When a buyer can open a dispute
- While the buyer checks your delivery: the buyer raises it from the order page.
- Instant-delivery accounts and gift cards: the buyer contacts you first, and you get time to fix the problem before they can raise a dispute.
- An order you haven’t delivered: once your guaranteed delivery time has passed, a buyer you’ve replied to can contact you with Order was not received. If you never delivered or replied, the buyer cancels instead.
- After the order is received: only our support team can open a dispute, for a buyer who contacted us while the order was protected.
The buyer picks a reason. The reasons depend on the product:
| Product | Reasons the buyer can choose |
|---|---|
| Accounts | Account login doesn’t work, Account was taken back, Order is not as described, Order is missing details, Other |
| Items, currency, top-ups | Order was not received, Wrong amount delivered, Order is not as described, Delivered late, Other |
| Keys, gift cards | Order was not received, Code doesn’t work, Wrong region, Other |
The buyer’s message appears in the order chat, and we notify you by email and on the site.
When the buyer contacts you first
Your time starts when the buyer sends the request, and the order page counts it down. You can:
- Reply in the order chat: explain what you delivered and add screenshots. Your first message counts as your reply.
- Send replacement: new login details, the next account from the same listing, or another listing of yours. You can resend it to correct it until the buyer accepts.
- Offer refund: the buyer chooses whether to accept and where the money goes. Once they accept, the order is cancelled and refunded.
- Can’t fix this: tells the buyer straight away, so they can raise a dispute and our team can decide.
If you haven’t replied by halfway through your time, the buyer can raise a dispute early. If the buyer is happy, they close the request with Problem solved.
How long you have in a dispute
The order page shows your exact deadline, and we remind you before it passes. For currency and items, have proof of delivery ready: a screenshot or clip of the trade, mail or transfer.
How to respond to a dispute
Open the order from your sales. Any of these counts as your response, and you can use more than one:
- Reply in the order chat with your proof. The buyer sees it.
- Upload your proof: screenshots, a short clip or a PDF in the dispute’s private section, then Submit proof. Only PlayerBay sees it.
- Offer refund: once per dispute; you can’t change or withdraw it.
- Offer Replacement: for instant-delivery accounts, new login details, the next account from the same listing, or another listing of yours. You can resend it to correct it until the buyer accepts.
What happens next
- The buyer accepts your offer: a refund cancels the order; a replacement is delivered and the order continues.
- The buyer declines, or the offer window ends: our Dispute Team reviews the dispute and decides. You can’t send another offer in that dispute.
- The buyer’s problem is fixed: they close the dispute with Problem solved, and the order is marked received.
- You don’t respond in time: the dispute goes to our Dispute Team, which decides.
Our Dispute Team can side with you, refund the buyer in full, or refund part of the order. After a staff decision the order shows Order locked by staff, and neither side can act on it.
Your earnings during a dispute
- The order’s earnings are held while a request or dispute is open.
- If the decision goes your way, the order is marked received and the earnings are released when its protection ends.
- If the buyer accepts a replacement, the order continues from where it was, and the earnings follow the usual protection rules.
- If the buyer is refunded in full, you aren’t paid for the order.
- After a partial refund, your share shrinks by the same proportion and is held until protection ends.
Disputes you lose lower your offer ranking and can lead to a warning from our team. See When your earnings become available for the full rules on holds.