Buying used gear from a stranger is nerve-wracking. On PSC it isn't — your payment is held until you actually have your gear, and there's a real path if something goes wrong.
When you pay, your funds are held securely through Stripe — they are notreleased to the seller at checkout. The seller only gets paid after the order is fulfilled and you’ve received the item. This is the core difference between PSC and paying a stranger over Facebook, Venmo, or Zelle, where your money is gone the moment you send it.
Sellers must mark an order shipped with a real tracking number, which notifies you automatically. Funds are never released on a shipped order until the protection window below has run — so a seller can’t take your money and disappear.
Once your gear arrives, you confirm receipt and the seller is paid. If you don’t confirm, funds auto-release 7 days after shipment — but you get a reminder on day 6, and you can open a dispute any time before release if there’s a problem.
If an item never arrives, shows up damaged, or isn’t as described, open a dispute within 7 days of the shipped date. Most cases resolve directly between you and the seller through a proposed resolution (full refund, partial refund, or return); PSC steps in to decide if you can’t agree, and your funds stay held the whole time. Full details are in the Dispute Resolution Policy.
When a seller offers returns, you’ll see a return window on the listing and can request a no-fault return within it. Approved returns are refunded once the seller confirms they have the item back (a restocking fee may apply, capped at 20%). Items marked final sale can’t be returned, which is always shown up front.
For heavy gear bought as local pickup, your payment is still held. You inspect the item in person and only release the funds by entering a 6-digit code the seller gives you at handoff — so you never pay for something you haven’t seen.
Sellers tied to recognized circuits (DCI, WGI, BOA) carry a Verifiedbadge in their circuit’s color, and strong-track-record sellers earn a Trusted Seller badge. They’re a quick signal of who you’re dealing with, though every order is protected the same way regardless.
Protection only applies to orders paid through PSC. If a seller asks you to pay off-platform (cash app, wire, “just Venmo me”), that’s a red flag and none of the above applies — please decline and report it.