Buying used gear from a stranger is nerve-wracking. On PSC it isn't. You're not charged until the seller actually ships, sellers who stall are canceled automatically, and there's a real path if something goes wrong.
When you check out on PSC, your card is authorized but not charged. The charge only goes through (and the seller is paid) once the seller marks your order shipped. Payment processing is handled by Stripe and remains subject to Stripe’s rules, card-network rules, bank processing timelines, and PSC’s Terms. That’s 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 have a short window (currently 4 days) to ship after a sale. If a seller doesn’t ship in time, PSC automatically cancels the order, your authorization is released so you’re never charged, and the item goes back up for sale. Sellers add tracking when they mark an order shipped, and PSC can reverse a seller’s payout if an item never arrives.
If an item never arrives, arrives damaged, is materially different from the listing, or the wrong item is sent, open a dispute. The window stays open until 14 days after the order ships, or 7 days after you confirm receipt, whichever comes first. Most disputes resolve directly between you and the seller through a proposed resolution: a full refund, partial refund, return, or no refund. If you can’t agree, PSC may review the available evidence and make a final platform decision under the Dispute Resolution Policy. Because the seller is paid at shipment, a refund in your favor is issued to you and recovered from the seller.
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, you propose a day and the seller confirms it, holding the item for you. We email you a secure checkout link about a day before. Your card is authorized then, but not charged. You inspect the item in person, and the charge only goes through, paying the seller, when you enter a 6-digit code the seller gives you at handoff, so you never pay for something you haven’t seen. If the pickup doesn’t happen, the authorization is released and you’re never charged.
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. Badges are platform indicators based on the information available to PSC when they’re issued, a helpful signal, but a badge does not guarantee a seller’s identity, authority, item quality, shipment, performance, or future conduct, and it is not an endorsement, warranty, or insurance product. PSC may grant, deny, modify, or revoke badges at any time. Every order is protected the same way regardless.
Buyer protection applies only to eligible orders completed and paid through PSC’s checkout. If a seller asks you to pay outside PSC ( Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, PayPal, wire, check, cash, or any other off-platform method) that’s a red flag, and PSC’s buyer-protection and dispute-resolution processes may not apply. Please decline and report the request.