Buyer & Seller Protection

How MerkatoHQ's escrow, disputes, and refund handling protect both sides of a transaction.

MerkatoHQ is built so both sides of a deal are protected without having to trust each other. This policy explains how that protection works and its limits. It’s part of our Terms of Service.

How buyers are protected

• Your money is held in escrow. At checkout, your payment is held — not sent to the seller — until you confirm receipt or a dispute is resolved. How escrow works →
• No automatic release. We never release your payment on a timer. If an item never arrives, doing nothing keeps your money protected.
• Disputes with a human reviewer. If an item doesn’t arrive or isn’t as described, open a dispute and our team reviews it before any funds move.

To stay protected, you must:

• Pay and communicate only through MerkatoHQ.
• Not confirm receipt until you have the item and it’s as described.
• Open a dispute promptly, with evidence, when something’s wrong.

How sellers are protected

• Buyers pay up front. Funds are captured into escrow before you ship, so you’re not shipping to an empty promise.
• Confirmation releases payment. Once the buyer confirms — or a dispute resolves in your favour — the funds are yours, paid out to your bank.
• A fair dispute process. You can present your side, including proof of delivery and that the item matched its description.

To stay protected, you must:

• Describe items honestly and accurately — “as described” is the standard disputes are judged against.
• Ship promptly and keep proof of delivery.
• Keep all dealing on-platform.

Disputes and refunds

When a dispute is opened, escrowed funds stay held until it’s resolved. Our team reviews the order, the listing, and evidence from both sides, then directs the funds:

• Item not received or not as described (seller/platform at fault): the buyer is refunded.
• Buyer change-of-mind: the item price may be refundable, but the processing surcharge may not be, since that cost was already incurred.

The exact outcome depends on the facts and is confirmed as part of resolving the dispute. See Refunds & disputes for the step-by-step.

What protection does not cover

• Off-platform payments or communication — these have no protection whatsoever.
• Confirmed orders — confirming receipt signals the deal is done and releases payment, so treat it as final.
• Prohibited or illegal items — trading these is against the Terms and outside this policy.
• Buyer’s remorse where the item genuinely matched its description.