Buyer Protection Policy 🛡️
Every paid order on StudentMarketplace goes through TradeSafe, a licensed third-party escrow and payment provider. Your money is held safely by TradeSafe — not by the seller, and not by us — until you actually have your item.
How your payment is protected
1
You pay by card, Ozow, SnapScan, or RCS at checkout. The funds go into escrow with TradeSafe — the seller can't touch them yet.
2
For in-person handovers, you get a one-time Collection PIN. Only give it to the seller once you physically have the item in hand — entering it is what releases payment to them.
3
For Pargo pickup-point delivery, payment releases automatically 24 hours after Pargo confirms delivery to the pickup point — giving you a window to check the item and raise a dispute first if something's wrong.
4
If there's a problem — item not as described, never arrived, damaged — open a dispute from the order in My Orders before the release window closes. This pauses the automatic release while we look into it.
What a dispute can lead to
Depending on the outcome, funds are either released to the seller or refunded to you, back to your original payment method. Refunds may take a few business days to reflect, depending on your bank and TradeSafe's processing times. See our full Refund & Cancellation Policy for details.
Staying safe beyond payment
Escrow protects your money, but it's still worth taking normal precautions when meeting a seller or checking an item. See our Community Guidelines for tips on safely meeting up and describing items.
Need to raise something?
Open a dispute from the order itself in My Orders for the fastest response, or email studentmarketplacehelp@gmail.com.