence and state the outcome you want. The reviewer needs to match your documents to that order, not wade through unrelated messages.

Don't close a case because the seller promised a refund. Wait until the money posts or the replacement arrives and you have checked it. If you have to send the item back, use the label and address on the case page, keep the shipping receipt, and save tracking until the matter is finished.

5. Report separate misconduct

Use the seller, listing, or product-report tool for suspected counterfeits, copied or misleading listings, requests to pay off-platform, threats or abusive messages, repeated non-delivery or refund games, and products that may present a safety risk.

A report may trigger an investigation or account action. It is not a promise of a refund, so file the order dispute separately if you want your money back.

Platform-specific complaint steps

Amazon Marketplace

Open the affected purchase from your orders and use the problem, return, or refund option shown for that item. Message the seller inside Amazon so the thread stays attached to the order.

If that does not resolve it, contact Amazon customer support and look for an A-to-z Guarantee claim when the order offers one. A-to-z is Amazon policy, not a general legal right. Eligibility can depend on the transaction, seller, issue, and the policy in force when you file.

Include the order number, delivery estimate and tracking history, the listing language that was not met, photos of damage or a material difference, your earlier request to the seller, and the refund or return you want. Amazon's claim windows and instructions can change, so follow the deadline in your account rather than a remembered timetable.

eBay

For a missing order, go to Purchase History and choose the item-not-received option. For a wrong, damaged, defective, or materially misrepresented item, use the return or "not as described" process instead.

The eBay Money Back Guarantee policy covers many purchases and lists exclusions. For item not received, it says a buyer can report the problem within 30 calendar days after the estimated or actual delivery or collection date has passed. If eBay decides the transaction issue, the policy allows an appeal within 30 calendar days of that decision.

Follow the return instructions on the case. Don't ship to an address that appeared only in an informal message if the case page says otherwise.

Etsy

From Purchases, send the seller a Help with order request. Etsy's instructions for opening a case say 48 hours must pass after that request before a case can be opened, along with other eligibility conditions.

Eligibility can vary by order, location, currency settings, and other criteria. The same help page says refunds processed by Etsy must take place within 180 days of the transaction. Use the case option on your order rather than a remembered cutoff.

If the item does not match the listing, describe the difference precisely and attach side-by-side photos of the listing and what you received. Etsy also publishes Purchase Protection information for sellers. That program name is not an automatic buyer refund on every Etsy order.

AliExpress, Temu, Shein, and similar platforms

Open the order and use the refund, return, or dispute button. These sites often show a countdown on that order. Screenshot the deadline before you submit.

Keep the dispute inside the platform, attach photos and tracking, and leave it open after an informal seller promise. If the seller rejects the request, use the escalation or mediation option if one appears.

On an international order, the seller's location can affect delivery, returns, customs charges, and whether a decision is easy to enforce. Don't assume U.S. consumer remedies apply the same way to an overseas seller.

Shopify stores and Facebook Marketplace

A Shopify-powered checkout may belong to an independent merchant, not a marketplace seller. Use the store's receipt, order email, or contact page first. If there is no useful response, ask your payment provider about its dispute process.

On Facebook Marketplace, report the listing or seller through Facebook and save the message history. If you paid outside Facebook checkout or used cash, a platform refund may not be available. Contact the payment provider right away if the seller asked for a wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency, or another hard-to-reverse payment.

What to do for common seller problems

The order never arrived

Check the delivery estimate, shipping address, and tracking. Once the promised date has passed, contact the seller and open the item-not-received case before its deadline.

If tracking says "delivered" and you don't have the package, review the carrier's delivery notes and likely drop-off spots, then tell both the carrier and the marketplace that tracking conflicts with what you received. Don't restate the facts to fit a different case category.

The item is damaged or not as described

Photograph it before you use, repair, clean, or throw it away. Include packaging if it shows shipping damage. Compare what arrived with the listing's description, measurements, model, color, and condition.

Ask for the remedy the platform allows. If a return is required, use that platform's label or instructions and keep proof of shipment.

