Checking who's selling
The same product can be safe to buy from one seller and risky from another. What matters is whether someone accountable stands behind the sale.
Warning signs
- No business name, address or way to contact a person.
- No clear returns policy, or one that's hard to find.
- Very long delivery windows, like 7 to 21 business days, which often means items ship from a distant supplier.
- On marketplaces: a third-party seller with a random name, rather than the brand or the marketplace itself.
How to protect yourself
- Prefer listings sold by the brand or by the marketplace itself.
- Read the returns policy before you buy, not after.
- Pay by credit card, which gives you a way to dispute the charge.
What BuyWise does
BuyWise flags listings where it's hard to tell who's accountable for the sale.