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.

Defect 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

If you've already been paid for a sale that gets returned, 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. Note that this may 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.

To avoid extra fees, we recommend keeping your Stripe balance in place until the 7-day return window has closed, especially for international sellers who don't have bank debit as a fallback.

Monthly Refund Threshold

Your first 5 refunds each month are fully covered — Trad Market refunds our 7% marketplace fee and absorbs the Stripe processing fees. Starting with your 6th refund in a calendar month, you'll be responsible for the original Stripe merchant fees on that transaction. Both full and partial refunds count toward the threshold, and it resets on the first of each month.