How do Returns Work for Sellers on Trad Market

Buyers have 7 days from delivery to request a return. After that, the sale is final. All returns fall into one of two categories.

Preference Returns

The buyer changed their mind — the instrument isn't for them. In this case, they get a refund of the item price only. Original shipping and handling are not refunded, and the buyer pays for return shipping. If you generate a return label through Trad Market, that cost is automatically deducted from their refund.

Issue-Based Returns

The item arrived damaged, not as described, or misrepresented. The buyer receives a full refund of everything they paid — item price, shipping, and handling. You're responsible for return shipping, either through Trad Market or any carrier of your choice.

How Refunds Are Collected

When a refund is processed, Trad Market contributes its 7% marketplace fee back toward the refund. The remaining balance is collected from you. If you've already been paid for the sale, we recover the funds in this order:

Transfer reversal — If the funds are still in your Stripe account, we reverse the transfer directly. This is the simplest outcome.
Bank account debit — If you've already transferred to your bank, we debit your connected bank account (available to US and Canadian sellers only).
Card on file — If a bank debit isn't available, we charge your billing card. This will incur additional card processing fees.
Payout hold — If the card charge fails, we hold any future payouts and continue seeking collection until the balance is resolved.

Merchant Fee Coverage on Refunds

When a transaction is refunded, Stripe does not return the original merchant processing fee. This is standard practice across payment processors. Trad Market absorbs that cost for up to 5 refunds per calendar month. Starting with your 6th refund in a month, you're responsible for covering the Stripe merchant fee on that transaction. Both full and partial refunds count, and the counter resets on the first of each month.