You suspect a counterfeit

Describe the warning signs instead of accusing the seller of a crime unless you have reliable proof. Inconsistent serial numbers, missing authentication details, incorrect packaging, or a product that differs from the brand's specifications are the kinds of facts a reviewer can check.

Stop using a product that may be unsafe. Save the listing, packaging, photos, and purchase record, then report the listing and open the matching refund or return case. Don't mail the item to an address supplied outside the official process.

The seller asks for payment outside the platform

Don't send another payment to "unlock" a refund, release a shipment, or cover a supposed insurance charge. Save the request and report it. If you already paid off-platform, contact your bank, card issuer, or payment provider immediately. Recovery depends heavily on the payment method.

Escalating a complaint to the payment provider

A platform refund and a payment dispute are different processes. The marketplace decides whether its policy applies. The card issuer or payment provider decides whether its own dispute rules apply.

Credit card purchases

If the problem may qualify as a credit-card billing error, review the FTC's guidance on disputing credit-card charges. The FTC says the issuer must receive a written dispute within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent. Keep a copy and proof of delivery.

The issuer generally must acknowledge the complaint within 30 days unless it has already resolved the issue, and resolve the dispute within 90 days. Those federal billing-error steps are not the same as a card network's voluntary chargeback process. Ask the issuer which process fits and where to send the documents.

Don't wait on a seller or marketplace reply if that wait could blow the issuer's deadline. Tell the issuer you already contacted the seller and marketplace, and provide the order record, correspondence, tracking, photos, and case decision.

Debit cards, prepaid cards, PayPal, and bank transfers

Deadlines and protections differ for debit, prepaid, peer-to-peer, and bank payments. Contact the provider promptly and ask about its specific dispute process. If you used PayPal, follow the transaction-dispute procedure in PayPal's current terms. If a card funded the PayPal payment, ask how a PayPal dispute and a card dispute interact before filing both.

Wire transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency, and some peer-to-peer payments can be difficult to reverse. Never pay a second fee to someone who promises to recover the first payment.

Tell each provider about any other open case, and don't accept duplicate recovery for the same loss.

What a platform complaint can and cannot do

A platform complaint can apply that site's return or buyer-protection policy, request a refund, replacement, or return, create a record of seller conduct, and trigger review of a listing or account.

It cannot automatically prove that a seller meant to defraud you, override a payment provider's deadline, guarantee a refund on an excluded transaction, make an overseas seller easy to sue or collect from, or replace a report to law enforcement when you suspect a crime.

A seller's "no refunds" line does not settle whether the platform's policy or applicable law gives you another route. At the same time, a marketplace is not always the legal seller and may not stand behind every seller promise. The answer depends on the transaction, the policy, the payment method, and the law that applies.

Keep a simple complaint timeline

Record the order date and promised delivery date, the day you found the problem, when you contacted the seller, when you opened the platform case, the platform's response and decision dates, return shipment and delivery dates, and the day you contacted your card issuer or payment provider. Those dates make a missed window obvious and give the payment provider a clean account.

Common questions

Does leaving a negative review file a complaint?

No. A review may warn other shoppers, but it usually does not open a refund, return, or buyer-protection case. Use the order-help or resolution tool first.

What if the seller never responds?

Open the marketplace case as soon as the order is eligible. Attach the message history and ask the platform for a decision. If the platform declines or cannot help, contact the payment provider before its deadline.

Should I file a chargeback immediately?

Contact the card issuer or payment provider promptly if the charge may be unauthorized or the deadline is tight. For a possible credit-card billing error, don't let seller talks cause you to miss the FTC's 60-day written-notice period. Ask the issuer which dispute process applies.

Can I report a seller for suspected fraud?

Yes. Report the seller or listing through the platform, keep the evidence, and open an order or payment dispute for the money. If the conduct appears criminal, consider reporting it to local law enforcement as well. A report does not guarantee recovery.

Open the order now, capture the listing and the deadline shown on it, and send a short factual request through the platform's official messaging tool. That record is what you'll need if the complaint has to move to a formal case or a payment dispute.

Sources and policy pages